07x24 - Boomerang b*llet

[bunniefuu]

It may not look like it,
but we're professionals.

Do us a favor...

Don't try this at home!
Whoa!

Narrator: On this episode
of "Mythbusters,"

Adam and Jamie come out
all g*ns blazing...

It's still hot.

...as they find out
if a freakish 3-way ricochet...

It just went shotgun.

...could result in the sh**ter
sh**ting himself.

And I see a hole in me.

Then Tory, Grant, and Jessi
turn lumberjack...

Maybe we should've
yelled "timber."

...testing the myth

that a conifer could be used
as a living catapult...

Jessi:
Good luck, Buster!

You're our only hope.

To fling an infected corpse
up and over a castle wall.

Hyah!

Whoa!

Who are the Mythbusters?

- Adam Savage...
- Here comes chaos.

...and Jamie Hyneman.

We're gonna have
an adventure.

Between them,

more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.

Joining them...

...Kari Byron...

Right tool for the job.

...Tory Belleci...

Okay, you want to play rough,
little gopher.

...Grant Imahara...

Good to go.

...and featuring Jessi Combs.

Oh, it's awesome!

They don't just tell
the myths.

They put them to the test.

To kick-start the first myth,
Adam decides on a field trip.

They told me you were
over here doing research.

Looks to me
like you're playing pool.

I'm doing both.
I've got our next story.

It's a sh**ting myth
from our g*n-toting fans,

and allow me
to demonstrate.

Let's say this red ball
represents our sh**ter.

Let's say the cue ball here

represents the b*llet
from his g*n.

The myth is that our sh**ter
can fire a b*llet

and can bounce off
one, two, three surfaces

and come back
and k*ll the sh**ter.

Well,
that'd ruin your day.

I know.
Let's test it.

Okay.

The myth takes place
in a half-built skyscraper.

It's a pin-up parable
for poetic justice.

One angry shot at just the wrong
angle misses the target,

ricochets off three steel beams,

and returns to the sh**ter
in less than a heartbeat.

Aah!

So how do you want
to start this one?

Well,
I figure we need to start

with some kind
of a controlled situation,

you know, a bench test.

Well, to my mind,
that just means

we set up
three adjustable steel plates

probably in our bunker,

fire a g*n into them,

and see if it ricochets off
all three plates

and kills its sh**ter.

Works for me.

All right.

You ready to let
all hell break loose in here?

- Yep.
- [Chuckles]

From bare bunker
to ballistic death trap,

the transformation
is fast and efficient.

Three steel plates
in three vises

and one .45 caliber p*stol,

and what we've got here
is pretty much the bench test

setting up the circumstances
of this myth

in which this p*stol
will release its b*llet,

firing it
into plate number one,

where it will reflect off,
in theory at least,

at a 90-degree angle
into plate number two,

doing the same
to plate number three

and hopefully coming

all the way back around
to where it started,

potentially k*lling its sh**ter.

Now, to make sure

that everything's set up
nice and jake,

I'm gonna use
some mirrors and a laser.

Narrator: With the help
of predictive technology,

they're doing Pythagoras proud.

The final angle won't quite make
a perfect diamond,

but there's method behind
this deliberate misdeflection.

Yeah, it brings the path
of the b*llet back here

so that we hopefully
don't hit the g*n.

- Okay.
- I don't want to hurt it.

Adam has no such concerns

about punching a hole
in his partner in crime.

I brought some motivation
for our g*n.

I brought a sh**ter.

I look bad-a*s.

[Laughing] Yeah.

I figure
we put him right here,

if there's any meat
on the bones of this,

he's gonna end up
with a b*llet hole in him.

Okay.

Adam: What we've got set up
inside the bunker right now

is a really idealized situation.

In actuality,

I'm not so sure
it's gonna make it perfectly

all the way through.

I don't know.

I've seen a lot about b*ll*ts
when they hit metal objects,

and I'm expecting some spatter.

Narrator:
Adam puts paper to steel

to help mark
the points of impact.

When he's done,

Jamie carefully loads
the weapon.

Bunker's hot.

And they're ready to sh**t
with intent to k*ll dirty Jamie.

This is ricocheting b*llet.
Ideal scenario.

