Not a BAG Day Gun

Oh, heavens, no! (I mean, I hope not!)

The latest goody in the Cowboy Blob Productions prop box is a solution looking for a movie problem. This Italian "Model 911" fires 8-mm blanks and looks and feels just like a WWII example of St. John Browning's (pbuh) master work, more or less.

Okay, the safety doesn't really mimic the original's... you've got to pull the slide slightly out of battery to engage the thumb safety and there are no other safeties extent.

As the "gun guy" among my fellow student film makers, I've recommended using a revolver stoked with dummy bullets in their productions that actually feature a gun shot. The shooter can simulate the recoil and muzzle/gap flash and "boom" can be added in post production. Not so with a semi-auto, since the knowledgeable audience expects to see the slide jack out an empty brass casing with every shot. The answer to that is the gun firing blanks. As you can see from the second picture, the film maker is left with some limitations in capturing this gun. A shot of the muzzle exposes the orange plug in the barrel and any close-up of the gun shows the cheesy Italian branding of the prop, which certainly doesn't simulate a known firearm. It's best to film this shot fast in a medium or wide shot, staying within the gunman's rear 180.

Another limitation for this platform is the noise. Most municipalities consider blank-firing guns as fireworks and reasonably restrict them accordingly. A student film maker just can't find some private property and bust caps for the camera as long as concerned neighbors are within earshot. They need an understanding with their neighbors and the local sheriff's office... and they need to protect their actor-gunman's hearing with earplugs. And their crew's. So this is why I recommend the revolver... but am keeping my options open.