Kari from Mythbusters with .50 BMG
Grant Imahara posted this photo on twitter of Mythbusters co-host Kari Byron.
I really hope this means the mythbusters are going to prove that .50 BMG rifles cannot shoot down a Boeing 747 cruising at 35,000 feet at a speed of 555 mph ![]()
Can anyone identify the bullpup, possibly single action and probably .50 BMG rifle? The first thing that popped into my mind was "Steyr" but the only similar looking gun that Steyr ever made was the Steyr AMR / IWS 2000 prototype. Maybe it is a custom stock?
UPDATE: Daniel points out that Kari's rifle seems to be a Maadi-Griffin single shot - I agree.
Hat Tip: Crunchgear
Thanks to mrsatyre for the link.
UPDATE: More pics from the show. Thanks to James for the links.
UPDATE: As HeartlessLibertarian pointed out that the rifle in the second picture is a Barrett 99, chambered in .416 Barrett.

Imahara posted a couple other pictures of the gun – See http://twitpic.com/o9a44
Oh, and you weren’t far off the mark with what they were proving – http://twitpic.com/o9lmy
James.Denholm, Thanks for the link. I have updated the post.
I think “Burn Notice” recently did an episode in which a car was armored on the cheap with phone books. I don’t know if that was the impetus for this myth busters though.
MG, ah!!! That must be where the idea came from … I mean how many people would think of collecting phone books to armor their car?
Actually, I think the rifle on the rifle in the second picture is a Barrett 99 in .416 Barrett. The round behind it looks shorter and slightly fatter in the case than the round behind the Kari’s mystery rifle.
Also, having rifles in .338, .416, and .50 would make more sense, from an experimental point of view.
Heartless, good point. I have updated the post.
Kari’s rifle appears to be one of the old Maadi-Griffin single-shots. Heartless has the other rifle pegged correctly as a Barrett 99.
Daniel, I think you got it! The breadth of your knowledge never ceases to amaze me.
FYI, paper is a pretty decent stopper of handgun ammo. While I wouldn’t trust one phone book. Three or so deep (foot) will stop many handgun calibers.
I’ve seen a 9mm bullet that was stopped by the paper of a filing cabinet.
pfffff were is the cheytac
Man, Kim du Toit would be going crazy for that first pic.
More properly, it is a Sako TRG-42.
I always find it amusing to spot the illegal things they do with guns on mythbusters. Discharging within incorporated areas, near schools, making gas powered projectile launchers, etc.
Thanks Kyle. I was being lazy
I wonder if the phone book armor idea came from the founder of Second Chance body armor. I’ve seen him shoot himself in the torso with a .44 mag to demonstrate his soft body armor. He would stuff a phone book under the armor claiming it would stop the bullet if his armor failed ( it was actually used to dissipate the blunt force transfer of energy so he wouldn’t be cracking ribs from the impact-somewhat common but acceptable result of taking a hit with soft armor). Normally, at some point in his demo he would fire a round into the book with a jug of water or soda behind it. Of course, the contents would blow all over the set, and he would then say something like “oh boy, sure hope the armor works!”, and then shoot himself. He was good, put on a great show.
Oh kari, it just keeps getting better and better (note the trigger discipline in the first pic)
Anybody seen the episode where tested the myth about being safe from bullets underwater?
Highly recommended – they basically discovered that while handgun bullets and shotgun slugs “penetrated” pretty far (and could be recovered intact), the rifle bullets (including a .50 BMG) immediately exploded into a shower of fragments upon entering the water. Kind of scary considering how the human body is about 60 % H2O…
Kari Byron: America’s Sweetheart.
Shouldn’t that be .338 Lapua Magnum not Laupa.
Try a big city phone book against your handgun….. most any handgun.
I have not shot one with a rifle…. my bullits will over penitrate any game in MI.
that rifle is called the Grizzly Rifle .50 BMG