In 3... 2... 1.

I only see one plate
with a mark on it.

Second plate
doesn't have anything.

Well, that's interesting,
isn't it?

On closer inspection,

that turns out to be
an understatement.

[Laughs]

I can already see
what's going on here.

Look at the back wall.

Yeah,
all right along here,

it's spread out
almost four feet.

So much for, like,
dink, dink, dink.

It just went shotgun.

It looks like
the lead b*llet shattered,

and the high-speed replay
confirms their consternation.

Well, that didn't work.

There's your problem.

That b*llet came in

and it just kind of laid flat
right along the plate.

It did.
It was so beautiful.

It followed the line
just perfectly.

The fire behind it
just gorgeous, and then pbht!

Yeah,
there's got to be a b*llet

that holds together
better than that.

Yeah, I think so.

Time to dip
into Jamie's private stash.

Jamie:
Well, lead didn't do it.

So, this time around,

we're gonna use
full metal-jacketed b*ll*ts.

That means they're covered
with copper everywhere

except for the bottom.

I think the fact that this thing
is encased in metal,

that it's not just raw lead,

means that we are gonna see
a better bounce from this.

It might not be the bounce

that we were hoping
in the beginning,

but it's got to be better
than just raw lead.

Narrator:
With the paper replaced

and the g*n
locked and loaded...

In 3... 2... 1.

[Clattering]

Same thing.

The full metal jacket fared
marginally better than lead,

but they still couldn't get
a single ricochet.

All right.
There it goes.

On the dotted line.

Spatters again.

It might as well
be a paintball.

It even didn't get anywhere
close to that second plate.

Well, dude, that was
a full metal jacket.

I don't know where
we're gonna go from there.

Narrator:
But Jamie's brought along

the FMJ's
bigger and tougher brother.

Will the total metal jacket
do better

than the full metal jacket?

Well, this one is
completely covered with copper,

so it should do better.

Narrator: There's only one way
to find out.

In 3... 2... 1.

Still no hit
on the second plate.

It's time
to get innovative.

Adam: Not only is it not hitting
the second or the third plate,

but it's hitting the first plate
at 45 degrees

and leaving at like 5 degrees.

That's not a ricochet.
That's like a splatter.

Look at this.

This looks like a piece of fruit
that you ran over.

Are you paying attention?

We got to come up
with something

better than a b*llet now.

Come on.

b*ll*ts are out.

We need something
to bounce around like a ball,

so I figure why not use a ball?

Specifically,
a hardened steel ball bearing.

These puppies
aren't gonna be splattering

when they hit a steel plate.

And with any luck,
we'll see one return to sender.

Narrator: The boys will return
to bouncing b*ll*ts,

but for now,
they'll try their luck

with something rounder
and harder.

The ball bearing we're now
firing into these steel plates

is hardened chrome steel,

and it is actually much harder
than these steel plates.

Hopefully with these,
we're going to see

the bouncing, ricocheting action
that we're hoping for

on all three plates,
right back to our sh**ter.

Narrator: To enable the g*n
to sh**t the bearing,

Jamie fits it inside a sleeve
called a sabot.

Let's do this thing.
I'm feeling good about it.

We've got to get
something better

than what we've gotten
so far.

All right.
Ball bearings.

In 3... 2... 1.

Boom!

Ha!

I see a mark
on the second plate.

Oh, and I see a hole in me.

Hey!

Look at that.

Well, let's get in there
and see.

Narrator:
It looks like the ball bearing
has, indeed, returned

with a vengeance.

[Laughing]

Plate number one has a mark,
plate number two has a mark,

plate number three has a mark,
and you're dead, sucker.

To get the full picture,

the boys settle down
to peruse the high-speed.

Jamie: Doink.

Oh, look at it slow down.

That is a lot of energy lost
each time it hits.

In high-speed it's almost like
it's slowing to a crawl.

Well, I want to actually take
some measurements

and do the math...

how fast it's actually going
after that third plate.

We need to know
if that's lethal.

Yes.

Narrator: Confirming the myth
means k*lling the sh**ter.

And let's acknowledge that
less than 10% of the real Jamie

is actually made from cardboard.

Dude, it's not lethal.

