Mythbusters shoot a cannonball through someone's home

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BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,040
12,367
136
On tonight's news story about this, they said that Mythbusters has used the county bomb range in as many as 50 shows.

I agree with Schneider on this. It wasn't too many years ago that the area was all pasture and ranch land surrounding the Alameda County Jail where the range is located.
There is (or was) a police gun range off Scott Creek Road east of 680. Developers bought all the land around it and built expensive sub-divisions all around it. Of course, the homeowners started bitching about the gunfire as soon as they started moving in...looking via google maps, it appears that the firing range is now gone.
 

Brigandier

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2008
4,394
2
81
Hal if you're thinking Ireland, you're a bigger numb nuts than I thought.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...sb&biw=1024&bih=655&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

To be fair, before I read the article I was extremely confused as to why Mythbusters went to Ireland to test cannons.

Irish Myths to Bust:
If you drink ten shots of whisky in an hour, you can talk to god and dead relatives.
You cannot drink a gallon of ale without peeing.
Irish people can be understood by sheep and sheep alone.
That the amount of a good time in Ireland is directly proportional to alcohol tolerance.
 

Ichinisan

Lifer
Oct 9, 2002
28,298
1,235
136
Holy crap. I thought these firing ranges they went to were way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like it's literally right across the street from suburbia. What the hell are they thinking??? This is just plain stupid. Of course how much do you want to bet that the producer was trying to cut costs but Adam and Jaimie wanted to do it somewhere in the sticks to be safe. This has bad management decision written all over it.

I disagree. The producers are just as concerned with safety and the cost of production insurance (which is astronomical already).
 
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Brovane

Diamond Member
Dec 18, 2001
5,641
1,909
136
Holy crap. I thought these firing ranges they went to were way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like it's literally right across the street from suburbia. What the hell are they thinking??? This is just plain stupid. Of course how much do you want to bet that the producer was trying to cut costs but Adam and Jaimie wanted to do it somewhere in the sticks to be safe. This has bad management decision written all over it.

Remember the Sheriff's department signed off on them firing the cannon at the range. It wasn't like they just pulled up someplace random and fired it off.
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,144
929
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:hmm: Knowing Mythbusters they'll switch to a rubber ball to up the bounce factor and re-shoot. Such hijinks. :awe:
 
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Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
68,334
12,562
126
www.anyf.ca
lol that's hilarious. Glad no one was hurt, and hopefully this wont hurt the show. Knowing the states and how they are, I could see it being shut down over this with some huge crazy lawsuit or something.
 
Aug 23, 2000
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:hmm: Knowing Mythbusters they'll switch to a rubber ball to up the bounce factor and re-shoot. Such hijinks. :awe:

OK, Let's start an internet myth about different types of cannon shot and how far it bounces.

I heard that if you shoot a cannon ball sized sphere of silly putty it will splat against a wall and make an impression of the writing on the wall.


I'd also like to test out the myth of Old Iron Sides. Can a wooden ship really stop cannon balls with it's hull?
 

mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
9,734
54
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this whole "cannonball gone wrong" obviously needs to be tested on mythbusters

no way it did that much damage and went that far
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,095
30,041
146
Hal if you're thinking Ireland, you're a bigger numb nuts than I thought.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q...sb&biw=1024&bih=655&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

to be fair, most people would probably assume Ireland.

I first read "East Dublin," and knew that MB would likely be out here somewhere, but never knew there was an "east" Dublin. Then I saw "Dublin' as the location, and was like, "wtf are they doing in Ireland?"

no one outside of the Bay Area would ever associate Dublin with anything but Ireland.

anyway, for Hal's sake:

Irish > British
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,144
929
126
OK, Let's start an internet myth about different types of cannon shot and how far it bounces.

I heard that if you shoot a cannon ball sized sphere of silly putty it will splat against a wall and make an impression of the writing on the wall.


I'd also like to test out the myth of Old Iron Sides. Can a wooden ship really stop cannon balls with it's hull?

Shooting up a ship sounds like a fun way to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day. :sneaky:

Cannon balls made of rubber or putty lack penetrating power because they deform on impact, yet they have tremendous knockdown power, unlike velcro ones that just stick to your sweater. That's the word on the street anyway, FWIW. I reckon a rubber cannonball would bounce for up to two minutes if shot into the center of a small town.

Also they say you never hear the one that gets you. :eek:
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
10
81
Shooting up a ship sounds like a fun way to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day. :sneaky:

Cannon balls made of rubber or putty lack penetrating power because they deform on impact, yet they have tremendous knockdown power, unlike velcro ones that just stick to your sweater. That's the word on the street anyway, FWIW. I reckon a rubber cannonball would bounce for up to two minutes if shot into the center of a small town.

Also they say you never hear the one that gets you. :eek:
Only if it goes supersonic.