5-in-1 blanks (commonly called "five-in-ones" in the film industry) are blank cartridges that can be used in a variety of firearms. They are specifically made for theatrical use and are commonly used in real firearms for dramatic effect. Since the loud report and flash of ignition, and not the projection of a bullet, is the goal of the cartridge, it can be used in firearms with different bore sizes. These cartridges can be loaded with different charges, ranging from quarter-load charges for indoor scenes and scenes around animals, up to full-load charges for outdoor firing. 5-in-1 blanks can be used in firearms chambered for the

.38-40 Winchester The .38-40 Winchester is actually a .40 caliber (10 mm) cartridge shooting .401" (10.2 mm) caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced f ...

.44-40 Winchester The .44-40 Winchester, also known as .44 Winchester, .44 WCF (Winchester Center Fire), and .44 Largo (in Spanish-speaking countries) was introduced in 1873 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It was the first metallic centerfire cartridge m ...

.45 Colt The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1 ...

, .44 Magnum, and

.44 Special The .44 Smith & Wesson Special, also commonly known as .44 S&W Special, .44 Special, .44 Spl, .44 Spc, (pronounced "forty-four special"), or 10.9x29mmR is a smokeless powder center fire metallic revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson in 1 ...

because, although the bores differ in diameter, the

chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations * Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics * Debate chamber, the space or room that houses delib ...

s are of similar shape. They were called a 5-in-1 blanks, because, when they were originally introduced, they could be fired in the five different firearms commonly used in Hollywood

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, namely .38-40 and .44-40 Winchester rifles and .38-40, .44-40, and .45 Colt revolvers. 5-in-1 blanks are also called a 3-in-1 blanks for the three weapon calibers in which they are fired, namely .38-40, .44-40, and .45 Colt. The 5-in-1 blanks in use today have been redesigned and are made with plastic cases that can be used not only in .38-40, .44-40, and .45 Colt calibers, but also

, .44 Magnum, and

.410 bore The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small g ...

firearms. They are available in crimped and open-ended (balloon) varieties and are made using both black powder and smokeless powder. The black powder blanks produce not only a loud report and flash, but also a cloud of white smoke.

Notes

Sources

* {{Webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131083958/http://www.saami.org/Glossary/display.cfm?letter=F , date=31 January 2008 , title=SAAMI {{! Glossary —

Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several Am ...

Ammunition Special effects Blank cartridges