What is a Blank Gun?

The best way to describe a Blank Gun is to imagine it as a real gun in just about every way except one… There are no dangerous bullets flying out the front of it. That’s right, a Blank Gun just like a real gun uses a brass or metal shells, loaded with a primer and gun powder, but for what ever reason reason, some rocket scientists forgot to put a bullet at the end of the Blank shell. 

Why Would You Want a Blank Gun?

Isn’t the entire purpose of a gun to shoot something? So why on earth would you buy a gun that doesn't  shoot anything at all, what purpose would it serve? Even Nerf guns, water guns, potato guns all shoot something…

One way to look at a Blank Gun is to imagine it as a cap gun, but for grown ups. Similar to how kids like to shoot their cap guns because they go bang and sparks and smoke fly out of them, Blank Guns do the same thing but on a much grander scale and in most cases they look and sound a lot more like a real gun than a cap gun does.

So Blank Guns don’t actually do the main function of a real gun (that is to shoot a bullet), but they do look and sound the part of a gun. So how could this be of practical use to anyone?

Signalling Devices:

First off, have you ever heard of a Starter Pistol or a Flare Gun? Blank Guns have been historically used to signal the start of races. Many Blank Guns also have the ability to shoot flares by adding a flare adaptor to them so a person can shoot a flare into the air to signal distress if they are lost or hurt.

Gun Handling and Training:

Since many Blank Guns look, operate and feel almost exactly like real guns, Blank Guns are a great place to start out when training a person on proper gun handling and operation. If they make a mistake while using a Blank Gun, the consequences are far less severe than with a real gun. There is also much less kick from a Blank Gun so shooting a Blank Gun is less scary or intimidating for new shooters.

Dog Training:

Dogs used for police, military and hunting are required to stay calm around loud noises like gun shots, trained dogs also need to get used to the presence of guns and even how to attack the gun hand of a person who could be a potential threat. Again using Blank Guns in this training situation is a much better option than using a real gun for obvious reasons.

Movies, Video TV and Stage:

Introducing live ammunition on a movie set would be ridiculous, there is absolutely no need to shoot a bullet in this type of situation. Blank Guns make perfect stage props since they again look the part and sound the part without the dangerous bullets flying all over the place…

Collectors:

Many collectors want to own guns but for reasons like gun restrictions in their area, they may not be able to own a real gun or certain types of real guns. Blank Guns can offer a person with heavy gun restrictions in their area the ability to own similar Blank Gun versions. Perhaps they can own real guns but just simply don’t want to go through the licensing and registration hassle of owning a real gun. Blank Guns can generally be purchased for far less money than a real gun which is appealing to collectors who in many cases may not even shoot them.

Celebration:

In places like Turkey, people celebrate holidays and events by shooting Blank Guns into the air, at one time they actually shoot real guns, but people where getting injured or even killed by the falling bullets. Because of this, Blank Gun production became an industry in places like Turkey as Blank Gun manufacturers like EKOL, Retay and Zoraki (also know as ATAK Arms) are Turkish companies.

So now you know some of the reasons why a person would want to own a Blank Gun. I have Blank Guns and I also own real guns too. One reason is because there are many Blank Guns I own that I can not own in their real steel versions because of Canadian gun restrictions so obtaining a similar version in a Blank Gun allows me to own these models.

If a Blank Gun is not for you, then by all means get a real gun, but please understand that there is a place for Blank Guns, and in those environments, a Blank Gun is actually a better choice than a real gun.

It has been way too long since I got to go to the gun range and shoot my "big boy" guns! I say that sarcastically, sure my real steel guns are fun to shoot but it sure costs a lot of money and basically all we really do is shoot paper targets. Shooting at papper targets is fun for a while but I kind of enjoy shooting my airguns at pretty much any type of target I choose to shoot at. And of course any time I want to and for pennies per shot.

