# Can you swat a bullet out of the air? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228 "2006-10-20T15:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/41 "2006-10-22T11:17:57Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] I AM talking about manually applying a force on the bullet that is directed approximately perpendicular to its vector. I would expect things like the momentum of the projectile and its spin to be affected by the momentum of the hand and the angle of the blow. I also anticipate some kind of grazing burn. So I guess my question could be rephrased as: How hard would you have to karate-chop a 125 grain 9mm jacketed hollowpoint round travelling at 1200 fps in order to alter its vector by 45 degrees? And could the average human deliver such a blow, assuming it could be timed right? And let’s just forget about whether or not the shooter is travelling backwards on a treadmill at 1200 feet per second when he fires. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I was going to come in here and add a minor suggestion: Change the gun and calibre. If we’re talking Kung Fu, it’s reasonable to assume something involving Hong Kong, right? Hong Kong was a British colony for a century, and the police and military there all had [Webley revolvers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webley_revolver), chambered in .455 Webley- a cartridge which fired a 255gr FMJ or LRN projectile at c. 600fps. They also used .38/200 versions during and after WWII, which fired a 174gr FMJ round at around the same velocity (600fps). In short, your character swatting away a bigger bullet (or one about the same size), moving at half the speed of a 9mm projectile might be slightly more believable than swatting away bullets fired from a “Modern” gun. That and Webley revolvers are excellent guns that don’t get nearly enough screen time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gabriela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@gabriela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gabriela)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/42 "2006-10-22T11:40:24Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] If we’re talking Kung Fu, it’s reasonable to assume something involving Hong Kong, right? Hong Kong was a British colony for a century, and the police and military there all had [Webley revolvers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webley_revolver), chambered in .455 Webley- a cartridge which fired a 255gr FMJ or LRN projectile at c. 600fps. They also used .38/200 versions during and after WWII, which fired a 174gr FMJ round at around the same velocity (600fps). In short, your character swatting away a bigger bullet (or one about the same size), moving at half the speed of a 9mm projectile might be slightly more believable than swatting away bullets fired from a “Modern” gun. That and Webley revolvers are excellent guns that don’t get nearly enough screen time. 😃 [/QUOTE] I love this board. Gawd, I love it. thanks for your expertise, **ME** ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/43 "2006-10-22T11:45:31Z")
A late friend of mine had been a chopper pilot in Viet Nam. I noticed that he was missing part of one thumb, and he said “Never let anyone tell you you can’t catch a bullet.” The human nervous system just doesn’t allow reflexes fast enough for bullet-swatting. The “gunkata” nonsense in the movie _Equilibrium_ is more likely. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/44 "2006-10-22T12:48:34Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Hey, if Wonder Woman can do it, so can you. You just need to don those [cool](http://www.starnet-database.com/dbase_deo/profiles/wonder_woman/Bracelets.jpg) [bracelets](http://www.splash-color.com/misc/wonderwoman.jpg)… [/QUOTE] See Post #19. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/45 "2006-10-22T13:43:29Z")
[QUOTE=gabriela] But it was real and I saw it. I do remember that not long after I spent five minutes staring at the fellow’s hand, a little Asian man came into the ER and rolled a machine up to another patient’s gurney and said in a soft falsetto voice, “I’m shooting,” and nurses and doctors turned and ran everywhere. [/QUOTE] You are full of anecdotes that stretch the limits of credulity. You must lead a very interesting life. ---
**Author:** ![gabriela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@gabriela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gabriela)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/46 "2006-10-22T14:06:30Z")
[QUOTE=Waverly] You are full of anecdotes that stretch the limits of credulity. You must lead a very interesting life. [/QUOTE] Wish you could come hang out in the morgue with me sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/47 "2006-10-22T17:13:10Z")
[QUOTE=gabriela] Wish you could come hang out in the morgue with me sometime. [/QUOTE] Yeah, you could show him a body and convince him, like Lindsey Willows, that hitchhiking is dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/48 "2006-10-22T18:30:31Z")
[QUOTE=bluezooky] Glee Having studied martial arts, yoga and mediation for over twenty years I intend to take up James Randi’s offer of one million dollars at the earliest opportunity it’s just that I’ve yet to come up with anything “useful and demonstrable” [/QUOTE] Um, I hope I’m not irritating you, nor being whooshed. :eek: Did you mean the above seriously\*, or were you joking\*\*? (\*in which case that 20 years makes Randi’s point that no psychic powers have yet been demonstrated) (\*\*in which case, where’s your smilie!) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/49 "2006-10-22T19:16:45Z")
