# How do they REALLY catch a bullet with their teeth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 1, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-really-catch-a-bullet-with-their-teeth/242959 "2004-05-01T07:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-really-catch-a-bullet-with-their-teeth/242959/21 "2004-05-02T03:57:18Z")
> [@Oglomott](#): > > The bullit trick is always presented as a death defying stunt, as opposed to a trick, which is all it is. > > A big part of the secrets of some magic tricks is that they just lie to you. When they say that this is a dangerous trick, that is not true. Likewise, when they tell you that “no camera tricks” are used, that may also be a lie. And a lot of, if not all, studio audiance “volunteers” are on the payroll. All true. Bear in mind that in some kinds of tricks, including this one, there is a reducible but ineliminable risk. When part of the trick description reads, “Person A aims the gun at/towards person B and pulls the trigger,” there’s the potential for one person’s stupid mistake to lead to another person’s injury or death. Not just with magic tricks, either-ask Brandon Lee. (Via a good medium, naturally.) If everything works like it’s _supposed_ to, no magicians will be harmed, naturally. And the magician will do everything in his power to make the probability of _that_ as close as possbile to 100% … but he can never be absolutely positive he’s gotten there. Probably safer than driving on the freeway at rush hour, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-really-catch-a-bullet-with-their-teeth/242959/22 "2004-05-02T11:06:08Z")
> [@](#): > > …Call me a skeptic on this. … - - - Well, on the TV show, the camera was behind the shooter’s shoulder during the firing–and you could see that the rifle was aimed at the lady. And everything else I said you can check on gun forums–having experience with shooting, I feel very strongly that there are no _technical_ reasons any aspect of such a trick would have to be faked. The difference in this example is that they showed the rifle being loaded just previous to the shot, the rifle was _some_ type using a 22LR-length case, and the lady admitted to having a metal cup in her mouth. ~ ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-really-catch-a-bullet-with-their-teeth/242959/23 "2004-05-02T15:48:58Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - Well, on the TV show, the camera was behind the shooter’s shoulder during the firing–and you could see that the rifle was aimed at the lady. And everything else I said you can check on gun forums–having experience with shooting, I feel very strongly that there are no _technical_ reasons any aspect of such a trick would have to be faked. The difference in this example is that they showed the rifle being loaded just previous to the shot, the rifle was _some_ type using a 22LR-length case, and the lady admitted to having a metal cup in her mouth. > ~ Well, you know, I sat right beside one of those sit-down-at-your-table magicians while he did all sorts of amazing tricks and I never caught him at any of them There were no cameras, no assistants, no nuttin’ but him and those of us at the table. I am completely innocent of any knowledge of how a TV show’s producers and a magician can make things up as I would suppose most of us are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-really-catch-a-bullet-with-their-teeth/242959.md?page=1)