- Really?
- Yeah.

I come up with


or 72 miles per hour.

It would [bleep] you off,
but it wouldn't k*ll you.

I can throw a baseball
faster than that.

I'll bet you can't.

[Laughs]

But the challenge is out there

to find a hard surface
that might bounce some b*ll*ts.

Are you gonna keep that?

Are you kidding?

This is how I'm riding in
the high occupancy vehicle lane.

Good luck with that.

Narrator: Now to test out
an infectious tree tale.

So, the story goes that during
the medieval castle sieges,

attacking armies would use
nearby pine trees.

They would bend them back,

load them up with bodies

that had died
from smallpox or the plague,

launch them over the wall
into the enemy's castle.

And at that point,

people inside the castle would
contract some lethal disease

and ultimately be defeated.

Wow, so like
the first biological warfare.

Exactly.

Narrator: It's been a cartoon
classic for generations.

But how will it work
in real life?

They'll have to somehow attach
a body to the top of a tree,

pull back the tree
without snapping it off,

and then launch the cadaver
far and high enough

to clear a castle wall.

Man: Blimey!
It's a dead bloke.

The dead have risen!

Okay,
so right off the bat,

I think this is gonna be
kind of difficult.

Why?

Well, think about it.

For us to be able to fling
a disease-infected body

up and over some castle walls,

we have to bend a tree
back like this.

And that's
a significant distance,

it could either break
right at the trunk

or even possibly
completely uproot.

So, it sounds like
we need to find

the elastic limit
of a tree.

Let's go
to a tree plantation,

find a nice,
tall, straight tree,

and bend it back
until it breaks.

All right, well,
once we've done that,

let's take another
similar-sized tree

bend it back
just before it breaks.

Then we'll load up Buster,
release the tree,

and see if it has
enough energy

to send him
over the castle wall.

Narrator: Now, we can't just
skip out to any old forest

and start twanging trees.

Jim Curry from
Loggers Unlimited

has 22 acres of mixed woodland
already destined for chipping.

We're trying to fling
some diseased corpses
over a castle wall,

and we need some trees.

Ah, you've come
to the right place.

Hmm, didn't so much
as bat an eyelid.

Minutes later, Jessi tracks down
a suitable specimen.

Guys, I found
the perfect tree!

According to Jim,
it's a California gray pine.

That fits the bill perfectly,

because this myth specifically
calls for a conifer.

Let's say you were the head
of an invading army,

and you came up
with this crazy idea

to use trees to fling diseased
bodies over castle walls.

Which type of tree
would you use?

A deciduous one,

with all the curvy branches
and the curvy trunk?

Or the long, tall, straight
coniferous one?

That's right.

We're going
with the coniferous one, too.

Tory:
Why am I climbing it?

Well, I need to get up here
and tie a line,

so that way we can bend our tree
down to the ground.

We're gonna have a force meter
attached to the line,

so that way
we'll be able to read

how many pounds of force
it takes

to get this tree down.

Narrator: Remember,

this first test is designed
to gather one vital statistic...

to see how far the tree bends
before it breaks.

On the other end of that line
is a giant comealong.

Hopefully it's strong enough
to actually break the tree.

Finally,
we have a force gauge

to tell us
how many pounds of force

that tree will take
before it breaks.

It's time to get cranking.

Who's first
on comealong duty?

You are!

Dang it.

Narrator: In keeping
with the myth's rustic nature,

they're using a hand winch.

Grant's the first
to bend his arm

and make a prediction.

Grant: As far as the amount
of force it will take...

I don't know.

Maybe 1,000 pounds?

I'm not an arborist.

Narrator: Slowly but surely,
the pine starts to bend.

Incredibly, this full-grown tree
arches 45 degrees,

and it's groaning
under the pressure.

Tory: Wow, look at
how far bent over it is.

Creeping up on 1,500.

Well, it's bending.
It's not breaking yet.

The rope still strains,
but the gauge stalls at 2,000.

That just might mean that
this conifer is ready to crack.

Whoa!

[Cheering]

Whoa!

That was dramatic.

Narrator:
It snapped like a twig,

so they've now got
the number they needed...


crack a medium-sized gray pine.

