DVRs are great. No more are we held hostage to the autocratic whims of the networks. So I was watching last week’s episode of The Event (hey…I’ve been busy) when one of the characters gives one of the others a pistol, telling him “We’ve chosen a .380 for it’s stopping power, and low-power cartridges so that the bullet won’t exit.” (Italics mine) Um…wait a tic, .380? Stopping power? Huh?!

You can say a lot about semi-autos built for the .380 cartridge, as well as the cartridge itself. “Stopping power” isn’t one of them. Small size? Check. Ease of concealment? Natch. Even weight advantages. True. But a .380 never has, and never will be known as the kind of bullet that will stop something like a .357 Magnum or a .45 ACP will.

I love it when writers pay such close attention to detail. Makes me wonder, did somebody knew what they were doing, and wrote in a .380 for concealability, but then changed the script so it sounded more macho, working in catch phrases like “stopping power?” I mean, that’s not even a rookie mistake.

So…question for ya…what TV shows or movies have you seen lately that made some really stupid mistake (and yes, magic magazines that never need reloading count)? Discuss amongst yourselves, then let’s see some comments.

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19 COMMENTS

  1. Well, the first that comes to mind was "A Few Good Men". The informant that was going to spill the beans on Jessup, commits suicide with a Beretta service 9mm. Later dialog says he shot himself with a .45.

    • no it was nickel plated so not a service piece, and the markings weren't legible, so to be fair it coulda been a .45

      • I have never seen a Beretta M9 style, or the Taurus clone in anything higher than .40. It definitely was not a standard military issue sidearm though.

        • He was a marine Lt. Col who was carrying a presentation grade 1911. I was in from 2000 to 2004 and was never issued an m9 as a sidearm, our recon company was meu/soc which meant 1911’s.

  3. The Walking Dead episode this week. Woman pulls a semi auto one handed and points it at a man. You hear the sound of a slide being racked, and she says "I know how to operate the safety"

  4. Rabbi, I believe the issue with shooter was that they couldn't get the blanks to cycle.

    As for The Event… well it's not the worst thing ever writen. I understand what they were trying to say, however "stopping power" sounds ridiculous.

  5. TCBA_Joe, You may be right as that would explain it, however, that being the case, they should have edited it out so we didn't see it.

  6. James Bond carried a.380, and he could hit guys 100 yards away. He also had those 40 round magazines for his PPK loaded with special double-ought spy rounds that would knock people backward with one shot. You guys are too hard on the .380. Tsk Tsk..

  7. My guess is they figured that .380 was a bigger number than .38 OR .357 and so must have greater stopping power. Plus (without seeing the episode) I'm guessing it was chambered in a scary black AUTOMATIC PISTOL which everyone knows is far deadlier than a stupid old fashioned revolver.

  9. It's been mentioned in a different thread, but the Call of Duty Black Ops poster has some… "inaccuracies".

  10. Face it, the average person thinks that shows like that are researched, and checked for accuracy. The average person also doesn't care enough to look it up. They forget that most of these shows are made in the strongholds of gun control. Cali and NY are not known for knowledgeable gun folks. Make it scary, thats good TV..

  11. the misinformation that the .380 has stopping power comes from James Bond. Q issues the weapon telling James that .380 "hits like a brick through a plate glass window." Ian Fleming may have been a wonderfully entertaining writer, but "facts" or "realism" aren't exactly what he's known for.

  12. he had previously wanted to use a .25 ACP…

    Can you imagine if James Bond's iconic weapon was a lorcin l25 instead of the walther ppk?

    thank the lord for small blessings.

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