Silver dollars used as shooting targets

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by willieboyd2, May 25, 2014.

  1. Vess1

    Vess1 CT SP VIP Supporter

    When you're shooting that hardened steel the bullets shatter on impact and go flying in every direction. I've used set ups where the steel is angled towards the ground and on a springs to help avoid fragments ricocheting back.

    Different calibers have widely varying velocities and mass. I would've guessed that some handgun calibers would go through a silver dollar while most would not.

    There used to be a show on on Saturday mornings about firearms. At the end there'd be a professional trick shooter that people could write in and give them challenges. There was a guy with a simple re-curve bow that could shoot objects out of the air with it. He got down to a flying aspirin and he powdered it. Not a bottle. One pill. Re-curve bow and arrow. I never forgot seeing that in slow motion. Was it 10k takes and pure luck? We'll never know.
     
    -jeffB likes this.
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  3. Allen Kennard

    Allen Kennard New Member

    The she in question here is Phoebe Ann Moses , AKA Annie Oakley .
     
  4. Allen Kennard

    Allen Kennard New Member

    The "She" in question on Allen Kennard's message was Phoebe Ann Moses , AKA Annie Oakley . I don't know if she ever shot silver dollars though . That was before my time .
     
    longshot likes this.
  5. Numiser

    Numiser Well-Known Member

    I was at the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody Wyoming 5 years ago. Must see if passing through Wyoming out of Yellowstone. We rode our bikes from the Ponderosa RV park to the museum. There's a DQ along the way!
     
  6. Circus

    Circus Tokens Only !! TEC#4981

    Some of the old wild west shows along with sharp shooters traveling with the circuses back in the day. Would sell coins that they had supposedly shot during performances. As with a lot of saw dust showbiz they were shot on the ground or laying in a bucket of sand with a small caliber round putting a dent rather then the movie hole in the coin. I will have to hunt up the picture of the one I have. Since the people performing in the shows had to buy their own ammo they were more likely to shoot a sure thing rather than shot more than one shoot at a small flying object. Another secret is the shells they used to shoot the glass balls while riding and doing other trick stuff, were what is today called snake or rat shot .22 caliber style mini BB's shot gun style shells Made it more of a sure thing that if close one of the BB's would break the glass ball.

    What was called Annie Oakley's were really tickets with a hole in them. which was a free pass and an accounting measure rather than somebody shooting holes in them. And they have did the coin shooting tricks on a number of the TV shows on weapons, myth busters etc. Either my S&W 500 or Desert Eagle .50 hand guns would probably put a hole in a large coin propped against something As it has been stated it more likely damage the coin and send it flying rather then put a hole thru it every time.
     
  7. Sullysullinburg

    Sullysullinburg Well-Known Member

    I’d be pretty interested to see if anyone could trying through a silver dollar with a Five-seveN. When it comes to penatrating, speed kills. Various calibers used at the time of silver dollars would have been powerful, but would have shot big and slow bullets. Unfourtantly, a Five-seveN, a few thousand rounds of 5.7x28mm and, a couple silver dollars aren’t in the budget currently. For another day.
     
  8. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    I resemble that remark! :)
     
    Hookman likes this.
  9. Gregg

    Gregg Monster Toning

    I've a 1928 Peace Dollar with a bullet hole in it.
    It was in a condition that I could afford. :D
     
    Hookman likes this.
  10. Nyatii

    Nyatii I like running w/scissors. Makes me feel dangerous

    It's not hard to shoot flying objects. Generally easier with a rifle than a handgun. Ed McGivern the trick shooter shot asprins with a hand gun on a regular basis. A friends dad who was a trapper, could shoot barn swallows with nary a miss. They hardly go more than a foot or two in any one direction before changing course. When I was a lot younger, we used to shoot black birds as they few by with rifles. Got so easy we started shooting from the hip. I have a small barn owl that i mounted in 9th grade, that I shot from the hip as it flew by. Rifles became to easy and we switched to hand guns. Of course I have shot more than most people ever will.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2019
  11. Sculptureman

    Sculptureman Member

    New to the forum and happy to be aboard.
    After reading the posts I just had to show you this one. I would like to think Annie Oakley, but there is no stamp. This was pulled from an old valuable collection of Chinese and German coins that I sold at auction last year.
     

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    longshot likes this.
  12. Circus

    Circus Tokens Only !! TEC#4981

    Oakley was more likely to shoot playing cards, and sign them after the performance, as they were cheaper than a dollar. She did use a smooth bore rifle for her riding shooting tricks. as a smooth bore doesn't impart spin to the bullet.
    In some of the circus, wild west show writings bout the overseas shows they did shoot coins of the realm but most were more stationary targets 50/60 feet and there is mention of some stamped items. There is some disagreement among writers about if they had a stamp and used it on some coins. I would think if they were handing them out to assorted heads of state and royalty they would be genuine, If nothing else they were stamped with the knowledge of Oakley and by the show operators.
     
  13. Allen Kennard

    Allen Kennard New Member

    The one I have is a 1923 Peace Silver Dollar , someone tried to pound it back flat , but the hole is still there .
     
  14. coin_nut

    coin_nut Well-Known Member

    This is a great thread and I enjoy reading all the posts. I am a gun nut as well as a coin nut, and I must admit I can not remember ever shooting any coins. I did put pennies (OK, cents...) on the railroad track as a kid and pick them up later, well flattened and elongated.
     
    Nyatii likes this.
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