[Cheering]

With that data in mind,

they're now ready to see
if a man can fly...

a dead man.

Jessi: For our second tree,
we found a very similar tree.

So, it's time
to bring in the big g*ns.

And this thing has
a 40,000-pound winch on it,

which is gonna make our jobs
a whole lot easier.

Narrator: In fact,
with this near identical tree,

it's technology
to the rescue all around.

Tory's tree-climbing days
are over.

- I hope he stays.
- All right.

Good luck, buddy.

Why are you wishing him luck?
He's dead.

Narrator: Even in death,
there's no dignity

for your professional
crash test dummy.

Still, they all have
their parts to play.

Tory: Now, Jessi is gonna be
operating that winch.

Grant will be watching
the force meter.

As soon as we get
to the right pounds of force,

he'll let me know,
and then we'll release the rope,

launching Buster.

Now, we could use
a quick release.

But we thought,
since it's a medieval myth,

why not cut the rope
with a sword?

I know.
It's a samurai sword.

But at least
we're making an effort.

Narrator: They're all hoping

that Buster will soar
like a pox-ridden pigeon.

But there's always the chance

that our man will, in fact,
be a tree hugger.

This is tree bending.

It's very unpredictable,

so it's really hard
to take a guess

at what's really gonna happen.

[Engine turns over]

Narrator:
The plan is to cut the rope

when the gauge hits 2,000.

That was the maximum force
inflicted on the last tree

before we shivered its timbers.



The massive bent trunk

looks like it could fling Buster
into the next county.

With cast and crew backed off

to what they hope
is a safe distance,

Tory cuts loose.

Here we go.

In 3... 2... 1.

[Laughs]

It's a total failure.

Falling is not flying,

and Buster's more dislodged
than discharged.

Well, we've proved
one thing.

Gravity still works.

Jessi: [laughs]

Jamie: Nice day
for a ricochet, huh?

[Chuckles]

Now, they've decided
for safety's sake

to relocate
to the wide open spaces.

They've already done bench tests
with solid steel plates,

but the b*ll*ts all burst
before bouncing.

It just went shotgun.

So, where does that leave us?

Well, we wondered if we were
thinking about it all wrong.

Maybe it's not
the b*llet's fault.

Maybe we were asking it

to bounce off something
way too hard.

Suppose we gave it
some softer surfaces.

Maybe it would bounce better.

And that's what
we're just about to do.

Narrator:
The first surface they'll test

is much softer than steel
and way heavier.

[Chuckles]

Well, you want to pop
one of those out of there

and into here,
and we'll clamp it in?

Jamie: So, why are we using
a lead target?

Well, the b*ll*ts we're using
are coated in copper,

and copper is harder than lead.

So, I'm hoping that copper

will hold the b*llet
together well enough

to not splatter
when it hits this,

and it can continue on its way.

Narrator:
And will the speed be lethal?

For these tests,

they'll start by measuring
the angle of deflection

off just one surface.

The b*llet, if it bounces,

should pass through
the backboard.

Range is hot.

Narrator:
The b*llet they're using

is the fully copper-coated
total metal jacket.



[g*nsh*t]

Ha!
I can see the hole.

- Really?
- It's at a wonderful angle.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Providing the b*llet stayed
more or less in one piece,

this looks like a step
in the right direction.

Look, I can see
what a 45-degree angle
of reflection is,

and I think
we're at like 42.

That's far steeper
than I thought we'd get.

The only thing
we need to know now

is how fast it's going.

Well, let's get to high-speed
and do some math.

But the ultraslow motion shows
something they hadn't expected.

Adam: A real tumbling piece
of twisted metal at that point.

Yeah,
that surprises me.

Now Adam determines the speed
of that twisted lump of metal.

Well, all right.
Here's the math.

Our b*llet,
after it struck the lead plate,

was only going




when it went
through the backboard.

That's not lethal.

- Lost almost
all its energy.
- Yeah.

Time to change up

to a surface
that might make a difference.

Next up is one of these
cinder-block pavers.

Why a paver?

Well,
this material is soft enough

that it will allow the b*llet
to dig into it

and then have to
climb out of the groove,

giving us the angle we want.

- Good to go.
- All right.

