Author Topic: Firing over the heads of people on TV! (Read 1233 times)

p51 · « **on:** October 21, 2008, 04:06:53 PM »

I caught the tail end of an old episode (I'd never seen it before) of "Viva la Bam" on MTV a few days ago and still can't get over what I saw. They had some re-enactors on their property and were doing all kinds of insane things I won't go into here. I'm not a fan of the show, but I have watched it a few times. Anyway, after a lot of silliness with re-enactors (I still can't believe any of them agreed to take part in this), they loaded what looked like a 6 pound solid shot and fired it from what appeared to be a mountain howitzer, over the heads of a large group of people, into a tree house on the other side of a field! According to info I found online, apparently it was an "original" shot they found on their property (apparently they do live very close to a CW battlefield), but there's no way to know if that's correct or not. I'm still reeling from this and cannot believe anyone could be freaking stupid, especially to get on TV doing that! It wasn't the people from the show, it was a cannon owner who did this! I didn't pay attention to the gun or recalled the name of the owner, as I was only wondering if they'd really fire it over a crowd. You could see the ball go off into the trees and they inspected the damages from it afterward. I could only find this info online: http://www.imdb.com/title/ttl0741705/ I'm guessing this guy Buddy Garrett was the one who handled this?
I found a link to the ending of it here:
http://www.spike.com/episode/16750?st=2778667

GGaskill · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2008, 04:46:58 PM »

A collection of ignorant children.

p51 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2008, 04:53:19 PM »

Quote from: GGaskill on October 21, 2008, 04:46:58 PM

A collection of ignorant children.

Agreed, but you would have expected more from someone who re-enacts with artillery! I've seen some really dumb things done with muzzleloading cannon in my lifetime, but this takes the cake!

accuratemike · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2008, 05:00:06 PM »

I think those guys live near West Chester, PA. No Civil War battle there. It was probably a Rev War ball. They were just too stupid to know that. Or, they couldn't find enough Rev War reenactors stupid enough to play with them. Mike

Artilleryman · « **Reply #4 on:** October 21, 2008, 05:12:26 PM »

I don't believe that they really fired a real cannonball. What they had was solid shot and an explosion appear to happen down range. Also, an iron ball would have caused more recoil than that. Having said that it is not the kind of impression that you want the general public to have of artillery. I didn't find anything funny about their humor.

Double D · « **Reply #5 on:** October 21, 2008, 05:15:31 PM »

Guys, its a movie, it's a movie fake. You never see the ball loaded, the cannon doesn't recoil. Very little smoke for a shot. The damge down range is grossly exagerated for a solid shot...and I see Artilleryman already said the same thing

intoodeep · « **Reply #6 on:** October 21, 2008, 05:38:11 PM »

Quote from: accuratemike on October 21, 2008, 05:00:06 PM

I think those guys live near West Chester, PA. No Civil War battle there. It was probably a Rev War ball. They were just too stupid to know that. Or, they couldn't find enough Rev War reenactors stupid enough to play with them. Mike

accuratemike is correct. Bam lives in West Chester, PA which backs up to Brandywine. If a cannonball was found it would be Revolutionary as i believe that is the only action that Brandywine ever saw. So, the Civil War deal was for show. These guys have made their money from being fools (trying to say it nicely). Almost makes me feel sorry that's the area I grew up in.....

Nasty Jack · « **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2008, 09:34:26 PM »

Re-enactors . . .

Raise your hand if you've seen a ramrod shot from a muzzle loader.

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #8 on:** October 21, 2008, 11:58:24 PM »

Quote from: Nasty Jack on October 21, 2008, 09:34:26 PM

Re-enactors . . .

Raise your hand if you've seen a ramrod shot from a muzzle loader.

How about from an M-14?

and7barton · « **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2008, 01:42:56 AM »

Our British Army do the same on Salisbury Plain with heavy artillery. Not only over the heads of people, but over an entire village and several roads. But of course, the British Army know what they are doing, don't they ? - Except of course that at least once, they've fired a shell that fell short, and landed into someone's garden, failing to explode.

Cannoneer · « **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2008, 02:49:45 AM »

Of course, Norm and DD are right, the light charge used in the howitzer barely moves the carriage back and they must have had an extra bag of flower left over after using one to beat fat uncle Perv with because there is a white burst when the pretend solid shot supposedly hits the tree house. I also have to agree with Norm's assessment that if this is what show bizniz exec's consider funny it's possible that I've lost my sense of humor.

thelionspaw · « **Reply #11 on:** October 22, 2008, 06:15:25 AM »

Thanks guys; for reassuring me that when we got rid of our TV 12 years ago, we did the correct thing. Actually, I then bolted the dish on the horizontal and filled it with water. I explain to people that, "TV is for the birds".

