Cool Hand Luke rifle

[226]

Just watched "Cool Hand Luke" the other day (TCM). What rifle was that that "man with no eyes" used? Does the bolt assemble / disassemble like that to shoot that quick? Come to think of it, I don't think they showed him taking the bolt out of the action after he shot.

What a classic movie.

 

[Bigfoot]

"Nobody can eat fifty eggs"

 

[lawson]

i'll have to watch that movie again, it's been too long. what a classic.

as for the rifle, i'm not sure, but a lot of old bolt actions can have the bolt removed or replaced that easily. the boss carried the bolt on his belt, but kept the rifle in the truck, if i recall correctly. that way he didn't have to carry it around, and he could send an inmate to fetch it for him.

 

[226]

Here is a pic.

And the classic:

wwghiftc...

 

[Jim Watson]

Looked rather like a Winchester M70 to me.
Yes, the bolt does go in about as easily as depicted, but...
Remember, it's a MOVIE, it's FICTION, it is some WRITER'S idea of what a chain gang guard's idea of security for his rifle might be like if he thought about it like a Hollywood writer might if he knew anything about guns.
Real shooters don't dink around with their equipment that way.

 

[mustanger98]

Looked rather like a Winchester M70 to me.
Yes, the bolt does go in about as easily as depicted, but...

I wondered if it was a lightweight version of a M70. Having experience with one, I did get that impression from the bolt.

Remember, it's a MOVIE, it's FICTION, it is some WRITER'S idea of what a chain gang guard's idea of security for his rifle might be like if he thought about it like a Hollywood writer might if he knew anything about guns. Real shooters don't dink around with their equipment that way.

I agree. If I were in a situation like that... yeah, I know... but my thought is that I'd seriously consider a lightweight small caliber weapon in that class like maybe something in .22Hornet. But then, the guard wasn't engaging human targets; he shot a turtle and they ain't all that tough if you hit 'em in the head. For a real life situation of that type, I think I'd more likely pick a Winchester '94AE or a Marlin '94 in .44magnum and sling it muzzle down to get it into action pretty quickly. I agree that real shooters don't fool around like that.

 

[Pork Fat]

I always thought that the gimmick with the guard boss and his boltless rifle
was actually an intentional, powerful statement. There were always other guards,armed and ready, so the boss could get by with his cane most of the time. I saw the rifle in the truck to be a source of frustration and a constant reminder of the inmate's powerlessness. That the boss could have a prisoner
fetch the very instrument that symbolized his own impotence would have made me gnash my teeth if I was on that road gang.
That's assuming, of course, that I would have any teeth left after watching
that girl wash her car.:banghead:

 

[mustanger98]

PF, I think you are right. And I've always perceived that the guy was an all-out sadist, but never realized how far that went till just now.

 

[226]

Structure is the basis for discipline. You don't have to look far (i.e. military). What exercise is used for punishment but the one where you are at the lowest point eating dirt?

The sxs shotguns that the guards had were probably not loaded with slugs, so their range was limited, as evidenced during the scene when Boss Godfrey shoots the turtle and Luke takes the truck and George Kennedy on their final ride while the guards spray their shot uselessly at the speeding truck.

One thing that constantly gets misquoted is one of the most famous movie quotes of all time:

correct: "What we've got here is failure to communicate"

incorrect: "What we've got here is [a] failure to communicate"

 

[Trebor]

Man, I HATED that movie. If I didn't have to watch it for a film class, I would have turned it off. It just took foreverrrrr to play out. I felt like I'd turn a stir in the pokey when it was done.

 

[Rack Grade]

"What we have here, is a failure to communicate."

 

[kentucky_smith]

What we've got here, is failure to communicate.

 

[armoredman]

Ok, I'm a schmuck, never saw it....

 

[gezzer]

Thought it sucked

 

[226]

That is what I initially thought.

Looked rather like a Winchester M70 to me.

I wondered if it was a lightweight version of a M70. Having experience with one, I did get that impression from the bolt.

.