The recent discussion about the movie blanks prompted me to dig out some old stuff I have had around for several years. I took some pictures of a current style .45 blank made by Joe Swanson, an old unfired .45 blank (cut down 30.06 casing) from Stembridge and a fired .45 blank (30.06 casing) dug up (with the aid of a metal detector) at Franklin Canyon Reservoir in Los Angeles, CA. Franklin Canyon was one of several outdoor location sites used during numerous movie and television shows during the 1950's and '60's. The television series Combat! used Franklin Canyon extensively and the blank on the right was dug up in the 1990's at one of the regular sites used during the filming of Combat! It has been cleaned up with copious amounts of steel wool, gun oil and elbow grease.
Notice on the casings made from the 30.06 brass that the head stamps are 1954 and 1940 respectively. Surplus military brass was obviously used and was probably reloaded several times. A friend of mine that has researched the Franklin Canyon site has collected literally hundreds of .45 casings at the locations used during the Combat! series. The casings were usually buried from six to twelve inches under the sandy soil. Needless to say, some are obviously from the Stembridge Thompsons wielded by the fearless Vic Morrow a.k.a. Sgt. Saunders.