Blank ammunition, dummy cartridges and inert replicas are different production categories. Calling any of them a prop identifies a production use, not its mechanical properties.
Ammunition categories
A blank cartridge lacks a projectile but contains an energetic charge. Its discharge is a physical event; the absence of a bullet does not make that event harmless.
A dummy cartridge is inert and represents ammunition without functioning as a live or blank round. It is distinct from the weapon or replica in which it is displayed. Describing the cartridge does not establish the properties of the surrounding object.
The distinction matters because appearance alone cannot supply a reliable classification. A screen image presents the result intended for the audience, while the production must identify the actual objects involved.
Replicas and simulated effects
Rubber guns, nonfunctioning replicas and recoil simulators are alternatives identified in the industry firearm bulletin revised in April 2024. They are separate categories rather than synonyms for a firearm loaded with blanks.
The bulletin also uses “non-gun” for an electrically triggered flash-and-noise effect. That specific usage should not be expanded to mean every device that produces a simulated weapon image or sound.
Responsibility and terminology
The same bulletin assigns on-set firearm responsibilities to the Property Master and/or Armorer. An accurate production account identifies both the object category and the relevant responsibility; “the prop department handled it” can be too broad to explain what occurred.
These distinctions describe production terminology, not a procedure for selecting or handling equipment. The appropriate classification depends on the actual object and its verified condition.
A useful account states whether it concerns ammunition, a functioning firearm, an inert representation or an independently generated effect. Combining those categories under the word “fake” removes precisely the information needed to understand the production method.