Bob Munden Fast Draw
July 16, 2010 1:05 PM Subscribe

"Fast draw is the fastest thing a human being does. Nobody does anything faster than what I do with guns."

Bob Munden shoots fast and accurately. His official YouTube channel is a good place to start, and there are many more videos.

A few things that compare to his shooting speed: c, Google Chrome, his snappy answers.

posted by domnit (58 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

In the linked video, near the end, it looks like there's a handheld shot (3:15ish), standing in between two balloons, that he shoots. WTF?
posted by Threeway Handshake at 1:09 PM on July 16, 2010

It's his modesty that's the most appealing.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 1:09 PM on July 16, 2010 [9 favorites]

Nobody does anything faster than what I do with guns
Mrs. Munden would beg to differ...
posted by Thorzdad at 1:13 PM on July 16, 2010 [8 favorites]

(Camera pans over olde-timey crowd, an array of grimaces)
posted by boo_radley at 1:14 PM on July 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

It's his modesty that's the most appealing.

He's probably used to keeping up a long string of hyperbole as any good carnie/showman type person would be.
posted by Think_Long at 1:15 PM on July 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Is modesty really appropriate here?
posted by Squid Voltaire at 1:17 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

Somebody needs to get that guy in a room with the "your business card sucks" guy and let them brag each other to death.
posted by The World Famous at 1:18 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

They never look like Robert Redford...when he stumbles out dozily...and sees Butch and Etta on the bicycle...and he's wearing that long underwear...which makes you want to....
posted by Jody Tresidder at 1:19 PM on July 16, 2010

Would love to see this in 1000 fps.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 1:21 PM on July 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Threeway Handshake: “In the linked video, near the end, it looks like there's a handheld shot (3:15ish), standing in between two balloons, that he shoots. WTF?”

Yeah, I felt the same way (at least if I'm understanding what you're saying correctly.) The remarkable thing isn't even that he manages to shoot two balloons that are five feet apart in less than a second; the remarkable thing is that the cameraman has the balls to stand behind and between the balloons.
posted by koeselitz at 1:22 PM on July 16, 2010 [6 favorites]

(And at that point, we're not even talking about "he's full of himself." We're talking about "he practices unsafe gunmanship.")
posted by koeselitz at 1:23 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

The role of Bob Munden, by the way, was being played by Steve Carrell.
posted by shmegegge at 1:26 PM on July 16, 2010

I think I read somewhere that his gun is loaded with blanks, which are powerful enough to pop the balloons. He's not actually shooting metal bullet projectiles.
posted by mrbill at 1:27 PM on July 16, 2010

It's worth noting that there is almost no documented evidence of most of the awards Munden claims to have won. That's just showbusiness hooey, probably.

He's pretty fucking fast with that gun, though.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:28 PM on July 16, 2010

at 1:55 he says "I'll shoot about 8 ft away cause I'm shooting blanks now". I guess blanks can pop a balloon?
posted by PercussivePaul at 1:28 PM on July 16, 2010

From 1989: Which is faster: Bob Munden's hand or his mouth?
posted by mrbill at 1:29 PM on July 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

koeselitz, he's shooting blanks (durr hurr). No danger, just enough to knock over paper targets.
posted by anthill at 1:29 PM on July 16, 2010

I think I read somewhere that his gun is loaded with blanks, which are powerful enough to pop the balloons. He's not actually shooting metal bullet projectiles.

I can't watch the videos at work, but generally speaking with any kind of competitive quick-draw, this is the case. Which is a good thing, because being fast with a gun doesn't necessarily translate into be accurate with a gun. And the last thing you want is someone who's learning the skill flinging off random live rounds every time they draw.
posted by quin at 1:31 PM on July 16, 2010

"How'd he pop those balloons with a blank?"

Some forms of fast draw competitions use special blanks that are loaded with a layer of slow burning rifle powder on top of a thin layer of faster burning pistol powder. The pistol powder ignites the slower burning rifle powder, and fires it out the barrel much like a shotgun shell. The burning powder only travels a few yards before it completely combusts, but that is far enough to burst the balloon used as a target for those competitions. Wax bullets are also commonly used for competitions and training where a non-lethal projectile is required.

