Mal's Pistol by Catalyzer

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Mal's Pistol

POSTED BY: CATALYZER
UPDATED: Monday, September 18, 2006 07:16
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Friday, February 27, 2004 6:30 PM

CATALYZER

Does anyone know what Mal's pistol is? I looked in the online listing of of Firefly objects but it wasn't listed.

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Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:09 PM

RUSTYBOYROBOT

Check out this page. On the second page is bit of info , or i should say speculation, on mals gun.

THe current theory is that it's a modified S&W model 19 revolver.

[link] http://rpf.prop-planet.com/viewtopic.php?topic=57865&forum=1[/link]

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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 4:28 PM

DECKROID

I have a model 19 and its highly unlikely that the props crew did all the work to that pistol.

Here is my vote...

Dr. J.A.F. LeMat of New Orleans produced a series of firearms in 1856 and these were in use by the Confederate Army...

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976383908.htm

I call her "Vera"

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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 5:22 PM

RANGER

My understanding is that it is a Colt Navy revolver with the cylinder removed and replaced with a magazine.

Traveller, if you go to Sparta, tell them you have seen us lying here as the Law commands.

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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 6:03 PM

DECKROID

But look at this site...

http://www.cabelas.com/information/HuntingOptics/LeMatRevolverWoodenCa
sedSet0012643.html

Then look at the pics from that other link... they really high quality series... its so close!

I call her "Vera"

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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 7:07 PM

LEMAT

Yeah, that is Jayne's pistol. He has a highly modified LeMat revolver See the Jayne's guns thread, there are some screen caps that are linked to*. I have to go with the colt idea. The grip frame certianly looks like a Colt or Colt copy. The 1851 Navy, 1860 Army, 1873 SAA (Peacemaker) have very similar grips, and Mal looks to have something like that. But it is diffinitly NOT a LeMat.

* FWIW, I picked this name because I knew it was the basis of Jayne's gun, then I saw the Jayne's guns thread and felt a little silly.

Jon

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Thursday, March 4, 2004 8:09 PM

VETERAN

Don't squat with your spurs on.

I'm not sure it's actually a revolver. Where's the cylinder? In the gunfights they've had on the show I've never seen cylinder turn. Usually you can catch that little turn (even on a TV show.)

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Friday, March 5, 2004 2:56 AM

SOUTHERNMERC

Actually, he said they appear to have replaced the cylinder with a magazine. I have no opinion on the subject other than "cool gun," since I have very little knowledge of firearms aside from shooting a few. I will say that the gun seems to be readied with a switch of some sort on Mal's thumb side. It is shown quite clearly in close up during the pilot, when Mal is holding it on Simon. Will need to view it again to see the action working.

Another excuse to watch Firefly? I NEED NO EXCUSE!!

Jayne: "How big a room?"

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Friday, March 5, 2004 3:15 AM

DUG

Watch as they are leaving Serenity to go meet with Badger in the "Serenity" episode. Mal clearly pulls a clip from his pistol, checks to see it's full and then reinserts it. While his dialogue is something about he's sure there'll be no trouble.

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Friday, March 5, 2004 5:24 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Mal's sidearm is definitely set up to take a magazine, not a cylinder. I have several close up shots of the gun and have a friend that is making me a replica of it now. Should be done in the next few weeks.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Friday, March 5, 2004 9:23 AM

REYVNDARKNIGHT

I think its a gauss pistol. Whedon's few nods to sci-fi elements.

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Friday, March 5, 2004 11:15 AM

MADJACK

I Have tried to "disect" that pistol to find it's origin. I searched throughout "Jane's Guns" (not Jayne's Guns), "The Illustrated Encycopedia of Handguns", and "The Illustrated Book of Guns", and I still have no FREEKING idea what that is or could be or is made up of. It's really pissing me off!

Bona na Croin

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Friday, March 5, 2004 3:28 PM

RUSTYBOYROBOT

The reason i say it's a revolver, and a S&W at that is because of the scene at the beginning of heart of gold. As mal is cleaning his pistols and he whips the gun up, a small stop can be seen where the cylinder would swing out. This feature is almost exclusive to S&W model revolvers. The other reason i say S&W is because of the placement of the cylinder release.

Also the removal of the "clip" may just be cosmetic. It wouldn't be the first time in films

Deckards gun in blade runner appears to have a clip. Which it does because, the outside of that gun is a steyr mannckicher .222 rifle, but inside that housing is a charter arms bulldog .44 revolver.

Now what model revolver has yet to be seen.

Also a note on jaynes gun

Notice that you never see him actually fire it. In my search i could not find one conversion kit for the lemat.

