Blank Guns, Gas Guns, Flare Guns and Cheap .22s

I was cleaning up in the basement the other day when I came across these two old blank firing guns. I don't remember where I got them, but I think it was back in the 1980s. These are just two of the countless variations on the same basic design that has been made in Germany and Italy and probably other countries I don't know about. Rohm, one of the German makers, also made blank firing revolvers, some of which were modified into the RG10 .22 short revolver that was imported imported by FIE.:

This gun has the reputation of being the worst .22 revolver ever sold. It's made principally of zinc castings and is known to quickly go out of time, and to spontaneously disassemble when fired.

All these auto-styled, double action blank firing pistols operate on the same basic double action principal. 6mm (.22) crimped blanks are loaded into a carrier that's inserted into a rectangular opening just below the "barrel":

The blanks are loaded into the bottom of this carrier strip, and the carrier is pushed in until it stops, with the front flush with the front of the pistol. When the trigger is pulled, the carrier is pulled rearward, lining up the next blank with the firing pin below. The pin strikes the blank, which discharges, and gas fills the chamber above, exiting out the muzzle. Some models I've seen had an insert in the muzzle, further obstructing it and preventing the insertion of a projectile.

I've also seen 6mm tear gas cartridges fired from these. They held a small amount of powdered CN that was dispersed by the primer charge in the blank. I think I had a few of these at one time but if I did, they're long gone. They're still around, but I have no idea of their current legality in the US:

There were also version with adapters that would fire small flares, using the blank to both ignite and propel the flare.

Some time ago I found a more modern version specifically designed to fire flares and noisemaker projectiles- note the 15mm projectile adapter built into the muzzle. It's marked "Made in Germany," and sold in this country as the "Scare Away Launcher" and sold mainly for agricultural and runway clearing use:

This blank gun make much more effective use of the energy of the blank. Instead of pointing up, the blank is oriented at a 45 degree angle, making a smoother passage for the expanding gas from the fired blank:

It's designed such that it's impossible for an actual cartridge to be inserted in the gun, let alone fired. You can't even fit a .22 CB cap into the chamber, and if you could, it would probably destroy the gun. Only the very shortest crimped 6mm blanks will fit. This is a single shot gun, and as you can see, it has an orange polymer body, making it less likely to be mistaken for a firearm. I bought it some years ago for hiking in bear country, the idea being I could load various noisemaker projectiles designed to scare off animals. But after thinking it over I decided that it's more effective and safer to carry an actual firearm. If you're interested in getting one to clear your runway or cornfield you can find them at Gempler's.