Gun Camera

[ArfinGreebly]

Fighter planes have for a long time had gun cams of one kind or another.

Having the kind of mind that can't leave well enough alone . . .

We have rail systems now for mounting all kinds of cool gadgetry, so what about a camera? Something with the shutter tied to the trigger.

In fact, with digital cam binoculars and the occasional scope nowadays, what's to prevent having a decent scope with an integrated digital cam?

Go to range. Set up. Line up. Squeeze. Bang. Replay.

Finish day at the range. Come home. Download pics from scope. Share with friends on THR.

Or is this just boring because it already exists and I'm the last one to find out?

 

[CNYCacher]

My father works at a company that does product modeling and packaging design, among other things. About 3 or 4 years ago, some guys who had invented exactly what you are talking about came in to have my dad's company design a better case for it to help them go into production. The camera was built into the scope and took a picture when the gun went off. I don't know how it was actuated, but the bottom line was that it got a clear picture of the target, with cross hairs a split-second before the bullet went on it's way.

The guys who invented it were hunters and wanted pictures of their game. The first place they took it to was a sportsman's trade show, where they hoped to sell their idea on a hunting platform. They consequently attracted the attention on some hunter/LEOs, and pretty soon were rolling in attention from the LEO/FED crowd. The inventers never realized the value of their invention for a justified force case until that point.

Sorry friend, you are at least three years too late, I held the first prototype in my hand at least that long ago, maybe more.

Good idea though!

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Timing

I was kind of hoping for something that could be timed to snap just before muzzle rise. For most target shooting, I should think this would capture the bullet strike -- or at least the hole left by it -- so one could identify which shot made which hole.

There's a binocular out there (Bushnell® Instant Replay™) that runs a continuous 30-second video loop. When something interesting happens, you press "capture" and it saves the current loop segment to flash memory. That way you can see something happen -- damn, that was a big buck! -- THEN press the button, and still capture something you didn't even realize happened until AFTER it was done. Very cool concept.

That same thing could be automated in a digital camera/scope so that it captured the last, say, 5 seconds, and the 2 seconds after the shot. That would give a long enough window to capture the event.

I suppose an even better way to get good target pics would be a synchronized spotting scope. Wireless shutter control hooked to the trigger.

Sigh.

Oh, and it has to be less than $100.

Sigh.

 

[Jim Watson]

It's been done.
I don't recall the obscure brand, but it looked like a regular scope sight with some extra bumps and switches. As I recall, it kept a few seconds of running video and when it was bumped by recoil, saved the image from 30 milliseconds before the kick to allow for locktime to show what was in the crosshairs at the shot. Not time travel, it was all on record, just that one frame saved at the shot. I suggested to one of our local SWATters that the cops have sights like that so we could tell what their targets were doing to draw the shot. He didn't much like the idea.

Bushnell now has an all-digital gunsight where you are looking at an lcd screen instead of through lenses. It will save more than one image, as I recall from the gunzine article.

Not for a hundred bucks, though; cheapskate.

 

[littledoc]

There is (was?) a small company out of upstate NY that was making one. Adirondack something or other, I think. ELCAN has one out on the market now.

 

[Nicolai]

One of the recent Shooting USA episodes (aired 9 Dec) featured a scope cam they use in filming shooting shows--that particular episode was on silhouette shooting. Basic scope was a Carl Zeiss with camera added. Nice, but pricey unless you're in the TV production business. Tech specifications at their website (www.shootingusa.com) under show data for 9 Dec episode. One of our neighbors shoots silhouette and I'm sure he'd love to find one under the Christmas tree.

 

[armoredman]

Great, the Feds will mandate all pistols have gun cameras, and gun camera footage will be mandatory to win the court case. Beautiful...

 

[TWeatherford]

I was kind of hoping for something that could be timed to snap just before muzzle rise. For most target shooting, I should think this would capture the bullet strike -- or at least the hole left by it -- so one could identify which shot made which hole.

I think it might be a little cheaper to take one shot per target.

 

[History Prof]

I think it might be a little cheaper to take one shot per target.

Nah, just have a really good friend downrange who can circle and number each hole as it appears.

 

[f4t9r]

That would be cool for hunting. I do not know so much about Home defense , someone would want to use it for some freaky web site or some lawyer would want to make a case of it. Better off just to have my side of the story.
For hunting I think it would be kinda cool taping that big buck or someones first kill.