Blanks On A Range?

[Helocat]

While shooting last Saturday with a forum member we found a bunch of .223 brass and were picking it up for him as reloading stock.

Mixed in with all of it was several rounds of fired, blank brass.

We were dumbfounded as to why someone would be shooting blanks and thinking about it later I thought maybe as an initial 'training' round for a total newbie or a youth as for safe 'introductory' shooting?

Any other guesses?

Because they found them in an old stash and wanted to see if they really worked?

I would think blanks would work for cut downs for 300blk casses. Depends on how thick the walls are at the cut point.

 

[Jonnyuma]

Blanks are hard on equipment.

We would get issued blanks sometimes during training but only boots and newbs would ever actually fire them because they're so dirty.

This is funny, if you can picture it:
On a simulated night op in 29 Palms we had set up an ambush on an opposing company... the WHOLE company.
We let one of the Privates kick it off with a 30 rd mag dump (okay, 10 3rd bursts). Then, instead of the raging gun battle and orchestra of fire and fury that the officers envisioned, it was just a bunch of Marines yelling BANG BANG at each other and making explosion noises in the desert... sounded like a bunch of overgrown 10 yr olds playing Army, albeit with more colorful language.
We all got yelled at for throwing our blank ammo in a crater and burying it, but our weapons stayed (mostly) clean.

 

[WAYNO]

We did pretty much the same thing. We didn't shoot our blanks if we could get away with it.

When shooting out on East Ft. Lewis one time, I found a tremendous dump of 7.62 blanks. I told the MP's about it, and they were pi$$ed. (at me).

 

[mobil890]

Golf ball launcher uses blanks

 

[Jonnyuma]

We did pretty much the same thing. We didn't shoot our blanks if we could get away with it.

When shooting out on East Ft. Lewis one time, I found a tremendous dump of 7.62 blanks.

I've trained at Ft Lewis but it was mostly demolitions... otherwise I'd say that l'm pretty good friends (still, to this day) with a particular M60 gunner who may have played a part in that caper.