Before I started teaching, I worked for years as an stunt coordinator, fight director, and armourer for film and theatre. Over the years I advised many theatre and film productions on all types of weapons; blades, poles and firearms. I will address theatre specifically.
When talking to clients who wanted to use firearms, I told them that there are a lot of options out there and it really depends on the show and the effect needed. Firearms fall into several categories. The most common are: prop (working/not), blank (sealed/open), and percussion. All of them have their place in theatre.
Prop firearms are weapons that absolutely cannot be made to fire. Some of them have no working/moving parts. These are great if an actor just needs to hold a weapon, but not pull a trigger, activate a slide/bolt. or set a hammer. Working props have functioning parts, but no firing mechanism. The hammer will set, the trigger will pull, etc. These are great if the actor needs to interact with the weapon or if you need a weapon but your venue does not allow blanks.
Blank weapons are working firearms that will accept blank cartridges. There are two kinds. There are sealed and open. The sealed type, the absolutely safest for stage, vent all gasses out the side of top of the weapon. because of the venting, there is usually a limited muzzle flash and not a lot of smoke. Depending on the type and load of the cartridge, the report can range from a pop to a very loud bang. The open type of blank weapon, does not have a blocked barrel. These are great when you need a muzzle flash, and if you use blanks that are loaded with Black Powder, you will get that lovely puff of smoke and smell that the audience will associate with gunpowder. Since the gasses are expelled through the barrels, this type should NEVER be used in close proximity to the audience or other actors.
The last type is percussion. These are wonderful and I have used them on many shows. These are specifically black powder (think muzzle loading / civil war type) weapons. They have a lovely, deep report, a bright flash and smoke. Once again, since there are gasses escaping the muzzle, care must be taken as to where the weapon is pointed and fired.
I do not believe that theatres should only use non-firing, blocked weapons. I believe that all of these firearms have a place in theatre, depending on the show and desired effect. The REAL key is training, training, training. Having an experienced armourer (just like using an experienced fight choreographer for stage combat) is important. They will know how to teach the actors to deal with the chosen weapons. They will know how to care for and use the weapons. Most importantly, they will teach how to be respectful of the weapons and use them safely every time.
Now to the recommendation, if you need a weapon that can accept what the audience sees as live rounds, and fire, I would use a blank firing, closed barrel firearm. You can get revolvers or automatic style pistols that will accept blank cartridges. If there is significant time between the time you need to see the cartridges and when the weapon has to fire, I would use dummy cartridges (look like the real thing but are 100% inert), then reload for blanks when needed. If there is not significant time between, the blanks will be fine, although blanks look a bit different, so if the venue is very intimate, the audience may notice the difference (30 foot rule).
Over all, whether using dummies or not, ensure the actor knows how to safely handle the firearm. Even with closed barrel weapons, it is still possible to get injured. If available, find an expert to work with the actor, even if for just an hour. It will increase the honesty of the character and safety of the actor(s) exponentially.
------------------------------
Jeremy Riggs
Theatre Teacher
Olathe South High School
Olathe KS
Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2016 16:19
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Help with a prop gun
I can't help but feel that Eric Friend needs to add his voice to this discussion, as I'm sure there are very real practical safety issues and that having a live starter pistol on stage might be an absolute no no....I also think, if I recall, that the trigger has to be glued solid, so that it won't move, as another safety measure. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Ruskin FL