Has it been established it was a handgun ? Someone mentioned a rifle in another posting.
Depends on how old the gun actually is. Around 1970 to 1980 was when many of the modern and replicas of the old guns were fitted with safety devices to prevent a handgun from going off unless the trigger was actually pulled. As the movie was to take place before 1900 it is possiable the guns on the set were made before 1970.
Baldwin hasn't been a pretty boy for decades... Still I'd think he would have picked up some smarts by 63.
At least when Brendan Lee was killed they were filming the scene where he was supposed to get shot. From the little information that's been given it sounds like Baldwin may have been practicing a draw for an upcoming scene and they were trying to position the camera.
Now that's pretty damn scary. I'll admit I was a little nervous when I watched my uncle unload a lever action .30-30 for the first time but I was about 8. With that model you had to cycle all the shells through the action and I was waiting for the boom which obviously didn't happen.
One news story said they may use real bullets for the close-up shots of the gun, but for the firing they do as you say.
They also make prop guns that won't allow anything but a blank to be inserted. I don't know if they have a hollow barrel and if the wadding is still dangerous.
Tonight they had a movie armorer on the news and he held up a movie blank. It was a crimp blank (no wadding) but when they are loading a cap and ball or a muzzle loader they would need wadding. They really just need a little flash and maybe smoke in a period movie. They can foley in the bang. A little styrofoam would do that.
I'm sure the wadding would not fo a through and through injuring the guy behind the victim - - -
Right, but what about the first person it hits. People have been killed by wadding and I'm asking if the wadding on gun that only fits blanks would come out the barrel and cause damage to anyone.
It was a contact wound. The asshole was holding the gun to his head. A crimp blank with nothing but gas coming out might kill you if you are holding the muzzle against your head. A few feet away it is just an eye hazard. The stunt double should be wearing safety glasses ;-)
The people killed by wadding were screwing around and playing Russian Roulette. Darwin at work.
People have been killed by wadding and I'm asking if the wadding on gun that only fits blanks would come out the barrel and cause damage to anyone.
It is odd that they do not mention type of gun. Any gun owner would have this as a first question.
It is most likely a revolver and from what is written it was not a prop gun per se but a real gun used as a prop.
Apparently low budget film and was run slipshod. Lots of blame to spread around with crumby workers and producers.
You don't need real *cartridges* for the close-up shots to look realistic. You use dummy cartridges, i.e., the correct brass casing, no primer, no powder, and a correct lead bullet seated in the case mouth. When this dummy cartridge is inserted into the cylinder, the lead bullet is visible from the front so the gun looks loaded.
It is a good idea to paint the base and lower half-inch of the casing red so it is not mistaken for a live round.
This is Hollywood where all sorts of props are created. Nobody has figured out how to paint the end of a SnapCap gray?
Reportedly the Brandon Lee death was caused by the previous use the of the S&W .44 Magnum with dummy rounds that had live primers. The squib load lodged a real bullet in the barrel. Subsequent use with a full power blank was lethal.
Yes and Bowman and I answered. Yes if you are holding the muzzle to your head it might kill you. By the time it travels a few feet through the air it isn't going fast enough to be anything but an eye hazard.
If I was a skeptic I would be asking if the union guys who walked out dropped a few live rounds in the armory on the way out the door. It sounds like their "armorer" was not sure what a blank looked like. "I think loading blanks was the scariest thing to me because I was like 'oh, I don't know anything about it".
The wrongful death suits are certainly going to include a lot of "joint and several" defendants. They are fortunate that New Mexico changed the law to apportion actual liability instead of simply going after the deepest pockets.
If you're talking about the look of the cartridges while being put in the gun or inside a revolver, etc, they are never supposed to use live ones for that either. They use ones without the powder and primer.
There is a scene in Blackhawk Down that clearly shows crimped blank ammo being used. Their armorer must have missed that because most of that movie was pretty careful.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required