Firing blanks to practice fast draw

Big_Bear

Big_Bear

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I've always wanted to try my hand at competition fast draw with single action revolvers. I've heard of a few methods that are used for loads. One involves blanks loaded with coarse powder and the other is with wax bullets loaded into shells fitted with shotgun primers. I've searched high and low for an answer to this question: Am I allowed to fire blanks/wax bullets on my own property or am I still only allowed to fire a restricted gun at a range? I doubt too many guys at the range would be happy to see me whipping my piece around beside them. I'm allowed to shoot a rifle on my land so there wouldn't be any local bylaws in my way...
While I'm at it, does anyone out there know of any fast draw competitions in Quebec?
Thanks for your help.
 
First I can't see how firing blanks is gonna help you at all! You are not gonna know where the hell the gun is pointing when you pull the trigger unless there's a bullet hole in the target! Especially if your shooting from the hip cowboy style! Just doesn't make sense to me but maby I'm wrong. Secondly you aren't allowed to fire even blanks, or wax bullets anywhere other than the range! This is basically because your att stipulates transport to and from your dwelling to the range. People always try to get around this with B.S. Like I'm going to shoot out my kitchen window or some ridiculous things like that. When the cops show up they aren't gonna care what your firing!!!!
 
PileBuck said:
I don't think you ever use live bullets with fast draw.
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They do, on occasion, and they have special holsters with steel in them that will direct the AD'ed bullet away from the shooter.

mlehtovaara; fast draw as a rule shoots at a ballon. The ballon breaks from the blast or the wax. That's how you know if you hit your target.

As for legality, I dunno - I do know that if someone else can't see it; they won't know it's not a rifle. ;)
 
Big_Bear said:
I've always wanted to try my hand at competition fast draw with single action revolvers. I've heard of a few methods that are used for loads. One involves blanks loaded with coarse powder and the other is with wax bullets loaded into shells fitted with shotgun primers. I've searched high and low for an answer to this question: Am I allowed to fire blanks/wax bullets on my own property or am I still only allowed to fire a restricted gun at a range? I doubt too many guys at the range would be happy to see me whipping my piece around beside them. I'm allowed to shoot a rifle on my land so there wouldn't be any local bylaws in my way...
While I'm at it, does anyone out there know of any fast draw competitions in Quebec?
Thanks for your help.
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What does your transoprt permit say? That has the answer.

Blanks offer zero help, wax bullets and balloons do.
 
At the Chilliwack gun show two years ago the local fast draw club had a booth set up and were shooting their low power/low velocity wax or cornmeal rounds or whatever is used. And the Heritage hall is certainly not registered as a range. So when using these sub 500 fps fast draw rounds there must be something that allows for this. Similarly the horse mounted cowboy shooting is done in big arenas wiht the folks in the stands directly in line with the muzzle for the shooting. Again they are using some sort of sub 500 fps powdered ammo rounds with cornmeal or simlar to pop the balloons while controlling the range where any sort of injury could occur to within some sort of seriously short distance.
 
BCRider said:
At the Chilliwack gun show two years ago the local fast draw club had a booth set up and were shooting their low power/low velocity wax or cornmeal rounds or whatever is used. And the Heritage hall is certainly not registered as a range. So when using these sub 500 fps fast draw rounds there must be something that allows for this. Similarly the horse mounted cowboy shooting is done in big arenas wiht the folks in the stands directly in line with the muzzle for the shooting. Again they are using some sort of sub 500 fps powdered ammo rounds with cornmeal or simlar to pop the balloons while controlling the range where any sort of injury could occur to within some sort of seriously short distance.
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Unless they are using pellet guns, they are still restricted firearms and can only be transported from your house to the range! That is just the facts. What people do on their own is up to them. Seems like laws are being broken to me. Even if they were antiques dischargin them within the city would be illegal anyways no? I would love to know if there is some legality to this but I cant see how.
 
The CFO for your area can designate ANY place as a range with the appropriate restrictions. For instance: I helped at the CAS booth at the Hunting show and then the Spring Sportsmans show in Toronto for a few years. We did demonstrations of a typical stage but used wax bullets & primers & shot at cake pans. Had a big piece of carpet as a back stop and no other booth behind us. Used real hand guns & we all had special ATT's for the event to transport and wear our pistols at the booth. could not leave the booth with the hand guns on. The ATT's spelled out the restrictions & conditions & were very specific. As I understand it, a person could apply to the CFO for the same consideration to run a mounted Shooting match. You could have a specific riding arena designated as a range with the appropriate conditions. It would all be on a case by case basis at the mercy of the CFO. But all totally possible and quite legal. Cheers
 
Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like I would need to request special permission from the CFO. It would have to be some exception to the law cause there doesn't seem to be specific mention of this in the published laws.
Alternately, perhaps a blank firing replica would do the trick...
I'm not gonna give up on this so when I figure out how to do it, I'll let you guys know.
 
tumbleweeds13 said:
The CFO for your area can designate ANY place as a range with the appropriate restrictions. For instance: I helped at the CAS booth at the Hunting show and then the Spring Sportsmans show in Toronto for a few years. We did demonstrations of a typical stage but used wax bullets & primers & shot at cake pans. Had a big piece of carpet as a back stop and no other booth behind us. Used real hand guns & we all had special ATT's for the event to transport and wear our pistols at the booth. could not leave the booth with the hand guns on. The ATT's spelled out the restrictions & conditions & were very specific. As I understand it, a person could apply to the CFO for the same consideration to run a mounted Shooting match. You could have a specific riding arena designated as a range with the appropriate conditions. It would all be on a case by case basis at the mercy of the CFO. But all totally possible and quite legal. Cheers
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I can see this for sure. I don't know about recently, but in the past, during the Calgary Stampede week in early July, "they" used to stage western style shootouts firing really loud blackpowder blanks from real handguns. This little show was right in the downtown core.
 
