Mal's gun
POSTED BY: RIPWash
UPDATED: Tuesday, September 1, 2009 23:13
VIEWED: 55571
PAGE 2 of 7
Trivia question:
Does the Malgun eject each cartridge like a semiauto, to retain each shell like a revolver?
Or are we not supposed to ask such questions?
I never noticed any ejected shells.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I'm pretty sure it retains. As bloopers will attest, the entire magazine comes out as opposed to sliding out like a revolver :P
Also, I emailed the customer service from Whedonwares (I'd placed an order with them for the Wilco model and was gonna cancel it), and they emailed me back with some interesting news. They're sending me closeups of the Wilco and the QMx from their personal collection ("Beth" who says she works for QMx), and she says that both the Wilco AND the QMx were cast from original prop molds, with the Wilco coming from the TV one.
She also said that while it hasn't even begun production yet, they are still planning on making the all-metal gun which I'd all but forgotten about given the time it's taken.
I'm waiting for the pics, but I think I may stick with the Wilco.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by piratenews:
Trivia question:
Does the Malgun eject each cartridge like a semiauto, to retain each shell like a revolver?
Or are we not supposed to ask such questions?
I never noticed any ejected shells.
The real film gun is a revolver buried in a semi-auto looking frame; hence no ejection.
The "fictional" explanation would be the use of consumable case ammo.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by bluesuncompanyman:
Pennausamike: you seem to possess a wagonload of knowledge on the subject, perhaps you could help me? What would you recommend? The $2000 model is certainly out of my film budget price range but the others are all in line. I'm not planning to go cheap.
Give me a day to find the comparison info for the film pistol versus the series pistol.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:Cool. I eagerly await.
Originally posted by pennausamike:
Give me a day to find the comparison info for the film pistol versus the series pistol.
There is a gunsmith near to where I dwell who I have a notion about approaching to inquire if he might retro-fit the model I choose with a proper wood stock grip. Beyond that, I painted warhammer figures for several years and retain the paints. A few hours of drybrushing Warhammer "Boltgun Metal" onto surface high points with some dark inking of the low areas may well yield the used grey-metal look I want.
Also I'm quite annoyed that Universal felt they had to stamp their involvement into the under side of the freaking barrel for the "offical" Serenity movie replica. I refer to image #14 in the gallery:
http://store.quantummechanix.com/Official-Malcolm-Reynolds-Stunt-Pisto
l-Replica_p_22.html
grr. Arg. Yea that's beautiful isn't it? A nice Universal Studios Copyright stamped right into the material. Certainly nothing a hand grinder + a little model patch can't solve I suppose.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
*Bump*
Just trying to keep this thread higher for a little longer. Also, I thought I'd relate my comic book analysis of the sidearm.
First off: Better Days doesn't give us much angle on the weapon. You see it in Mal's hand a couple of times but you have to squint to see any detail, if there's any to be hand
But: Those Left Behind offers terrific panels of the pistol. Most importantly is at the very start of the story when Mal faces off with a competing thief over a heist. After giving up his goods to his foe, he's told to surrender the pistol itself because as the other fellow says "I have a thing for antiquities". We get three great panels showing color and surface detail of the sidearm after that.
Based on those images I'm inclined to further lean toward the pistol as it's depected in the show rather than the film. It's drawn in an obvious "gun-metal grey" color to match what we see in Firefly and not the bronze coloring of the offical Serenity replica. Most confusing to me is that the comic was drawn after the film, not before.
I guess the overall answer for my film is that the pistol can be whatever fans what it to be. That's too bad because I really wanted a solid "This is what it is" conclusion. One nice thing that came from the comic however was the statement "I have a thing for antiquites" which proves my belief that the pistol is a relic no longer manufactured. I had been told 3 years ago that it was a standard issue sidearm to all Independent NCO's and that many of the pieces were lost during the war thus leading to it's rarity. I'm not sure that jives with the paperwork that accompanies the $149 Universal Studio's replica which implies a private ownership sale.
I'm hoping someone can shed some light.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by piratenews:
Trivia question:
Does the Malgun eject each cartridge like a semiauto, to retain each shell like a revolver?
Or are we not supposed to ask such questions?
I never noticed any ejected shells.
As others have said, I assumed it was a semi-auto firing caseless ammunition.
As a firearms enthusiast, I keep praying that someone will manufacture a working semi-auto that replicates this design. Of course, the closer I look at it, the more complicated the design gets.
Starting with the magazine. A single (or even double stack magazine of the size udes in Mal's gun would hold 3, maybe 4 rounds of .30 cal carbine ammo. (I picked .30 carbine because it's the smallest viable round I can think of at the moment), one you factor in space for the follower and spring. However, a detachable Mannlicher-type rotary magazine (think a scaled up 10/22 mag) might hold 6 rounds in the same vertical space. Of course, this magazine would be quite a bit wider than the single-stacks shown in the photos.
Next problem: the slide.
This is where caseless ammo would come in handy. In a semi-auto weapon, the rounds feed up and forward from the magazine to the chamber. This means that everything from the magazine to the hammer consists of the extractor, firing pin, and a shitload of reciprocating metal. For the sake of arguement, I'm imagining the little T-shaped indentations of the prop guns (above the mag) to be roughly where the ejection port goes. The firing pin itself is a cause for concern. Assuming the pin runs from the hammer, all the way to the rear of the chamber, you're looking at a firing pin about 5 inches long. Damned fragile.
The recoil springs are, I assume, located on the 2 rods the extend on either side of the mag, but they seem to me on backwards (that is, if they are there to serve a guide rods, the recoil springs should be fixed to the front of the rods, so as to compress the springs when the slide moves back under recoil).
Finally, grip angle: I'm not entirely sure which bits of this gun are supposed to reciprocate during cycling, but wouldn't want the webbing of my hand in the way when they did. That old west revolver grip angle just seems too shallow for safe operation. Not to mention that this gun would be all kinds of muzzle-heavy.
I'm sorry if this post reeked of gun-nerd. But I'd love to be able to take a real-life Browncoat pistol to the range one day. Right now the closest thing out there is the Ruger Charger, which I'd love to get my hands on to try and create a reasonable Mal pistol facsimilie.
Mercy is the mark of a great man.
Guess I'm just a good man.
Well, I'm alright.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
In the Firefly Visual Companion, Vol 1, pp 78-79, there is a nice little article about the p[istol and how it was made. There are photos of the actual gun it is wrapped around (a snub-nose revolver), and a photo of the semi-assembled gun. If you're dreaming of making your own working model, this might be the place to start; a template, if you would. 
"Might have been the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one." -Mal
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Yes, but a gussied-up revolver is just that: a revolver. A functional magazine fed semi auto is a whole different kettle of beasts. Or something.
Personally, I'd love to get a LeMat replica with an accessory rail on the barrel and a nickle-plated shotgun barrel underneath. Like Jayne's. 
Mercy is the mark of a great man.
Guess I'm just a good man.
Well, I'm alright.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Okay revival time. I've managed to find a Sidkit one, unassembled, for $250. How much did these things run before? I could cancel the order I have for the preassembled Wilco one which would give me $63 towards it. Supposedly QMx is making a Metal one but production hasn't even begun. I'm kinda afraid to miss this opportunity.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME