Guns

holy cow! dont even go there...

DONT MAKE A MOVIE USING LIVE ROUNDS OR SOMEONE WILL DIE.
Its dangerous enough using blanks, even blanks rounds can send a fragment from the barrel fast enough to do lethal damage.

all this talk about guns....

the answer is very simple. Go buy a few plastic fake guns, if they are the wrong colour, paint them black and silver. If you want to make it more exciting for the actors buy cap firing guns.

Download, or capture a sound effect from the web or a John Woo film, and over lay that at the right moment. If the actor jerks his/her hand at the right point, and you add a little muzzle flash then you cant tell the difference.

That way you arent breaking any laws, and you are keeping safe.
And it will probably cost you less than buying blank rounds.

If you must use blank rounds then get an armourer: someone who know what he or she is doing, and knows how to keep it safe.

Blah bloody blah

Whatever you do, don't use small explosives to create te sound of a gun. The most small explosives sound like a real gun, and that scares people, don't even use them in a forrest, ...
I did it that one time (see my reply above), and that mixed with some other factors made the people afraid. Then the police showed up.

It ended good aftherall, but next time, I let my actors to act like they've shot with a gun, and later in the edeting proces, I use a sound from games.

The WAV-files from Half-life and Kingpin are very good, but for Half-life, you'll need a PAK extractor to get the wav files.

You can download such an extractor at
http://www.planethalflife.com

I think that blanks are a little bit smaller than normal gun rounds, so they tend to jam easily. Or something like that, haven't used 'em meself, wouldn't want to either, actually.

loc_dog,

What kinda 9mm are you using? Some can take 9mm blank rounds no problem, some need adapters and some just won't! Some newer guns like the Berretta 9000 take parabelm (sp?) rounds too. If in doubt, check with a local gunsmith or shop. They should be able to advise you.

I asume you're in the US or other country that has no gun law about the ownership of guns? Otherwise it's just plain illegal!

Regards
Keviano

i wish i had a nice 9mm but in fact its an off-brand company called Jennings. It's not old (i bought it about a year ago), but its not a brand new model.

Is there a specific place to buy blank rounds (ive been to gun shows but ive never actually looked for blank rounds before)?

Also has anyone ever heard of blank rounds for shotguns. cause i have a couple real nice 12 ga. and that would be sweet to get some blank rounds for them.

SAFETY CONCIOUS LOOK AWAY NOW!SAFETY CONSCIOUS LOOK AWAY NOW!

For a 12 gauge shotgun using standard buck shot cartridges, you can actually make your own blanks from live ammo. Please bear in mind, I take no responsibility for accidents, if in doubt, get a film crew Armorer to do it.

Opening the top of the cartridge, tip the buckshot out and dispose of it. You round will now have only the bottom stuff (housed in the metal casing at the bottom). On some shots you can remove the gunpowder charge (The wad). You need to make sure any caps or casing on the wad are removed too, as these plastic covers can be pretty painful if shot from a 12 ga round! This, essentially, is a blank round. Still be careful, and shoot a couple of practice rounds off against a wall first, before using them on set.

In regards to blanks for your Jennings pistol, they are available in the Uk from places such as Battle Orders ( http://www.battleorders.co.uk ), but you should check with local bylaws in Phoenix to make sure they are legal, ya never know! Battle Ordes will supply to America providing it?s legal.

Use this information responsibly, and if you?re not sure about something, don?t do it!

Regards
Keviano
ReelRaine Productions

Erm Is'nt this how Bruce Lee's Son got killed. When they tried to save money on blacks. By letting one of the crew do what this guy is saying.

It didnt quite work for them guys.

yeah, i remember seeing bradon lee on unsolved mysteries. I COULD make my own blank shotgun shells easier becuase my grandfather has all the tools you need to reload shells. all i'd have to do is not put in the pellets. the only thing is, i dont trust myself. thanks for the link though.

As a point of interest, purely as some useless trivia. The hippo shooting up the place in the end of "Meet the Feebles" directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings dude for those of you who don't know - god help you) is using live ammunition.

Pretty cool, but not something to try at home.

Later
Stephen