So getting back to Range Day shooting my real steel big boy guns ;) I went with a couple of buddies of mine and we shot a nice variety of guns. My Norinco NP-30 double stack 45 cal 1911, my Wyoming Arms Parker 10mm, a couple of my friends Glock 40 cals, my Norinco NP-34 P228 and Norinco Tokarev Type 54 9mm pistols, my Chiappa 1911-22 and ISSC M22 22LR pistols, a nice Sig Mosquito 22LR, my buddies S&W M&P 15-22 22LR rifle along with my ISSC MK22 SCAR 22LR rifle and my friends mighty custom Ruger Mini 14 in .223 caliber...

It was a cold day but a really fun day and it gave me a chance to really use my iPhone 6 plus camera for its slow-motion capabilities in a decent lighting situation.

Enjoy the footage of these "real guns" shooting in real time and slowed down.

I often get asked about using a 4.5mm Steel BB gun for pest control and to be honest I really don't think a BB gun is the right tool even at close range to properly and humanly take care of pests when need be. A much better tool is a high powered pellet rifle in just about any caliber as long as you have taken the time to practice your shot placement at a variety of ranges.

Pellets on the other hand, since they are shot out of a rifled barrel are generally super accurate, even within an inch or so at long ranges. Steel BB's on the other hand will do OK within 20-30 feet but once they get to the farther out ranges, they tend to drift a lot, making it very hard to predict exactly where they are going to go...

So I thought I would back up my words with a real world test by taking an average mid priced BB rifle and taking aim at some clay pigeon targets setup about 100 feet away. Watch my YouTube video to see how my Umarex Steel Force did shooting in semi auto at 100+ feet out.

Umarex Steel Force Used for this Test:

• 12 gram CO2 x2

• 4.5mm Steel BB's

• AR/M16 Replica

• Semi auto & 6 Round Burst, Single Action Only

• 300/30 Round Hopper/Magazine

• 430+ FPS

• Plastic with some Metal Construction

Buy the Umarex Steel Force in Canada - Buy the Umarex Steel Force in the US

Perhaps the last of my 4.5mm Steel BB Dull Auto Fun Video? We'll see? Today I take out my Umarex EBOS (Electric Burst of Steel) 8 Round Burst BB Machine Gun and again take aim at a bunch of clay pigeons I set up 30 feet away. Even thought the EBOS does not have the highest rate of fire with only 500 rounds per minute, it does get the job done because it stays true on target and really proved to be very accurate allowing me to even trim off the smallest bits of clay pigeon stuck in the edges of the holders.

The rate of fire on the Umarex E.B.O.S. almost reminds me of what you would hear or expect from an AK 47 type machine gun.

Near the end of this video I try my luck at shooting some of the clay pigeons out of the air shotgun style but failed horribly :( Perhaps I should give by modified 1200 rounds per minute Drozd Blackbird a go at it :)

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Only a few more Full Auto Fun Videos left to do for you, todays features the Umarex Steel Force which is basically an updated version of the Steel Storm but instead of having an H&K styled outer shell, the Steel Force is based around the popular AR 15 series and like many modern AR 15's, the Steel Force has an adjustable stock which really helps with target acquisition and accuracy.

Like my other Full Auto Fun Videos, I take out a bunch of clay pigeons from about 30 feet away. The Umarex Steel Force proves to be very accurate and CO2 efficient (got about 300 shots from the pair of 12 gram CO2's) but is a bit of a pain to reload the spring fed 30 rounds magazine when the 300 round BB hopper is full.

All in all if you'er looking for a low cost and super fun BB machine gun with a high rate of fire, good CO2 efficiency, awesome pinpoint accuracy and pretty decent power, then pick yourself up one of our Umarex Steel Force BB Guns!

Buy the Umarex Steel Force in Canada

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This one is a bit of a revisit since I already did Full Auto Fun Videos for both my Cybergun GSG 92 and Cybergun Mini UZI, both of which I had to do the conversion mods (GSG 92 Full auto Mod Video - Mini UZI  Full Auto Mod Video) to allow them to shoot in full auto modes.

