# Maddening weapons use in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337 "2014-07-29T17:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/61 "2014-07-30T06:56:18Z")
DA/SA: Double action/single action – you fire the first round double-action (having previously decocked after chambering) and that first shot puts you in battery single-action for subsequent shots. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/62 "2014-07-30T07:17:28Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Switching emphasis, parrying edged weapons (especially cutting swords) with the edge instead of the flat. :mad: Revelutionary Girl Utena is such a bizarre anime I wouldn’t be surprised they did it on purpose. But the scenes where they duel with sabers just bug me. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/63 "2014-07-30T09:05:03Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Glocks don’t have external safeties. Except when they do. > **[DSEi 09: Glock 17 with Thumb Safety](https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/09/17/dsei-09-glock-17-with-thumb-safety/)** > > This Glock 17 pistol, with thumb safety, was designed by Glock for use by the British Army.It was on display at DSEi ’09. [http://cominolli.com/product\_info.php?products\_id=29](http://cominolli.com/product_info.php?products_id=29) > **[Handgun Parts for Repairs, Upgrades & Customization | Brownells](https://www.brownells.com/gun-parts/handgun-parts/)** > > Explore handgun parts (3,290) at Brownells, including slides, barrels, and triggers to repair, upgrade, or customize your handgun for improved performance. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/64 "2014-07-30T09:39:31Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > That’s Double-Action Semi-Automatic? I’ve never handled one, and didn’t even know they existed… Double action or single action, as stated in this thread. I don’t have hard statistics, but I’m pretty sure DA/SA are the most common category of (non-revolver) pistols. The Ur-example is probably the Beretta 92 (F and other series), as used by the US and other militaries. Before 1985, the 1911 was used, which is a typical single action pistol. DAO (usually) requires a stronger trigger pull each shot. Many have hammers that can’t be user cocked. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages of each. DA/SA adds more versatility, at the cost of potential inconsistency. Then there are other things, like Sig’s DAK, which is mostly a variation of DAO. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > DA/SA: Double action/single action – you fire the first round double-action (having previously decocked after chambering) and that first shot puts you in battery single-action for subsequent shots. Or all shots are the same if you manually cock the first one. And of course, Guns Akimbo is a great way to increase your firepower by 100%, while decreasing your accuracy by 500%. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/65 "2014-07-30T11:28:18Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > They make the effort in Archer as well, it seems to me. For gun use, maybe (all I know about guns is “don’t point them at people”, “damn they’re heavy” and “they’re loaded”), but there are a few archery scenes where even I cringed, after a whole 5 days of learning “this is how you grab the bow” (heck, after the first day - the teacher gave me “watch archery movies and actual olympic archers; compare and contrast” as homework). Season 2, Ep 1: Blondie gives him a brand new bow, “made to order”, which he declares “absolutely perfect” without having even grabbed it. Season 2 I think, don’t remember the Ep, but this happens very often in many movies (in this series it was simply the most egregious example): he’s got to shoot an arrow at a very distant ship, they show him clearly holding the arrow with one of the three feathers vertical - that’s a position which would reach a distance of, oh, about 1 yard. In that position, the feather that’s on the same side as the body of the bow will run into said body; the arrow just loses any notions of flying. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/66 "2014-07-30T12:00:31Z")
This one’s a bit obscure, but at the end of the 70s exploitation film \*Mandingo \*the white slave owner shoots his slave (boxer Ken Norton) with a muzzle-loading long arm **three times without reloading even once!** He just keeps pulling back the hammer and firing. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/67 "2014-07-30T12:20:59Z")
> [@Dravin](#): > > Yeah, slugs was, in all honesty, a bit of reach. I don’t recall any movies where shotguns aren’t firing buckshot. In _Hard Target,_ they’re firing arrows. Yeah. > [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Semi and full auto firearms need to be modified to fire blanks. If they aren’t, often you’re going to have to manually work the bolt/slide after each shot. To fire 21 gun salutes, the Honor Guard had to attach Blank Firing Adaptors (BFAs) to M-1 Garands, M-14s, and M-16s. So in _Die Hard 2_, they shouldn’t have been able to tape live & blank magazines end-to-end and just flip the magazine to switch between them. Personally annoying to me, in _Arrow,_ when it’s time to suit up, grab his bow and head out, he doesn’t do it in that order. He grabs the bow first. Look, dumbass, I want to see you switch into your all-leather outfit holding a compound bow. That’s gotta be fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/68 "2014-07-30T12:23:48Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Personally annoying to me, in _Arrow,_ when it’s time to suit up, grab his bow and head out, he doesn’t do it in that order. He grabs the bow first. Look, dumbass, I want to see you switch into your all-leather outfit holding a compound bow. That’s gotta be fun to watch. To be fair, that’s something I’ve seen a thousand times, although not involving bows but computer cases or handbags. Grab the bag, then realize you need to get your coat on _first_… and if someone does it, they do it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/69 "2014-07-30T13:19:38Z")