You got a prediction
for the angle for the paver?

- No.
- No?

But if you were to have
a prediction,

you got any idea
what it would be?

I don't know.

[Laughs]

Just pull the trigger.



Narrator: The b*llet was
squashed but not shattered.

It's now up to Adam
to check on the angle.

Huh.

[Laughs]

It's exactly 1/2
of 45 degrees...



That's pretty cool.

Narrator:
And if the b*llet is talking,

then Adam is listening.

Adam: So, we're wondering

maybe we're making the b*ll*ts
do too much work.

Suppose we sh**t them
into their surface

at a shallower angle
of incidence.

Maybe they'll store more of
their energy for subsequent hits

and eventually get all the way
back around to the sh**ter.

So, we're gonna take that


split it in half,

and start sh**ting them
into the stuff

at 221/2 degrees.


into a paver.

In 3... 2... 1.

[Laughs]

I just had
this warm feeling

about how much I like our job
right now.

Narrator:
With the new shallow angle,

they're looking for speed,

and it seems like
they've found it.

But they'll need to confirm
if they're close to a k*ll shot.

All right, here we go.
High-speed.

High speed is the objective.

The number they're chasing
for terminal velocity

is 300 feet per second.

That's the best one yet.

Coming off that paver,

that b*llet is going


or 332 miles an hour.

Well, that could be lethal,
then.

I think so.

I think it's one of
our most promising hits yet.

That's an awesome speed.

So, where to from here?

In different tests,
they got speed and direction.

The trick
is putting them together,

and Adam's almost convinced
he's got the answer.

So Jamie's likeness
is brought into play...

[chuckles]

Which is which?

...as are
the two extra ricochet pavers.

The first b*llet hit
the curves on this paving stone

at 221/2 degrees.

Now, we know from doing this
a couple times before

that it's gonna bounce off this
paving stone at about 12 degrees

into this one.

Now, I have this one positioned

so the b*llet
will hit this stone

at actually about 30 degrees.

It's a little bit sharper,

but because
the b*llet's got less energy,

I think it's gonna dig
less into the stone

and perhaps have
a higher angle of reflection.

Now it's into this one,

where, really,
it's anybody's guess.

I'm positioning it
roughly about there,

and I'm hoping that's enough

to get the b*llet
back to Jamie's cutout.

Adam: One b*llet,

three paving stones,
and a cardboard Hoosier.

"And a cartridge
in a pear tree"

For the gold,


Narrator: The odds of success
seem astronomically small,

but it looks like
the planets have almost aligned.

I see one mark.
I see two marks.

I see three marks.

Our stones got hit right.

I see a mark right here
in my chest.

Oh! [laughs]

Where's the b*llet?
What's that?

Ah, that's it.

It's still hot.
Here, feel that.

Ow. Yeah.

That's it.

[Laughs]

Narrator:
Despite all those odd angles,

they actually got
the triple ricochet.

The need now is for speed.

Dead smack center,
that second...

it's so pretty.

Starting to slow down.

- Three!
- Three!

Oh, and now
we're really slowed down.

[Laughs]

"Got... to get...

to Hyneman."

I think I can.
I think I can.

I think I can.

k*ll!
Here it comes.

Even with cement slabs,

they couldn't match up
the speed with the angle.

Adam: He hit the third paving
stone at an angle of 60 degrees

and left it at... [gasps]...


just like a mirror,

eventually hitting Jamie
in the chest.

Unfortunately, by the time
he hit Jamie in the chest,

he was only going


or about 135 miles an hour.

Not lethal.

I'm through with you.

Narrator: But we all want to see
a 180 k*ll shot,

and I promise
that this one's not over

till the flat man screams.

Narrator: Going straight to
full scale proved unproductive

for those bent on flexing a tree
and flinging a corpse.

Now it's time to regroup.

All right,
so that was a complete failure.

Buster didn't launch.

He plummeted straight down
to the ground.

Yeah, I mean, we probably
could have thrown him

farther than he went.

Well, don't give up hope.
That was our first try.

We just went in and did it.

We could be a little bit
more scientific about it.

Go on.

Well, we could do
some small-scale tests,

where we vary
the launch angle

and see if trimming the tree
makes any difference at all.

