Dangerously Close

[dukealien]

I am dangerously close to thinking I understand what the blazes Baldwin did and how all the testimony could be true.

First, understand "fanning" a single-action Colt revolver.  You hold the trigger back (with index finger, normally) and rapidly pull back and release the hammer with the palm of the other hand.  Since the hammer operates the cylinder and, with the trigger back, there is no engagement of the trigger sear with the full- or half-cock notches, the hammer falls with the cylinder properly aligned and (if a live cartridge is in the chamber under the hammer) fires the pistol.

There is a variant called "slip-firing," which I have done (it's the normal way to quickly draw and fire a single-action revolver from a reversed (cavalry-style) flap holster.  The index finger is on the trigger holding it back, and the web of the thumb pulls the hammer back and releases it to fire the pistol.  Mechanically, this is the same as fanning but performed with one hand.  (It's quite fast, by the way, but not very accurate.)

I believe what Baldwin did was draw his revolver, holding it with his index finger pressed against the side of the trigger - outside the trigger guard (mostly) and not actually pressing ("pulling") the trigger back.  He then cocked the pistol with his thumb and released the hammer, expecting it to remain cocked (hammer all the way back and trigger sear in the full-cock notch).  However, his pressure on the side of the trigger kept it from springing forward into its cocked position and engaging the full-cock notch in the hammer.  It therefore flew forward, bypassing the half- and full-cock notches, and fired since there was a live cartridge aligned with it.

In summary, Baldwin is correct in saying he cocked the pistol (or tried to) but did not "pull" the trigger.  If I'm right, he effectively and unintentionally slip-fired it.

How a live ball cartridge got into the weapon is a whole other issue.  Apparently there were not only blanks and live ball cartridges, but dummy cartridges on the set.  The latter would be necessary to portray loading a weapon on camera safely and would look as much like live cartridges as possible for that purpose.  Normally dummy cartridges have prominent holes drilled through the cartridge case to show there is no propellant inside.  I have such a dummy .50 machine gun round on my desk (used as a letter opener).

No comments necessary unless you want to, just thinking out loud.

[Tiger the Lion]

I am dangerously close to thinking I understand what the blazes Baldwin did and how all the testimony could be true.

First, understand "fanning" a single-action Colt revolver.  You hold the trigger back (with index finger, normally) and rapidly pull back and release the hammer with the palm of the other hand.  Since the hammer operates the cylinder and, with the trigger back, there is no engagement of the trigger sear with the full- or half-cock notches, the hammer falls with the cylinder properly aligned and (if a live cartridge is in the chamber under the hammer) fires the pistol.

There is a variant called "slip-firing," which I have done (it's the normal way to quickly draw and fire a single-action revolver from a reversed (cavalry-style) flap holster.  The index finger is on the trigger holding it back, and the web of the thumb pulls the hammer back and releases it to fire the pistol.  Mechanically, this is the same as fanning but performed with one hand.  (It's quite fast, by the way, but not very accurate.)

I believe what Baldwin did was draw his revolver, holding it with his index finger pressed against the side of the trigger - outside the trigger guard (mostly) and not actually pressing ("pulling") the trigger back.  He then cocked the pistol with his thumb and released the hammer, expecting it to remain cocked (hammer all the way back and trigger sear in the full-cock notch).  However, his pressure on the side of the trigger kept it from springing forward into its cocked position and engaging the full-cock notch in the hammer.  It therefore flew forward, bypassing the half- and full-cock notches, and fired since there was a live cartridge aligned with it.

In summary, Baldwin is correct in saying he cocked the pistol (or tried to) but did not "pull" the trigger.  If I'm right, he effectively and unintentionally slip-fired it.

How a live ball cartridge got into the weapon is a whole other issue.  Apparently there were not only blanks and live ball cartridges, but dummy cartridges on the set.  The latter would be necessary to portray loading a weapon on camera safely and would look as much like live cartridges as possible for that purpose.  Normally dummy cartridges have prominent holes drilled through the cartridge case to show there is no propellant inside.  I have such a dummy .50 machine gun round on my desk (used as a letter opener).

No comments necessary unless you want to, just thinking out loud.

Thanks for that Duke. I've watched a few experts on YouTube who explained it similarly. Still sounds like semantics to me. Many "mistakes" leading up to the event.

[Mark A Becker]

I find it very perplexing that in an interview, Baldwin said he didn't know that a live round was even fired.  Hmmm?

He described the loud sound of the shot, and said that the director screamed loudly (having been shot after the bullet passed through Halyna).

I don't own a firearm, let alone a large caliber pistol, but I would certainly think that he must've felt the kick of the gun when it fired.

He has been in many, many films when guns are "fired", and I would think that he, and everyone else, instinctively knew that something highly unusual had just happened.

I certainly hope that the investigation will uncover how a live round got onto the set, and into that gun.

Very, very unfortunate, and tragic, that a mistake like this can occur within what should be a very tightly controlled scene, handled by supposed professionals.

Also- thanks for the great step-by-step description of firearm mechanics, Duke.