Blank-firing adapter

It can also be a safety feature designed to break up the (wooden or plastic) plugs replacing the bullet in military blanks.

This feature has the added benefit that a live round mistakenly fired will expend most of its energy upon colliding with the BFA, reducing both the range and damage inflicted, as well as divert the hot gases from a blank discharge out to the sides, reducing the risk of injury to the target of an aimed shot.

Use in motion picture special effects, however, requires the BFA to be hidden from casual view, so as not to disturb the illusion of live ammunition being fired, a feat usually accomplished with replacement barrels, the diameter of which is significantly reduced just in front of the chamber.

Since only a limited amount of residue can escape (compared to when live ammunition is in use), the barrel can foul very quickly.

Short recoil operated pistols, the most common type used for self-defense and by police, are typically converted with a simple barrel replacement; the replacement barrel will lack the locking lugs to lock the slide to the frame, and will be built with an adjustable restrictor to control the chamber pressure.