Hollywood and Guns

Stophel said:

Exactly. The cult of "Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!" is relatively new. Many of these cultists would go absolutely apoplectic if they were sent back in time and saw some of the gun handling of bygone days. It is understandable for a semiauto pistol (especially something like a Glock), but not such a big deal with a DA or SA revolver.

I do remember one thing that I saw once that did impress me. On one episode of Star Trek (the real one), I don't remember the exact episode or even the situation, but I do remember a red shirt was holding his phaser pistol on the bad guy, and Kirk walked between them, and as he did, red shirt instinctively lowered his pistol as Kirk passed, and then raised it back up. Obviously had handled firearms before.

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There used to be a television show called Life On Mars the premise was a cop from the 21st century gets sent back in time to the late sixties.

There was one scene where all the cops had to draw their guns and they emphasize the fact that all the 60s cops have their fingers on the trigger and the 21st century cop had his finger indexed. When they set up the scene in the camera first thing you saw was everybody's hands and they drew attention to the difference.

Their intent was to show that he was out of his time and place but it's interesting that that's what they picked to show that

In the X Files episode Reminisces of a Cigarette Smoking Man the CSM sets up the unlikeliest sniper rifle I had seen. A shoulder stocked revolver with a long silenced barrel and night vision riflescope.

I found out it was a mockup of an actual weapon, Knight's Armament Revolver Rifle built on a Ruger Super Blackhawk with the barrel and cylinder fitted so tight there was almost no gap gas leakage so the silencer actually worked on the actual revolver.

Some of the old Hollywood folks were real gun people. When I was a child, I had the opportunity to meet two of them -- Buddy Hacket and Joey Bishop. Hacket had a great collection, but wasn't much of a shooter. He could and did shoot, but he was more interested in collecting. Bishop, on the other hand, liked to shoot and was pretty good at it. Still have fond memories of both of them.

Arkansas Paul said:

I chuckle at some gun gaffs in movies.
I was watching the HBO series Westworld last night, a very entertaining series IMO.
If you're not familiar it's a kind of virtual world that takes place in modern times, but you can go to a town and live like in the old West.
Anyway, someone got shot with a Winchester rifle, and it kicked the shell casing out like an auto. I laughed out loud.

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I did enjoy Westworld, though it would have been better if they had wrapped it up after Season 2 with a more conclusive ending- but they were very fuzzy on the exact workings of the firearms in the Park. Sometimes they appear lethal to humans, firing some sort of physical projectile, other times they are portayed as firing "blanks."

The scene wherein Ed Harris almost gets caught monologuing while laboriously reloading his Lemat was funny.

In the original film, the guns were pretty much normal, firing live ammunition, but the hosts were supposed to be unable to fire at a human thermal signature. Of course, as with "Jurassic Park" chaos theory takes over and it does not end well for the guests......

Actuall sniper critiques sniper movies.

bk42261 said:

I just watched "Where Eagles Dare" again and man do I need one of those MP38/40s that can shoot about 300 rounds without a reload!

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Plus those must have been super powerful bullets they took out everything... Do not know about a 300 round mp40 but can get you over 60 with an Mp40/I...

indy1919a4 said:

Plus those must have been super powerful bullets they took out everything... Do not know about a 300 round mp40 but can get you over 60 with an Mp40/I...

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What always got me was that Hollywood seemed to believe that the entire Wehrmacht was armed with them.

Dibbs said:

Most Cowboy Movies:

Now, I don't know about you guys, but horses, in all my years of experience, have been skittish, high strung, and especially sensitive to loud noises, compacted airwaves(like you get, when you fire a gun, nearby) and motion. Wonderful, and amazing animals, but they do tend to a weakness, with regards to sound.

But most Westerns, the horses are just riding around, or galloping on, with everybody blazing away, with rifles and pistols, left and right. Now, I don't know about everybody else, but I wouldn't dream of firing off a gun, nearby a horse, let alone mounted, for fear of a trip to the E.R...

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It requires training and desensitization.

I use a whip from horseback regularly and that can be fairly loud. I still don't shoot from horseback, however.

I prefer my horse can hear things LOL

My understanding is that a popular cavalry technique was to intentionally deafen the horses

Outlaw75 said:

What always got me was that Hollywood seemed to believe that the entire Wehrmacht was armed with them.

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Weren't they???

This whole topic is funny to me, because I've noticed since I became a gun nut, every movie where a character carries I always zero in on the character's weapon to try and figure out what it is. It's a whole new way of watching movies.

wiscoaster said:

I always zero in on the character's weapon to try and figure out what it is. It's a whole new way of watching movies.

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I can relate, but it's not a "new way of watching movies" to me. I've been a "gun nut" as far back as I can remember, and I'm 72.
My always zeroing in on the character's weapon and trying to figure out what it is irritates my wife sometimes - or so she tells me. But honest to goodness - isn't it worth a little bit of a rant when an American hero like John Wayne calls a Colt Walker a "Colt's Dragoon?"

Stophel said:

Exactly. The cult of "Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!" is relatively new. Many of these cultists would go absolutely apoplectic if they were sent back in time and saw some of the gun handling of bygone days. It is understandable for a semiauto pistol (especially something like a Glock), but not such a big deal with a DA or SA revolver.