The good news is that out of the box the KWC Mini UZI and KWC M92 both shoot in selectable semi auto and full auto modes. And if you didn't already know, the KWC versions are virtually the same guns since KWC makes them for Cybergun. The only real difference being the KWC version does not have the licensing or white lettering on the BB guns and of course the KWC versions are full auto ready to go.

So with that said, enjoy my YouTube Full Auto Fun Video of the KWC Mini UZI and KWC M92 Full Auto ready 4.5mm Steel BB CO2 Blowback Replicas.

Buy the KWC M92 Full Auto Ready BB Pistol

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Alright, so todays Full Auto Fun Video may be stretching things just a bit but I figured that since my Umarex Walther SG 9000 does have the ability to shoot 3 rounds with each pull of the trigger that we'll give it the benefit of the doubt and include it in this round of Full Auto Fun Videos.

The Walther SG 9000 is a kind of different looking airgun, the back half looks like a Walther Pistol while the front half is more of a tactical styled shotgun. And like a shotgun you can shoot multiple BB's with one shot. You actually have teh option of shooting single shot or three shot burst. In single shot mode, the Walther SG 9000 is pretty peppy shooting at around 500 fps on a fresh and warm 88 gram CO2. When you switch the SG 9000 over to three shot burst mode, it does slowdown somewhat closer to the 250 fps range so not really that great for any serious penetration.

But I figured since I was shooting clay pigeons which are made for shotgun use, why not use a BB styled multi-round shotgun on some of them! All in all the Umarex Walther SG 9000 got the job done...

I am sad to say that Umarex does not seem to make the Walther SG 9000 anymore so if you're looking for one you may have to settle for a used on if you can find an owner willing to give it up.

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Today's Full Auto Fun Video features the Umarex Steel Storm CO2 (Internal) Blowback Semi Auto and 6 Round Burst BB Gun. In my books any gun that can shoot at least 3-6 rounds for every pull of the trigger is full auto in my opinion. I tend to shoot in short bursts even if the gun is truly full auto since holding the trigger down till the mag is empty just means you have a lot of down time reloading on your hands. I prefer short controlled bursts because they are more accurate and you can make corrections if need be. You also use less CO2 giving the gun and CO2 a chance to warm up a bit between bursts.

The Umarex Steel Storm has been in my collection of a while now and was the first out of the box full auto BB gun I reviewed on my YouTube Channel. Version 2 of the Steel Storm is the Steel Force which shares many mechanical attributes to the Steel Storm but the Steel Force (externally) is modeled after the AR platform and has the addition of a multi-position AR styled stock which does help with target hold and accuracy.

I will be shooting the Steel Force in an upcoming Full Auto Fun Video so stay posted for that one!

Buy the Steel Storm in Canada 

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Yes! More Full Auto Fun Videos on the way and to kick of this week I shoot my ZMZ Tyrex PPA-K-01 Full Auto BB Gun. If you're not aware of the background on this very hard to get ahold of Airgun, I bought it new from another collector and imported it into Canada. I Paid an arm and a leg for it because the Tyrex PPA-K-01 is really hard to find here in Canada and the US, new or used.

The ZMZ Tyrex PPA-K-01 is a super close copy of the Kedr PP-91 (9 x 18 mm Makarov), also made in the same Russian ZMZ factory. So like my Baikal Makarov, the BB version and real steel version are made side by side and both guns use weapons grade steel and some parts from the real guns. Nothing of course that could be converted to a real gun.

As with my other Full Auto Fun Videos, I shoot up a bunch of clay pigeons and record all the fun using several cameras from several angles and points of view. The ZMZ Tyrex PPA-K-01 Blowback CO2 Full Auto BB Gun has a very high rate of fire and sounds like a real machine gun but much quieter of course. It is also surprisingly accurate as you will see in this Full Auto Fun Video!

