Watch the Flying Case!

As long as I can remember...

…shooting sports aficionados have always had a fascination with the empty case flying from auto-loading firearm as it fires. Doesn’t matter if it is coming from an auto-loading rifle, shotgun or handgun. Admit it: It’s not only technically interesting but also just fun to see how various firearms eject their empties. Moreover, photographically capturing an auto-loading firearm at the moment it is ejecting an empty case has also been a unique area of focus. While modern photography and video equipment makes capturing these images much easier, this wasn’t always the case. Here’s a look back at some photographic efforts with editorial commentary on the flying case, compliments of the March/April 1978 edition of American Handgunner.

From the article:

There are a lot of things going on when a handgunner lets go with a round. In a split second there is a roar, an abrupt jump of the muzzle, and not a small amount of backward recoil. The revolver shooter experiences all of these, but the shooter of an auto pistol has still more to contend with: the slide slams back and then forward and the empty case is ejected. This latter effect is the subject of this photo story. While Byron Boots was photographing the 1977 National Shooters League Shoot in Wyoming, a series of un­planned photos showed the empty cartridge cases being ejected from a variety of auto pistols. While these photos are one-dimensional, and may distort the actual trajectory of the flying case, some of these photos are enlightening and others downright humorous.

Read the rest of the issue at March/April 1978 American Handgunner.

And check out the actual spread below…