This site may be where the prop house got jayne's gun

http://www.navyarms.com/html/le_mat_rev.html

so mal's gun is a revolver, just with a lot of custom work.

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Saturday, March 6, 2004 5:56 PM

RANGER

Ok, I took another look at the gun in question and have come to the conclusion that it is based on a Colt, but very heavily modified. It's not just a matter of removing the cylinder, but the entire section between the barrel and the pistol grip and trigger are probably custom work.

People who argue that it is based on a Colt Navy do so because of the overall length, but there is a couple of inches added to make room for the magazine well forward of the pistol grip, so that may account for the extra length.

The big question is how does it work. People who argue that it's a revolver probably think so because there are never any casings ejected when it fires (like an automatic). I have another possible answer though. It could use caseless ammunition. That would resolve a lot of the issues.

Just my thoughts

Traveller, if you go to Sparta, tell them you have seen us lying here as the Law commands.

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Saturday, March 6, 2004 6:46 PM

RUSTYBOYROBOT

Actually i'm talking about the real prop. Not how it's suppose to work on the show.

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Monday, March 8, 2004 4:42 AM

MADJACK

Looking at the frame it is definitely based on a revolver, but definitely NOT a Colt. With the sweaping curves of the rear of the frame and butt, it appears to be an early S&W or, more likely, a copy their of. BTW by early i mean something like the Scholfield

Bona na Croin

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Monday, March 8, 2004 6:00 AM

RUSTYBOYROBOT

A schofield would of made more sense to me. top brake, easier to reload. JUst put some custom griops ala the trigun revolver, and there you go a practical cool looking prop.

Mal's could be a S&W model 1918. Just another thought to ponder.

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Saturday, March 27, 2004 4:23 PM

RUSTYBOYROBOT

Mal's pistol was designed in computer and built using a 3d wax printer. Those parts were then investment cast in white bronze, polished and chemically blackened.
The .38 inside was a cheap taurus 5 shot snubnose. The grip was chopped off and replaced with a waterJet cut steel custom grip drawn in cad. The barrel was also chopped and a longer steel tube attached. This was shrouded by the bronze hex barrel.
The two projecting knobs facing forward were thumb screws that retained the side covers.
The guns are now at Gibbons armoury in Burbank. They are available for rental...

There might be a small picture of the cad file visable at this site---> www.appliedfx.com
Hope this is helpfull...

This comes directly from the company and the people behind the design and making of the pistol.

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Saturday, March 27, 2004 4:49 PM

VETERAN

Don't squat with your spurs on.

It looks like a revolver, but there is no cylinder.

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Saturday, March 27, 2004 6:31 PM

THEFOP

in the game Rifts, New West suppliment, there's a whack of pistols made up to look like old revolvers, but with magazines as opposed to cylanders, and using different types of ammunition. I always assumed Mal's guns were like that.

once the snow got so deep you almost couldn't hear margaret atwood

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Wednesday, May 19, 2004 6:39 PM

SINGLETON

Excellent!
I just wish they'd show bigger pics.
Now, if I can just get a gunsmith to go to work on my Taurus .357...........

Joe

Muscle.
Humor.
Thuggery.
Jayne.

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Monday, September 18, 2006 2:50 AM

BABYWITHTHEPOWER

Quote:
Originally posted by Veteran:
It looks like a revolver, but there is no cylinder.

It's because the cylinder was covered up with custom housing on the sides. This picture is from the Applied FX website, but as their site is not exactly user friendly, I decided to show you. I appologize for the grainy-ness, I had to blow it up.

You can clearly see in the lower right picture that there is a cylinder covered by the two side plates.

As for the mechanics in the show, it is indeed a magazine fed weapon because in Serenity's outtakes, when Mal shoots the Alliance officer on Haven, a piece falls out of the weapon and Nathan says "The clip fell out of my gun" (or something close) in a silly voice. You can also see the 'clip' in the bottom right picture. It's the piece of metal to the front left of the trigger guard.

But looking at these pictures, the weapon was indeed a taurus 5 shot snubnose with alot of custom work around it as RUSTYBOYROBOT had said. I hope this helps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll be in my bunk.
http://www.myspace.com/babywiththepower

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Monday, September 18, 2006 7:16 AM

TEACHDAIRE

It's a Taurus 83 custom fitted with cast bronze facia peices and hand grip.
There's a section on it in the new Firefly companion vol 1 (it looks to be the start of a 3 part series, as it only covers up to Our Mrs Reynolds).

-------------------------------------------------
For every battle honour, a thousand heroes die along, unremembered and unsung...

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