.22 Caliber Blanks

[ShamboPyro]

Are there any 22 L.R. blanks that would be safe to shoot when at home? That wouldn't require hearing protection? Kinda to make my gun like a cap pistol.

 

[M-Cameron]

I can't say ide recommend using them without hearing protection....but you can always just pull the bullet and dump the powder from a regular .22lr and fire just the primer......

And I'm not sure if they fit a standard chamber, but hardware stores sell rim fire blanks to be used In a tool to drive nails into concrete...

What do you want to use this for anyway? Semi-dry fire practice? Scare birds away? Just for fun?

 

[MedWheeler]

I've never shot any blanks indoors that didn't make my ears ring a little. I have an old starter revolver (though not branded, it appears to have been made by RG) that I've shot indoors. I've also shot .22 blanks in regular firearms, but you have to keep in mind that all rimfire blanks I've ever seen are made with black powder. This is corrosive, so you have to be much more diligent about cleaning your gun afterward. Also, blanks will not cycle an auto pistol. The Gander Mountain south of me in Palm Beach County, Florida, has them.

Just go pick up a nice ring-cap gun off ebay or somewhere. There are probably some good old ones on there. When I was in high school and director of our drama club (back around 1984-ish), I had occasion to source a couple for theatrical purposes. I remember one had a metal swing-out cylinder (though it swung to the right side, like a Charter Arms Southpaw.) It was a snubnose revolver, and with the then-new ring-type caps, was quite loud, much more so than the paper-strip ones. Looked quite real, too.

M-Cameron suggests:

but you can always just pull the bullet and dump the powder from a regular .22lr and fire just the primer......

I would not recommend this simply because of the current availability issues with .22LR ammunition. Don't waste it if you have it.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Blanks are pretty loud. It wouldn't be much good were it quiet now would it? Wear hearing protection.
If you have centerfires you can always just replace the primer for a noisemaker. Some guys shoot wax or plastic bullets over primers for indoor practice (though the fired primer residue generally contains lead).. wear hearing protection though.

 

[c4v3man]

I would only fire blanks directly at things you would otherwise be fine firing live rounds at. Sooner or later, you are going to mix up a live round with a series of blanks, Murphy says so.

 

[Jacob L Freeman]

I've pulled the bullet and dumped powder from .22 shorts and fired them. Barely a noise at all.

 

[ShamboPyro]

I only wanted to do this for fun. Most cap guns are made very cheaply these days. Maybe I'll just try to find one.

 

[Jim K]

The blank cartridges for nail drivers and the like have a noise level well below normal .22 blanks, which are loaded with a special blank powder.

FWIW, NEVER dump the powder from blank cartridges and load it behind a bullet; just about guaranteed to blow a gun apart.

(The word used above is BLANK, not BLACK, powder. The last time I wrote about "blank powder" I got all kinds of replies about "black powder". They are not the same thing!)

Jim

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd just clack a couple boards together.. it's about the same thing. Pretty lame.

 

[12many]

I would be uncomfortable using a real gun as a cap gun or probably even having blanks round with they idea that they are like caps. I might forget which is in the gun or magazine.

 

[Dr T]

Not a good idea. More than one fool has committed accidental suicide by holding a pistol loaded with blanks to the head and pulling the trigger. Jeff Cooper points this out in one of his books.

FIREARMS ARE DANGEROUS EVEN WHEN LOADED ONLY WITH BLANKS OR (IN THE CASE OF CENTERFIRE ROUNDS) PRIMED CARTRIDGES.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

This bears repeating...

More than one fool has committed accidental suicide by holding a pistol loaded with blanks to the head and pulling the trigger.

That is the tactical equivalent of taping a (real) M80 to one's skull and lighting the fuse. And with blanks made with wadding, the wad will act as a high velocity projectile deadly at close range.

Most .22 blanks are crimped but try a muzzle contact shot on a chicken leg with skin.

Treat all guns, even range "toys", with the respect due a lethal weapon.
Treat blanks with the respect due dangerous pyrotechnics.

 

[Gottahaveone]

The blank cartridges for nail drivers and the like have a noise level well below normal .22 blanks, which are loaded with a special blank powder.

I respectfully beg to differ. The yellow coded (4th strongest out of 5 power levels) that Lowe's sells are not only exceptionally loud, they give you a muzzle flame of about 6" from a 6" bbl revolver.

There's just no way to shoot these indoors (or out) without hearing protection. They do work very well for keeping birds outta the trees

 

[Stargazer65]

I wouldn't shoot blanks without hearing protection. I was dumb enough to shoot a super colibri indoors without hearing protection with a revolver, and a percussion cap on my ROA. Both made my ears ring, and they're just primer, no powder.