Can you tell a real gun from a fake?

[Monica Cowles]

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2015/03/can_you_tell_a_real_gun_from_a.html#0

For those who think cops should be able to tell in an instantanious, high stress, situation...

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[edison bulb]

The best part of all that? This quote:

"Look at that thing," Loomis said. "I couldn't find a real Colt in the property room. But that thing looks and feels like a real gun. If you had it in your hand, you wouldn't know the difference.
​

Bull + bubblegum, Loomis

 

[Bazooka Joe]

I got all the right answers, but I probably couldn't on the street under pressure.

 

[edison bulb]

I'd fail on the street too.

 

[shootnscoot]

My brother used to own a paintball/airsoft store. The airsoft guns are all metal and literally feel identical to their real counterparts, down to charging handles that pull back and a bolt carrier group that moves a bit on the M4 clone I picked up. Same goes for all the handguns I tried, moving slides, same weight etc. There is no way to tell the difference, short of close inspection.

 

[jrprich]

On the street most of us would never be close enough, or willing to risk our lives trying to determine real or fake.
Making realistic toy guns that are bright yellow or orange is pointless as all the owner needs is a .99 can of black spray paint to make it seem "real" again.

 

[GUNARCHER]

And of course, bright yellow or orange paint to camouflage a real gun as a toy

 

[Flopsweat]

I got all the right answers, but I probably couldn't on the street under pressure.

You did great. I missed 4 and thought I did about as well as I could. As the saying goes, you could put a gun to my head and I wouldn't do any better.

 

[boogerhook]

under close inspection you can tell by the magazines, the well and barrel (6mm, or 4.5 respectively), but not from 5 yards away in the hands of someone pointing it... I use several of them for practice because they are almost identical to their original.

 

[Classic]

Sorry but if someone pulls a gun on me I really don't care if it's real or fake because I'm going to draw and fire IF I feel my life (or my wife's) is in danger... Done, gone, history and I don't care if you're white, brown, yellow black or green. End of story

 

[powermad]

All to easy to just drop it next to someone and say they pointed it at me.
Easy to get and virtually impossible to trace.

I missed two, and I was looking pretty hard, the mag is a dead giveaway but with someone holding it it would cover that up. I'm with most here, point any of those at me and there is a pretty good chance you won't do that again.

 

[decklin]

Got a kid that lives across the street. They play airsoft. Apparently their parents don't understand the concept of a rifle case.
I'm constantly seeing them walking up and down the street with rifles that appear to be identical to what I have in the safe.
I've considered bringing my ar15 to the parents for a little class in not being a moron of a parent.

 

[JRH Oregon]

I missed one, slide 7. Looks pretty real.

 

[1990Turbo]

I have an AR15 airsoft and it actually feels more like a real gun than my S&W 15-22.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Visually, some airsoft toys look pretty darn close. Perhaps the giveaway could be the 6mm barrel, but with as many cheapy .22 clones (1911, 92FS..etc) there are these days one pointed at my face would probably get the same reaction.. Perhaps if it had other physical identifiers, orange tip..etc.

However picking one up or seeing one in a non violent stress inducing light.. Yes I could easily tell a fake from a real firearm. Most guys here could Im sure.
Even non firing replicas have giveaways.

The only folks I know that wouldnt know the difference even if they got to take a look up close are non firearm people, or sheep as I like to call them.