> [@](#): > > So the best way to dodge pistol bullets is to move about 300 ft away and dance a jig. Nitpick: In a properly-danced jig, all the motion is in the legs: everything above the waist remains stationary. So the parts the shooter is likely aiming for (heart, lungs, head, general center of cross-section, etc.) aren’t going to present any harder targets. Almost any other dance would be better suited for this purpose, thouh I’m not sure what would be best. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/50 "2006-10-22T19:20:40Z")
Capoeira. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/51 "2006-10-22T19:43:17Z")
Why don’t you ask Penn and Teller? I understand they catch bullets with their teeth, so a hand should be easy. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/52 "2006-10-22T21:15:54Z")
Instead of bracelets, how about your hero wear a cool ring and he punches or slaps the bullets out of the way with it? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/53 "2006-10-23T09:45:21Z")
[QUOTE=gabriela] I love this board. Gawd, I love it. thanks for your expertise, **ME** [/QUOTE] You’re most welcome. Nice to know all those reference books and hours at the range haven’t gone to waste… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gabriela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@gabriela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gabriela)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/54 "2006-10-23T09:51:27Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] You’re most welcome. Nice to know all those reference books and hours at the range haven’t gone to waste… 😃 [/QUOTE] You mean “haven’t gone to waste _on this board_”. Slight hijack: I think sometimes the reason a thread closes with a sickening thud after you post on your favorite topic is that nobody else knows what to say. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/55 "2006-10-23T10:09:28Z")
[QUOTE=gabriela] You mean “haven’t gone to waste _on this board_”. [/quote] They haven’t gone completely to waste off the board, either- I’ve written quite a number of pieces for the largest circulation shooting magazine in Australia, on topics ranging from Lawrence of Arabia’s SMLE Mk III rifle to the Nagant M1895 Revolver to the Lee-Enfield No 5 Mk I “Jungle Carbine” rifle, with quite a few more sitting in the “awaiting publication” pile once space becomes available in the magazine, and just as many in the “in progress” file. I’ve also put a fair bit of work into several Wikipedia articles (including the one I linked to earlier), but there’s only so many hours in the day in which to fit my job, the SDMB, and writing/researching on old firearms… Especially when my fiancee wants me to spend time with her. 😉 > [@](#): > > Slight hijack: I think sometimes the reason a thread closes with a sickening thud after you post on your favorite topic is that nobody else knows what to say. I’m flattered… I don’t know what to say. I always assumed it was because I had terrible timing and everyone was pretty well done with the topic by the time I got around to posting in it. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/56 "2006-10-23T11:59:33Z")
[QUOTE=Waverly] You are full of anecdotes that stretch the limits of credulity. You must lead a very interesting life. [/QUOTE] Dude, if your credulity is strained by that, it must be very puny. I suggest a course of credulity-strengthening exercises, such as working in a large hospital or other similar weirdness-magnet for a while. Compared to some of the anecdotes other medical dopers come up with, those two are on a par with “I went out in the rain once, and got wet. I’d forgotten my umbrella, you see…” ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/57 "2006-10-23T12:42:49Z")
You don’t need no steenkin’ bracelets, folks. All you need is a nice, sturdy shield… preferably adorned in a patriotic motif. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/58 "2006-10-23T15:54:50Z")
[QUOTE=Waverly] You must lead a very interesting life. [/QUOTE] [Yes, many of us here would agree that that’s a fairly accurate assessment.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=393001) ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/59 "2006-10-24T00:53:09Z")
[QUOTE=slaphead] Dude, if your credulity is strained by that, it must be very puny. [/QUOTE] Dude! How have you been? The story itself doesn’t strike me as peculiar. The peculiarity, like the devil himself, resides in the details. But as gabs reminds me, I’m just a layman, and so things that don’t make sense to me in the first telling can be straightened right up with a careful retelling. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228/60 "2006-10-24T10:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=Phantom Dennis] There’s a video out on the net somewhere that looks pretty legit – it shows a pistol mounted in a brace, firing a bullet into the edge of a katana (also mounted in a brace). It’s filmed in slow motion, and you can see the bullet strike the blade and split in two, with each half tumbling away at a roughly 30-degree angle from the sword, transcribing a Y-shaped path if viewed from overhead. [/QUOTE] I have my on hard disk what I believe is a sequel to that video (I got it from ebuamsworld…or some other video site). It pits the katana vs. a semi-auto rifle or machine gun. Incredibily, the katana manages to cut down most of the bullets, but finally it broke. So, yeah, you might be able to deflect bullets with your katana, but your blade won’t last long… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-swat-a-bullet-out-of-the-air/377228.md?page=2)