the infowarrior
Always though Tuco was crazy to trust Blondie could pull off the shot.
There is no strain/tension on the rope in that gif.
Blondie used a rifle to cut Tuco’s ropes in my favorite documentary.
I will continue to watch Bonanza no matter what you say! :)
Wasn’t this explored by the MythBusters?
Mythbusters busted this one as well.
Remember the carnival shooting galleries that had a $100.00 bill hanging from a very thin chain? All you had to do was shoot and break the small chain and it was yours.
I watched many a man shoot, saw the small chain hit many a time but no one ever shot the chain in half.
I believe the gallery operator made more money from that gallery than people trying to shoot out the red dot cards.
Shooting out the leads from an electric chair doesn’t work either.
You forgot to ping the ‘banglist’....
Myth busters did a segment on this
We have done this repeatedly at Cowboy Action Shooting matches. Three-quarter inch rope is pretty tough, but it can be done, even with .44 and .45 caliber pistol cartridges. Half-inch rope is much easier. You do need to have some weight on the rope, or the bullet will just push it aside.
Grizzle Bear
Founder and former head of the
Kansas Vigilance Committee
an NCOWS Posse
(now semi-retired)
Better to just shoot the hangman and then cut the rope with a knife.
In modern times, the effect is replicated in shotguns with the use of bolo shells, a pair of slugs connected by a strong wire. They are banned in several jurisdictions.
This suggests that if you want to split a rope, it might be done, but with a shotgun, not a rifle or pistol.
Un busted the myth, he cut the rope with a 45 70.
Two more Hollywood myths:
#1: The robber puts the strong box on the ground by his feet. Shoots the lock and it snaps open. WRONG! Many guns of that era used 100% pure SOFT lead. The projectile would splatter with fragments flying everywhere after hitting the lock, including the robber’s leg. The lock would most likely be damaged to the point of jamming up the internal works, thereby never opening again.
Even if the projectile were made of a harder alloy, the lock would likely still be damaged to the point of never opening & the projectile would ricochet.
#2: Two prisoners shackled together shoot the chain in two. Similar results as above.
I have a collection of pistols and rifles of that general era. For example, shooting a .44 cal pistol at a 1/4” steel plate does cause the round to splatter. It may leave a dent though, depending on the charge & range. A .58 cal leaves a huge dent, but still splatters.
Fun