Can you light a match with a bullet?

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Haven't lit a match. I have cut strings with bullets. And when I was shooting exhibitions as an archer, I used to snuff candle flames and bust life savers and necco wafers and do flying disks with arrows.
 
sniper, the best I have ever seen with a bow was shooting quarters out of the air. Errol Flynn was caught on film flipping a quarter into the air and then shooting it out with a longbow.

straight shooter, if you got close enough you might be able to. Without watching I would say probably, but it would have to be under very specific conditions.
 
scythefwd:

I used to use clay pigeons for most of the aerial stuff and had some stuff set up where they would swing from pendulums and I would take out both as they crossed. Actually not as hard as it would seem. It's just about timing and practice. The problem with things like quarters and such and the reason we used necco wafers and life savers and balloons and clay pigeons is that with something like a quarter the audience can't see what's going on, especially if the audience is large (I did the Redding Sports Show a few times in the 70's and 80's). Even tho the bigger targets are way easier to hit, reactive targets get more oooh's and aaaah's. I found with the really tiny stuff you wind up with a whole crowd of people shading their eyes and trying to figure out what they just saw.

And I heard about the Errol Flynn thing with the quarter way back when. Also used to watch old clips of Howard Hill. The thing that made them special is that most of Hill's performances were live and he had to get it right the first time. Lots of stuff now is taped and can be redone. There is a different kind of pressure standing in front of an audience of 200+ people and having to put on a show vs. standing in front of a camera knowing they can just burn the tape if it's no good. Also, not that many people nowadays practice on moving targets for a couple of reasons. Space is hard to find where you can practice aerials safely (even with flu-flu's you need some room and to have the area to yourself), and compounds, releases, and sights that are in common use now are not conducive to aerials. I used to shoot FITA and would take the sights and stabilizers off the recurve and shoot barebow for the aerials, and then back on for the real pinpoint stuff. Tried it with a bare compound a few times and never could get the swing to smooth out with the letoff.
 
Speaking of myths, I remember reading a story (Mark Twain, I think it was) where cowboys who were lost and freezing tried to use a pistol (black powder, I would guess) to light a fire. Instead, it blew the kindling all over creation. I distinctly remember my teacher telling us, "I know how to do that right." Is that possible - start a fire with a gunshot?

Q
 
Any cowboy worth his beans would already know how to properly use a flint and steel. ;)

Might be doable if you mix black powder into candle wax or something. Powder on its own goes too fast.
 
Speaking of myths, I remember reading a story (Mark Twain, I think it was) where cowboys who were lost and freezing tried to use a pistol (black powder, I would guess) to light a fire. Instead, it blew the kindling all over creation. I distinctly remember my teacher telling us, "I know how to do that right." Is that possible - start a fire with a gunshot?

Q
Click to expand...

I remember seeing this done somewhere, but cant remember.
 
I can light a match with a bullet. I can also light a match with a piece of sandpaper, a rock, and numerous other utensils.

I remember reading a story (Mark Twain, I think it was) where cowboys who were lost and freezing tried to use a pistol (black powder, I would guess) to light a fire.
Click to expand...
Pull the bullet, insert cloth patch (non-synthetic cloth) in cartridge and fire the loose patch at the ground. An un-greased patch (or even a greased patch) will usually ignite and smolder when fired out of the bore. Perfect for lighting a fire. It is easier with a muzzle loader. Or with a flintlock, just lay your char cloth across the pan. Have you ever seen those early firelighters? Sort of a flintlock pistol, no barrel, on a stand...made to use as a "match". Dixie Gun Works still sells a replica.
Of course, flint & steel are quite simple to use.
.
 
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My Father told me stories about my Grandfather striking matches with a .22 rifle. From what Dad said it was always after a bet had been agreed upon. Granddad grew up in a different time though. Skill with a gun meant the difference between going hungry & meat in the pot.
 
I remember watching mom and dad shooting matches to see who did the dishes. Dad washed dishes a lot.

Of course this was 60 years ago and the matches are not the same [read cheaper] as they were then.

A staple at muzzle loader camp outs was candle snuffing. No wax, no wick or you're out.
 
scythefwd said:
sniper, the best I have ever seen with a bow was shooting quarters out of the air. Errol Flynn was caught on film flipping a quarter into the air and then shooting it out with a longbow.

straight shooter, if you got close enough you might be able to. Without watching I would say probably, but it would have to be under very specific conditions.
Click to expand...
Then you should watch Arrow Affliction with Chris Brackett. He's shooting through washers, shooting life savers out of the air, etc.
 
Yeah, but can you light a Bic with a .22 rifle? The hard part is missing your subject's cigarette.:D
 
I gotta think the starting a fire with a gun goes back to the flintlock era, a good flash from the pan would be a lot faster and sure than flint and steel, but how many would pull their ball and charge to do this?
 
I had an old friend, kinda like a grandpa to us, who told me that when he was younger, he tried that trick once. On the first shot he lit it, on the second, he blew it out. He said he did it, but that he never ever tried it again, he was afraid the beginners luck wouldn't work the next time.

I know I didn't see it, but given the circumstances of when he told the story, and his nature, I'll bet he was telling the truth.

I haven't tried it yet myself.

PE
 
Never quite pulled it off, had a buddy bet me once and at 25 yds he set up a bunch of matches and handed me a .22. had a lot of partially headless matches, but no lights :(

Another fun one is splitting an upright match in two with a hatchet. Pulled that one off first time i was presenting the challenge as a counselor at a BSA summer camp, said, "See, that's how you do it!" with a very solid false confidence. No one challenged me to do it again (thank God!) :)
 
Anyone else notice the hammer following the slide?

You can see it at 4:01 and again around 4:10.

Also surprised they dropped round after round into the chamber.
 
a good flash from the pan would be a lot faster and sure than flint and steel, but how many would pull their ball and charge to do this?
Click to expand...
You simply plug the vent on a flintlock. You do not need to pull the charge.
Although pulling the charge for many reasons was rather common then. Not the least of which was; freshening the powder was a prudent thing to do now and then. ;)
 
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