If you jammed a marshmallow and graham cracker-based confectionary into the barrel of a gun, would it cause the gun to misfire, or would the bullet “clean” the barrel?
It takes far more than a little confection to stop a bullet.
From my understanding of the physics, most of the dessert would likely be pushed out of the barrel by the onrushing air pushed ahead of the bullet before metal and sugar even touched. Depending on how mashed up it was and how warm it was, some goo and crumbs might be left behind to get on the bullet and make it fly erratically.
You will definitely want to clean your barrel well after this experiment.
Upvote for the title.
A gun barrel can be plugged with mud. Whether a s’more is enough would depend on the bore size. A .22 would fare worse than a shotgun.
No s’mores, but Demolition Ranch tried plugging the barrels of a shotgun with a lot of different things.
Confetti, flour, beads, salt and rice, laundry detergent, hot dog, wood glue, spray foam, syrup, and BBs.
Make of that what you will.
Glad to see that was just a clickbait thumbnail, and he didn’t try to fire any of those while actually holding them.
(Also without hearing or eye protection.)
Result: Most things just shot out (salt and rice being a notable exception).
I stand by my statement that you’ll probably be fine, but don’t go trying it, ok?
I assume the backstory to the OP involves either a child or being drunk on a hunting trip.
“Hold my beer…”
Bugs Bunny’s carrot-into-Elmer-Fudd’s-shotgun trick is apparently bad for the shotgun IRL.
Tell the truth, @Darren_Garrison: the only reason you started this thread is because you thought up that pun and needed a place to show it off. Am I right?
Pun?
.
For non-confectionary based examples -
REVISITED: A shotgun plugged by a human finger will backfire and explode injuring or killing the shooter instead of the intended victim. (From episode 43)
RE-BUSTED
The re-test used a 19th-century double-barreled shotgun made through Damascus welding. The first barrel was damaged by a ballistic gelatin finger, though not as seen in cartoons. A steel finger welded to the end of the second barrel simply made the whole tip of the barrel shoot off.
SPINOFF: A .30-06 rifle fired while having a boresight still in the barrel will backfire and explode, creating a cartoon-like banana peel effect as shown in submitted photographs. (From episode 43)
PLAUSIBLE
The Build Team’s test used a brand new rifle. The barrel split several inches when fired with a laser boresight in the barrel. The Build Team surmises that the banana-peel effect could be achieved if this were to happen in an older rifle that has endured more wear and tear from firings.
So, of course, tons of factors. I have an inherited Damascus 20G double barreled shotgun that I wouldn’t dare to fire with a modern load, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if any number of plugging options could cause it to fail.
PLEASE NOTE - I also add to the many voices in this thread calling out to people to NOT “Try this at home”. It’s insanely dangerous, and no joke is worth risk of life or limb, which would be very possible.
I came here for that reason! I don’t have much gun experience, but just had to comment on the Shakespearean pun.
Shakespeare has a comical incident involving a gun holster, as well as a character named Pistol.
Yes, I know diddly about guns, but the photo just looked super dangerous. Of course, it seems to me a shotgun shell is less of a problem than a bullet in that the explosive gasses can more easily escape around the projectile(s) if there is a small opening, but something that jams the relatively snug fit bullet projectile too much - well, the gasses have 3 options - front, back, or by opening up along the barrel. whichever direction has the easiest “give”. Toward the end of the barrel, the projectile likely has momentum on its side, but if a serious obstruction was ramrodded into place far down the barrel, my gut wonders if the situation would be different?
Shotguns are well known to “bulge” from barrel obstructions. One complicating factor for s’mores in the barrel is that marshmallow cream is possibly a non Newtonian fluid. I’m not sure about a melted marshmallow.