Man shot with "hand cannon"---maybe Taurus 'Judge'?

D

DaleA

New member
Welp, here's the headline:
HPD looking for suspect who shot man in the head with 'hand cannon' on Houston's southside
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The complete story is here:
https://abc13.com/hand-cannon-shoot...shot-in-the-head-search-for-shooter/11428089/

I was thinking one of those ancient Chinese things:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heilongjiang_hand_cannon

but it turns out it may be no more exotic than a Taurus Judge or S&W Governor.

Guess anything goes to get attention if you're in the news media.
 
It says it fired shotgun shells.

What makes you think it is not 20 or 12 ga? These things certainly exist, and are inexpensive.

While you are assuming it’s .410, I suspect it’s indeed an unusual weapon.

I wish I could bet you $20.
American Gun Craft’s Diablo, Pedersoli Howdah, Rossi makes one, etc.
 
Could be larger than a .410 shotgun shell. I said it MAY be something like a Judge or Governor.

I just don't consider a shotgun shell a cannon shell.

I'm pointing out my disgust with the media sensationalizing anything having to do with firearms.
 
stinkeypete It says it fired shotgun shells.

What makes you think it is not 20 or 12 ga? These things certainly exist, and are inexpensive.
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Show me one.


While you are assuming it’s .410, I suspect it’s indeed an unusual weapon.
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Nothing unusual about a Taurus Judge or S&W Governor.




I wish I could bet you $20.
American Gun Craft’s Diablo, Pedersoli Howdah, Rossi makes one, etc.
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I'll take that bet!
The Diablo and Howda are muzzleloaders.....they don't fire 12ga or 20ga shotgun shells.;)

The National Firearms Act would apply to a handgun of .50 cal or greater. And thats why Taurus doesn't make the Judge in 20ga or 12ga.


Sounds like an off the cuff remark by a cop, taken as fact by a reporter.
 
A Mossberg Shockwave might be construed as a "hand cannon" in common vernacular and would fire 12 ga. shells. I don't think I would use the word "inexpensive" for it or the following NFA 'hand cannons.'

So would a Serbu Shorty Shotgun, also in 12 ga. (special paperwork)

There is also the Rossi 12 ga. shotgun pistol. (special paperwork)

Sounds like an off the cuff remark by a cop, taken as fact by a reporter.
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Not an uncommon occurrence, but we want to kill the messenger for it. I don't recall which mass shooting it was, maybe Sandyhook, where the police misidentified a shotgun as an AR15 (IIRC) and the reporters reported the police statements and the reporter were scorned for not fact checking the police.
 
Diablo or Desperado, many models:

https://americanguncraft.com/products/
These are black powder shotgun pistols ignited with 209 primers. They ship straight to your door, no ffl paperwork.

Pedersoli Howdah (.410) review
https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/...e-barrel-pedersoli-howdah-45-410-full-review/

Rossi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQR21EcH8Rs

Mossberg Shockwave
https://www.mossberg.com/product/590-nightstick-6-shot/

In my shotgun world, these are all "cheap"... and having shot a lot of black powder... it's not a disadvantage until you need to reload.
 
The article says the victim "is expected to survive".

You get shot in the head at 'argument range' with a shotgun shell and are "expected to survive", I'm betting its more likely to be a .410.

Just sayin'
 
People grazed in the head by bullets or shot are "shot in the head" from a reporter's perspective.

A "real" hand cannon would "at this range, take your head clean off" or so Dirty Harry said....;)
 
pointing out my disgust with the media sensationalizing anything having to do with firearms.
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Except in this case the media is quoting law enforcement.

Sounds like a Shockwave or something similar was used. This also emphasizes that you still have to hit vitals with shot sizes large enough to do serious damage even with a shotgun shell.
 
I agree, the writeup sounds like it was a Judge.
But, it didn't say it was a LEGAL "hand cannon." It might have been a shotgun cut down to the size of an Auto-Burglar.
 
I expect it was NOT a Judge, which not not look particularly remarkable. I think it was some odd looking weapon, that looked something like a sawed-off shotgun. From my experience, people tend to say stuff that isn't correct more often than they are technically correct.

Let's keep our eyes on that and see. I bet no one cares, except us.
 
From my experience, people tend to say stuff that isn't correct more often than they are technically correct.
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Well, yeah, I think "hand cannons" (technically speaking) stopped being an actual thing in what, the 1500s? Improvements in technology were made and they were replaced with other forms of firearms. Maybe they were used into later times by some groups, but generally speaking, we haven't really seen the use of actual hand cannons in the last 300 years or more, have we?

Now, it is more of an descriptive expression of exaggeration to add context or emphasis to a story or description, meaning big bore, but not shoulder fired.
 
Dad had a S&W model 28 Highway Patrolman 6" .357 Magnum.

Mom called it a "cannon" and for decades, it was the "cannon" in the house. Until Dad got a model 29....:D

Maybe the reporter is just quoting a cop who thinks anything bigger than his service pistol (and probably a 9mm) is a "cannon".

People do that all the time. Our GIs fought more "Tiger" tanks from Normandy to the west wall than the Germans ever built. To many of our GIs any (and every) thing bigger than a Sherman was a Tiger, and the Germans had quite a few tanks bigger than Shermans, most weren't Tigers.

Never understood, other than for technical interest in the performance of the firearm and projectile, why it matters what someone gets shot with.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
Well, yeah, I think "hand cannons" (technically speaking) stopped being an actual thing in what, the 1500s? Improvements in technology were made and they were replaced with other forms of firearms. Maybe they were used into later times by some groups, but
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Yep. Friend of mine made one to shoot roughly 1" bore a couple years ago as a historical reenactment activity.

Accuracy was not much better than hitting a two-foot square piece of plywood at 15 yards about 3 out of 4 shots. No sights and touch-hole ignition did not contribute to precision shooting.
 
upload_2020-6-11_17-28-25-jpeg.227499


Maybe?


BISHOP
 
I never saw one in person, and that pic may well be a photoshop,

But IIRC it was Pachmayer who made a conversion to make a single shot silhouette pistol on a 1911 frame.
 
I said:
I'm pointing out my disgust with the media sensationalizing anything having to do with firearms.

And a couple replies were:
Sounds like an off the cuff remark by a cop, taken as fact by a reporter.
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Except in this case the media is quoting law enforcement.
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IMhO the replies are correct and certainly do put the media in a better light than I portrayed them.

I think the replies show folks on this site do a good job of reading and understanding what was written and speak up to make corrections in the interest of what might be called 'fair play'. This is one of the reasons I like this site and I REALLY wish there was a lot more of this ('fair play' reasoning) everywhere else in society.
 
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