And we can use
different types of trees

to see which one does
the best job.

Sounds like we need to get
some small-scale trees.

I know.
They're called saplings.

Narrator: So the team orders in
a sapling selection

to see which one has
more spring in its stem.

The first trial tree
is a Douglas fir,

which Tory secures

by clamping a collar
to the base of the trunk.

The collar, in turn,

is fixed tight
to the factory floor.

Jessi prepares an action dude
doll called Mini McBuster,

and a custom-made launch plate

to facilitate flight
by reducing the friction.

We still need to give him
a proper perch,

that when the tree
actually hits its apex,

the force will just continue
to propel McBuster

as far as he can possibly fly.

Narrator: And assuming
that all goes to plan,

Grant lays a scale
that'll measure the distance.

Grant:
None of this guessing.

We're gonna get scientific
about this.

Narrator: And they plan to pull
each of the test trees,

starting with the Douglas fir,

back to exactly the same angle
each and every time.

Grant: Okay, so we're at
a 45-degree deflection.

All right.
We are at 160 pounds of force.

That's a lot of oomph
for that little tree.

Grant, you in position?

Ready.

All right.
Launching.

In 3... 2... 1.

Nice!
That's pretty far.

Narrator:
Now, that's a result.

Mini McBuster has well and truly
left the launch pad.

Douglas fir number one
was 160 pounds force

and a distance of 16' 9".

Next up, redwood.

Narrator: So, the team slides in
the next contestant...

a baby version
of the majestic redwood.

All right.
Redwood tree set for action.

Narrator: Time to see if there's
any benefit to be gained

from a tree change.

Tory:
Launching in 3... 2... 1.

[Laughter]

He went less than half
the distance.

Not even close.

Narrator:
Our diseased doll made it

only a third of the way
to the castle wall.



Went a distance
of 6 feet.

Next up,
Alaskan cedar.

Narrator:
So, now they've tried two

of their three
best-bet conifers.

Here's hoping the cedar
can fling even farther.

With the angle
once more set to 45,

the only key difference
is the degree of resistance.

The Douglas fir
pulled 160 pounds,

and the redwood just 60.

The cedar is showing 100 pounds.

Still, let's see
if we have a new winner.

Here we go.

Launching mini Buster
in 3... 2... 1.

[Laughter]

Jessi: Whoo-hoo!

Narrator:
The catapult cadaver

flew just 15 times
its own body length...



Well,
before we pick a tree,

we why don't we
look at the high-speed

and see if we can figure out
why this is happening.

All right.

Narrator:
The first fling they check
is the last one they flung,

the Alaskan cedar.

Tory: The tree is released.
He stays with the tree.

As soon as he gets vertical,
he's released.

In that one,
he was going...

Jessi:


which is


Narrator: Now for
the recalcitrant redwood.

Tory: There's a lot less energy
in this tree.

Grant: It seems
less flexible, actually.

And he left the tree
sooner.

Narrator:
The last replay checked
is the day's big winner,

the Douglas fir.

But watching the high-speed
gives Grant pause for thought.

Now, I'm wondering if we
chop some of these limbs off,

do you think
we could get more speed?

Tory: Yeah. Also,
if we cut off the limbs,

it would cut down on
the wind resistance, as well.

So, we might get him
to go farther.

Well, let's try it.

- All right.
- All right.

Narrator: The jury agrees
that the tree needs a haircut.

And here's why it might work.

One of the main jobs of branches
is to balance the tree.

When the wind blows,

they wave and sway
in every direction.

So the opposite forces
work in concert

to keep the trunk stable.

So to make a tree bend,

it stands to reason
we'd cut off the branches.

That might be enough
to turn this tree torpedo.

[Boing!]

Nice.

That's trimming a tree.

Narrator: So let's see
if it's worth all the effort.

Launching in 3... 2... 1.

Whoa!

The scaling is way too rough
to draw real-world conclusions,

but they can fine-tune
the method

to improve their chances
back in the forest.

His trajectory, though, is
definitely on a downward path.

Yeah, it sort of holds onto him
past vertical.

So, maybe if we had a way
to stop him

before he reaches
that point.

You know,
like a catapult.

