Bad firearms 101 in TV and Film

[Scott B.]

I've been watching Wallander (BBC version) on Netflix. If you like Scandinavian dark/depressing + the venerable 'British Mystery', you'll enjoy it. Kenneth Branagh is terrific as the lead - no surprise there.

But, the series has to be about the worst for basic firearms 101 that I've seen in a long, long time.

I know firearms are a mystery to the directors, editors, cast, and perhaps even their LEO consultant, but not to the prop guys. I'm pretty good about not letting such things throw me out of enjoying a show, but sometimes if they keep multiplying you just have to laugh.

What are your worst movie/TV gun sins?

Shoot to empty but the slide never locks back? Toss in a stereotypical "click" "click" "click"?

One I see a lot is whenever pistol suppressors are used. There's almost never a threaded barrel beforehand (that's picking nits I know). Then the suppressor is magically attached.

[Vol Texan]

What are your worst movie/TV gun sins?

Hiding behind a car, automatic gunfire raining down upon the actor from an elevated position. Suddenly, there's a pause, and the actor takes one shot with a pistol and takes down the assailant from over 100 yards away.

Sorry, but nobody's that good.

Well, maybe Chuck Norris:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=eDJUVOaeUag[/youtube]

[A-R]

What are your worst movie/TV gun sins?

Hiding behind a car, automatic gunfire raining down upon the actor from an elevated position. Suddenly, there's a pause, and the actor takes one shot with a pistol and takes down the assailant from over 100 yards away.

Sorry, but nobody's that good.

Well, maybe Chuck Norris:

Apparently Austin PD Sgt. Adam Johnson is that good. Hit an active shooter in the heart at 312 feet with a handgun one-handed while holding the reigns of two horses. Heck with Chuck Norris, that's John Wayne level of Beast Mode.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/20 ... /19766877/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[VMI77]

Hard for me to say, since if it's too bad I can't stand to watch it. I'm always scanning for fingers on the trigger and the number of times I'm seeing that seems to have declined --on TV shows at least.

[Jaguar]

Glock 7 - Die Hard 2

"That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me. You know what that is? It's a porcelain gun made in Germany. It doesn't show up on your airport X-ray machines here and it costs more than what you make in a month!"

[gthaustex]

What are your worst movie/TV gun sins?

Hiding behind a car, automatic gunfire raining down upon the actor from an elevated position. Suddenly, there's a pause, and the actor takes one shot with a pistol and takes down the assailant from over 100 yards away.

Sorry, but nobody's that good.

Well, maybe Chuck Norris:

Apparently Austin PD Sgt. Adam Johnson is that good. Hit an active shooter in the heart at 312 feet with a handgun one-handed while holding the reigns of two horses. Heck with Chuck Norris, that's John Wayne level of Beast Mode.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/20 ... /19766877/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have no reason to doubt Acevedo's version of the story....if true, that is one heck of a shot by the APD Sgt. Nice shootin Tex.

[anygunanywhere]

What are your worst movie/TV gun sins?

Hiding behind a car, automatic gunfire raining down upon the actor from an elevated position. Suddenly, there's a pause, and the actor takes one shot with a pistol and takes down the assailant from over 100 yards away.

Sorry, but nobody's that good.

Well, maybe Chuck Norris:

Apparently Austin PD Sgt. Adam Johnson is that good. Hit an active shooter in the heart at 312 feet with a handgun one-handed while holding the reigns of two horses. Heck with Chuck Norris, that's John Wayne level of Beast Mode.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local/20 ... /19766877/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have no reason to doubt Acevedo's version of the story....if true, that is one heck of a shot by the APD Sgt. Nice shootin Tex.

That ranks right up there with Billy Dixon's shot at Adobe Walls.

[MechAg94]

That is one good reason why it is a good thing to try shooting at 50 or 100 yards with your favorite pistol just to see what you have to do to hit at that range.

[MechAg94]

A good guy is holding someone at gun point. That person thinks they are bluffing and threatens to rush them. The good guy pulls back the hammer on the DA/SA pistol to show they mean business. I always thought that was silly. With a really heavy or long DA trigger pull, I can understand single action being quicker, but the scenes are silly.

Maybe not a gun thing, but why does the good guy always stand 3 feet from the unarmed back guy, hold the gun loosely, then have it kicked or knocked out of their hand necessitating the required kung fu hand to hand fight?

How about the overdone hostage situation where the good guy doesn't want to shoot for fear of hitting the hostage held in front of the bad guy. Never mind that they are very close and there is plenty of exposed area to aim at.

[Jumping Frog]

Putting a suppressor on a revolver.

[K.Mooneyham]

Back in 1994, an Air Force Security Policeman at Fairchild AFB dropped an armed assailant at ~70 yards with his issued M9 Beretta. It took him 4 shots, the first two were misses and the third hit the assailant in the shoulder. Still impressive for that long of a distance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Air_Force_Base

[G26ster]

Directors go for "dramatic effect" for "general audiences." I don't think they give a rip about what a few gun enthusiasts might nit pick. The same is true for any field of expertise. Those "in the know" will always find the bad. I guess as a helicopter pilot I should get upset every time one is damaged by ground fire or mechanical issues, and smoke comes out of the engine bay, a turbine engine "sputters?" it gets uncontrollable, and it "spins" to the ground to a fiery crash. Wow, a simultaneous, engine fire, flight control failure, and anti-torque failure! Makes me giggle, but the general public seems to love it.

[Jaguar]

Directors go for "dramatic effect" for "general audiences." I don't think they give a rip about what a few gun enthusiasts might nit pick. The same is true for any field of expertise. Those "in the know" will always find the bad. I guess as a helicopter pilot I should get upset every time one is damaged by ground fire or mechanical issues, and smoke comes out of the engine bay, a turbine engine "sputters?" it gets uncontrollable, and it "spins" to the ground to a fiery crash. Wow, a simultaneous, engine fire, flight control failure, and anti-torque failure! Makes me giggle, but the general public seems to love it.

Dad? Is that you? j/k

My dad was a Master Army Aviator and not shy about pointing out the errors in helicopter in film and television. I would often hear, "they put the sound of a UH-1 over the shot of the twin turboshaft SH-60. Jeez, these people stupid?" I could only think that the sound of the helicopter did not change my opinion of the movie since I was blissfully unaware, so I guess guns snafus have the same effect on most people.

But come on, cocking a Glock?

[CoffeeNut]

I was watching Kingdom last night and nearly lost my mind at one of the actors instructing his mother on the safety of a PPK/s. "Red dot means its on safe. No red dot means its ready to fire." He then hands her the gun and she proceeds to have a negligent discharge.

[Abraham]

I've more than once read in novels of a guy taking the safety off of a Glock.