Mal's Gun
POSTED BY: DRE
UPDATED: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 01:42
VIEWED: 32171
PAGE 2 of 5
It kinda looks like it has a luger hammer...a round barrel contraption with ridges. It is a bizzarro gun, not based on anything I've ever seen.
I will keep scouring the net...I must have one
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Quote:
Originally posted by izazombie:
Hey all,
Jaynes gun is a Lemat. Very little modification has been done to it, just a stanag rainl on the top.
It does slightly resemble a LeMat.
Here's what the LeMat actually looks like:
http://johno.myiglou.com/lemat.htm
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Mal's gun does have magazine, but I couldn't figure out what the frame was...
will keep looking
Mal's gun IS a Remington Model 1858 with a whole bunch of shtuff stuck onto it.
From what I've been able to see there are no moving parts on the gun. The (claimed) magazine would have to be on the side of the gun as there is no way to fit a mag into the grip. It's just an exotic looking made for movie kluge.
Loadandmakeready
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Quote:
Originally posted by Guildsister:Quote:
Mal's gun does have magazine
Notice it has no hammer? Makes an electronic whine when he cocks it.
Guildsister
Mal's gun *does* have a hammer. You can see it in a number of scenes. It just doesn't move. It's always in the down position.
As far as the electric whine is concerned, it reminds me of the film advance on a 35 millimeter camera.
It's a dubbed in sound. The bad guy's shotgun in the Jaynestown episode makes the same sound as well.Loadandmakeready
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Mal's gun is a modified Taurus .38 Cal revolver. The grip frame was cut off and a new one machined and welded on, to resemble the grip of an old single-action revolver, the barrel was cut down and a new octagonal barrel made for it, along with the other added pieces to make it look so unique.
It was made by Applied Effects.
http://www.appliedfx.com/services.htm
Mouse over the Physical Effects link and you can see a couple of small shots of the gun.
They also made some of the other tools and implements of destruction for Firefly, you can see a few under other links, there.
They also did props for Van Helsing.
Jayne's pistol is definitely built on a LeMat, the top barrel rib and some kind of chrome, vented sheathing for the lower shotgun barrel were added. Not much other than that, on jayne's piece.
Zoe's favorite sawn off lever-action Winchester is one piece you can actually get in an AirSoft gun, if you want one. Ain't cheap, but it's almost exactly what she carries.
Joe
Muscle.
Humor.
Thuggery.
Jayne.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Singleton:
Mal's gun is a modified Taurus .38 Cal revolver. The grip frame was cut off and a new one machined and welded on, to resemble the grip of an old single-action revolver, the barrel was cut down and a new octagonal barrel made for it, along with the other added pieces to make it look so unique.
It was made by Applied Effects.
http://www.appliedfx.com/services.htm
Mouse over the Physical Effects link and you can see a couple of small shots of the gun.
Thanks for the link. That's very interesting. But the first question that pops into my mind -- or what's left of my mind -- is why did they go to so much trouble for Mal's gun?
Instead of taking the Taurus you mention, and replacing the barrel, cutting the grip off and welding on a grip which has been removed from another gun, then putting the cosmetics onto it, it seems to me that it would be so much easier to simply buy a replica of the Remington model 1858 cap and ball pistol for $150 dollars, and work with that!
It already *has* the proper barrel and grip, so all they would have to do is make and install the cosmetics -- easy-peasy! And so much cheaper.
Quote:
Jayne's pistol is definitely built on a LeMat, the top barrel rib and some kind of chrome, vented sheathing for the lower shotgun barrel were added. Not much other than that, on jayne's piece.
Somebody mentioned that a few months ago, (was it you?) and I was sceptical. I was also wrong!
I recently got a large-screen TV -- my old TV died after 25+ years -- so I was able to see things a bit better. After examining the LeMat revolver, and seeing things better on the larger screen, it is definitely the LeMat! Aside from the sheathing on the S/G barrel they installed an aluminum Picatinny rail on the barrel.
The Picatinny rail is used for mounting a scope -- although no scope was actually mounted.
'Nother thing; in the episode Bushwacked, where Jayne is telling Simon to get suited up to go onto the derelict ship, he is loading a revolver. Although it's in shadow, the revolver he is loading looks like a modern Smith & Wesson-type .38 -.357 with a rail mounted "C-More" electronic dot sight on it. That's the only time I've seen that gun in the series.
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Zoe's favorite sawn off lever-action Winchester is one piece you can actually get in an AirSoft gun, if you want one. Ain't cheap, but it's almost exactly what she carries.
Joe
I'd have to go through my back issues of "SHOOT" Magazine, but someone is actually making shootable reproductions of this gun. Which is effectively the same gun Steve McQueen used in the 1960's TV-series "Wanted Dead or Alive."
