Blanks vs. Bullets

 

This will be a more detailed look at what happens when a semi-automatic or fully automatic gun is fired. It will also ruin a lot of movies, so there’s that.

First, what is a “blank?”

A blank is a round that lacks a bullet. It’s basically a noisemaker. The pistols fired at track meets use blanks. Some nail guns use blanks. To make a blank, you need to take a normal casing, fill it with powder, then seal the end with a paper disk (revolvers and single shots only) or by crimping the end together to make a point. Some use a mix of the two.

When a blank is fired, the powder burns to create gas. That gas flows down the barrel where it makes a noise as it hits the air.

 

BLANKS ARE DANGEROUS!

Rifles: Semi and Fully Automatic

Now we come to the “cool” ones. The rifles that action heroes have been using to sow destruction for over 50 years now. Let’s define some things.

Rifles: Bolt Action

This is probably the most common style of rifle in the sporting world. They can be chambered in any caliber from .22 long rifle, to .50 BMG (Browning Machine Gun).

Rifles: Double Rifles

Double Rifles were made in Europe, mainly England, for use in Africa in the late 1800’s. They had the same metal casings, but used black powder or a mix of black and smokeless. These latter versions were the “Express” calibers. The .577 Nitro used black powder only, the .577 Nitro Express used a mix.

Rifles: Rolling Block and Falling Block

The word Rifle can refer to many different types, from the long barreled muzzle loading flintlocks*, to the classic lever action cowboy gun, to the modern hunting rifle, and even the short barreled bullpup assault rifle. The one thing they must all have is a rifled barrel.

 

Rifles: Lever and Pump Actions

Starting in the mid-1800’s metal cartridges made repeating rifles possible. The most famous of these was the model ’94 (1894) Lever Action Winchester. This was most common in .30-30, which is still available today.

Silencers

On the Accessories page, I briefly went over sound suppressors. This time will be more in depth.

A suppressor is the more accurate term for a silencer. This is an attachment that fits on the end of the barrel of a firearm and reduced the intensity of the sound.

It does not make the weapon silent.

How interchangeable is ammunition?

This comes up now and again, and I haven’t posted a firearm entry for some time, so here’s a new one.

There are several calibers that sound like they should be interchangeable, but the truth is, there are slight differences that can lead to disaster for your fictional characters, and your real life ones.

Making Jacketed Bullets

In another section I went over how to make cast lead bullets. There is a limit to how fast these can go. That’s one of the reasons for jacketed bullets.

A modern bullet is normally two parts. There is a lead core to give it the mass and a copper jacket to hold it together before, and after, it hits. There are other types, but the copper jacket represents the bulk of the market. While far less common than casting lead bullets, there are people who make their own jacketed bullets.

Making Bullets (cast)

In another section we went over how to load your own ammunition. This one is different. This is how to make your own bullets. From (nearly) scratch.

First up is cast bullets. These are far more commonly found made at home than jacketed ones. As with making most things, you need equipment. In this case, you need moulds, a furnace, a sizing press, and lube.

The first thing to keep in mind is that:

Reloading Shotguns

Shotguns rounds differ from handgun and rifle rounds in three main ways.

The first is that they are mostly plastic. Some are actually paper, but they can’t be reloaded. More accurately, they shouldn’t be. Shotgun casings are also commonly referred to as Hulls, and can come in a number of colors. Most 12 gauge hulls are red. Most 20 gauge are yellow, and most 10 gauge are black. 16 and 28 gauge are rare enough now that I can’t recall which is purple, and have no idea what the other one is.

Reloading

It probably goes without saying that no company actually makes silver bullets or rounds filled with holy water or garlic powder for those pesky vermin that come sniffing around some stories. Fortunately, it’s really not all that hard for a person to make their own conventional ammunition. This is not completely without risk, but it’s possible. Specialty stuff is a little harder.

How easy is it?

What kind of gun to use?

Another question I see pop up quite often on forums is “What kind of gun would my character use?” The answer to that depends on a lot of different factors. Here are some common ones.