Like a tether.
A stopping tether.

All right.
Well, let's try that.

Narrator: They got the distance
but not quite the height.

A tether
should stop the momentum

just short of vertical.

So, if all goes to plan,

this will be
their best shot yet.

- Ready.
Tory: All right.



Whoa!

[Laughter]

Tory: Oh, my God.
He hit the back wall!

Whoa!

[Laughs]

Narrator:
The tether works wonders,

and our little guy's flight
went right off the scale.

Grant: Now, all right.
I know what you're saying.

I can hear it through the TV.

You're saying, "But, Grant,
these trees are young trees.

They're more flexible.

They're not like the trees
you find in the forest

that we're gonna use."

I know.

And that is why
we're gonna take all these ideas

out to the forest
and put them to the test.

Narrator: We all know
that ricochets happen,

and they can be nasty.

Have you gone mad?

But can a b*llet
bounce three times

to k*ll the sh**ter?

Apparently not.

But we've still got one left
in the chamber.

We are now going to try it

using this piece
of schedule 40 plumbing pipe.

Oh, no, not in this state.
This is merely a raw material.

We're gonna bend it.

[Laughing] Yeah.

Narrator: The triple ricochet
myth is busted.

But Jamie and Adam
have hatched a plan

to replicate the result.

They aim to sh**t
through a curvy steel pipe,

and the bending machine's
a mechanical marvel.

Jamie:
So, the way I figure it,

what if we shot the b*llet
into something

that didn't actually involve
an impact,

like, say, a bent pipe.

It does one thing.

And it does it
really well.

I like that.

There we go.

Adam: [laughs]

Does this remind you of when
you used to hunt mastodon?

It's like a big macaroni.

[Chuckles]

He really did hunt mastodon.

Narrator: All that remains

is for Adam to mount
and secure the pipe

while Jamie positions
a fat slab of ballistics gel

to hopefully catch the b*llet.

Adam: At this point,
you may be wondering

what is the curve of the bent
pipe you're sh**ting into?

Well, it's a good question.

Right now, this pipe has
a radius of about 88 inches.

That means if it was
a complete circle,

it would be
about 15 feet across.

Why haven't we bent it

to come all the way back around
to the g*n?

That's simply because

we're not sure this is
going to work at all.

So, we're going to
incrementally sneak up on it.

Why put all our eggs
in one basket?

Jamie: Range is hot.

Firing into
an 88-inch radius tube.



Looks like it came out.

And I can see
where it hit.

Uh-huh.

Wow, I had no idea
it would be so pristine.

Look at that.

It's a nice little flat on it
where it slid around the pipe.

Narrator: So a b*llet can
at least slide around steel

and return with a vengeance.

It penetrated 141/2 inches,
which would cr*pple the sh**ter.

Jamie: Our first and shallowest
bend on the pipe

gave us 622 feet per second
as an exit speed,

which means
it was fully lethal.

Not only that,

but if you look at how far
it went in this ballistics gel,

if it hit me this way,

it would have gone
clean through me.

[Motor turns over]

Narrator: So now to ramp up
to a fitting finale,

the machine's redeployed

to give maximum curve
for their bending buck.

The plan is to wrestle the pipe
almost back in a circle.



That's pretty tight.

That's pretty tight.

More friction decreases
the chance of success,

but they're both optimistic.

Let's go see how it fits.

I think it's gonna work.
I'm feeling so good about this.

Narrator: In fact,
Adam's so fired up,

he offers himself as the target.

Well, kind of.

The range is hot.


coming all the way back around

in 3... 2... 1.

Did it go through?

You've got a hole
in your chest there, buddy.

[Chuckles]

Narrator: If bad guy Adam
actually had a heart,

he now has a hole in it.

Still got 101/2 inches.

All right.

Well, the final speed
will be determined

by the high-speed camera.

We got a final exit speed
of 338 feet per second.

- Yes.
- A k*ll shot!

That would be
a k*ll shot.

Well,
potentially lethal.

Nice work.

I'm all happy now.

Narrator: There's no doubt
it's a stunning result.

But we know that the myth
has meandered somewhat

from its ricochet roots.

But what's the takeaway
from this myth?

