# Why do guns in movies fire unrealistically slowly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702 "2001-10-31T14:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702/21 "2001-11-01T23:10:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shelbo \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by RichLather \* > > \*\*What irks me about movie/TV weaponry is that _invariably_ they get the sound of a Minigun (or Gatling-style multibarrel weapon) totally wrong. It ought to sound like a long, continuous _ **BBBBBRRRRRRMMMMMMM** _ due to the extremely high rate of fire that six barrels or so can produce. Instead we get RAT-A-TAT-TAT. > > > > Only notable exceptions I’ve seen are _Predator_, where the electric whine of the barrel rotation motor was sometimes louder than the report and -possibly- _Terminator 2_. \*\* > > The best notable exception is The Matrix. Watching those casings fall like rain really brings home how much lead is being thrown. \*\* Actually, the matrix has it going relatively slow also. The amount of shells is realistic looking, and most of the scene is in slow motion - but the parts that aren’t show a ratatata minigun. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702/22 "2001-11-02T00:37:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jack@ss \* > \*\* > When we fired blanks in field training in the army we used blank adapters, which screwed on the end of the barrel, effectively sealing it off. Without a blank adapter an M-16 won’t have enough pressure in the chamber to push the bolt completely back and chamber the next round. > > I think the studios use weapons that have been modified to function under the decreased pressure from blanks and/or they load their own blanks with more powder to provide a more forceful explosion in the chamber. \*\* I have actually heard, beleive it or not, that they use a Wooden bullet. The wood is a cheap balsa-like material that fragments into nothing less than a foot out of the barrel. They only use these on SMG’s and Assualt Rifles and the like. I don’t think they work on MG’s since the movie gun blunder database (I can’t find it, no link, sorry) was full of “I saw a blank adapter on that M-60!” reports. I think even automatic pistols don’t need the full blowback to work, but I am uncertain. I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702/23 "2001-11-02T01:52:14Z")
Originally posted by **Whack-a-Mole** > [@](#): > > The real problem in movies with guns is the never-ending ammo clip, heroes with perfect marksmanship and enemies who can’t hit anything and people firing weapons they would never have a hope of firing IRL (i.e. the dude in Predator with an auto-cannon…) That would be our governor - Jesse “The Gov” (formerly “The Body”) Ventura. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702/24 "2001-11-02T19:10:11Z")
For an amusing discussion about such things, check out [this](http://www.moviecliches.com/cliche3.html#weapons) part of the Movie Cliches database. Great site. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-guns-in-movies-fire-unrealistically-slowly/90702.md?page=1)