Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
I think the problem occurs when you have a firearm with a barrel obstruction loaded with blanks. You could double check it is clear and running blanks but unless you put a light down the barrel to confirm the entire bore is clear you could still launch something from it. I can recall hearing about a serious injury (it may have been a death) from a reenactor firing a musket with an over charge but no bullet and part of the gun itself became the projectile when it came apart. I can imagine a scenario where a fake gun running blanks could kill someone for similar reasons. I'd bet there wasn't a real bullet involved in this accident, just people who are ignorant on how a firearm works.

Think on this for a moment, there are a ton of people who think the entire cartridge leaves the end of the barrel, not just the bullet. A lot of people simply don't know how it works.
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So after doing some quick Googling, it appears that I was mistaken in my assumption about the movie biz using Prop-Only guns (given how much money is in the biz, I would've thought there'd be a booming business in modding real firearms specifically so they could only fire blanks).

That's actually kinda weird to me, considering how they refuse to hand actors anything that's actually sharp (mentioned it before, by I'm always amused when an actor holds up a knife/sword/machete etc. and the light glinting off the edge makes it obvious that it's more rounded than a butter knife 😂).

As a propmaster in charge of the firearms, I would think that it should be SOP to check the barrels for obstructions every single time a prop gun is checked out for the day and/or especially before use in a particular scene (as well as ensuring there is NO live ammo with the props).
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
They think they're not. They think a blank gun can't hurt anybody.
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Yeah, IIRC, that's how Jon Eric Hexum was killed. He didn't realize that the expanding gas blasting out the muzzle has sufficient force at close range to cause serious harm. The blast fractured his temple and resulted in a brain hemorrhage (yes kids, don't mime Russian Roulette, even with blanks).

And even THAT'S not understood by the firearms ignorant, as there is more than one article that mentions him being injured by the blast and when he was struck by the bullet. IIRC, there was no bullet, but the firearms ignorant can't fathom how something that goes BANG but DOESN'T fire a bullet could cause injury (and that's how JEH died).
 
If I thought about it, I probably couldn't count the number of dangerous situations I've witnessed with the handling of firearms, up to and including negligent discharges, (at least one with injury), flagging others, pointing firearms in unsafe directions etc. And it's not just lay people in the general population...but so-called professionals.

I watched an instructional segment by a pretty well known trainer (I won't name) on TV a year or two back where the individual literally put themselves and the individual they were instructing in grave danger. Everytime I see that individual cited in a post online, or on the web or TV, I just have to shake my head and count to ten.

What got me is that the individuals who produced the video with the inept instructor are well known squared away types who obviously didn't catch the issue, or just didn't care enough to reshoot the segment.

Anyway...it's frustrating to see incidents arising from events that could have been managed safely. (I am not referring to the Baldwin matter since the facts are not in.)
 
I live in Albuquerque, and have friends with connections in the movie business.

The rumor I heard this morning was that the revolver was loaded from a box of cartridges marked as blanks, and the cartridges were properly marked with blue paint on the tips, but the cartridges in the box were actually wadcutters.
 
moparsbob said:
I live in Albuquerque, and have friends with connections in the movie business.

The rumor I heard this morning was that the revolver was loaded from a box of cartridges marked as blanks, and the cartridges were properly marked with blue paint on the tips, but the cartridges in the box were actually wadcutters.
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Thanks for that. It will be interesting to see where this goes...
 
Blues said:
If I thought about it, I probably couldn't count the number of dangerous situations I've witnessed with the handling of firearms, up to and including negligent discharges, (at least one with injury), flagging others, pointing firearms in unsafe directions etc. And it's not just lay people in the general population...but so-called professionals.

I watched an instructional segment by a pretty well known trainer (I won't name) on TV a year or two back where the individual literally put themselves and the individual they were instructing in grave danger. Everytime I see that individual cited in a post online, or on the web or TV, I just have to shake my head and count to ten.

What got me is that the individuals who produced the video with the inept instructor are well known squared away types who obviously didn't catch the issue, or just didn't care enough to reshoot the segment.

