Does anyone have a recipe for a black-powder blank for a AA hull in 12 Ga. Trying to come up with a "surprise" load for one of our pranksters. Or does anyone have any other ideas? Nothing hazardous or potentially harmful please. Well, not any more hazardous or potentially harmful than a standard 12 Ga. shell.

cap

Just load a couple of live shells complete w/shot. Just use equal amounts, by volume, of shot and powder and you'll be safe. I use a trimmed 45/70 case as a dipper.

Edit. Had to correct a spelling/word desceptancy.

ss

Prime an empty hull and fill with 2F black powder to 1/2 inch from the top and crimp!

It will be a bit on the loud side!

:-)

Pranks with blank ammunition to even a score with a prankster is IMO a bad idea. You may want to consider giving the prankster a "wedgie" instead.

Black powder is dirty and, in large enough quantities, is an explosive, not a propellant.

To create a 12 gauge blank, simply create a standard load including wad with no shot. If you can get some of the old felt wads, they work great for this purpose. We celebrated many a New Years with Federal Papers stuffed with 19 grains of Red Dot and enough felt wads to fill out the hull. They are loud.

I remember a story many years ago of a housewife who asked a shooting friend to load some shot shells with rock salt as she wanted to "sting" her unfaithful husband when he arrived home. As he walked in the front door, she let him have it in the stomach from about 4 feet and killed him. May be an urban legend but I remember reading about it in a newspaper in Michigan.

Play safe with firearms and never point a gun at anyone.

Ed Ward

Best I've done is number 12 shot in reloaded shells.

Load up a box and slip it into their shooting bag.

Will break targets at stations 1 or 7, perhaps 8 at skeet only - useless beyond about ten yards.

Have fun watching them turn in a 'zero' for a round of trap.

Great thing is everything looks and feels right so they seldom figure it out...

Ballistic Products has recipes for popper loads

If he is shooting it at a target then make it a live round. I use to make BP shot shells for SASS events and here is a good safe trap load that will make plenty of smoke:

Use what ever shell the victim uses and charge with 90 grains 2F BP or RS Pyrodex. Seat a Wichester Red Wad on top of that and fill with 1 1/8 Oz shot. It will crimp and look like any other shell. Safe to use in any 12 gauge and if he is on the target it will break.

Filling with shot or felt wads is not a blank load !!!!! Try another prank without the use of firearms .

ljutic111,

I think most are capable of figuring that the use of number 12 shot is not a blank load, and falls under the 'any other ideas' clause.

This is about as safe a 'prank' as one can pull in that it is a true and proper loaded round, to be shot down range in a safe manner at a real target. The only issue is that the lead never reaches the target.

Leaves him scratching his head...

MMMMM Blank load with #12 lead shot ? #12 shot can`t break trap targets MMMMMM ?? Yeah, leaves me scratching my head.

you can also load some feather loads. Just place some feathers above the wad and load the shot normally. It will shoot normally except there will be feather hanging in the air. Everyone on the line will know what happened. The only chalenge would be getting the shell in their box.

Good Luck!!