Abstract: The invention concerns a blank cartridge for firearms, with a cartridge casing, whose dimensions correspond to a comparable live cartridge, a propellant charge, and a projectile which can decompose in the barrel of the firearm. The projectile is comprised of a material which contains particles of explosive material and, consequently, deflagrates automatically after the ignition caused by firing (while still in the barrel) and, thus, is consumed within an interval of time which is shorter than the time in which an otherwise identical noncombustible projectile requires to arrive at the muzzle. The decomposition of the projectile does not take place mechanically, but rather thermally and reactively, whereby only a mixture of gases comprising propellant gases and the gaseous remains of the projectile come out of the muzzle, thus substantially eliminating the need for any safety zone in front of the muzzle.