[SML] Stage pistol?

[B. H. Ackler]

If you choose to follow the gunsmith route, legally purchase the firearm, and 
then have the firearm converted to a blank-only device (method dependent on 
type of weapon) then you can file a "Destruction of Firearm Form" with the ATF 
and since the firearm can no longer fire a projectile, depending on local 
regulation, it ceases to be a "firearm" and now is only a DEADLY stage prop.

I suggest .32 calibre revolver with longer barrel, as it is "small" and such 
an odd blank size that mistakes are less likely. Reads well on stage visually 
and the blanks are not "too loud (38cal)" or "thin and weak (22cal)".

And let us not even discuss the Thompson .45 cal submachine gun for Petrified 
Forest.

Bryan H. Ackler
Portland, Oregon

On 5/4/2016 10:02 AM, stagecraft-request at theatrical.net wrote:
 > Date: Tue, 3 May 2016 22:53:18 +0000
 > From: Duncan Mahoney<dmahoney at usc.edu>
> Subject: Re: [SML] Stage pistol?
 >
> Mac asks
> "Can anyone recommend a good, reliable stage revolver and where they can be
>  purchased?"
>
> Assuming by "stage revolver" you mean "blank firing only revolver"  the
> short answer is that there is almost no such thing.  90%+ of blank firing
> guns are made from a very weak cast-able alloy, usually based on zinc.
> Sooner or later those will all start to fail, one common problem is that
> the firing pin will leave a deep enough dent in the hammer that the gun
> will no longer fire.  Alternately some of the moving parts will wear
> "out-of-spec" and the gun will no longer line the cylinder up properly with
> the firing pin.  Frequently though someone will drop the gun and it will
> break long before it wears out.
>
  --  { snipped for brevity } --
>
> If your budget allows, paying a gunsmith familiar with the process to
> convert a "real" revolver to fire "blanks only" is an option.  The result
> will be as reliable as the gun it was made from and you can specify where
> you want it ported if there is a particular direction needed to fulfill the
> fight choreography.  However, as far as the state and Federal Bureaus of
> Firearms  are concerned, it will still be a real gun and subject to all the
> pertaining laws because you could take the action and a whole bunch of new
> parts and turn it back into a functional weapon.
>
> If your local laws allow, and you are willing to take the chance on a used
> gun, old "gas cartridge&  blank" revolvers come up on sites like Gun Broker
> occasionally.  Being made from steel, they might be reliable, but they
> might also have 70 years of wear...
>
> When dealing with blank guns, always assume 1 or more will fail during the
> run and have spares...and a back-up sound cue
>
> Another thing with "blank firing only revolvers" that can really matter is
> your choice of blank brands (or primer brands if you load your own).  Some
> blanks have weak primers that will bulge backwards towards the firing pin
> when fired.  Given that tolerances of many blank guns are "looser" than
> those of real guns, surfaces are not polished as smooth and burr free, and
> some blank guns allow the hammer to rest lightly against the firing pin
> when the hammer is down (keeping the firing pin from fully retracting), and
> you have a combination of factors that can cause the gun to jam when the
> actor has to fire more than once.  Alternately, most blank guns have
> lightweight hammers that do not hit the firing pin as hard as "real guns"
> do, so primers made from thicker/harder material may not reliably ignite
> when struck, leading to a different type of miss-fire.
>
> Duncan Mahoney Director of Technical Direction Associate Professor of
> Theatre Practice University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts
>
>