> [@Dravin](#): > > Yeah, slugs was, in all honesty, a bit of reach. I don’t recall any movies where shotguns aren’t firing buckshot. Alien Nation. One of the.potato head guys is shown shooting up a car using a shotgun equipped with a drum magazine and loaded with slugs. Off hand, I can’t think of a single other instance for sure. _Maybe_ that shitty space colony remake of High Noon that Sean Connery made in the 80s? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/70 "2014-07-30T13:33:41Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > For gun use, maybe (all I know about guns is “don’t point them at people”, “damn they’re heavy” and “they’re loaded”), but there are a few archery scenes where even I cringed, after a whole 5 days of learning “this is how you grab the bow” (heck, after the first day - the teacher gave me “watch archery movies and actual olympic archers; compare and contrast” as homework). > > Season 2, Ep 1: Blondie gives him a brand new bow, “made to order”, which he declares “absolutely perfect” without having even grabbed it. > > Season 2 I think, don’t remember the Ep, but this happens very often in many movies (in this series it was simply the most egregious example): he’s got to shoot an arrow at a very distant ship, they show him clearly holding the arrow with one of the three feathers vertical - that’s a position which would reach a distance of, oh, about 1 yard. In that position, the feather that’s on the same side as the body of the bow will run into said body; the arrow just loses any notions of flying. I don’t remember those, or a character named Blondie. Perhaps you’re thinking of _Arrow_? ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/71 "2014-07-30T14:26:14Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Alien Nation. One of the.potato head guys is shown shooting up a car using a shotgun equipped with a drum magazine and loaded with slugs. Off hand, I can’t think of a single other instance for sure. _Maybe_ that shitty space colony remake of High Noon that Sean Connery made in the 80s? Pretty sure in Terminator 2 the shotgun he is using is firing slugs. Hence the very big impact splash marks on the T-1000, vs the much smaller ones made by the handgun. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/72 "2014-07-30T14:40:25Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > I don’t remember those, or a character named Blondie. Perhaps you’re thinking of _Arrow_? Yeah, sorry; brainfart. And the character’s name isn’t Blondie, but while my filters at work don’t stop the Dope they do stop IDMB. The IT chick, the one who’s blonde but dyed and who’s jewish but it only gets mentioned in the Christmas episodes… ---
**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:** [July 30, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/73 "2014-07-30T14:47:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I remember a movie from long ago where one of the good guys was required to shoot all of the horses they had. He takes out his 1911 A-1, racks the slide and shoots the first horse. Racks the slide again and shoots the second horse. Continues in this manner for all seven horses. Nice trick, as he would have been out of ammo by horse number four. :rolleyes: I’ll bet they used a real 1911, not one converted for blanks. Action won’t cycle. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/74 "2014-07-30T15:52:09Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > There’s a particularly eye-rolling example in **Django Unchained**. > > Django is standing at balcony overlooking the entry area. He shoots a woman who is standing in the doorway to a room on the left. > > She gets thrown \*not \*away from him, but at 45 degree angle, through the doorway. :dubious: Intentional, surely. In The Last Stand the Deputy shoots a big handgun and it comes back and breaks his nose. The shot guns in that film don’t fire slugs. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/75 "2014-07-30T16:06:22Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Any time an archer uses a bow as a melee weapon and still has a usable bow is kind of annoying to me. This is done over and over in the new Hercules film with Atlantia, which actually has blades on her bow. Oddly, they actually got Greek warfare fair right for that sort of film. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/76 "2014-07-30T16:28:33Z")
Swords: Edge on edge parrying. That destroys the edge. Also, every time a characters tries a sword it’s the same routine: two or three swings and then declaring “it’s well balanced”. Bolt action rifles are, apprently, always a very complicated thing that requiers Hulk strength. Shooting behind hard cover but without looking. You never waste ammo. Double sin if it’s a auto. Never shooting through soft cover: sofas, wooden tables, drywall ---
**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:** [July 30, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/77 "2014-07-30T17:06:15Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Never shooting through soft cover: sofas, wooden tables, drywall What about Die Hard? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/78 "2014-07-30T19:22:04Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Glocks don’t have external safeties. All Glocks have an external trigger safety. So, “easing off the safety” on a Glock is slowly pulling the trigger. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/79 "2014-07-30T20:42:11Z")
A little bigger in scope but watching an F-18 shoot a missile of an empty rack in Independance Day makes me cringe every time. Same with using helicopter blades as a weapon and still being able to fly a la Tommorow Never Dies or Mission Impossible. The sword ones always make me laugh, like cutting a chain with a katana; a good way of spending a whole lot of time and money removing the notch you just put in it… ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337/80 "2014-07-30T20:48:05Z")
It bugs me when characters shoot multiple armed enemies once apiece and then assume “one shot, one kill, job done” and move on. Especially if it’s not a lethal shot (i.e., shoulder hit.) Have they never heard of enemies playing dead? Or of wounded enemies still shooting back? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maddening-weapons-use-in-film/694337.md?page=5)