Strange firearms incidents in movies/shows

[TFoley]

I've been reading the Sharpe series, by Bernard Cornwell. It's about a British rifleman during the Napoleonic Wars, who's been given a battlefield commission for saving Lord Wellesley's life in India. Cornwell seems to have worked hard at authenticity. In multiple scenes where the fighting is heavy he has soldiers biting their paper cartridges open, priming the pan, pouring the rest of the powder down the muzzle of the musket, spitting a round ball into it, tapping the butt on the ground to set the ball, and firing. According to him, the British Army was the only major power at the time that had its troops drill with live ammunition, and a well-trained British infantryman could consistently fire four rounds a minute with a flintlock musket.

I'm impressed; I usually get off about one shot a minute. Of course I'm loading a Kibler long rifle, not a smoothbore musket, and I'm not facing a column of French infantry.

Another reason for the superiority of British infantryman of the line is that they were graded according to their skill at arms, from 1 to 3, and received a small monetary benefit in recognition. This practice continued until very recently - the crossed rifles on a sleeve denoted a soldier more than usually skilled with his rifle, and his pay packet was slightly enlarged by having earned it.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Thanks for the heads up on Man from Snowy River. I'll have to go looking for it.

When you do see it watch the horsemanship it’s great.
Also look out for when the gold mine collapses apparently from a shortage of Australian mountain hardwood, must’ve all been exported to the US for railroad ties and mine timber’s!!

 

[Colonial Boy]

Another of my Hollywood favourites is the rugged, 20 years experience, tough, cynical LEO who stands captive in front of an obviously empty revolver.

 

[Springerpanhead]

I watched a part of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" on youtube. Tuco has a percussion revolver and a belt of brass cartridges around him. Strange combination.

As to Baldwin, the bottom line is that the responsibility is always with the person who cocks the hammer, points the gun, and pulls the trigger. He should have checked himself.

In the Bounty Hunter series Steve McQueen carries a cut gown 92 Winchester and 45-70 cartridges in his belt

 

[toot]

the 45/70's are for his backup gun!?? maybe?

 

[mushka]

Hollywood is how about things appear, not how the actually are. This has been said many times previous.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Nope. I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

I have a significant amout of experience with long range shooting, 1000 yards, with a high powered rifle and scope. I know bull ---- when I see it.

I suggest you watch "Sagebrush Longshots" on You Tube. Regularly ringing the dinger at 990 yards with a Sharps. Yes, they are using cross sticks, but still...

 

[DMacKay]

My favorite gun related mistake of all time. Superman takes 6 shots from a revolver to the chest and doesn’t flinch. Then they throw the gun at him and he ducks!

 

[B P Arn]

I suggest you watch "Sagebrush Longshots" on You Tube. Regularly ringing the dinger at 990 yards with a Sharps. Yes, they are using cross sticks, but still...

Thanks for the suggestion, but that is not what Quigley supposedly did in the movie.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Thanks for the suggestion, but that is not what Quigley supposedly did in the movie.

He shot at a sitting bucket at roughly 800 yards. Yes, it was off-hand. Yes, a bucket is smaller than a 36" dinger. Hell no, I couldn't do it. But not impossible.
In fact, it HAS been done outside of Hollywood. For real.

https://texashillcountry.com/shot-century-billy-dixon-history/

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I watched a part of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" on youtube. Tuco has a percussion revolver and a belt of brass cartridges around him. Strange combination.

Well an Italian movie cap-n-ball never needs reloading, SO those were likely rounds for his lever action rifle.... not yet invented BUT he was ready.....


LD

 

[Eric Krewson]

In the "Patriot" movie when the militia is charging in on the British in some of the last scenes some of the colonists are armed with TC Hawkens rifles.

 

[user 51569]

He shot at a sitting bucket at roughly 800 yards. Yes, it was off-hand. Yes, a bucket is smaller than a 36" dinger. Hell no, I couldn't do it. But not impossible.
In fact, it HAS been done outside of Hollywood. For real.

https://texashillcountry.com/shot-century-billy-dixon-history/

I’ve been to the site where this shot took place you can still see the hill Parker and the other natives were on and still see a rough outline of where the building was he shot from. Hell of a shot.

 

[Crow-Feather]

This is how BS fake news is spread. Read any report on this: he was handed a gun by the crew who then declared “cold gun” out loud as they do as a safety precaution. The person who handed him the gun will end up taking the heat in this. Baldwin was then told to do a few takes practicing a cross draw and shooting at the camera when the gun went off hitting the two people who are generally directly behind the camera, the cinematographer (hit directly) and director(hit after bullet passed through cinematographer). I’ve seen so many people mad that Baldwin is a lib so he musta have done it on purpose. give it a rest.

Since you were there, you should notify the proper authorities of your observations.

ps. Do you know what her next project was?

 

[Crow-Feather]

I’ve been to the site where this shot took place you can still see the hill Parker and the other natives were on and still see a rough outline of where the building was he shot from. Hell of a shot.

Billy Dixon didn't do to bad either.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

Something strange in the movie The Revenant,-

I won t say it just yet. Watch the scene where Hugh fires a pistol at the French, over the spotted horse s withers. Slow it down with frame skip/1 1/16th speed.
Watch how the pistol fires. See what happens.

As I have no capability of doing that 1/16 thing, can you just tell us? Surely would appreciate that.

 

[Codger Craig Wilcox]

I remember watching an Audie Murphy western once and there was a scene where three cowboys were on a dusty trail standing next to their horses while being shot at. One guy yells "Hit the deck!" Which I understood to be a phrase developed by navy basic training instructors for new sailors to do push ups around WW1.
If nothing else, it seemed completely out of place.

Actually the USMC, which is a part of the Navy, and uses many of the same terms. My Dad turned me over to the base Marine Gunnery Sergeant when I was 12, who educated me properly in the use and care of all sorts of firearms, from the .38 revolver to the 135 mm field artillery piece, and the 61 and 80 mm mortars. A friend and I had been caught shooting one of those old BB pistols that looked like a 1911. Of course, he also taught us the value of pushups, etc. Navy Boot Camp (Sand Diego, 1964) was a breeze after him! Loved the guy though!!

 

[Bad Karma]

I love the buzzards flying over and the word bar says 'screech!' I been in the woods most of my life and I've never once heard a buzzard make a comment...

The famous hawks whistle… usually just before something bad happens. It’s a standard joke around our house to the point that when the sense of foreboding gets stronger, someone will do the hawks whistle…

 

[springfield art]

You should go to the "Quigley Shoot" held every June in Forsyth, Montana. The "Bucket" is at 350 yards & is shot off-hand. The other targets are placed out to 800 yards. Sharps, Hi-walls & other Buffalo rifles only. You will get to witness the "impossible" many times over.

Those guys are amazing. Magazine writer Mike Venturino is a major player in the Sharps game.

 

[Bad Karma]

Nope. I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

I have a significant amout of experience with long range shooting, 1000 yards, with a high powered rifle and scope. I know bull ---- when I see it.

I may have been born yesterday but I was up all night…