Source: Wikipedia

Another thing I didn't know:

A blank cartridge may also be issued to a randomly selected shooter in an execution by firing squad, on the theory that each of the shooters may take comfort in the fact that they may not have fired a live round. This tradition dates back to before cartridge arms, when a muzzle loading musket would be loaded without a ball.[1][2][3] However, it would, in fact, be obvious to the shooter of the blank round due to the lack of recoil.

posted by circular at 1:32 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

So this guy has like 20/1 vision or bionic eye replacements or something right? (re: the nail shooting video)
posted by oddman at 1:33 PM on July 16, 2010

Is the all-polyester-all-the-time wardrobe to decrease friction?
posted by doctor_negative at 1:34 PM on July 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm thrilled to once again learn about a whole subculture I didn't know existed. Thank you!
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:34 PM on July 16, 2010

Ooh, even more fascinating (and sad), same wiki article:

Jon-Erik Hexum was killed when he placed a blank-loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger—he did not realize the blanks had sufficient force to push the wad from the blank through his skull, sending bone fragments deep into his brain.[4]

posted by circular at 1:34 PM on July 16, 2010

Needs more pistol-xylophone.
posted by anthill at 1:37 PM on July 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

> "I'll shoot about 8 ft away cause I'm shooting blanks now". I guess blanks can pop a balloon?

Those are .45 blanks, which certainly can be packed with enough powder to have a concussive force enough to pop balloons. The accuracy question is valid. If he were using real bullets on tougher targets, he would probably miss more often that he hit, even at that close range. With blanks, there is a bit of plastic or wax that blocks the powder from escaping from the round, and keeps it packed tight. This blows out the barrel, along with the burning powder. What he's doing is like taking a small flamethrower to a balloon so pinpoint accuracy isn't really a factor.

Still, though. Fast hands. Hope he takes it slower when he's with a woman.
posted by Burhanistan at 1:38 PM on July 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

"Blank" cartridges are real, live bullets with low grain loads and either paper or plastic caps instead of bullets. They'll sure as hell kill you if you're too close to them when they go off. People have died on movie sets and elsewhere by not taking blanks seriously - proper gun control should always be practiced when using blanks, just like you should even if you think the gun isn't loaded.

This is also how he's shooting the balloons so easily - accuracy isn't nearly as important as if it would would while firing actual solid bullets. They fire out shrapnel in a pattern not unlike a small shotgun shell.

Optional snarky reply - this guy has obviously never played Tetris at level 9 or beyond where rote and practiced reaction times only help so much. You have to move that fast and think about spatially complex problems at the same time. Granted this is probably filmed long before twitchy video games got serious.
posted by loquacious at 1:40 PM on July 16, 2010 [7 favorites]

Yeah, even if they're blanks, I find this to be horrible. The biggest thing about guns is safety, right? The first thing anybody learns about guns is:

"You only point a gun at something you intend to shoot"

And that goes for even guns that you are 100000% sure are not loaded.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 1:41 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

I saw Munden perform live inside a former auto dealership building back in the 1970's.

At the time a band called "Led Zeppelin" was very popular.
posted by Tube at 1:55 PM on July 16, 2010

puzzled doy
posted by neuromodulator at 1:56 PM on July 16, 2010

it went down like this; i was buying some weed from a fat englishman whom i suspected of breaking into my farmhouse on several occasions and stealing shit, including the dope i bought from him. looking around the room, i was able to identify a couple of items of mine. one afternoon, my truck parked out of sight, he entered my yard, robbed my toolshed and was headed to the house where i was busy shaking the lead shot out of two 12 guage shotgun shells. when he kicked in the screendoor and entered the kitchen, i let him have both barrels in that gut of his and watched the look of absolute pant-shitting terror spread across his face as he hit the floor. thats when i noticed an enormous amount of blood oozing out from between his fingers. turns out there's some sort of wadding between the pellets and the powder which i hadn't removed and which now laid about an inch under his skin. the next couple of days were a bit troublesome, but we eventually reached an understanding.
posted by kitchenrat at 1:58 PM on July 16, 2010 [13 favorites]

> ouldn't it always just be better to draw and shoot right away?

