# take apart weapons **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033 "2016-03-05T20:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/1 "2016-03-05T20:12:31Z")
You often see in movies that a person takes a weapon from a briefcase or whatever and puts it together and makes an damn near impossible shot. Can this be done with out sighting in the rifle. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/2 "2016-03-05T20:38:51Z")
No. This is Hollywood BS. Certain parts might be disassembled. For instance, if I separated the upper and lower receiver on an AR-15, without touching the barrel and the sights, then the zero would not be affected. Usually, though, the movies show the assassin doing something like screwing on the barrel or attaching the sight to the rail. This would throw off the zero and it’s not possible for them to make an accurate shot afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/3 "2016-03-05T20:39:34Z")
yes. they’re called “takedown” rifles. [http://www.randyscustomrifles.com/take\_down\_rifles.html](http://www.randyscustomrifles.com/take_down_rifles.html) [http://ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/models.html](http://ruger.com/products/1022Takedown/models.html) both _claim_ you’ll still be on zero (sighted in) even after separating them and re-assembling. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/4 "2016-03-05T21:06:03Z")
The sniper rifle assembly depicted in movies is usually very different from a real-life take-down rifle. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/5 "2016-03-06T00:08:58Z")
As long as the sighting mechanism is solidly attached to the barrel and no dumb things like silencers. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/6 "2016-03-06T04:56:33Z")
Lots and lots of shotguns can be “taken down” and reassembled with no loss of accuracy. Obviously a shotgun is a different kettle of fish to a _Day of The Jackal_-type sniper’s rifle, though. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/7 "2016-03-06T16:19:53Z")
My [AR-7](http://world.guns.ru/civil/usa/armalite-ar-7-e.html) is a good take down rifle. Hell, all it’s parts fir in the butt of the stock. And .22 is a good caliber for silencers. You basically only here the click of the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/8 "2016-03-06T16:59:55Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > My [AR-7](http://world.guns.ru/civil/usa/armalite-ar-7-e.html) is a good take down rifle. Hell, all it’s parts fir in the butt of the stock. And .22 is a good caliber for silencers. You basically only here the click of the trigger. And this is the same model James Bond used in _From Russia With Love_. But I guess the OP is asking whether something like this can be used after disassembly/reassembly without recalibrating the scope? I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/9 "2016-03-06T17:31:11Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > The sniper rifle assembly depicted in movies is usually very different from a real-life take-down rifle. do you have an example? I hear what you’re saying but I’d need to see what kind of thing you’re referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/take-apart-weapons/748033/10 "2016-03-06T17:38:18Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > No. This is Hollywood BS. > > Certain parts might be disassembled. For instance, if I separated the upper and lower receiver on an AR-15, without touching the barrel and the sights, then the zero would not be affected. > > Usually, though, the movies show the assassin doing something like screwing on the barrel or attaching the sight to the rail. This would throw off the zero and it’s not possible for them to make an accurate shot afterwards. Hollywood comes up with a lot of bullshit, but this is not an example of it. These rifles are real. It isn’t that difficult for a quality rifle and optic to hold a fairly decent zero even after disassembly and reassembly. Here are but a few examples of take-down/concealable sniper rifles: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/127_-_ICOOA/hqdefault.jpg "Nemesis Arms Vanquish .308 Sniper Rifle out of a Backpack") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=127_-_ICOOA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EJ5zQn0ExNg/maxresdefault.jpg "Remington Defense CSR (Concealable Sniper Rifle) Rucksack Rifle Breakdown/Takedown Sniper Carbine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ5zQn0ExNg)