Well, we know that people
get k*lled by ricochets.

That's not the point.

The point is that a b*llet
bouncing off three surfaces...

bing, bing, bing!..

And k*lling someone
is totally busted.

Narrator: Back at the scene
of their last public failure,

our corpse catapulters

are buoyed by the fact that
they're now more tree savvy.

Now, the last time
we were out in the forest,

we used a California gray pine.

Unfortunately, that test
was completely unsuccessful.

So, we went back to the shop

and we found,
using small-scale tests,

that a Douglas fir is gonna be
the perfect tree for this job.

Well, guys, that right there
is the perfect Douglas fir.

Tory: And this layout
is perfect.

It gives us plenty of room
to bend the tree back

and plenty of room
to throw Buster.

Let's just get him up there
and start flinging him.

Hang on a minute.
We need a castle.

Oh, we got a castle,

and I think
you're gonna love it.

[Laughter]

Narrator:
The castle is inflated

exactly 100 feet away
from the tree.

That's the minimum historical
distance we could verify

between a fortification
and a forest.

To mark off the height
of the parapet,

balloons are deployed
on the end of a 40-foot string.

Then the team pulls together

to strip back the branches.

Tory: Maybe we should've
yelled "timber."

Timber!

It might be
a little late now.

We just got off the ground,
and you can tell already

how much more spring
this tree has.

This thing
might go far.

Narrator: To help ensure
Buster's smooth release,

Jessi's built him
a man-sized metal back plate.

Jessi,
what do you think?

Do you think he's gonna release
out of that tree?

According to all of our
small-scale tests, absolutely.

With the body secured,
the ropes are attached

in the hope that our man
can go the distance.

Beauty!

Now, as you can tell,

there are two lines
attached to this tree.

We have the pull line
and the tether line.

Now, we learned
from our small-scale tests

that the best launch
we're gonna get is

if the tree stops
just before vertical.

Good luck, Buster!

You're our only hope.

Narrator: Buster hangs 70 feet
above the forest floor.

The castle's a clear and distant


It's the biggest tree
on the lot,

so if this won't do it,
nothing will.

Okay, Jessi,
the force meter's all set.

You can go ahead
and tension up.

We're gonna go
at a really low speed

so we don't jolt Buster
out of the tree

before he's ready to be flung.

Narrator: Tory decides

that the cord is best cut
from up high.

Okay.
We're at 1,000 pounds.

The tension mounts as the...
well, as the tension mounts.

We're at 2,400 pounds.
That's it.

Tory:
So, we have the tree bent back.

We're at 2,400 pounds,
and that's it.

It's maxing out.

We keep pulling the tree back,

and there's no more pounds
of pressure.

I think we're ready
to launch this tree.

Narrator:
So it's all down to this.

And remember that so far

Buster's done no more
than fall off his perch.

Here we go.
Launching in 3... 2... 1.

Hyah!

Whoa!

[Laughs]

Against all predictions,

Buster's arrived
at the castle gate...

Yeah!
Whoo-hoo-hoo!

...but he's fallen just short
of infecting the enemy.

Tory: We applied everything
we learned from the small scale.

We cut off the limbs.
We cut off the crown.

We even tethered the tree.

We cut the rope,
and Buster flew!

We turned a tree
into a catapult.

Narrator: Tory's excited.

He didn't get
over to the castle,

but he made it
to the front door.

Narrator: But just how does one
measure success?

Sadly for him and us,
we have set some benchmarks.

Tory: Whoa!

Grant: Whoa!

Let's look at this
realistically, though, guys.

I mean, we gave this myth
the best chance possible.

We put a castle
as close to a tree

as we could find
any historical reference for,

and we cut off
all the branches.

Yeah,
by the time we do that,

they would've picked us off
from the castle.

And not only that... we pulled
that tree back to 2,400 pounds,

as much as it could handle.

How many ancient horses and
troops would that have taken?

But we did manage
to turn a tree into a catapult.

But as far
as the myth goes,

we weren't able to launch him


over a 40-foot castle wall,

so this one's busted.

It's busted.

Busted.

We did get
over the moat.

Oh, yeah.
And we have a bouncy castle.

Yeah!

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

[Laughter]