They were doing a myth about old western movies and shooting the guns out of the bad guys hands with no injury. That's an interesting topic on its own. But my question was they had to modify a gun to test the myth, I wonder if they got approval from BATF? They essentially welded two guns together to get an equal but opposite reaction from the gun blast. Is this legal? I was wondering this while I was watching the show. This is a really gun friendly show, with no disparaging comments toward gun owners. Did anyone see this episode?
Did anyone see Mythbusters this week?
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EHCRain10
Member
Very good question, I have no idea but will be following along for the answer.
Straight Shooter
Member
I saw it. It was very interesting. I especially liked the high speed camera shots of the bullet hitting the gun and fragmenting in every direction, I would have thought that it would ricochet.
They also did one on the "knock down" myth. They hung Buster (the crash test dummy) and hit him with a .50 caliber. The bullet hit him in his metal spine so he absorbed the full force of the shot, he just slumped down. Very little, if any rearward motion.
They also did one on the "knock down" myth. They hung Buster (the crash test dummy) and hit him with a .50 caliber. The bullet hit him in his metal spine so he absorbed the full force of the shot, he just slumped down. Very little, if any rearward motion.
Mythbusters has always been gun friendly, they also like blowing stuff up. They have done tests on shooting guns in the air, shooting them into water,etc.
There is a video of a police standoff with a guy sitting in a lawn chair in the middle of the street holding a gun. A police sniper shot the gun out of his hand from about 30 yards away. He used a rifle,can't remember the caliber. It can be done, the guy wasn't injured. He was trying a "suicide by cop" stunt.
There is a video of a police standoff with a guy sitting in a lawn chair in the middle of the street holding a gun. A police sniper shot the gun out of his hand from about 30 yards away. He used a rifle,can't remember the caliber. It can be done, the guy wasn't injured. He was trying a "suicide by cop" stunt.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I saw the show, and no, there was no legal reason the gun would have violated any laws.
Unlike another episode in the past, where they made a smooth-bore 1911 pistol by reaming the rifling out.
Now that right there is against the law!
rc
Unlike another episode in the past, where they made a smooth-bore 1911 pistol by reaming the rifling out.
Now that right there is against the law!
rc
belus
Member
Modifying the frame of a gun is legal. Think of Glock grip reductions or installing a beaver tail on a 1911.
Attaching two guns together should be legal since people occasionally hang 40mm destructive devices from their ARs. This doesn't change anything fundamental to the DD or AR.
Building a gun for personal use is legal. You can buy plenty of 80% completed frames for you to finish yourself, including forms for folding your own AK receiver.
As long as they didn't create a short-barreled rifle or something capable of full-auto I'm struggling to think what would be illegal.
Attaching two guns together should be legal since people occasionally hang 40mm destructive devices from their ARs. This doesn't change anything fundamental to the DD or AR.
Building a gun for personal use is legal. You can buy plenty of 80% completed frames for you to finish yourself, including forms for folding your own AK receiver.
As long as they didn't create a short-barreled rifle or something capable of full-auto I'm struggling to think what would be illegal.
Shadow Man
Member
Warhawk83, the police sniper used a 7.62x51mm round, unsure of the rifle platform, but undoubtedly a Remington 700 series. The man in the lawnchair recieved minor bumps and scrapes, initially thought to have been from rounds in the revolver's cylinder firing on impact, but upon retrieval of the revolver, it was discovered that no rounds had fired, and the police marksman's bullet had it the cylinder and rendered the weapon inoperable. The bumps and scrapes were deemed to have come from the police roughly securing the gentleman on the pavement.
As for the Mythbusters breaking any laws: I doubt it, one, because they do thurough research on any laws pertaining to the myths, and second, because unless the weapon could fire more than one round with only a single trigger pull, there is no law that I know of that says you cannot join two weapons together.
As for the Mythbusters breaking any laws: I doubt it, one, because they do thurough research on any laws pertaining to the myths, and second, because unless the weapon could fire more than one round with only a single trigger pull, there is no law that I know of that says you cannot join two weapons together.
Jim Watson
Member
Just made me kind of sick to see them using what appeared to be a nice old Army Special or Official Police as a target.
No laws broken. People need to keep in mind that there are laws that give special exemptions to certain people. People who make guns can do certain things, the movie industry can do certain things, you simply need to have the appropriate licenses. I'm certain that they don't do anything illegal with guns, they have insurance backers and lawyers who scrutinize their every move.
It would not surprise me if they have a license to make pretty much any gun imaginable, including Destructive Devices. I'm not sure on the laws on cannons, but it sure seems that they do things sometimes that would require such a license.
It would not surprise me if they have a license to make pretty much any gun imaginable, including Destructive Devices. I'm not sure on the laws on cannons, but it sure seems that they do things sometimes that would require such a license.
RevolvingGarbage
Member
As a testament to how tough a gun it was, the .45lc they hit it with didnt seem to do much damage to the gun, even with a square hit to the cylinder.