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You guessed it, another Full Auto Fun YouTube Video! And another great Blowback BB gun from the past dusted off and brought out for some more shooting fun :)

You may remember my Cybergun GSG 92 CO2 Blowback 4.5mm Steel BB Pistol that I made several video reviews of, including a how to modify it to shoot both in semi auto and full auto modes. Well the good news is our new KWC Model M92 unlicensed versions (no ugly warning lettering either) now come with the semi and full auto selectable feature so no need to modify, just buy one and your ready to go!

With that said this video is me actually shooting my original Cybergun / KWC Licensed GSG 92 version that I modded to shoot full auto. It was giving me a bit of trouble today but it seemed to work out the kinks near the end.

In an upcoming Full Auto Fun Video I do plan to bring out a new KWC full auto ready M92 and Mini UZI to see how these factory full auto 4.5mm BB guns shoot out of the box.

Buy the KWC M92 BB Pistol

Some more Full Auto Fun Videos coming at you and make sure to check my previous ones out too!

In this Full Auto Fun Field Test Shooting video I bring out my original Umarex Walther PPK Blowback CO2 BB Pistol. The PPK I converted to full auto and that started it all off by being my first YouTube video upload. Wow, that was a while ago now!

I do have to say, modifying the PPK to Full Auto is not recommended, mine originally worked well but the heavy blowback in full auto eventually broke the firing pin setup and I lost it somewhere in my back field. I had to Macgyver a bolt in place to kind of work but now my Full Auto Modded PPK shoots out of control, what I mean by this is when I press the trigger, it does not stop shooting until all the BB's are gone. Safe, I don't think so!

My suggestion is to leave the Umarex Walther PPK as is, it truly is a an awesome CO2 Blowback BB replica with some really decent blowback recoil in a small airgun.

Buy the Umarex Walther PPK in Canada

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Full Auto Fun video number three this week and this one is perhaps the craziest one! When you take a Drozd Blackbird that already has a 800-1000 round BB magazine, convert it to 1200 rounds of full auto, add a custom JimC Barrel to it, some bulk CO2 and a bunch of other cosmetic accessories... Well you get the most ridiculous full auto BB gun you can ask for.

Since I had an extra 800-900 BB's more than I am used to when making these full auto videos, I decided to add a few additional targets over and above the clay pigeons I have been using so far. I picked up a nice fairly heavy gauge Santa tin and a rather solid hard wax candle from the dollar store that proved to add some drama to this Full Auto Fun video!

Make sure to also watch my first two Full Auto Fun videos:

• KWC CYBERGUN MINI UZI 4.5MM STEEL BB MODIFIED FULL AUTO FUN

• RAP4 RAP5 MP5 4.5MM STEEL BB MODIFIED FULL AUTO FUN

If you like what you see in this video and want an absolutely crazy BB gun, then checkout our Replica Airguns Store where we Sell the Drozd BB gun and some add ons for it!

Buy the Drozd BB Guns in the Canada Store

Video number two in a summertime series I'm calling "Full Auto Fun". My first video featured the KWC/Cybergun CO2 BB Blowback Mini UZI. The KWC Mini UZI has lots of kick and is a bit hard to figure out where exactly the sweet spot is but once you find it, it really tares up the targets in full auto mode!

In this "Full Auto Fun" video I bring out my RAP4 - RAP5 MP5 Full auto BB Rifle. The RAP5 MP5 started out life as a .43 caliber paintball gun but I bought it converted in the factory to 4.5mm Steel BB. RAP4 converts it by adding a barrel sleeve adaptor and includes some plastic casings that allow you to place 4.5mm Steel BB's into a kind of donut shaped shell that is then placed into the 21 round magazines. The plastic Donut BB shells eject from the gun like a real shell casing which is super cool!

Like my KWC Mini UZI Full Auto Fun video, I shoot up a bunch of clay pigeons but this time using my RAP4 - RAP5 MP5 4.5mm Steel BB Full Auto Rifle which I found to be very accurate but perhaps a bit thirsty when it comes to CO2 usage. Some bulk air would be a nice combination with this BB shooter, maybe in another video...

