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Need help reloading 30-06 blanks
- Thread starter Rob01
- Start date
To work well without a bullet, special very fast burning powder is used in factory blanks. It is NOT sold on the market for the simple reason that if loaded behind a bullet it would blow up any gun in which it was fired.
.30-'06 blanks are available, and I would recommend using them rather than try to make your own. Use the red wad blanks or the European plastic blanks; the rose crimp blanks are grenade launcher blanks and do not make enough noise.
Shotshells present somewhat less problem and usually a charge of black powder will give a satisfactory noise. Do not point the gun at anyone - the wad column can be dangerous and also can set fires. Of course gun cleanup is very messy. (Don't even think about black powder in an M1; the noise would not be satisfactory, and the cleanup would be horrible.)
Jim
.30-'06 blanks are available, and I would recommend using them rather than try to make your own. Use the red wad blanks or the European plastic blanks; the rose crimp blanks are grenade launcher blanks and do not make enough noise.
Shotshells present somewhat less problem and usually a charge of black powder will give a satisfactory noise. Do not point the gun at anyone - the wad column can be dangerous and also can set fires. Of course gun cleanup is very messy. (Don't even think about black powder in an M1; the noise would not be satisfactory, and the cleanup would be horrible.)
Jim
Danger Dave
New member
Umm, Jim, I used to know several people that reloaded their own .30-06 blanks for reenactment. There are .30-06 star crimp dies out there, but they're expensive. I would recommend finding factory loads if you can find them.
also, "Use the red wad blanks or the European plastic blanks; the rose crimp blanks are grenade launcher blanks and do not make enough noise. "
We used to use .303 GL rounds in our Enfields - they were cheaper & a LOT louder than regular blanks. The real danger is that firing a GL round through a restricted bore (like a blank adapted semi-auto) could cause some catastrophic failures, like firing your blank adapter off, sending the bolt into your eye socket, etc. A GL round is loaded with more powder than a regular round, much less a blank - most of them are packed so full, you can't even hear the powder if you shake it. That's why the grenade launcher attachment for the Garand has a post that opens the gas port - to release the pressure & keep it from slamming the bolt back & damaging the rifle.
A fair warning: Star crimped & plastic or wood tipped blanks should only be used on restricted bores (blank adapted rifles). The paper wadding covers disintegrate & aren't much of threat, but a wood fragment or a sheared off piece of a star crimp can be quite dangerous (I know a fellow who got shot in the butt with a piece of brass).
Shotgun blanks - a thin card cover sealed with fingernail polish or lacquer will work (I've done this myself). Or you can buy "field poppers" or black powder blanks. Companies that specialize in shotguns & shotgun ammo/reloading will carry both.
Tell your friend to be careful & talk to some people that have done it. Blank adapting a semi-auto is a balancing act between the size of the hole in the adaptor & the powder charge. Too much powder + too much restriction = KaBOOM! No more rifle (& possibly rifleman).
also, "Use the red wad blanks or the European plastic blanks; the rose crimp blanks are grenade launcher blanks and do not make enough noise. "
We used to use .303 GL rounds in our Enfields - they were cheaper & a LOT louder than regular blanks. The real danger is that firing a GL round through a restricted bore (like a blank adapted semi-auto) could cause some catastrophic failures, like firing your blank adapter off, sending the bolt into your eye socket, etc. A GL round is loaded with more powder than a regular round, much less a blank - most of them are packed so full, you can't even hear the powder if you shake it. That's why the grenade launcher attachment for the Garand has a post that opens the gas port - to release the pressure & keep it from slamming the bolt back & damaging the rifle.
A fair warning: Star crimped & plastic or wood tipped blanks should only be used on restricted bores (blank adapted rifles). The paper wadding covers disintegrate & aren't much of threat, but a wood fragment or a sheared off piece of a star crimp can be quite dangerous (I know a fellow who got shot in the butt with a piece of brass).
Shotgun blanks - a thin card cover sealed with fingernail polish or lacquer will work (I've done this myself). Or you can buy "field poppers" or black powder blanks. Companies that specialize in shotguns & shotgun ammo/reloading will carry both.
Tell your friend to be careful & talk to some people that have done it. Blank adapting a semi-auto is a balancing act between the size of the hole in the adaptor & the powder charge. Too much powder + too much restriction = KaBOOM! No more rifle (& possibly rifleman).
Blank powder is available from a few sources.
I would just use a regular resizing die. The annular ring below the case mouth should still stay intact. Powder charge would be critical, as the fast burning powder can spike pressures enough to power a hand grenade.
Yes. US "pineapple" hand grenades were once (available stock in the 1950s) charged with good old blank rifle powder. Just the cap, the fuse and the powder. That was before the flaked, aluminized TNT.
The cardboard top wads are a bit of a problem for me. I don't know how to easily do them.
If you insist on doing this, weigh a charge from at least 10 blanks, select the lightest charge, and then load yours 10 yes TEN percent lighter.
I would just use a regular resizing die. The annular ring below the case mouth should still stay intact. Powder charge would be critical, as the fast burning powder can spike pressures enough to power a hand grenade.
Yes. US "pineapple" hand grenades were once (available stock in the 1950s) charged with good old blank rifle powder. Just the cap, the fuse and the powder. That was before the flaked, aluminized TNT.
The cardboard top wads are a bit of a problem for me. I don't know how to easily do them.
If you insist on doing this, weigh a charge from at least 10 blanks, select the lightest charge, and then load yours 10 yes TEN percent lighter.
For my own blanks...
I've been using a light charge of fast pistol powder, like WW231, and then a wax wad, which is simply a block of wax as purchased for canning or candlestick making. Once the round has the powder charge, I insert the round's mouth into the sheet of wax, pressing a plug of wax into the mouth of the round. That way it's sealed well, and if the wad melts on firing, it just lubes the bore, otherwise it acts much like the cardboard wads. It's still a projectile, though, so watch where you point the loud end of the gun when you're firing salutes!
I've been using a light charge of fast pistol powder, like WW231, and then a wax wad, which is simply a block of wax as purchased for canning or candlestick making. Once the round has the powder charge, I insert the round's mouth into the sheet of wax, pressing a plug of wax into the mouth of the round. That way it's sealed well, and if the wad melts on firing, it just lubes the bore, otherwise it acts much like the cardboard wads. It's still a projectile, though, so watch where you point the loud end of the gun when you're firing salutes!