Thread: 12g blanks

Can standard 12g shells be opened, shot removed, and then used as blanks ? To use to " scare " pests off property .

Short answer yes.
But your just moving the problem onto your neighbours. Dead pests don’t keep pesting
What is it that you are trying to move on?

birds from a worksite.

pistol blanks are approx $1 each, 12g will be way cheaper.

Just beware it will not be treated as a blank firer if police turn up - you are not allowed front venting blank firers in NZ without a license. So the rules about discharging a firearm and not causing annoyance to neighbours apply.

"48 Discharging firearm, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon in or near dwellinghouse or public place
Every person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to both who, without reasonable cause, discharges a firearm, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon in or near—
(a)
a dwellinghouse; or
(b)
a public place,—
so as to endanger property or to endanger, annoy, or frighten any person."

Compare: 1958 No 21 s 16(2B), (3); 1964 No 36 s 6(1)
Section 48: amended, on 1 July 2013, by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).
Section 48: amended, on 1 November 1992, by section 25 of the Arms Amendment Act 1992 (1992 No 95).

"Pistol" is defined in the act as:
pistol means any firearm that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand; and includes any firearm that is less than 762 millimetres in length

"firearm"
firearm—
(a)means anything from which any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile can be discharged by force of explosive; and

So a blank pistol would be OK to use, don't brandish it though, I see potential crap arising.

I'd look for a way to fire blank shotshells in a NON-FIREARM to make sure you have a dedidated blank-only firer. A way to set them off in a contraption that does not LOOK like a firearm is also desirable, except birds might not respect that, but a broom handle will do.

No need to discard lead shot, just reload empty cases with new shotgun primers, they are very loud! For that matter, don't bother with the shells at all, just build a small adapter to take shotgun primers alone!

If you make something like that, make sure it is not "forward venting", so a shotgun shell adapter should have some obstruction up front to achieve "sidewards venting" like I added in the image below:

rent one of those lpg bird scarers the orchards use. you get lots of bangs from a 9kg cylinder. be cheaper than firing blanks and its automatic

@mcollins to clarify the first line, if you fire blanks out of any actual firearm and police is called, they can treat it as you having discharged a firearm. A blank cartridge does not make a firearm a non-firearm. Blank firing non-firearms are not allowed to be forward-venting.

Thanks for your help. cheers. Side note, i was in GunCity last weekend and noticed they sold both top vent, and, front vent blank firing pistols
. All able to be purchased without a firearms licence.

take out shot,wad AND powder...the primer is loud enough on its own...but be carefull as others have pointed out....
now Im not entirely sure of the legality of the next suggestion...but Ive seen it done and sure as shit was effective in keeping birds away...ROADKILL hawk strung up to look like flying.....saw it 18mths ago and again on thursday...no birdshit in that shed so it must work.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

take out shot,wad AND powder...the primer is loud enough on its own...but be carefull as others have pointed out....
now Im not entirely sure of the legality of the next suggestion...but Ive seen it done and sure as shit was effective in keeping birds away...ROADKILL hawk strung up to look like flying.....saw it 18mths ago and again on thursday...no birdshit in that shed so it must work.

You also get those plastic kites flapping about from a long fishing pole.

Cat onesie.