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This "Full Auto Fun" video focuses on my KWC/Cybergun 4.5mm Steel BB CO2 Blowback Mini UZI BB Gun, where I kick of a short series based around shooting a bunch of 4.5mm Steel BB machine guns! Sounds like fun cause it is fun!

This KWC/Cybergun Blowback Mini UZI comes in a variety of versions, 4.5mm Steel BB and Airsoft versions, it also comes in RWS and KWC Distributed models.

In this video I basically shoot a bunch of clay pigeons positioned in various locations and film it using 4 different camera angles to spice things up a bit.

I also mention some upcoming videos where I will be shooting my RAP4 MP5 and Baikal Drozd Blackbird Full Auto BB guns so make sure to watch those video when I upload them later on this week!

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Buy Airsoft Mini UZI in Canada 

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So it's 2014 but I still needed to make my 2013 Airgun, Airsoft Gun and Blank Gun Collection Favorites for 2013. It's become a tradition I guess you could say. No I do not show all the guns in my collection but I do cover most of my favorites and also some new guns I picked up in 2013.

Here's a peek but make sure to watch the YouTube video bellow where I go over all my top picks for 2013. You can also buy many of the guns I show in this YouTube video over in our Canada and US Replica Airguns Store!

2013 BB Pistols

2013 Pellet Pistols

2013 Airsoft Pistols

2013 Blank Pistols

2013 Rifles

As promised, here is my Field Test Shooting Video for the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol. Make sure to checkout my full Table Top Video Review for more details and specifications along with some high resolution photos and of course my full video where I show you around the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol and even perform a field strip.

In this Field Test Shooting Review I do actually shoot the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol which is what many of you want to see :) I shoot 5 rounds through the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol until the slide locks out and capture all of this using my Nikon 1 1080p HD camera along with my Casio EX-ZR1000 slow motion 240 frames per second camera.

My ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol even though it could be as old as 10+ years still performed perfectly with no misfires or failures to load or eject, a testament to the West German build quality!

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• Make sure to watch my Field Test Shooting Video for the ME 9 Mini-Para Blank Pistol.

Type: Blank Pistol.

Manufacturer: ME.

Model:ME 9 Mini-Para (Similar to a S&W 469 or Shorty 40).

Materials: Mostly Metal with some steel parts.

Weight: 2.12 pounds. (960 grams)

Barrel: Front firing. (No Red Tip)

Propulsion: Gun powder.

Action: Single & double action.

Ammunition Type: 9mm P.A.K. Blanks.

Ammunition Capacity: 8+1 rounds.

FPS: N/A.

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is fairly light in single action mode as would be expected and this is for the most part how you would shoot the gun since you need to rack the slide to pickup a round for the first shot. If you do decide to de-cock the hammer, you can shoot in double action but it is extremely heavy, perhaps close to 15 pounds or more! The take-up in single action is pretty short and the release is crisp. The safety is a standard firing pin block so you can release the hammer with the safety on but the hammer will hit the firing pin block first rather then strike the pin.

Accuracy: NA.

Build Quality: The overall build quality of the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is similar to the ROHM German made blank pistols we sell in our Canada Replica Airguns Store. So in other words, the build quality is very good. Like most blank pistols, much of the gun is made out of zinc alloy (or pot metal) but the parts that see the most wear and tear and higher pressures are made from steel, these parts would be the barrel, magazine, magazine release, extractor, firing pin, springs and most of the screws and pins. In terms of finish, mine was picked up used and I'm not even sure how old it is? It could be as old as 20+ years? That said it is mechanically in very good conditioned even the finish is pretty good with only some minor wear.

Realism: The ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is a very realistic looking gun; operation, size, weight, feel and looks are what you would expect from a real gun and it almost is a real gun except that it's made to shoot blanks, not actual bullets. The ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is not an exact copy of any gun that I know of in production but it does share a lot of commonalities with a Smith & Wesson Shorty 40.