Somehow, I doubt that most encounters in the "old west" actually went down that way. More like dude is tying up his horse and another dude has been waiting behind a wall for 3 hours for him and then he steps out and offs him unceremoniously.
posted by Burhanistan at 2:04 PM on July 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

mutual favorite for loq for simultaneously posting very similar comments
posted by Burhanistan at 2:05 PM on July 16, 2010

yeah, blanks can pop a ballon at short range. or, ya know, a skull. :|
posted by luvcraft at 2:13 PM on July 16, 2010

ack, someone already posted about Hexum. That's what I get for skimming the comments before replying.
posted by luvcraft at 2:16 PM on July 16, 2010

neuromodulator : I've always been puzzle by duels ... What are they waiting for? JUST SHOOT HIM QUICK.

The reason your're puzzled is that duels like this are an invention of Hollywood, and the waiting builds tension in the scene.

Real gunfights favored people who aimed and sought cover.
posted by quin at 2:20 PM on July 16, 2010

Please Karma by visiting my site. :)
posted by HumanComplex at 2:22 PM on July 16, 2010

Pew.
(For those of you ain't got eyes for it, that were 2 "pews" at the speed o' light.)
posted by pyrex at 2:25 PM on July 16, 2010 [3 favorites]

Bob Munden: is he a Mefite?
posted by ouke at 2:48 PM on July 16, 2010

Some of the youtube comments on his videos are hilarious, which is kind of rare for youtube.
posted by mecran01 at 3:35 PM on July 16, 2010

He's using numbers I'm not familiar with!
posted by orme at 3:47 PM on July 16, 2010

Louis Lamour, the western writer, had a standing offer of $10,000 to anyone who could produce documented evidence of a gunfight ala the opening sequence of the old TV show Gunsmoke. As far as I'm aware, he never had any takers....
posted by Pressed Rat at 3:58 PM on July 16, 2010

I've always been puzzle by duels - the glare at each other and then quick-draw versioin, not the count to ten and turn around type. What's the deal with waiting? How does waiting benefit you? Wouldn't it always just be better to draw and shoot right away? What are they waiting for? JUST SHOOT HIM QUICK.

In all likelihood the real explanation is that it makes a better story but there's a little bit of truth in that -

Reaction on average 21ms faster than action

Maybe something to do with how muscles and brains are wired - evolutionary maybe - if you already have an instinctual or pre-envisioned movement ready, you'll pull it off faster in response to a triggering stimuli rather than doing it "cold" without a trigger.

Performing a draw 21ms faster would not negate the (average) 200ms reflex time that humans have. Some theories are that the second to draw is reacting not to the action of the first drawing his gun, but to some other trigger (shifting of weight, eyes, etc) that betrays the cold start.
posted by xdvesper at 4:46 PM on July 16, 2010 [4 favorites]

The reason your're puzzled is that duels like this are an invention of Hollywood,

Can't remember where I read or heard it but the story goes that real cowboys didn't actually wear cowboy hats. The hats were seen as ridiculous which is the reason why they were photographed. (Sort of in the people of walmart vein of its time). Then, people who were not cowboys but were headed to cowboy land presumed it was the appropriate attire and donned it before travelling. There was gold in them thar hills so they came in droves. It's gonna drive me nuts not to remember the source of this tidbit. It mighta been David Milch.

Some of the youtube comments on his videos are hilarious

I liked the one that said he was using an aimbot.
posted by dobbs at 6:04 PM on July 16, 2010

Weird. There is so little to see here that it's almost a little... boring.
posted by clvrmnky at 6:05 PM on July 16, 2010

When I was in high school, a guy did a bullwhip, lasso, and pistol demonstration there. He fired a pistol with a blank in it, with a magazine (like Popular Mechanics or something) held over the end of the barrel, to demonstrate how non-harmless blanks are at close range. It was loud as hell, even though I had my ears covered, and it shredded the holy hell out of that magazine. It was like a giant party-popper.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 9:26 PM on July 16, 2010

This is also how he's shooting the balloons so easily - accuracy isn't nearly as important as if it would would while firing actual solid bullets. They fire out shrapnel in a pattern not unlike a small shotgun shell.

Yeah, a spread of flaming paper and burning powder traveling out along a shock wave of superheated air should pop the balloons at that range if you even fire in their general direction. Knocking down tin cans or bottles would make for a better show of accuracy.

