8 Firearms Myths Hollywood Still Can't Get Enough Of

Ask anyone on the street what happens when you shoot a petrol tank on a car and the answer will likely be that you get an explosion. Ask about a propane tank and you will probably get the same answer. Why? Because Hollywood.

In reality shooting a car’s gas tank will produce nothing but a riddled tank and leaking fuel. In order to ignite the fuel you need tracer rounds and, as a detonation requires a precise fuel/air mixture, even there you’re more likely to end up with a barbecue than a boom.

Propane or flammable gas tanks are likewise disappointing. Assuming the bullet can penetrate the walls of the tank (which can be 0.5 to 5cm thick), you will end up with a rocket rather than a bomb as the high pressure gas is violently expelled through the impromptu nozzle. Should that gas ignite you will then be treated to a giant blowtorch, as a detonation, once again, requires a precise fuel/air mixture.

Hollywood fireballs are nothing if not eye candy. But ping-ponging, fire-breathing propane tanks are something we definitely need to see.