Can any of you think of a way to sabotage a gun, making it look like an accidental malfunction, in such a way that when it's fired it'll shoot the guy shooting it as well as the target? (Basically, I want shrapnel in the guy's head when he fires the gun.) I need it for a guy who's being sent off as an assassin and isn't supposed to survive to tell tales.
an obstruction in the barrel can cause the gun to explode, particularly if it's a cheap "Saturday night special." If you deformed the barrel, it could look like an accident. No guarantee of hitting the target as well. Also no guarantee the shooter will be killed.
If it's a long range weapon, like a sniper rifle, maybe there could be a charge in the stock that detonates when the weapon is fired.
Ettina, I own several firearms and can list a lot of various deadly malfunctions that can happen that haven't been listed. Please drop me a PM and I'll explain them more in depth then I'm comfortable saying on list.
With big brother trolling boards and the net, I'd prefer to keep it more private. And their trolling is a fact. I got the list of words from the UK daily Telegraph. Just saying what an intense white out snowstorm is, will get you extra scrutiny
Sounds like like you've found somebody here who knows about guns, so you might not need this suggestion, but if you find yourself looking for other advice in the subject... I have found that one helpful technique for getting good technical suggestions on esoteric topics is to visit forums geared to enthusiasts of those topics. When I was looking for some advice on how to create a mechanical problem for a specific type of vehicle, I got some very good suggestions here. But when I went to a car mechanic's forum, explained that I was writing a book and that I was looking for a mechanical issue that would cause a specific sequence of events within a specific period of time under a specific set of conditions, the mechanics went to town coming up with very good, workable ideas. They got a huge kick out of helping me create a mechanical problem, as it was a fun departure from their usual discussions about fixing car problems. They especially got a kick when I told them that although I was grateful for their help, my poor character/soon-to-be-murder victim was not grateful at all for their help. The advice I got here was useful. The advice I got there was wheels-off (pun intended) amazing. The just brought a level of detail to the problem that allowed me to craft a completely realistic scenario. Of course I didn't use all the detail, but I was able to pick and choose what worked best for my story. So, if you have a character who is a model train enthusiast, go hang out with the model train folks for a while. If you're writing a novel in which your nefarious villain rips off senior citizens in an insurance scam, go hang out with the insurance people. If you're tactful, specific, and courteous in your approach, you can get a goldmine of expertise, and it can be tremendous fun for everyone involved.