Anyway...it's frustrating to see incidents arising from events that could have been managed safely. (I am not referring to the Baldwin matter since the facts are not in.)
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Yeah. It's bad enough when it's clueless laypeople. It's even worse when it's people who should know better.

Seen YT videos of classes/training facilities where they thought it was a good idea to put a photographer/videographer downrange between the targets to get some 'cool' action shots from that angle while students were firing live ammo. 😬

There was also the flagtastic 10th Mountain Div video from their shoothouse training with live ammo 😲

 
WValtakis said:
I've never laid a hand on my son beyond a swat on the rump when he was still in diapers, he's extremely well mannered and on his way to his second associates degree at 19...you don't need to beat your kid into not being an asshole😒🙄
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I was beaten with 2x4s as a kid. When I stopped reacting and even laughing as I got older, it was on to isolation "therapy". Anyway, I never wanted to parent like I was parented and aside from some swats on the behind while in diapers (actually still feel bad about that), my kids have never been smacked around. My son is hell bent on graduating with honors and my daughter is an excellent student as well - both have been taught to be good humans and encouraged to think for themselves.

Nathan the Machinist said:
I think the problem occurs when you have a firearm with a barrel obstruction loaded with blanks. You could double check it is clear and running blanks but unless you put a light down the barrel to confirm the entire bore is clear you could still launch something from it. I can recall hearing about a serious injury (it may have been a death) from a reenactor firing a musket with an over charge but no bullet and part of the gun itself became the projectile when it came apart. I can imagine a scenario where a fake gun running blanks could kill someone for similar reasons. I'd bet there wasn't a real bullet involved in this accident, just people who are ignorant on how a firearm works.

Think on this for a moment, there are a ton of people who think the entire cartridge leaves the end of the barrel, not just the bullet. A lot of people simply don't know how it works.
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I did Civil War re-enactment for a number of years. We were never allowed to use our ramrods during public demonstrations due to an "incident" that occurred (before my time) where a guy left his ramrod in the muzzle and ended up sending it through someone's throat down the field.
 
trevitrace said:
Old crow for everyone! Simultaneously sorry and envious.
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Actually it was this one...an inexpensive, (hard to find), Heaven Hill offering that is actually quite good.

(Fun fact: Paul Newman as "Fast Eddie" asked for it by name in a bar scene in the movie "The Hustler", co-starring Jackie Gleason as "Minnesota Fats".)

It was recommended to me by a couple of NC LEOs on another board I visit, and when my local ABC store didn't have it and wasn't going to order it, one of them sent me a bottle he was able to pick up at his local store. Sadly, it is now finished.

JTS-Brown-Bottled-in-Bond_2.jpg
 
oldmanwilly said:
Speaking of mishandling and close misses, this one went around the net a few weeks ago. I'm positively stunned by the lack of situational awareness or even an ounce of forethought.

Instagram

www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
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Yeah. Someone (Blues?) posted that a couple months back. 😬

Those guys should not be around anything more dangerous than Nerf guns. I don't even know what that Tacticool ballet was supposed to be about, other than serving as a warning for everyone else. It's about as sensible as that 'Death Flower' joker.
 
About to roll out of Portland and head to Lincoln City/Depoe Bay for the next week or so. Supposed to be nasty on the coast, 28-35 foot seas, lots of rain and high winds. I’ll probably spend most my time in the rental watching the storm, or sitting down at Rogue in Newport hehe,
 
Murphjd25 said:
About to roll out of Portland and head to Lincoln City/Depoe Bay for the next week or so. Supposed to be nasty on the coast, 28-35 foot seas, lots of rain and high winds. I’ll probably spend most my time in the rental watching the storm, or sitting down at Rogue in Newport hehe,
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I grew up in Nome, Alaska, and I've always loved storm watching. Big seas are especially great, especially when you can watch them from a place of warmth and safety.

Your post is making me want to take a jaunt out to the coast. Maybe I'll see if my wife wants to go enjoy the storm.
 
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