Richard "The Bookworm"

dan610324 · « **Reply #12 on:** October 22, 2008, 10:56:13 AM »

oooohhh nice to see that its more then me who had thrown the tv out

sweden changed from analog to digital transmitting approximately 3-4 years ago ,
then you need to buy an digital box to be able to use your tv .
I didnt .
have never had as much to do as now

GGaskill · « **Reply #13 on:** October 22, 2008, 12:03:49 PM »

We in the USA are about to go to complete digital. Although I still have a functioning analog TV, I can't remember the last time I watched any off-the-air programming. I will keep it for old style video tape playback but I doubt I will get a digital-to-analog box or replace it with a digital TV. Too much to do to waste time watching morons.

and7barton · « **Reply #14 on:** October 22, 2008, 12:36:13 PM »

Three of my six closest friends, plus my brother, have no TV - WE have here, but I personally never watch it; it's for my missus. I prefer the internet, and forums in particular. If my missus ever took a hike, I'd chuck it on the tip.

p51 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 22, 2008, 03:59:09 PM »

Quote from: and7barton on October 22, 2008, 01:42:56 AM

Our British Army do the same on Salisbury Plain with heavy artillery. Not only over the heads of people, but over an entire village and several roads. But of course, the British Army know what they are doing, don't they ? - Except of course that at least once, they've fired a shell that fell short, and landed into someone's garden, failing to explode.

I once supported a joint Army/USMC test of some M-549A1 "RAP" (Rocket Assisted Projectile) 155 MM rounds fired from M-109 SPs once, we fired over a major highway and a small community while doing that. I always wondered what those folks on the road would have done had they known that HE rounds were passing over them. But then again, I think we can probably agree that the difference between professional military artillery handlers and these bozos is like night and day.
I do agree that it's possible the shot was staged but if the flight of the ball was rigged, they did a darned good job as there was damages to the trees that to me looks very plausible, which I can't imagine they'd go to that kind of trouble. They could have just shown the gun going off and people's reactions with the same results.

subdjoe · « **Reply #16 on:** October 25, 2008, 06:08:37 AM »

Quote from: Cat Whisperer on October 21, 2008, 11:58:24 PM

Quote from: Nasty Jack on October 21, 2008, 09:34:26 PM
Re-enactors . . .

Raise your hand if you've seen a ramrod shot from a muzzle loader.

How about from an M-14?

OK, now we need the story behind this comment.

brokenpole · « **Reply #17 on:** April 08, 2009, 08:42:23 AM »

Quote from: Nasty Jack on October 21, 2008, 09:34:26 PM

Re-enactors . . .

Raise your hand if you've seen a ramrod shot from a muzzle loader.

How's about raise your hand if YOU have ever shot a ramrod down range. I did hit the target with it.

Rickk · « **Reply #18 on:** April 09, 2009, 06:40:11 AM »

They make a really cool sound as they bounce thru the trees out in the woods.

Guess that's why re-enactors generally arn't allowed to have ramrods in their possession during a re-enactment.

p51 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 18, 2009, 02:12:43 PM »

During many years of CW re-enacting, I saw darned near everything you can send downrange done so. I've heard horror stories of premature ignition and hands flying into opposing ranks. I just hope they were only stories. I do recall as a kid seeing what I thought was a rammer from a rifle sent into a group of people but never heard if I'd seen that correctly or not. Thankfully, where we did most our events, only one guy per unit was allowed to carry a ramord with their rifle just in case it was needed. In the NE, I have seen events where everyone had them. I know at Gettysburg in 1998, at least one went downrange but didn't hurt anyone.

Turns out, a guy I went to college with (I majored in communications and interned with a newspaper) e-mailed me not too long ago, saying he'd worked on this and other projects for the production company that makes many of these kinds of shows. Among other things like saying he'd seen Johnny Knoxville's junk get crushed (you're better off not knowing the story. Trust me), he mentioned this episode. I e-mailed him asking if he'd seen this done. Yesterday he e-mailed back saying he was there, they did fire the projectile into the treehouse and surrounding trees, it's just that it wasn't done quite the way they showed it, as he's adamant they never fired over the heads of people downrange.
So at least someone had a brain that day, it seems!