It is absurdly cold in the Wisconsin, sub zero in March for only the 4th time in recorded history! I passed some winter diversion time in gun talk with a friend today ; he showed me a well worn Luger and shared a story that goes with it. For the sake of this story telling the name of the friend is Marv.
Marv acquired his Luger when he was in high school in Illinois. In 1966 his school put on a talent contest. Marv and his buddies concocted a short play involving Batman. (anyone remembering the corny Batman show is getting up there ... like me) The key dramatic scene called for our hero to be knocked to the ground and then shot by the bad guy. (That never happened to Adam West!) Marv played the bad guy , and thought that he would add a dramatic realistic flair to the production by using his Luger as a prop. His idea of realism was to pull a bullet out of a 9mm casing and replace it with melted wax , leaving all the powder in and making sort of a wax wadcutter. Come showtime , Batman goes down , Marv draws his Luger - has the presence of mind to aim just to the side of his victim - pulls the trigger and BAM !!!
Marv was thinking that the wax would just serve as a wad to hold the powder , but apparently it left the barrel as a fairly intact projectile because the result was a pretty good "bullet" mark in the hardwood stage. Batman is said to have levitated noticeably when the Luger went off. The crowd went nuts , the Batman play won the talent contest.
That was 1966. My , how things have changed.
The End.
Post script : About 2 years ago Marv went to his 50th High School Reunion. He and "Batman" located the bullet divot on the stage and had their pictures taken with it. He showed it to me today ; it is a nice picture.
Marv acquired his Luger when he was in high school in Illinois. In 1966 his school put on a talent contest. Marv and his buddies concocted a short play involving Batman. (anyone remembering the corny Batman show is getting up there ... like me) The key dramatic scene called for our hero to be knocked to the ground and then shot by the bad guy. (That never happened to Adam West!) Marv played the bad guy , and thought that he would add a dramatic realistic flair to the production by using his Luger as a prop. His idea of realism was to pull a bullet out of a 9mm casing and replace it with melted wax , leaving all the powder in and making sort of a wax wadcutter. Come showtime , Batman goes down , Marv draws his Luger - has the presence of mind to aim just to the side of his victim - pulls the trigger and BAM !!!
Marv was thinking that the wax would just serve as a wad to hold the powder , but apparently it left the barrel as a fairly intact projectile because the result was a pretty good "bullet" mark in the hardwood stage. Batman is said to have levitated noticeably when the Luger went off. The crowd went nuts , the Batman play won the talent contest.
That was 1966. My , how things have changed.
The End.
Post script : About 2 years ago Marv went to his 50th High School Reunion. He and "Batman" located the bullet divot on the stage and had their pictures taken with it. He showed it to me today ; it is a nice picture.
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