Not to take too much away from it though. The fastdraw is really impressive.
posted by Avelwood at 11:06 PM on July 16, 2010

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot! Don't talk!"
posted by sour cream at 1:22 AM on July 17, 2010

This chap is pretty impressive - not the fast draw but the speedload and rate of fire is phenomenal. Apologies for the shitty metacafe link - best I could find on short notice.
posted by longbaugh at 8:20 AM on July 17, 2010

Also, with regards to this question -

I've always been puzzle by duels - the glare at each other and then quick-draw versioin, not the count to ten and turn around type. What's the deal with waiting? How does waiting benefit you? Wouldn't it always just be better to draw and shoot right away? What are they waiting for? JUST SHOOT HIM QUICK.

The best shootists in the Old West took their time, ambushed their opponents or used a shotgun*. The one-on-one SAA duels from movies and TV are pretty much crap. It takes a long time to open the gate on an SAA revolver and reload it so if you're going to shoot you take your 6 shots very carefully. You don't fan or thumbslip the hammer - you pull it, aim it and then fire.

*Doc Holliday for one used a sawn off at the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral. It's actually a lot quicker to load and fire a double barrel than to load and fire the single-action revolvers of the day. Their lethality and ease of use/reliability also makes them a lot more useful at close range.
posted by longbaugh at 8:27 AM on July 17, 2010

I'm mostly fascinated by the leather badge he wears, and the odd accent of the interviewer.
posted by gjc at 8:33 AM on July 17, 2010

My grandpa was a cavalry pistol instructor, OSS officer, then customs agent. He grew up on a ranch in Montana.

He could fast draw and hit a running rabbit, with his pistol, every single time. When I first saw him do that, I asked him, how did you manage to develop that skill?

Can he be my grandpa, too?

The best shootists in the Old West took their time, ambushed their opponents or used a shotgun*. The one-on-one SAA duels from movies and TV are pretty much crap. It takes a long time to open the gate on an SAA revolver and reload it so if you're going to shoot you take your 6 shots very carefully. You don't fan or thumbslip the hammer - you pull it, aim it and then fire.

posted by longbaugh

I assume I don't need to say it.
posted by Amanojaku at 12:08 PM on July 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

There has to be something in the fucking water out Wasilla way. It defies belief that both this dude and Sarah Palin come from the same town.

It also defies belief that he used to live in SLO, which is out in my home neck of the woods.
posted by PsychoTherapist at 9:58 PM on July 17, 2010

He's a classic self-promoting schmuck, and he's been doing his schtick for as long as I can remember. He's good at what he does, but the folks that are officially the best have pounded him in tournaments often enough to settle the issue fairly comfortably. He avoids tournaments these days because, if enough folks hand him his ass, he can't peddle his schtick at car shows and county fairs.

The trouble with this guy is that he is, honestly, damned good - and if he kept his mouth shut and just demonstrated what he can do, he'd have a much better reputation than the one he currently has with others in the sport.

Instead, he's wrapped himself with so many lies, half-truths, and silliness that no one can take him, or his skills, seriously. His friggin' web site reads like an exercise in prevarication. He, or one of his friends, even slid a wee bit of that fudging into the Wikipedia entry for the Guinness World Records - 4 weeks ago.

One almost gets the feeling that he, or his friends, are attempting to stir interest in him.
posted by FormlessOne at 11:00 PM on July 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

Re: duels: I've always tought it was because the reacting party was acting in self-defence, so would be blameless should they hit their opponent. If they were the first to draw and score a hit, it would be an illegal killing or wounding. So they stood staring at each other until one or the other could not take the pressure any more and drew.
posted by Harald74 at 11:08 PM on July 17, 2010

His "nail on the head" years later is classic already.
posted by Hasai at 12:15 AM on July 18, 2010

What has happened is that Munden has been traveling around the country swearing that he is the World's Fastest Gun for some 17 years, and because he is a terrific self-promoter, people tend to believe it. He clearly operates on the principle that if he says it often enough and loud enough, it's true.

*And* he's from Wasilla, AK? At that point, it isn't even an analogy.
posted by DU at 5:27 AM on July 19, 2010

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Bob Munden Fast Draw July 16, 2010 1:05 PM Subscribe

Bob Munden Fast Draw
July 16, 2010 1:05 PM Subscribe