Special effects blanks

S

Sabre9mm

New member
when you watch a movie, and they fire their weapons, there is always a plume of fire coming from the muzzle.

I have fired hundreds of rounds on video to go back over visually post range.

Aside from my shotgun, I seldom ever see this.
Granted camera speed can affect this, however laws of averages would provide the likelihood that I would not ALWAYS fire between frames would eventually change.

Granted it is easy to CGI in nowadays, but there are definitely movies where this is not the case, so I assume there must be some special blanks that produce this effect.

So where would be the place to get such stuff, and would it harm a normal weapon to run it?

Or anyone know much about it in general?
 
Actually yes, briefly, first search term was "special effects ammunition" which yielded everything from makeup effects to armor piercing rounds...

So rather than dig through pages of information I did not need, I figured it was safe to ask a *shooting* forum a question, seemed logical.

Seriously it amazes me sometimes how people would rather point out their problem with something that provide something constructive...

So would it be your opinion that since 90% of the web is indexed in some search engine that open forums are useless wastes of time, or that they are a place where you can ask specific questions about specific topics among people of similar specific interests and start discussions on those matters? :confused:

I mean really, not to continue an argument I did not start, but what exactly was that meant to convey other than "Information is out there do not bother us?"
 
Take a look at the Walking Dead, for instance. When they fire their guns, half the time the action doesn't even cycle. They add all that (as well as most of the blood, flies, etc.) in with CGI.

On the other hand, there was an episode of Sons of Guns (Red Jacket Firearms) where they converted a Mac 10 to work only with blanks and it was fed from an actual magazine that contained a somewhat realistic number of rounds.

I believe they might also use squibs, a small and controlled explosive charge, but usually this is put under or inside something (clothes, a vase) to make that little explosion that happens when something is shot.
 
Thanks, that was part of the problem, I found some places that had special guns, a lot of information on how to make the effects like the squibs to simulate target hits, and even one site that looked like a lot of good info until I realised it was people posting about a video game...

I know I have seen non CGI ( although I did watch one the other day where the belt fed machine gun was tossing shells and fire, but the belt was not moving :rolleyes: )

Of the non CGI flavor though, what I do not know is if those were special effects guns shooting special ammo or real guns shooting special effects ammo, and if so what effect would that have on the gun itself.

I am filing this under my no practical purpose, just fun, so all the *shooting blanks* and *wasting time* etc... Yeah I get that, not the point of the question, note I did not ask which style blank is better to kill zombies...

Assuming it has some sort of chemical burning slower than the powder, and probably adjusted to make it more bright or visible, I could see anything from iron oxide to phosphorus being used, and that would likely lead to a much dirtier cleanup, but would it cause damage?

I figured someone here had crossed that bridge and would have some experience to share.
 
I was watching a particularly bad Syfi channel original movie about zombies one day. I noticed that when the character fired his MP5, the screen flashed. So I hit the rewind and then slow motion. The screen changed from a character in a dark sewer with an MP5 to a quick shot of an M16 up close being fired outdoors during what was obviously a bright day. With the muzzle break, it was a pretty impressive flare, and it just looked like an average shot. Nothing fancy.
 
Yeah, we watched one use the same mag at full auto the other day for a solid 5 minutes, even the kids were laughing...


BTW, Dakota, that was a milestone post ;)

20130820_001.jpg
 
maxsell armory, collectors armory....

When I was a teen in the 1980s, my friends & I would get stuff from The Collector's Armory.
I'm not sure if they are still around. They sold props, blanks etc.
Another modern place in Maxsell Armory in Cocoa Beach FL.
They have prop guns blanks milspec uniforms & LE gear badges etc.
They sell stuff online too but check your local laws re; blanks/guns.

BTW, I read a 1980s era article on the cop show Miami Vice. The producer, Michael Mann had the armorers & FX crew load the pistol blanks so they had a brighter muzzle flash.

CF
 
Guns are modified to use propane to make the flashes and don't use blank rounds. You can search and find companies that offer such.

IIRC, they give the nice big flashes.
 
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