Wingnut13
Member
Same question was in the back of my mind about the second grip on the same pistol. If I put a grip on my XD's rail I would be in trouble. Just sayin' -wingnut
Yes, mythbusters has the licensing to do the stuff they do 
Like Chaoss said, the movie industry has exemptions for almost everything, and I'm sure mythbusters does too. Like the duct tape cannon, using explosives to make diamonds, and so forth... If they didn't have the licensinf to do that I doubt the show will still be on
Like Chaoss said, the movie industry has exemptions for almost everything, and I'm sure mythbusters does too. Like the duct tape cannon, using explosives to make diamonds, and so forth... If they didn't have the licensinf to do that I doubt the show will still be onWingnut, keep in mind that there are laws about adding a foregrip to certain weapons, but that doesn't mean that you can't modify a gun, you just can't do certain mods.
If we are looking for something illegal (although, again, they assuredly have the licenses to do this) look at the remote triggers they build for the guns, I don't think that's really legally, if, say, I did that to my guns.
If we are looking for something illegal (although, again, they assuredly have the licenses to do this) look at the remote triggers they build for the guns, I don't think that's really legally, if, say, I did that to my guns.
KJS
Member
Yeah, I saw it too. I'm assuming they were using a plain lead bullet to be historically accurate to this cowboy myth. I don't think 19th century cowboys had FMJ ammo and I wonder if that would have remained intact and ricocheted as you were expecting.
I'm sure the Mythbusters must be quite familiar with all sorts of permits given how frequently they use huge amounts of high explosives.
Dulvarian
Member
That video where the sniper shot the gun out his hand was with a "highly frangible carbon" something or other. Not a 'bullet' and it was designed for that. Now, don't go all a quotin' me on that one. I remember that from somewhere, and from what I remember of that video, there is a puff of dust where the sniper's round vaporizes on contact.
KJS
Member
I remember that episode as well, though I don't recall the type of pistol used. That was to prove a bullet will go straight no matter what you do, though it will tumble end over end without the rifling.
The seem to cover a lot a myths that involve guns. Perhaps America is vastly more into guns that the Brady Campaign would like to admit. It seems like they're shooting something on nearly half their shows such as:
-SKS being set off by loud music (didn't work, though explosives made one of four rifles fire).
-.500 Mag blowing off thumb: plausible; blast from cylinder gap tore through chicken flesh & bone.
-Trying to fire a bullet into the cylinder of the bad guy's revolver. A one in a million type of shot.
-Trying to blow up a propane tank like James Bond, but finding that Bond's 9 mm will merely dent it. A 12 gauge will put a big hole in the front and big dent in the back & a .30-06 will easily blow right through but none will blow it up. They ending up having to get folks with the firepower needed for such an explosion: a heavy machine gun firing incendiary rounds.
-Proving a fired bullet hits the ground at the same time as a dropped bullet.
-Cooking ammo in an oven. Not likely fatal as the casing is fired while the bullet that's much heavier stays there, though a .50 BMG makes a big bang in your oven and probably voids the warranty.
And surely many more I can't think of.
Ohio Gun Guy
Member
my favorite was the bullet drop.... I understand the physics.....but its really fun to watch it pan out.
It should also be noted that when the smoothed out the bore of that pistol, they were shooting it off at the private range of some police department (alameda county sheriffs maybe? I don't remember), and they regularly involve police officers in their more "illegal" exploits, making me think that even if they somehow managed to overlook certain laws, the cops could, err.... remind them.....
FuzzyBunny
Member
why would a remote trigger be illegal?
I worked in the film industry and there are whole companys set up to do the firearms stuff. They carry the insurance and provide the weapons. They carry everything from MG42s made of wood and painted black all the way up to tanks. As long as they have a rep from the company there they are good to go. Many times you will notice the retired FBI guy on set too.
I worked in the film industry and there are whole companys set up to do the firearms stuff. They carry the insurance and provide the weapons. They carry everything from MG42s made of wood and painted black all the way up to tanks. As long as they have a rep from the company there they are good to go. Many times you will notice the retired FBI guy on set too.
6_gunner
Member
I believe that intentionally reaming out the rifling of a 1911 would legally turn it into a shotgun. Therefore, they could have been charged with illegally manufacturing a short-barrelled shotgun.
However, I'm sure that they took care of all the necessary legal issues. I suspect that they get plenty of official legal advice to make sure that everything they do is kosher. In a show that plays with guns and explosives as much as that one, I'm sure they're pretty knowledgable about the law by now.
Also, +1 for cringing when they repeatedly used what appeared to be a nice, vintage Colt revolver as a target. Why not get a prop gun to shoot at?!?
Erik M
Member
I remember seeing old police footage of a man holding a gun on himself and threatning suicide if the police diddn't leave the scene. A sharpshooter shot the pistol out of his hand with a high powered rifle without harming the individual. So I know the myth was 'plausible' and diddnt even watch the episode.
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