Zoe's gun is a Winchester model 1892 -- or replica. It might very well be a cut-down original as it was an extremely popular gun in '50's and 60's westerns, and the studios had a lot of them in stock. But it also could have been a reproduction, as they are still being made by Puma -- formerly Rossi -- in Brazil. It's moderately popular with Cowboy Action shooters.
Why anyone would actually want one like Zoe's is something I can't fathom. They are clumsy to handle and awkward to shoot. But some folks may want one just because they saw it on TV. Which, when you come down to it, is as good a reason as any.
Loadandmakeready
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I'm not sure why they chose that route with Mal's gun, but partly it might be that the Taurus is still a shooting piece, reloadable with little effort, whereas, it'd take pyro FX to make a black powder gun shoot every time. Cartridges are just that much more reliable and simple. Plus, designing parts in the computer and using rapid prototyping, you can make the part quickly and relatively cheaply. From there you just make a mold and cast the metal. The grip was designed and machined specially for the gun, not taken from an existing gun.
You're right, though. Using a Remington or old Coly black powder frame and a cartridge conversion kit, all you need to make are the cosmetic outer parts.
One of the things I like about Firefly is the weapons. Sure, I love blasters and such, but it makes sense that, on a frontier, you'd stick with a lower tech option, that can be repaired at that level. Cartridges are cheap and reliable, and they're easy to reload, which would probably be a cottage industry on these recently settled worlds.
As for the sawn off carbine...in 44-40 (or .44 Magnum, as my Rossi lever-action carbine was) that shortened magazine and barrel would be less of a problem and you'd still have a reasonable amount of control. In any rifle cartridge, you'd lose so much mag capacity, it'd be worse than useless.
I was glad to see wheelguns in Firefly, I'm a fan of revolvers and I think there's still a place for them. Hell, the real reason high capacity semi-autos are so popular these days is that nobody can shoot worth a shit. Spray and Pray. ugh.
now, if Sept. would just get here a little faster...
Joe
Muscle.
Humor.
Thuggery.
Jayne.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Singleton:
I'm not sure why they chose that route with Mal's gun, but partly it might be that the Taurus is still a shooting piece, reloadable with little effort, whereas, it'd take pyro FX to make a black powder gun shoot every time. Cartridges are just that much more reliable and simple. Plus, designing parts in the computer and using rapid prototyping, you can make the part quickly and relatively cheaply. From there you just make a mold and cast the metal. The grip was designed and machined specially for the gun, not taken from an existing gun.
You're right, though. Using a Remington or old Coly black powder frame and a cartridge conversion kit, all you need to make are the cosmetic outer parts.
Actually, with the popularity of "Cowboy Action Shooting" competetions and events, old west guns have never been more popular. Several makers produce new guns that have a black powder style frame, but use modern cartridge ammo. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I know at least two companies make quality firing replica's of the old Remington design single action pistol. Several other manufacturers (including Beretta, believe it or not) make Colt SSA clones, and the prices are reasonable.
I found this gun during a search, and it's not Mal's gun, but it has a similar "auto" meets "Revolver" look to it.
http://www.awaguns.com/matebaautorevolver.asp
Here's a modern copy of a Remington single action pistol.
http://www.emf-company.com/1875-remington-single-action-revolver.htm
Another company makes a similar Remington copy, with an optional octagon barrel, but I can't remember who. Navy Arms makes a black powder version in this style.
http://www.navyarms.com/html/solid_frame_per.html
Navy Arms also makes a modern black powder copy of a Le Mat pistol.
http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html
I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Singleton:
I'm not sure why they chose that route with Mal's gun, but partly it might be that the Taurus is still a shooting piece, reloadable with little effort, whereas, it'd take pyro FX to make a black powder gun shoot every time. Cartridges are just that much more reliable and simple.
The assumption that most people are making is that Mal's -- and other's -- gun(s) are actually functioning firearms. They're not. They just have to look like firearms.
A few years ago, I restored a prop gun. And it was a lot of work to turn it back into a shooting firearm. This particular firearm was a Marlin model 1898 12-gauge pump action shotgun. (Rare!) When I got it, there was a large bolt welded into the chamber so that you couldn't put a shell into it. The firing pin was broken off and the firing pin hole in the breech-bolt was welded closed. The frame was squeezed a bit so that a round couldn't be inserted into the gun, and the main spring was replaced with a strip of thin springy steel cut from a band-strap -- you know, the kind of thin steel strap that you use to tie stuff onto a wooden pallet with.
Most actors really don't know much about firearms, and the studio's don't want actors to do something stupid with functioning guns. (A few years ago, an actor killed himself by firing a blank into his head -- he was just goofing around.) So they are made -- or converted -- so that they won't actually fire anything.
