blank fire fa?

[1919WILD]

if one was to weld a blank fire adaptor to the front of a mg42 or 34 could it be fa? Or is that still jail bait?
i dont want to make my sa a blank gun but a fa is bad ass..

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Blank fire or not, full auto is ILLEGAL unless you have the proper SOT.

[JBaum]

Blank fire or not, full auto is ILLEGAL unless you have the proper SOT.

Come on Darivs.... that's not quite true. Full auto blank guns are legal so long as they can NOT and will not fire with a live cartridge.

That said, you can't have a gun that's able to fire a live cartridge, even in semi auto, and have it do a full auto blank fire.... but that's not what's being talked about.

Welding a BFA on the actual receiver, welding a feed tray in place that will not accept live cartridges, and maybe a couple other small things could make a legal, blank firing, full auto gun. I'd write and draw pictures for your proposal, send it to ATFE technical department, and let them make the call. If it can only shoot blanks, it's not classed as a firearm anymore. It's just a fast noisemaker. The key to successfully being legal would be that the parts are welded in place and not removable. Perhaps including a blank barrel in the barrel shroud with the barrel change door being welded shut would be required as well. ATFE prefers being asked first.

[1919WILD]

Thanks for the info. i wish i had the time to build another 42, im trying to get a 34 @ the moment. A FA blank would be fun!

[pathfinder]

Perhaps making your receiver take a special shorter barrel would help the approval.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Blank fire or not, full auto is ILLEGAL unless you have the proper SOT.

Come on Darivs.... that's not quite true. Full auto blank guns are legal so long as they can NOT and will not fire with a live cartridge.

That said, you can't have a gun that's able to fire a live cartridge, even in semi auto, and have it do a full auto blank fire.... but that's not what's being talked about.

Welding a BFA on the actual receiver, welding a feed tray in place that will not accept live cartridges, and maybe a couple other small things could make a legal, blank firing, full auto gun. I'd write and draw pictures for your proposal, send it to ATFE technical department, and let them make the call. If it can only shoot blanks, it's not classed as a firearm anymore. It's just a fast noisemaker. The key to successfully being legal would be that the parts are welded in place and not removable. Perhaps including a blank barrel in the barrel shroud with the barrel change door being welded shut would be required as well. ATFE prefers being asked first.

John, NEXT TIME READ HIS POST. The method he is suggesting, just welding on a BFA is HIGHLY ILLEGAL.
Son't assume he's going to make a totally new design and submit it to BATFE after reading THAT. I think it's irresponsible to encourage ANYONE to make a FA blank firing gun without understanding HOW he's doing it.

[Bil]

I dunno-I think John pointed that out,and the steps to take IF someone really wanted to make a FA BLANK firing gun.The most important one is to get a design approved.It is like pointing out the correct ways to make a semi from cut-up parts-yes,it is illegal to just reweld them,no,it is not illegal to do it using an approved design.Giving the info to do it right is what we want to do here.Pointing out the right and wrong way is what John did.
Winter is getting long this year.... ---bil

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Okay.. I was just warning him and others not to encourage home builders into thinking they can just modify a one time machinegun and think they are in the clear. A lot of people out there would be in such a rush to build something that they do NOT read the fine print in our forum about getting it done in accordance with the law, which as most of here know is NOT an easy task administratively or construction wise. It requires a RADICAL re-design effort to make it acceptable to BATFE. Most people would find restoring an old automobile easier. Take that thing you drive around in for example, Bil...

[Bil]

Which one? There are so many..... ---bil

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

I count TWO.

[JBaum]

Gee Darivs, loosen your shorts. I didn't encourage anyone to do anything illegal.

I reread his post, and I stand by my answer. As far as it went, it's completely true. Getting ATF approval ahead of time on the design is not required to be legal, or to build it. It's only required if they challenge you on whether it IS legal, and at that point, they'll let you know if they approve or not.

Regardless, it's better than telling him that he has to have a SOT to have a machine gun. I don't have a SOT, and you don't either (that I know of), but we still both own full auto stuff. Neither is a SOT required to make a full auto blank gun. By definition, if it will only shoot blanks and can't be converted to fire live cartridges, it's not a gun, and you don't need a SOT to make something that's not a gun to start with. Telling him every detail and intricacy of the entire process was not within the scope of either your or my answer, so there's no need to get in a tizzy about what was left unsaid.

Telling him "Blank fire or not, full auto is ILLEGAL unless you have the proper SOT." sounds like you're one of the "all machine guns are illegal" nutcases, and we all know you're not that kind of a nutcase, er, I mean,,,,, oops.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

[Bil]

John is right,DA is another kind of nutcase! ---bil (I count 3- 450 SL, Fiat 8V Zagato,and the Jag.Want more?)

[salt6]

Most blank full auto and semi guns that fire a cartage use a round that will not fire a real round. In other words a special blank that is specific to that weapon. We had to buy special rounds for the props we used in the training we conducted during mobilization training for client units.

Salt

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

John is right,DA is another kind of nutcase! ---bil (I count 3- 450 SL, Fiat 8V Zagato,and the Jag.Want more?)

Yeah.. I want MORE. Those cars are cool, Bil. Where's the Lambourgini ?

[JBaum]

I drive a Toyota for every day driving, but on special days I can always get out that old Plymouth I bought years ago:

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

I drive a Toyota for every day driving, but on special days I can always get out that old Plymouth I bought years ago:

Nice car there, Starski!

[JBaum]

Starsky drove a red Ford Torino with a white stripe. The old TV show copied the Plymouth RoadRunner stripes used in 1973 and 1974.

My car is a 1973 with factory original paint and stripes. I bought it new in April of 1973.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

WE KNOW.
It was a joke, John.

[junglewalk]

I'm with DA on this;...>. I would suggest, don't do it. I have been in the WWII re-enactment world of FAs, since 1977, and have seen all kinds of attempts to do FAs in home projects, and have seen them mostly fail.....The recent advent of the 'backwards shooting' SS Room MP-40s, PPSHs, etc , has finally brought success to guys wanting cheaper FA guns to the re-enactment battlefield.******(what's happened to them?)
....> Gordie K, of Wiselite, is the person to talk to about 'blank only' gun-like guns....He has his hands full right now down in Texas, but is also planning on puting together a MG-42 gun, non-gun that will have a number of things that will hopefully get it approved, when submitted to ATF, that will be totally FA.
.....He might see this, and explain what he has planned.
....I have learned around here at KCR, the field agents, are not really sure what the hell they know, and what they are lookking at! ....I read posted on this great site recently, a guy basically wrote, 'It is less exspensive to buy a FA, than it is to endlessly pay for lawyers to stay out of jail'. ouch!
......BTW, I got you two guys beat with this perfect 88 Mustang convertible! (sorry Salt6)