Hi All,
Recently, as is my want, I was watching a TV show on ABC or perhaps SBS (it doesn't really matter). The show was directed towards explaining to school children the working of an orchestra. One of the instruments, shown ever so briefly, was designed to simulate the “crack” of a whip. Being a bit of a lateral thinker, I thought “what about simulating the crack of a gun”.
No doubt most triallers will attest to the fact that if you try to use a (real) gun and primers in built up and/or public up area, you are guaranteed of attracting unwanted attention from the Police and/or local authorities. Using a child’s “cap” gun is certainly one option, but their reliability leaves a lot to be desired.
Cutting along story short, I took a piece of 2x1 pine about 10 inches long and to this I attached a second piece of 2x1 about 6 inches long using a butt hinge. With a short, sharp downward motion, the 6 inch piece of material strikes the longer piece and a “crack” like noise is produced. A cheap, simple and 100% reliable instrument! I have no doubt that by playing with the choice of and thicknesses of the material; it may be possible to produce an even more realistic simulation of the sound of a firearm.
R’s , RWT