Rifleman Q & A: Shootin’ Blanks

by
posted on January 18, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
blanks.jpg

Q: When firing a clip of blank cartridges in my M1 rifle, sometimes the second or third round will fire and the spent case will be ejected, but the next round will not chamber.  What is the reason for this and can I do something to correct it?

A: There could be myriad reasons for this beyond the fact that the M1 rifle’s design was not conducive to firing blanks, which is why the U.S. military never adopted a Blank Firing Adapter (BFA). The U.S. military’s inability to develop a satisfactory BFA resulted in the practice of operating the action by hand. The source of your functioning problem could be that the operating rod spring is either too powerful or too weak to properly function with blanks. The extractor or ejector could be faulty. The follower or follower rod could be “out of spec.” There is simply no way to determine which of these, or perhaps something else, is at fault. There are a number of BFAs available on the market today, but all seem to have limitations of their own.

--Bruce N. Canfield

Latest

Ruger/Dead Air’s Centerfire RXD
Ruger/Dead Air’s Centerfire RXD

Hunting For The Perfect Partner: Ruger/Dead Air’s Centerfire RXD

The result of a joint venture between two giants of their respective industries, the new RXD30Ti exemplifies just how beneficial a well-designed hunting suppressor can be in the field.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 20, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

AI Summaries Reducing Firearm-Related Web Traffic, Sharing Incorrect Information

"[T]here are increasing concerns about how frequently AI systems invent false information—AKA hallucinations—with error rates in some tests reaching as high as 79 percent.”

Preview: Rite In The Rain 25 Meter M16A2/M4 Zeroing Targets

Precipitation and humidity can render a standard paper target unusable in only seconds, which is what makes Rite In The Rain’s line of weatherproof targets such a godsend for outdoor shooters.

Smith & Wesson Model 1854 Now Available In .30-30 Win.

Smith & Wesson expanded its Model 1854 series of lever-action rifles with several .30-30 Win.-chambered variants, just in time for deer season.

Preview: Making The Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket

In Making The Enfield Pattern 1853 Rifle-Musket, author Peter Smithurst details the tools and processes used to produce this historically significant firearm.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.