I do remember one thing that I saw once that did impress me. On one episode of Star Trek (the real one), I don't remember the exact episode or even the situation, but I do remember a red shirt was holding his phaser pistol on the bad guy, and Kirk walked between them, and as he did, red shirt instinctively lowered his pistol as Kirk passed, and then raised it back up. Obviously had handled firearms before.

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I bet he wanted to be in more than one Star Trek episode.

I always called the members of the crew who went down to a planet with Kirk, Spock, Bones or Scotty ” the expendables” ...because you knew none of them were beaming back up to the Enterprise when the trip was over .

Stay safe.

Riomouse911 said:

I bet he wanted to be in more than one Star Trek episode.

I always called the members of the crew who went down to a planet with Kirk, Spock, Bones or Scotty ” the expendables” ...because you knew none of them were beaming back up to the Enterprise when the trip was over .

Stay safe.

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Same on Combat, you know the new face in the unit was a goner especially if he was not the guest star & sent on point

I know it's fiction, even if it's supposed to be based on true events. I know in the real world, people have handled firearms irresponsibly even when they are "trained professionals" or very firearm savvy. Dumb gun handling shouldn't come as a shock when it happens on TV or in movies.

Spats McGee said:

1. When people who obviously handle guns as part of their professions wait until the moment before confrontation/conflict to actually chamber a round

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Or when they just fired their pump shotgun, stopped to make some witty dialogue, then menacingly rack the slide again when it should have still had a round chambered.

The one that bothers me most is when the guy with the gun shoves the muzzle into someone's face and makes whatever demand is scripted. Sometimes it's the good guy/gal with the gun, sometimes the bad guy. Sometimes it's even the cop. I sincerely hope there are no law enforcement offices training officers to cover bad guys from 12" away.
In the movies, they always lose in that scenario. In real life, they could quite possibly lose their gun.

hso said:

If you're looking for factual accuracy in firearms or tactics in movies or television (or games) you're almost always going to be disappointed. It is far easier to list the shows that went to the trouble to get the guns and shooting correct than the ones that don't (and then you can generally find some error).

The noted wear on Felix's handgun is a nice touch.

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Lonesome Dove did a pretty good job with the period firearms.

Anyone catch Way of the Gun?

Ryan Phillipe, Benecio Del Toro.

Fun film, 1911s, the "tactical operaror" types look to use hks, the old seasoned guys used mostly 38 snubs (and did quite well).

2001 I think around there "vintage" ha have.

Hollywood is dumb, and full of inaccuracies.

Nothing new.

While we are on the subject has it come to anyone's attention that in the westerns, both movies and tv shows, that about 90% of the people that are shot that are scripted to die just fall DRT without a twitch or quiver? Also when the hero shoots it out with someone and although there is still a threat out there he just walks off after holstering his gun without reloading? Don't get me started on lever action rifles. On second though I will. Big gun battle, the hero gets the bad guy at close up gunpoint and then tells him to do something and to emphasise his point he works that lever and nothing comes out of the chamber. This seems to happen every single solitary time this scene is played out.

Although I see but don't get my shorts in a twist about these things when I am watching a movie with my oldest grandson I point them out just to annoy him. His reply is always, "It's a MOVIE, Grandpa".

Howland937 said:

I know it's fiction, even if it's supposed to be based on true events. I know in the real world, people have handled firearms irresponsibly even when they are "trained professionals" or very firearm savvy. Dumb gun handling shouldn't come as a shock when it happens on TV or in movies.


Or when they just fired their pump shotgun, stopped to make some witty dialogue, then menacingly rack the slide again when it should have still had a round chambered.

The one that bothers me most is when the guy with the gun shoves the muzzle into someone's face and makes whatever demand is scripted. Sometimes it's the good guy/gal with the gun, sometimes the bad guy. Sometimes it's even the cop. I sincerely hope there are no law enforcement offices training officers to cover bad guys from 12" away.
In the movies, they always lose in that scenario. In real life, they could quite possibly lose their gun.

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Yep. There are other things that bother me & I do realize it might be necessary to tell the story but TV/Movies shows people pull guns out & then decide to have a conversation. The idea of pulling a gun & then standing there talking seems nuts to me.

Mike J said:

Yep. There are other things that bother me & I do realize it might be necessary to tell the story but TV/Movies shows people pull guns out & then decide to have a conversation. The idea of pulling a gun & then standing there talking seems nuts to me.

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If I may quote a movie...
"If you're going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

doubleh said:

Big gun battle, the hero gets the bad guy at close up gunpoint and then tells him to do something and to emphasise his point he works that lever and nothing comes out of the chamber. This seems to happen every single solitary time this scene is played out.

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The scene in El Dorado where John Wayne and Robert Mitchum go into the bar to arrest Ed Asner's character.

The bartender (Robert Mitchum's brother John BTW) reaches for a gun under the bar and Mitchum shoots a round into the bar to stop him ( and if you listen real close Mitchum says "Hold it right there JOHNNY." Even though the bartender's name is Elmer). Mitchum then works the lever on his rifle and even though HE JUST FIRED A ROUND no shell casing comes out.

As far as Westerns goofs go; there's not much that beats Berry Pepper in the Coen Bros. True Grit remake holding his 1875 Remington right beside his ear and firing off a signal shot without flinching.