Blank firing Blade Runner Blaster - Advice needed.

[H0llyw00d]

Hey Guys,

First non-SW prop. Got a Sidkit kit from Mike on Etsy and looking to mate it with a .380 blank firing pistol from Maxarmory. I'm sure this has been tried inside and out. What am I missing that would make this impossible? Any threads on the subject you can point me toward? Thanks in advance!

 

[Sundowner]

I think one of the hurdles is going to be making a port for the gas to escape. The metal on a Sidkit is cast therefore lower not as robust as steel.

Good luck with your build! I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[H0llyw00d]

I think one of the hurdles is going to be making a port for the gas to escape. The metal on a Sidkit is cast therefore lower not as robust as steel.

Good luck with your build! I look forward to seeing your progress.

Actually its a "front fire" blank pistol that should have all the flash-and-bang to give this build the requisite "pew-pew" Thanks for the kind words. I'll take pics and post progress.

 

[H0llyw00d]

Another reason why I chose this donor is the similarities to the Charter Arms Bulldog. Specifically the skinny swing out arm. I know the frame and grip will need to be heavily modified but taking away material (within reason) shouldn't be an issue and the material the gun is made from is an alloy like the kit.

 

[stussy]

good luck with your build.will be watching your progress.

 

[Riceball]

You need to consider the cylinder gap, something that's inherent in all revolvers. I don't know how much pressure is coming out of the cylinder gap from a blank firing .380 revolver, there will be some and you'll have to make sure that the outer shell can withstand that pressure with no problem.

 

[H0llyw00d]

You need to consider the cylinder gap, something that's inherent in all revolvers. I don't know how much pressure is coming out of the cylinder gap from a blank firing .380 revolver, there will be some and you'll have to make sure that the outer shell can withstand that pressure with no problem.

Roger that. I'm hoping that the residual pressure won't blow off the side plates.Should be pretty tight since it is front firing.

 

[PropReplicator2]

Cant wait to watch this happen!

 

[joberg]

Propsummit.com has plenty of live/blank firing transfo on their pages also...

 

[H0llyw00d]

Propsummit.com has plenty of live/blank firing transfo on their pages also...

Yep, I'll have to sign up over there. This is my home though. Thought I'd check here first.

 

[H0llyw00d]

Good Lord that pistol is loud. Not bad for $99 plus shipping. I sure hope I can make this work. I have this sinking feeling I need a drill press. What do you guys think? Harbor Freight? Ebay?

 

[H0llyw00d]

Oh and band saw, belt sander and god knows what else I don't have. :/ Oh, yeah, tap and die set. Good Grief...

 

[Sundowner]

Harbor freight is great if you get the warranty with it. I’ve only had issues with their rotorary tool but they replaced it no problems

 

[H0llyw00d]

Well, I don't see anything that makes this build impossible. It's all about removing material while leaving the functioning intact:

I was worried about the shape of the grip but since one side is solid I should be able to cut to fit the kit's grip frame:

The 6-shot .380 cylinder is the same size as the 5-shot .44 cylinder. That's good news:

Besides removing a TON of material, drill and tapping for screws and replacing the barrel with perhaps one of the steel replacement barrels, it looks like the biggest issue is grinding down the beautiful amber grips to access the cylinder release. Or I will have to move it upwards on the frame which I bet is a royal pain.

Do you guys see anything I don't? I don't mind sacrificing a $100 blank pistol for the cause, but if there is some glaring issue I'll run into later I'd rather give over now and have a cool blank pistol...

 

[H0llyw00d]

This should actually work better than I imagined:

While this shows what can't be taken off. Lordy have mercy :/ :

 

[Noeland]

The charter arms bulldog's frame/trigger guard setup made it super easy to drop in that second trigger, which I believe is why they used it for the build in the film. It's going to be a bit more challenging with this. I would suggest though that you take a look at how hartford of japan used a smith and wesson 38 revolver for their plug fire cap guns as a way to modify this blank firing gun. I own several of these zoraki/ekol/RG revolvers, and I've modded out 2 of them. I own a couple hartfords too. Watching your build with interest! If you want to chat give me a shout.

 

[thegnome]

Looks like it is going to be an awesome build!

 

[H0llyw00d]

Made some progress. Got an ancient bench grinder off ebay:

I can't really justify a band saw so I got a bunch of diamond cutting wheels:

Not sure what alloy this pistol is made from... I'm guessing steel and harder steel but after a couple days some headway:

More and different cutting wheels and metal grinding wheels on the way!

 

[ogrotesque1]

Hello, Glad you’re taking on the challenge of this task. I myself built a hero replica using a genuine Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special and a Tomenosuke Blaster Pro Assembly Kit. If fires full load blanks all day long! The main hurdles are:
1) Copying the hole pattern of the Bulldog from the kit.
2) Cylinder Gap. A gunsmith will need to make you a custom 4” barrel and install it while leaving only the smallest gap possible so that all the pressure blows out and down the muzzle end of the barrel.
I used a Tomenosuke Kit because the parts are mostly Aluminum and Zamak alloy and won’t weaken or bend from firing. It can be done, I’ve done it! My next build is an all genuine parts Blade Runner Hero Blaster. Feel free to ask me any questions anytime and good luck!
Damion

 

[H0llyw00d]

Hello, Glad you’re taking on the challenge of this task. I myself built a hero replica using a genuine Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special and a Tomenosuke Blaster Pro Assembly Kit. If fires full load blanks all day long! The main hurdles are:
1) Copying the hole pattern of the Bulldog from the kit.
2) Cylinder Gap. A gunsmith will need to make you a custom 4” barrel and install it while leaving only the smallest gap possible so that all the pressure blows out and down the muzzle end of the barrel.
I used a Tomenosuke Kit because the parts are mostly Aluminum and Zamak alloy and won’t weaken or bend from firing. It can be done, I’ve done it! My next build is an all genuine parts Blade Runner Hero Blaster. Feel free to ask me any questions anytime and good luck!
Damion

The charter arms bulldog's frame/trigger guard setup made it super easy to drop in that second trigger, which I believe is why they used it for the build in the film. It's going to be a bit more challenging with this. I would suggest though that you take a look at how hartford of japan used a smith and wesson 38 revolver for their plug fire cap guns as a way to modify this blank firing gun. I own several of these zoraki/ekol/RG revolvers, and I've modded out 2 of them. I own a couple hartfords too. Watching your build with interest! If you want to chat give me a shout.

Hey, Guys. Thank you for the offer of help and advice. This is the best forum ever. I'm sure I'll be reaching out as soon as I hit a roadblock or just to compare war stories.