Blanks are only shipped using UPS or Fed-Ex ground service. This can take from 1 to 10 days in transit time. We cannot use the US Postal Service. We cannot use any expedited [air] shipping.   

 Use ear protection when firing any blank. The sounds produced by even the smallest of blanks cause hearing damage to the operator of the gun after multiple firings.

We carry only commercial blanks and percussion caps, and do not load any blanks ourselves. Some styles can be purchased at your local sporting goods store.

Caps and blanks are two different animals. Blanks are cartridges filled with gunpowder and also have  primers built-in to set them off. Caps have no gunpowder and no cartridge; they're just little primers. Only blanks can be used in blank-fire guns. Only caps can be used in percussion (ball-and-cap) guns.

There is one other type of "cap" - those used in toy cap guns. No starter gun or stage pistol can fire those kind of caps. These have both the primer and a small amount of gunpowder. Because toy caps are made to explode right at the point where the hammer makes contact with them, toy cap guns are less safe than blank guns for the person firing them. Go here for more information.

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described below, from left to right

Ø #11 percussion caps - used for the pistols, revolvers and some muskets of the 1800’s. Remember that a cap is not a blank.  If used by itself, it is the softest sound possible, like a loud hand clap. If used with blackpowder [which we cannot ship but you can purchase locally], any range of loudness is possible about 17 cents each

see Operating the percussion firearm:

Ø musket percussion caps - used for some styles of muskets for example, the Zouave), same loudness as the #11 we no longer carry these caps

Ø 6mm crimped - misnamed the "super loud", it is a higher pitched blank with a small amount of gunpowder. If your house is small, this is all you will need. Will fit any 22 caliber gun. Various brand names, the most common being Pobjeda made in Bosnia/Herzegovina. about 27 cents each

Ø 22 caliber crimped – Made by CCI and by Remington, it’s one and a half times as loud as the above 6mm crimped.    about 19 cents each

Ø 22 caliber blackpowder - don’t confuse this with the above crimped loads. It is three times as loud and much deeper in tone. This is what all but the largest houses or outdoor theatres require. [By Winchester, who, in covering its war-time government contracts first, is not producing these blanks for the time being. Our stock is running low and we may be out completely by 2010.]  Right now we can only provide these blanks to our rental orders.   about 44 cents each

NOTE: You are not obligated to use our blanks, but you must use blanks that are designed for starter pistols. Under no circumstance must you ever use "power" loads made for nail guns or dog training decoy launchers. Those blanks destroy starter pistols and put the actors in grave danger of injury.

Ø 32 caliber blackpowder    -  about twice as loud as the 22 blackpowder. Also by Winchester. Actor should wear ear protection.     about 87 cents each

Ø 8mm full load   -  substantially louder than  the .32 cal. This is the kind used by the semiautomatic blank-fire guns.  Unfortunately, since we no longer carry those guns, we no longer sell the blanks. They are, however, still available from Collectors Armoury.

Ø 9mm full load   -  beyond loud. Also called .380 caliber.  When fired indoors, even in a large house, it sounds and feels like a cannon. Audience should wear ear protection.  72 cents each

Ø 9mm half load   - (not shown)  Most theatres can't use the full loads, so these half loads are also available. But remember, half load of 9mm is still going to twice as loud as the full load 22's.  72 cents each

Ø 9mm primer only   - (not shown)  because both the full and half load 9mm's can be too much for smaller houses, we can at your request drill out the end, tap out most of the powder, and then seal it again with hot glue. You would then have something that could be fired in a smaller theatre, because the primer itself has a decent sound. But doing so is labor intensive, and a bit dangerous, so we have to charge you quite a bit.  $1.30 each

Blanks are expensive. We know that. We've seen the cost of blanks quadruple over the past three years. Why? Mainly the drop in the dollar (most blanks come from overseas) and the spiraling cost of the raw materials that make them, especially copper. Add to that a national shortage from American producers, who are the same people who make ammunition for military use. They cover military contracts first, sport ammunition second, and blanks are a distant third on their priority list. As long as we are involved in a hot war (or two), we're bound to see prices continue to go up, and availability dry up.

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One last thing: PayPal ^® cannot be used to pay for purchase of blanks. If you normally use PayPal^® , you'll need to call us with your credit card info instead.