Reenactor shot by carbine in Texas

[PhillipM]

How do these reenactments work? Do they use blank firing adapters or just blanks and single fire it, or something else? I don't know how a live round could go through a BFA without blowing the gun up. On another note, the much maligned carbine cartridge worked good enough to put this guy down without hitting any vitals.

“It felt like a sledgehammer on my chest. It took the wind out of both lungs. I couldn’t breathe,” said Fullerton.

Lucky guy.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/02/10/north-texas-man-has-close-call-during-wwii-reenactment/

[cwartyman]

If you shoot a live round through the BFA you will not blow up the gun if the gun is externally BFA'd. You will destroy the BFA and maybe damage the front sight on a carbine or the barrel threads on a Garand.
Mack

[oldtirediron]

I suppose he was very lucky being shot by a carbine if you could call it lucky ! One of my friends was a special forces LT in Vietnam, and one of his ARVN troopers shot a VC like 4 or 5 times and he was evacuated back to the base camp-- He must have been real lucky because within a week he was recovered enough to be doing manual labor in the camp area- After heard about this I always mistrusted the 30 carbine round!

[n64atlas]

Years ago when the import carbine hit the market, re-exactors would install a "Hollywood" blank adapter.
You drilled the muzzle for a screw in plug with a hole in it. Blanks were made using gel capsules and fast pistol
powder. You tuned the HBFA by changing the size of the hole in the HBFA to get it to shoot semi-auto. With the
price of carbines now, They shoot with a standard BFA or single shot

[Major Tom]

While training at Ft. Bragg, NC in 1966 with our M14s and blank adapters attached using blank cartridges; a trooper was shot by a blank at close range. He was 'peppered' real good with the burnt powder, but not seriously injuered.

[n64atlas]

William Hexum, the actor, was killed by a blank. There is still a lot of pressure from the burning gas at close range

[joem]

How could some moran load a live round in the rifle for a reenactment. Where did they find this boob?

[Sunray]

"...shot by carbine...shot by a blank...killed by a blank..." It's impossible to be shot by an inanimate object. These terms are media terms.
"...Do they use..." Depends on how much money one has. If you can afford a proper BFA you use one. Otherwise it's just a show. However, BFA's have a nasty tendency to come off and be sent down range with just a regular training blank. Sounds like what happened. The guy is very lucky he wasn't killed or seriously injured.

[n64atlas]

Some people have been known to use Grenade launching rounds. These look like blanks but have more power. These could launch a BFA or the Hollywood plug in the barrel.