I Tried to get the O.K. from the CFO here in B.C. to practice shooting B.P. blanks for mounted shooting on my property...it was a no go.But it was OK to shoot the 300 mag out the back door.
You might be able to shoot blanks on your own property if you had a long term ATT. for reinactment and display(not sure on the exact wording)I believe that to get that now you have to belong to some historical type reinactment society .
To load my 45LC blanks drill out your primer pocket to 9/64. Load with 26-30 grains of ffg black powder then a thin paper wad on top(some people use about 9 grs. of media on top) then a wad of florist foam on top about 1/2 thick.I found that without the media it was enough unburnt powder to pop the ballon at about 15 feet.The media will get you maybe a few feet farther,there is no weight to the media so it doesn't carry far at all.Use the media on top of the paper wad(26gr.) and 30gr without media
 
"...only allowed to fire a restricted gun at a range?..." Yep. The ammo used means nothing.
If you're going to teach yourself quick drawing, start with a full length mirror and an empty revolver.
"...fitted with shotgun primers..." Wax bullets with regular primers, but with a larger primer flash hole. Same range safety procedures apply.
"...blank firing replica..." Replicas are prohbited, unless you work for a movie or TV production company. You'd have a time finding blanks too.
 
Yeah, when I lived in the UK I had a Umarex blank firer, a lot of companies make and sell them but by and large they're crap. However Umarex make an 8mm blank firer that looks like the Walther P88 Compact which does work well. Plus the blanks are generally crap too, only Fiocchi make decent blanks imx, as they're the only company who use proper smokeless powder in them.

Anyway, it was great for practicing draws and reloads after my handguns were banned, main problem was the price of the ammo and finding it, most people buy one box of ammo, when you walk into a gunshop and say you want a case of Fiocchi 8mm blank they look at you like you're mad.

But you don't have this option in Canada, prohibited device. Ditto for most of the good airsoft guns. Armi-Jaeger made the AP74 and the AP80 in 8mm blank as well at one point.

Best one I had was a MAC-10 blank firer, mine used 9mm PAK blanks but they did make a few for use with 9mm Para blanks until criminals started converting them and the forensic guys decided they violated the ban on readily convertible imitations.

Anyway there's nothing quite as distracting as walking onto a range in a country with really tough gun laws and firing off a machinegun.

The moral of the story though is that most blanks are garbage, best to make your own unless you know of a good source.
 
Actually, while replicas are prohib, blank guns aren't. EMF in the States makes a very good quality blank gun. The exact same frame and internals as their real single action Colt replicas. However, never having held one (they just came out recently) I would very much doubt that the exess powder is expelled down the barrel. When something is made to be only a blank gun, they usually use a solid barrel so there's no issue with it being relatively easy for someone to convert it to fire real ammo. Anyhhow, check out the EMF website. You'll find it.
 
OK, here I go with my humble opinion.
The thread was started by a shooter from QC. Because I live in the same province I can tell u that in order to practice fast draw u will have to move out of QC.
I did my homework and find out that is illegal to shoot any kind of action shooting in QC and that includes fast draw(which is the fastest action in the shooting sport).
I practice fast draw in my apartment with a laser gadget. So nothing that explode. There is no noise and there is no danger at all. I do my things when family is away and I am all alone and I can focus on what I'm doing.
I doubt that u will find a range that will allow u to fire blanks or wax FROM THE HOLSTER.

And to clarify some aspects for anyone is interested.
In fast draw is not allowed UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE LIVE AMMO. The shooting is done with wax bullets propeled by shotgun primers to a metal target(without any powder in the casing), or using blanks (black powder only) when shooting baloons.
So there is no wax shooting when balloons are the target.

There is a lot to talk about fast draw but I don't want to be boring. If anyone is interested just gimmie a click and I'll tell u anything u want to know.

This is just a beautifull sport and there is no any other gun related activity safer that this one.

Yesterday was the last day of the Canadian Index Fast Draw Championship for 2010 held in Aldergrove, BC(held under World Fast Draw Association -WFDA- rules) and I had a lot of fun on that shoot. Gunsligers from USA and Canada were participating for the title and was a monster shoot. Hundreds of ballons were blasted with blanks and a lot of spectators crowded the area.
Multiple world champions were showing they're skills and battled for the title. And yes: I was (as usual) the only shooter from Quebec. I'm so frustrated coz of QC action shooting rules, but I have no choice but respect the laws. I practice in USA and western provinces and that kills a lot of my time and my money.

I hope one day I will be allowed to practice my sport in my home province. Till then I wish u guys all the best and "hit'em fast".

Nick - The Quick

World Fast Draw Association (WFDA) member
Cowboy Fast Draw Association (CFDA) member
Ohio Fast Draw Association (OFDA) member
 
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