Grumpy old buggers thread

[4bee]

Debris from a blank is essentially harmless.
However, the pressure released from the barrel is another case entirely.
One actor died when he placed a revolver to his skull and fired - the force dislodged a piece of his skull killing him.

A situation can arise where a prop round (a complete cartridge and projectile with no powder or primer) is used in the filming. This round is used for realism as it’s filmed being loaded into the firearm.
The scene is cut, the dummy rounds removed and blanks installed.
Here’s where the risk lay… if the projectile or any other item, remains in the barrel and it isn’t cleared - (at the range we visually inspect through the barrel after removing the bolt) - and a blank loaded - there is enough energy in the blank to propel the obstruction out of the muzzle.

Brandon Lee was a victim of this type of incident.

Thanks Mike. You ain't just a pretty face are you?

That is what I was alluding to but not in so many words of explanation. It's more of a case of direct concussion then?


They really should use the olde worlde Ned Kelly Cap guns once available in SA.

A Pope Product Ned Kelly repeating toy cap gun — tonys toys

[4bee]

not much 4bee, the apature in the bfa on an SLR is only about 1mm.....

however after firing a few rounds on exercise everything got pretty dirty and needed twice as much of your namesake to clean it....

After only 6mths as a grunt I never fired the blanks at all....I would cut them open , empty the powder from them and put them into a "sandbag" as rubbish for collection.

We would be given so many plastic rounds at the start of an exercise it was embarrasing to know what to do with them.....I know that many thousands of blanks are buried in most exercise areas.

I was in Regimental Police for a while and post exercise the units would dump all left over ammunition at the guardroom for yours truly a or another RP to sort and distribute somewhere.

I can just imagine. The Sig Sqdn I belonged to held a Range Day all their own @ Murray Bridge Range.


The Adj. somehow had pulled strings & obviously knew the right people & accumulated heaps of ammo for most weapons of the time (no not, the Brown Bess Musket before you take the ****)

Guess who drove a 2 1/2 ton CL load of Explosive up to the range?????



There was soooo much ammo all the lads got bored with firing it & the adj. gor bless him, started to get a bit stroppy because he didn't want to have to return it after all his efforts so we had to rotate around the various firing ranges until we used it up. Can you imagine !!!!!! Normally there was never quite enough but not this time, you could have bathed in it. I guess it was near it's use by date that is how it came about
I recall there was ammo for the F1 SMG, SLR, GPMG, Pistols; Automatic, I think some Revolvers, not 100% sure about those, that may have been another time.?????
I think there were also a few of boxes of M26 grenades, such fun!!!

I also have a feeling there were a couple of Brens, it was all so long ago now.

Anyway at the end of the day we still had a reasonable load to return but we did try our darnedest but there are only so many hours in the day despite supposedly not being allowed to remove any Range Hardware or material from the Range. No idea where it all went back to, probably up north of SA where it began it's life at Gladstone.

5 Central Ammunition Depot Gladstone SA | Footprints of Italian Prisoners of War in Australia

[3toes]

This might end a few careers as is the Brandon Lee event is an indicator it will be in the courts for 20 odd years

At the end of the day safety procedures have broken down as if followed this cannot happen. Have been involved in theatrics and weapons and the rules were laid down with clear responsibility lines enforced. They are blanks not toys. All were real guns not replicas. Some not all were guns that had been modified and were stamped with blank firing only in large letters. There was no live ammunition on site however if it is a round with the bullet in it rather than a blank so looks real with no powder not sure would have known if it was actually live

It can go wrong even in controlled situations with people who are dealing with this day in day out. Friend of my father was in army in the fifties. They had a practice session where they stood in a circle and practiced aiming and shooting with blanks in various positions using the person opposite as the target. This was a regular occurrence. Seems thinking was they needed to be comfortable with aiming and shooting a human target. All went well until the one day when someone had a live round and shot my fathers friend. He lived to tell the story but ……….

[cripesamighty]

From what was reported (take with a pinch of salt), they were using the same revolver for target practice in their break times with live ammo. If that is true, what could possibly go wrong...?

[NavyDiver]

"A resident of a high-rise building in Thailand has cut a support rope being used by two painters working outside, leaving them hanging above the 26th floor until a couple rescued them, according to police."

The title "ANGRY" may have missed irrational silly and ....?

"The woman is facing attempted murder and property destruction charges, Colonel Pongjak Preechakarunpong, chief of the Pak Kret police station, north of the Thai capital, said."
Angry Thai woman cuts support rope for painters working on high-rise building - ABC News

[4bee]

"A resident of a high-rise building in Thailand has cut a support rope being used by two painters working outside, leaving them hanging above the 26th floor until a couple rescued them, according to police."

The title "ANGRY" may have missed irrational silly and ....?

"The woman is facing attempted murder and property destruction charges, Colonel Pongjak Preechakarunpong, chief of the Pak Kret police station, north of the Thai capital, said."
Angry Thai woman cuts support rope for painters working on high-rise building - ABC News

Really not surprised, you know what Painters are like with their loud radios on full blast in Bass mode on the other side of the house just so they don't have to move them during the day? DOOF DOOF DOOF ad nauseum all bloody day.

Twenty six floors too. Imagine having to get them selves Down & Up again to change stations?


I suppose she could claim that she was trying out her new Steak Knives from TVSN & the radio was placed just outside her window, possibly.


I'd buy that excuse if I was a Judge, why not, it sounds reasonable. Doesn't it?


Colonel wottsit should be charged for having such a simple clearcut moniker.

[Tombie]

From what was reported (take with a pinch of salt), they were using the same revolver for target practice in their break times with live ammo. If that is true, what could possibly go wrong...?

With correct handling procedures - nothing.

[cripesamighty]

This is something I bookmarked from Gun Jesus from a few years ago. There is no excuse for what happened on that movie set.

Charlie Taylor Interview: Blank Fire Guns for the Movies - YouTube

[ramblingboy42]

I was a small arms coach and a range safety officer during my time in the military.

anyone who fired weapons in the forces knows the procedures.

if they failed to follow procedures they fronted up in the orderly room very quickly ....and the oc/co showed no mercy.

[windsock]

Bahh! Can't find any one of the 10mm drill bits I know I have somewhere! I thought this was only for 10mm sockets!