shooting blanks

taog44

morning group.... I have a chance to get a couple of guns that are I'm sure fakes or bad copies but look pretty good, Enfield pistol, Henry from Afgan and there are others.... I do reenacting and want to know if there is any problem in shooting blanks in them? for Civil war we only just dump powder down the barrel and prime and shoot... no projectiles... wouldn't seem like there would be much chamber pressure? thanks for any info

nmyers

Not sure what "chance to get" means. But, if it means paying US dollars for guns you aren't familiar with, I'd take a pass.

I would hope that for your Civil War reenacting you are only dumping powder down the barrel of muzzle loaders. For Civil War era rifles that shoot metallic cartridges like the Henry or Sharps, you should use blanks, & rolling your own may be difficult. The movie industry uses "5 in 1 blanks" which fit many rifles, but not all. Chamber pressure from firing blanks will almost always be safe enough that a real gun won't be damaged, but the cardboard wad in the blank cartridge is capable of killing someone.

"Non-firing reproductions" should always be considered unsafe to fire anything.

Neal

EDIT: My mistake, I should have picked up on the word "Afghan".

For centuries, 3rd world "craftsmen" in the Hindu Kush have been producing "decorator" guns for sale to tourists; they use old gun parts & make some parts & embellishments from scrap metal & wood. They are suitable only for decoration, nothing else. Value is small, probably less than what it would cost to ship them.

I urge you not to load "blanks" or anything else while participating in reenactments UNTIL YOU HAVE ASKED SOMEONE WITH EXPERIENCE FOR ADVICE ON LOADING YOUR GUN. Every year some folks get injured or killed during reenactments due to mistakes made by others; don't let that happen to you.

EDIT: Yes, there are some black powder guns that are legal to import, but the problem is that neither you nor your friends understand which are legal & which are not. And, yes, there are some "craftsmen" in that part of the world who make functional copies of modern firearms; these are rarely safe to fire, & NEVER legal to import. As Perry Shooter says, a mistake in judgement on your part could result in federal prison. Life is too short; walk away.

taog44

I have a friend stationed over in Afgan and has gotten some the guns in the market.... and shipped back and they look good... the guy in the shop he said they are safe to shoot??? the shop keeper then went out front and fired them.... sure not new york city... I do only dump powder as I said no perjectiles.... do use cream of wheat in cap & ball pistol to hold powder in... for reenactments ... anyway he said he would ship them back to me for cost of gun and shipping.... less than a good weekend drinking beer.... and on some of forums people say they are shooting bullets in them.... or changing them over to shoot other calibers.... but like to know what would be the danger of shooting blanks in muzzle loaders or even the cartridge old guns?? of course using blackpowder.

perry shooter

I would be VERY CAREFUL with being on the receiving end of ANY Firearms imported into the U.S. without import License. When years ago I shipped some war trophy firearms home from Vietnam I gave very thought to what would happen if I got caught . They were all lost in a boating accident years ago and That was before the 1868 gun control act. IMHO you could go to Jail and loose the RIGHT to ever own a fire-arm again.

taog44

I didn't think that blackpowder guns from the 1800's were controlled the same as newer 20th century ones and if your bringing back only a few.... the guys I talked to that are and were over in afgan said they were cleared by customs?
also I was told by people stationed in places like Afgan there are two types of guns the decorator guns and then the ones that are copies and can be shot.... several soldiers said their people in the back areas carried some of these and used them in the war?