# Real-life BFG **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933 "2014-01-16T03:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/1 "2014-01-16T03:04:28Z")
The High Impulse Weapon System is an experimental design that amounts to a shoulder-launched mortar, and is the biggest man-wieldable weapon you’ll probably ever see outside of anime: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HyAl9qK3Rlg/hqdefault.jpg "High Impulse Weapon System") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyAl9qK3Rlg) ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/2 "2014-01-16T03:17:54Z")
Sounds a little less dangerous to folks behind you than other means of reducing recoil: [Recoilless rifle - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recoilless_rifle) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/3 "2014-01-16T03:25:39Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The High Impulse Weapon System is an experimental design that amounts to a shoulder-launched mortar, and is the biggest man-wieldable weapon you’ll probably ever see outside of anime: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyAl9qK3Rlg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyAl9qK3Rlg) I seriously thought you were talking about a dude that sneaked up to your window and blew dreams through it with an enormous trumpet. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/4 "2014-01-16T13:29:46Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I seriously thought you were talking about a dude that sneaked up to your window and blew dreams through it with an enormous trumpet. That makes two of us. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/5 "2014-01-16T13:42:28Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > That makes two of us. Three. And since, out of the three letters, I assume the weapon is certainly not _Friendly_, I’m now wondering what the abbreviation means? ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/6 "2014-01-16T13:45:03Z")
BFG = Big Fucking Gun. I think the military had the term first, but it because known in popular culture when the video game _Doom_ had the BFG 9000 as it’s ultimate weapon. EDIT: Who the heck is this trumpet guy you all are talking about? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/7 "2014-01-16T14:18:28Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I seriously thought you were talking about a dude that sneaked up to your window and blew dreams through it with an enormous trumpet. I have no idea WTF this means, but it may be the funniest thing I’ve ever read. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/8 "2014-01-16T14:27:19Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > Three. > > And since, out of the three letters, I assume the weapon is certainly not _Friendly_, I’m now wondering what the abbreviation means? Four. Now I’m disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/9 "2014-01-16T14:30:39Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > BFG = Big Fucking Gun. > > I think the military had the term first, but it because known in popular culture when the video game _Doom_ had the BFG 9000 as it’s ultimate weapon. > > EDIT: Who the heck is this trumpet guy you all are talking about? > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I have no idea WTF this means, but it may be the funniest thing I’ve ever read. :eek: You didn’t read _The BFG_ by Roald Dahl? The BFG is the Big Friendly Giant. He is actually not very big for a giant, the others are much bigger and meaner too. The BFG is very nice. He uses his extremely large ears to hear good dreams, which catches with a net and then blows into children’s bedrooms with his trumpet so they dream them. It’s a fantastic book. I’d recommend it for adults too! (It includes giants fighting and discussions of farts, honestly, fiction hardly gets any better than this.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/10 "2014-01-16T15:27:35Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Four. Now I’m disappointed. Five. I think it’s interesting how many Dopers knew of one, but not t’other. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/11 "2014-01-16T15:27:38Z")
They need to work on the recoil on that weapon. A weapon that knocks you back 2 feet when used properly and knocks you on your ass that easily is not going to be very effective on the battlefield. I see alot of shoulder injuries in its future. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/12 "2014-01-16T15:32:11Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > :eek: You didn’t read _The BFG_ by Roald Dahl? > > The BFG is the Big Friendly Giant. He is actually not very big for a giant, the others are much bigger and meaner too. The BFG is very nice. He uses his extremely large ears to hear good dreams, which catches with a net and then blows into children’s bedrooms with his trumpet so they dream them. > > It’s a fantastic book. I’d recommend it for adults too! (It includes giants fighting and discussions of farts, honestly, fiction hardly gets any better than this.) Not only have I not read it, I’ve never heard of it. I do have some Dahl in the library (the Twits, the Magic Finger, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), but I have frankly never heard of this book. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/13 "2014-01-16T15:55:22Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > Not only have I not read it, I’ve never heard of it. I do have some Dahl in the library (the Twits, the Magic Finger, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), but I have frankly never heard of this book. Right, that’s it! Go get your jammies on right now, I’ll light the fire and see you down here in 5 minutes. _Settles into armchair_ _Clears throat_ \*The Witching Hour Sophie couldn’t sleep. A brilliant moonbeam was slanting through a gap in the curtains. It was shining right on to her pillow. The other children in the dormitory had been asleep for hours. \* [/hijack & apologies] ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/14 "2014-01-16T23:48:23Z")
Funny, cause I’ve seen a video of a guy in Afghanistan firing a 60mm mortar from the hip, and it didn’t seem much/any worse than this. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-bfg/678933/15 "2014-01-18T12:28:43Z")
Six. I’ve been using it to read myself to sleep for the past week or so.