[Ultima (OP)]

I keep hearing that if you seal the end of a gun barrel with your finger it's impossible to fire a bullet. I can't see how this could be true unless there are some crazy vacuum or pressure thingers going on. If it is true it would be fairly easy to stop an assailant from shooting you at point blank, which makes me doubt this plus the overall insaneness [:0] of it. So I put it to all you clever peeps is there any reason why this would be true or not?

wOw the world spins?

[neilep]

well, if that doesn't work, then your body will make a good barrier and either halt the bullet or slow it down.

Glad I could help[]

Actually, in my humblest of humble opinions, I can't imagine it working, even if there is some truth to it, surely the build up of pressure upon your finger would shatter it  !! (your finger that is)..OUCH !!

Perhaps a passing bullet propulsion expert can help here.

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[roberth]

I wouldn't try it. Some people have attempted to stop a bullet with their temple, but suicide normally ensues.

[MayoFlyFarmer]

is it suicide if its caused by stupidity?

Are YOUR mice nude? []

[Corbeille]

Bugs Bunny tried this when Yosemite Sam pointed a gun at him. Sam pulled the trigger and there was an explosion which left Bugs unharmed but Sam's face was blackened and his moustache singed. Sam hopped around shouting "rootin' tootin varmit ". So it would appear to be safe to try.







 Nah pop no style, a strictly roots!

[Ultima (OP)]

Cmon guys is it utter rubbish??? I'm sure i've heard of people blowing their fingers off, but is it possible?

wOw the world spins?

[neilep]

...as a firm believer in empirical study I got my old trusty air pistol out and plugged the end with a sausage which was wrapped in cellophane to make it air tight....result....dead sausage !

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[tweener]

I don't really know, but I've heard that the pressure inside the chamber of a gun while the explosion is happening is around 50,000 psi.  That is a HUGE pressure that would certainly blow apart a mere flesh and blood finger.

----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[Ultima (OP)]

Cheers []. Neil that doesn't prove that your finger wouldnt stop it [], I think you should do a repeat to get an average result [].

wOw the world spins?

[neilep]

Matt...this time I used a Fish Finger....same result [][]

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[gsmollin]

A lot of things have been known to jam a gun barrel. That's why it is so important to keep it clean. However, the forces involved in jamming a gun barrel are very high, so you don't want your finger caught in the middle. (Safety point: Avoid pinch points!) I don't know where this particular legend came from, but if you stick your finger in a gun barrel, it will blow it off.

[MayoFlyFarmer]

quote:Originally posted by neilep

...as a firm believer in empirical study I got my old trusty air pistol out and plugged the end with a sausage which was wrapped in cellophane to make it air tight....result....dead sausage !

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

I was about to ask why you only tried with an air pistol... and then i remembered where you live [:I]     my condolances [:p]

Are YOUR mice nude? []

[Ultima (OP)]

Yeh?! cos hand guns are good? []

wOw the world spins?

[gsmollin]

The second ammendment protects all the rest.

[Ylide]

This won't work.  I'm assuming that the premise is that the blocking of the tube prevents the ignition of the gunpowder.  A handgun is not airtight, so this is unlikely to occur and let's not forget that there's almost some air inside the gun when you stick your finger there.  The air pressure from the explosion of the propellant will move your finger out of the tube quickly anyway.  (Then there's that pesky bullet to contend with)

Remember, guns don't kill people, tissue shock and blood loss do.  



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[eddirichard]

The only way you can stop a gun from firing with your finger tip is by putting your finger between the hammer and the firing pin! Other than that its plain stupidity! Unless you got eleven fingers and you wanna get rid of it quick![8D][][)][][][!][xx(]

[wembley]

I think the idea here is that only an idiot fires a gun with an obvious obstruction in the barrel. Caertainly it's a good way to damage the gun. On the other hand, it's going to damage the person on the other end a lot more.

Bit of a desperate gambit, but if someone if pointing a gun at you, what do you have to lose?

I remember James Garner doing this once - was it 'Support your local gunfighter'?

[eddirichard]

Heres a good way to stop a gun from being fired at you at close range.

If its a revolver, grasp the gun at the cylinder while trying to point the gun away from your person. The weapon cannot fire if the cylinder cannot rotate.

If its a pistol, grasp the gun and push on the slide slightly towards the shooter. This will cause the slide to unseat the round in the chamber. The pistol's hammer will not fall on the firing pin.

This will save you a few precious seconds until you think of your next move. Probably kick 'em where it hurts and run like hell!![}:)][!][]

[eddirichard]

Don't do the above if its a rifle unless you are Jet Li![]

[Andrew K Fletcher]

Actually no one in their right mind would fire a gun with their own finger over the barrel, hence the saying   "Got you over a barrel"

Death is natures way of telling us to slow down.