Purchase from: A private collector.

Pros:

• Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good considering it was purchased used.

• Decent amount of rounds (8+1) in its single stack magazine.

• Steel parts where they need to be.

• Nice light single action trigger, can also be shot in double action.

• Made in Germany.

Cons:

• No external slide catch release, must remove the empty magazine to release the slide.

• Double action trigger is super heavy!

• Very hard to find here in North America.

Comments:

When ever I find a blank gun that is unique or hard to get, it interests me. Especially if it is as good quality as the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol. Mine may have a few wear marks and blemishes on it since I did get it used but they are minor and I may even strip it down and refinish it at some point since this blank pistol would definitely be worthy of the time and effort involved. It's kind of unfortunate that locating one of these very fine ME 9 Mini-Para's is so hard here in Canada and the US but at least we do have the ROHM line of German made blank guns if you are in the market for such a quality blank pistol.

My Vimeo Full Video Table Top Review for the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol:

Buy ROHM Blank Guns in the Canada Store 

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We have added some more ROHM 380 Caliber Front Firing Blank Revolvers to the Replica Airguns Canada Store. Here is a quick Vimeo Update Video showing the ROHM RG-89 and ROHM RG-99 side by side with my already reviewed ROHM RG-59 380 Caliber Front Firing Blank Revolver.

ROHM RG-89 & 99 Blank Revolvers.

• Made by ROHM (Germany)

• 380/9mm Crimped Blanks

• 6 Round Cylinder

• Front Firing

• Metal with some Steel Parts

• Come in Hard Shell Case with Cleaning Rod 

Watch my Update Video showing the ROHM RG-89 & RG-99 Front Firing 380 Blank Revolvers:

Buy the ROHM RG-89 Blank Revolver in Canada

Buy the ROHM RG-89 Blank Revolver in the US

Buy the ROHM RG-99 Blank Revolver in Canada

!!THIS SILENT AUCTION HAS CONCLUDED!!

I managed to get my hands on one more brand new Kimar Lady K PPK 9mm P.A.K. Front Firing James Bond inspired Blank Pistols. This unit is the Matte Black version. They normally come in plastic hard shell cases along with a manual and cleaning rod but this is the last one from my supplier and they did not have the case, manual or cleaning rod for it. This Kimar Lady K blank pistol shoots in both single and double action and field strips just like a real Walther PPK.

To get in on the bidding, simply Email Me Here with your highest bid by no later than Friday August 30th 2013 by midnight. At the conclusion of this Silent Auction I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to make payment via PayPal or EMT before I move onto the next highest bidder.

This Rare Blank Gun Silent Auction is open to my Canada customers since we sell Kimar blank guns in the US Replica Airguns store, Canadian Customers will pay an additional $17.99 for Shipping/Handling plus their local provincial sales Tax. Good luck to everyone!

• You can watch my earlier Kimar Lady K Review here.

Check out my video of this Silent Auction Black Kimar Lady K Front Firing 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistols:

I  have a near new condition Semi and Full Auto EKOL Jackal Dual Compact Front Firing 9mm P.A.K. Blank Gun up for Silent Auction! It comes in the original plastic hard shell case along with the flare adaptor, take down key and of course a 15 round magazine.

To get in on the bidding, simply Email Me Here with your highest bid by no later than July 22nd 2013 by midnight. At the conclusion of this Silent Auction I will notify the winner and they will have 24 hours to make payment before I move onto the next highest bidder.

This Rare EKOL Blank Gun Silent Auction is open to my Canada customers since we sell EKOL guns in the US Replica Airguns store, Canadian Customers will pay an additional $17.99 for Shipping/Handling plus their local provincial sales Tax. Good luck to everyone!

You can watch my earlier Review videos for this Front Firing Blank gun here: 

• EKOL Jackal Dual 9mm P.A.K. Blank Gun Review
• EKOL Jackal Dual 9mm P.A.K. Blank Gun Field Test