# Can you make a gun that blows people back like what happens in movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2023, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291 "2023-08-09T03:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/1 "2023-08-09T03:55:59Z")
We all seen bad action movies where somebody has a shotgun and shoots a guy and the person shot flies like 10 feet back in the air. Now obviously that isn’t realistic due to the whole “equal and opposite reaction” part of physics. However I was wondering could you do this? For example if you had a shotgun like weapon that fired little rockets (similar to the gyrojet) could you actually hit someone with enough rockets to actually cause them to be propelled backwards after being hit for a fair distance? ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/2 "2023-08-09T04:04:31Z")
Maybe a multi stage type of round fired from a long barrelled gun could gain enough velocity in steps? No good idea how to do it. Initial expansion and velocity, then another explosion, more velocity, etc… The operator would get a series of recoils instead of one huge one. The target would receive the energy all at once. The target would need to be wearing very good armour to avoid the round simply punching through. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/3 "2023-08-09T04:07:04Z")
Sure, just use the same principle behind a recoilless rifle: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Recoilless_rifle_schematic.svg/1024px-Recoilless_rifle_schematic.svg.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/Recoilless_rifle_schematic.svg/1024px-Recoilless_rifle_schematic.svg.png) > **[Recoilless rifle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recoilless_rifle)** > > A recoilless rifle (rifled), recoilless launcher (smoothbore), or simply recoilless gun, sometimes abbreviated to "RR" or "RCL" (for ReCoilLess) is a type of lightweight artillery system or man-portable launcher that is designed to eject some form of countermass such as propellant gas from the rear of the weapon at the moment of firing, creating forward thrust that counteracts most of the weapon's recoil. This allows for the elimination of much of the heavy and bulky recoil-counteracting equip Th... Something like this would do the trick: > The British, whose efforts were led by [Charles Dennistoun Burney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dennistoun_Burney), inventor of the _Wallbuster_ [HESH](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_explosive_squash_head) round, also developed recoilless designs. Burney demonstrated the technique with a recoilless 4-gauge [shotgun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun). His “Burney Gun” was developed to fire the Wallbuster shell against the [Atlantic Wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Wall) defences, but was not required in the D-Day landings of 1944. He went on to produce further designs, with two in particular created as anti-tank weapons. The [Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordnance,_RCL,_3.45_in) could be fired off a man’s shoulder or from a light tripod, and fired an 11 lb (5 kg) wallbuster shell to 1,000 yards. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/4 "2023-08-09T04:52:21Z")
Maybe something like this: [![](https://img.fruugo.com/product/1/52/683703521_max.jpg) ](https://img.fruugo.com/product/1/52/683703521_max.jpg) Seems like one would want to maximize surface area to minimize penetration. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/5 "2023-08-09T07:13:53Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > For example if you had a shotgun like weapon that fired little rockets (similar to the gyrojet) Well if we’re going down the gyrojet route, why stop with blowing them back? Just go full 40k and explode them from inside with your mass-reactive rounds from your [bolter](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Boltgun). The Emperor protects. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/6 "2023-08-09T12:48:26Z")
I guess the question is, what proportion of the target victim do you want to push back 10 feet? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/7 "2023-08-09T13:01:05Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > We all seen bad action movies where somebody has a shotgun and shoots a guy and the person shot flies like 10 feet back in the air. Django Unchained: _Cora, before you go, will you tell Miss Lara "goodbye_"? ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/8 "2023-08-09T16:16:45Z")
Similar question: [Can you uppercut a person off the ground?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvg7rPJEKJc&pp=ygUkc2Vu/ZCBzb21lb25lIGZseWluZyB3aXRoIGFuIHVwcGVyY3V0) (Short answer: no.) ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/9 "2023-08-09T17:18:45Z")
The .577 tyranosaur might do it as it already flings the shooter back several feet as seen in a number of videos. The problem is getting all that energy to be absorbed by the target. I found some videos of the gun used against ballistic gel torsos and it just rips a big hole and the torso does not go flying. Here is someone shooting the beast: [https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ka9hh](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ka9hh) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/10 "2023-08-10T01:43:56Z")
Yeah, I would thing a recoilless rifle would just turn the target into pate’. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/11 "2023-08-10T02:09:48Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > The .577 tyranosaur might do it as it already flings the shooter back several feet as seen in a number of videos. Because they’re not properly braced. The Slo Mo Guys and Kentucky Ballistics. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nsJGJHkJolI/maxresdefault.jpg "Elephant Rifle Annihilates Ballistic Gel at 82,000FPS - The Slow Mo Guys @KentuckyBallistics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJGJHkJolI&t=126/) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/12 "2023-08-10T02:19:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Yeah, I would thing a recoilless rifle would just turn the target into pate’ Just turn the gun around, then. Same momentum, but spread out over a much larger area. Might singe their eyebrows a tad, I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/13 "2023-08-10T02:34:36Z")
bean bag gun. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/14 "2023-08-10T02:38:54Z")
> [@Galactus](#): > > bean bag gun. - It would need to be a bean bag chair gun. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/15 "2023-08-10T02:40:46Z")
if only the Mythbusters was still a thing. Did they tackle this trope? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/16 "2023-08-10T02:46:44Z")
Pretty much, > **[Blown Away - Mythbusters for the Impatient](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPGNtFU0ww0%2F1)** > > Hollywood physics put to the test: Do people really go flying across the room after being shot? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/17 "2023-08-10T03:22:21Z")
How about a bullet that delivers an electric shock? A shock can send someone flying. Muscles contract or relax based on electric signals. It’s their own muscle power that causes them to make a big jump. Come to that, is it totally inconceivable that an ordinary bullet could do the same. If someone is shot in the spine, could it possibly send a bad signal to the leg muscles? I don’t know, but the Mythbusters test doesn’t disprove it. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/18 "2023-08-10T03:41:04Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > A shock can send someone flying. I don’t think I’ve ever observed that in any Taser videos, whether news or training. If a tasered victim flies, it’s because they already had some momentum in that direction (i.e., they’re falling forward because they were running). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/19 "2023-08-10T08:25:22Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > A shock can send someone flying. Muscles contract or relax based on electric signals. It’s their own muscle power that causes them to make a big jump. They do not fly so much as [plummet.](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/drunk-student-climbs-30ft-pylon-20075414) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291/20 "2023-08-11T05:15:28Z")
**Can you make a gun that blows people back like what happens in movies?** I would think a water gun could do it. Not a squirt gun; I mean a water-cannon (basically a firehose). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-a-gun-that-blows-people-back-like-what-happens-in-movies/988291.md?page=2)