could try a gas airsoft system instead as the base like perry's old one
or could we just feed some powder into the chamber each time it goes to fire?
I remember once messing with a friend's pershing we shot an old roll of paper that was quite dusty; the bb hit at an offset and richochet, but brought up a large dust cloud from the impact- seeing the yellow "shell" hit the ground and ricochet with a sizable cloud of dust was quite an awesome effect