Blank Check: Safety First with Firing

Blank Firing Adapters: Which ones are for you?

Exercises seem to be getting larger and more frequent. To exercise our warfighters, we use four types of weapons: dummy guns, pneumatic (airsoft), dye-markers, and actual weapons with live or blank ammo. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Today, we will discuss blanks and blank-firing adapters (BFA) for the M16 and M4 series of weapons.

Generally, we see M4-style rifles. As exercises get bigger, augmentees are brought in using M16 series weapons. Each of these weapons has its own BFA. The M4 BFA is yellow and marked with “to use with M4 carbine only.” The M16 BFA is red, as pointed out in Technical Order (TO) 11W3-5-5-41.

As you can see, the gas orifices on the two BFAs are different. The M4, being shorter, needs to bleed more gas. Putting the red BFA on an M4 could deform it to the point that it will fly off. If you use a yellow BFA on an M16, it might not cycle correctly.

Perhaps this is where the “DO NOT fire directly at anyone less than twenty feet away when using the blank firing attachment” comes from.

Remember to review your exercise risk assessments and blank-firing safety briefs when it is time to participate in exercises.