blank guns

[SCKWEST]

I have a couple questions. I am going to start running in the NBHA and the USCSDA and need to know what type of gun should i purchase. I didn't know if I'd be better off with a .22 or .32 caliber or a primer pistol. In my research I have found that .22 and primers are much less expensive than the .32caliber blanks. Another possibility would be buying a .32 and then getting inserts so you could also use primers. Has anyone purchased the premium blank pistol from lion country supply it apperars to be very similar to the alfa brand. Thanks for your assistance. SCKWEST

[RayGubernat]

SCKWEST -

For just about any of your training or trialing needs, a 22 blank gun will do just fine. I have taken to using #2 Ramset loads. They are relatively inexpensive and work fine in my NEF.

The only thing you will need a 209 primer or 32 for is a championship. That will probably be a little while off.

There is no question that 209 prmers are the cheapest ammo out there. The guns are the problem. I have tried a couple of th 209 primer pistols and have been very dissatisfied with their construction. They re made mostly of diecast zinc and don't last. I cannot get used to the huge size of the ALFA and I can't get my head wrapped around paying $200 for a diecast toy gun, no matter how shiny.

I also have yet to find a set of inserts that really do the job. There is a new 209 pirmer gun out, apparently made of stainless. Haven't seen it yet. Might be a good one. i simply don't know about it.

My advice to you, at this point, is to find an NEF or H & R 22 caliber blank gun. It will last you a lifetme if you do not lose it. If an when you have the dog and the opportunity to enter a championship, then you can worry about another blank gun.

RayG

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[BigShooter]

A number of people have mentioned the gun in the link has generated a lot of interest. I use an H&R .22 so I cannot provide any report on the new gun. http://www.gunxusa.com/GunX/Online_Store.html

You will need a holster and I would encourage you to get a lanyard & lanyard ring. The guns are too expensive to lose in a field.

[Wagonmaster]

You don't need inserts to simply put a primer in a .32 . You need a decapper to remove the old primer, and a repriming tool to put the new primer in. Going from memory, but I am pretty sure the are just Small Pistol primers (that is a primer size).

I agree though that a .22 is the best way to go. Almost no one uses .32 full blanks today. To the best of my knowledge, they are only required for pointer/setter championships. NGSPA does not require them (if you run a shorthair), and .22 is in general use in the AKC trials and tests (except not the little CB crimped blanks).

[BigShooter]

For anyone that has never reloaded shells, just so there is no confusion, in a .32 you will either need an insert to use 209 (shotgun) primers or you will need to "re-prime" the used .32s by using the correct tools to remove the spent primer & reinsert a new primer that fits .32 shells.

I use a .22 blank gun because of the choice of loads from soft acorn crimps to loud blanks. The louder .32 & 209 shotgun primer revolvers can be hard on the hearing if you use them a lot in training.

[BigShooter]

If you are looking for quality used or new blank revolver (IMO) consider one of these:

1. H&R (Harrington & Richardson) Model 970 manufactured from 1940 until the late 1970s (.22s & .32s)

2. NEF (New England Firearms) Model B 22, ( manufactured subsequent to the late 1970s, .22s & .32s, .22s no longer made)
(In 2008 Remington acquired Marlin which had purchased H & R 1871, Inc that included the H & R, NEF & Wesson & Harrington brands)

3. Alpha ( .22, .32 or 209 primers)

4. GunX (209 primer or .32)

[Rick Hall]

I've a NEF .22 that may outlive me and shoots low powered Ramset blanks cheaply enough, but if I were starting fresh, reports from retrieverites who've already run thousands of primers through theirs would have me sold on Gun-X . Well built and much more convenient that NEF's design.

[GrayDawg]

Last year I purchased a Kimar Traditional Double Action 209 Primer Blank Pistol for training/trialing.

Here's a link to one on Gun Dog Supply:
http://www.gundogsupply.com/kitrblpi.html

Here's a picture:



This is a very well constructed blank pistol. Reliable & FUNCTIONAL. I've put at least 350-400 rounds through
my Kimar 209 Primer Blank Pistol in the last 11 months- never has a blank jammed, never has one failed to fire,
never have I had a problem opening the cylinder or ejecting the spent 209 primers.

I own a real .22 pistol that isn't built as well as my Kimar.

Rob

[bhairhoger]

I have the Kimar as well and it works great! Not sure how many shots I put through it but I have been using it for 3 years.

[wems2371]

Ditto on the Kimar. Purchased one last year and haven't had any problems with it so far. Does require hearing protection on my part, which I usually remember after firing the first round.

[RayGubernat]

Kimar is a nice 209 pistol. I have had three of them. I had some misfires with Winchester primers but zero problems with CCI.

They last me about a year or so and then the steel transfer bar breaks off. The cost to repair is more than the cost of the gun, so it is trash. I would go through about a brick(1000) of 209's in a year.

If that transfer bar held up, or was repairable for a modest price, I would still be using a Kimar. Like I said it is a nice blank pistol but not meant for real heavy usage.

RayG

[shinbone]

The GunX looks like a really good product. Any reason why they aren't made in .22?

--shinbone

[Rick Hall]

Probably just went after the biggest market.

[Casper]

Supposedly they are supposed to be coming out with one in the coming year or so I'm told

[SCKennel]

I use a NEF .32 and make my own 209 inserts and have had good luck with them. Tried the over the counter inserts and had little success with them. Let me know if you are interested and I can let you know how to make the inserts.

[jeffex]

A number of people have mentioned the gun in the link has generated a lot of interest. I use an H&R .22 so I cannot provide any report on the new gun. http://www.gunxusa.com/GunX/Online_Store.html

You will need a holster and I would encourage you to get a lanyard & lanyard ring. The guns are too expensive to lose in a field.

Maybe I can buy guns here? it's dead.

[Toster]

Hello all, pretty new here, but I have been looking for a good blank gun. After reading this and some other research, I am pretty sold on the Gunx blank gun.
http://www.gunxusa.com/ one concern I had was making TOO much noise with the 209 primers, with young pups. I really like the idea of using the .22 and having a variable degree of loudness. BUT, I think I might have just found the solution. VariFlame http://www.blackpowderbullets.com/variflame%20primer%20adapter.html makes a 209 adapter to a small rife primer size! My thought is that a guy could use a either a small pistol, small rifle or a magnum small rifle primer (they are all .175" diameter) to get a softer report for the young pups, and then still use the regular 209's once the dogs are older, or in competition. I will know shortly if this will work...