Quote:
Plus, designing parts in the computer and using rapid prototyping, you can make the part quickly and relatively cheaply. From there you just make a mold and cast the metal. The grip was designed and machined specially for the gun, not taken from an existing gun.
If you've actually done that sort of thing, you know that it's not as easy as that. It takes a lot of work to "just make the mold and cast the metal." It's easier to just modify an existing part. Believe me, I've done a lot of prototyping over the last thirty years.
Quote:
One of the things I like about Firefly is the weapons. Sure, I love blasters and such, but it makes sense that, on a frontier, you'd stick with a lower tech option, that can be repaired at that level. Cartridges are cheap and reliable, and they're easy to reload, which would probably be a cottage industry on these recently settled worlds.
You got that right! Kinda reminds me of something that Science Fiction novelist Robert Heinlein wrote about settling a new world. In this particular case, it was about horses. He said, horses can make more horses, which is something that tractors will never be able to do.
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As for the sawn off carbine...in 44-40 (or .44 Magnum, as my Rossi lever-action carbine was) that shortened magazine and barrel would be less of a problem and you'd still have a reasonable amount of control. In any rifle cartridge, you'd lose so much mag capacity, it'd be worse than useless.
It's still a two-handed gun, and not one that is either easy or comfortable to shoot. Besides,the Winchester model '92 wasn't chambered in a "rifle" cartridge. The only cartridges it was actually chambered for were .25-20, .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40.
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I was glad to see wheelguns in Firefly, I'm a fan of revolvers and I think there's still a place for them. Hell, the real reason high capacity semi-autos are so popular these days is that nobody can shoot worth a shit. Spray and Pray. ugh.
High-cap auto's have come into vogue mostly because police can't shoot worth a damn. The primary advantage of the auto-loader is that it can be reloaded quickly. This is also the primary disadvantage of many -- mostly single action -- revolvers. With Safarilands spring loaded speed-loaders or full moon clips, a really good revolver shooter can shoot and reload just as fast as a good auto shooter -- they just have to reload more often.
A few years ago, I shot against the LAPD on the speed and accuracy section of their advanced
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Quote:
Originally posted by MacBaker:
Actually, with the popularity of "Cowboy Action Shooting" competetions and events, old west guns have never been more popular. Several makers produce new guns that have a black powder style frame, but use modern cartridge ammo. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I know at least two companies make quality firing replica's of the old Remington design single action pistol. Several other manufacturers (including Beretta, believe it or not) make Colt SSA clones, and the prices are reasonable.
I could be wrong here, but If I remember correctly, Beretta doesn't actually make them, they just market either the Uberti or Armi San Marco models.
Quote:
I found this gun during a search, and it's not Mal's gun, but it has a similar "auto" meets "Revolver" look to it.
http://www.awaguns.com/matebaautorevolver.asp
Here's a modern copy of a Remington single action pistol.
http://www.emf-company.com/1875-remington-single-action-revolver.htm
That one is actually made by Uberti, in Italy.
Quote:
Navy Arms makes a black powder version in this style.
http://www.navyarms.com/html/solid_frame_per.html
Navy Arms also makes a modern black powder copy of a Le Mat pistol.
http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html
Navy Arms doesn't actually make them, they just sell them.
The Remington 1858 is actually made by Pietta in Italy. I think they also make the LeMat. But I'm not absolutely certain. EMF also sells the 1858, which is where I bought mine.
loadandmakeready
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Quote:
Originally posted by LoadAndMakeReady:
I could be wrong here, but If I remember correctly, Beretta doesn't actually make them, they just market either the Uberti or Armi San Marco models.
Actually, Beretta now owns Uberti. I'm not sure if Beretta actually makes thier SSA's or has them built by Uberti, but their Stampede line is different from guns in the Uberti line. For one thing, the Stampede's all have transfer bar safeties, very similar to Ruger's design. Their overall fit and finish seem to be better too.
You are correct about Navy Arms. They are just the importer.
Nothing wrong with Italian copies though.
The unique Mateba Auto-revolver is made by Italian gun maker Sergio Mateba. It's a true semi-auto revolver, similar to the Webley Fosbery. When fired, the upper slide and cylinder slide back and forth on the lower frame (the barrel is stationary), cocking the hammer and turning the cylinder. Unlike conventional revolvers that fire the round in the top of the cylinder, the Mateba fires the round from the bottom. Loading and unloading, though, is done like a conventional revolver.
http://www.randgfirearms.com/mateba.html
http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/1100/1143.htm
The Mateba isn't Mal's gun, but it's the closest thing I've seen to a working version of what he carries. The only major difference is that rounds are loaded in a cylinder, not a magazine.
I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.
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