Has anyone ever considered...

[Void Dragon]

...what a great weapon machineguns would be against wizards?

I mean, practically all wizards have to pronounce some magical words to cast a spell, be it 'Expelliarmus', 'Sectum Sempra', or something else.
In the few seconds it may take to pronounce these spells, one could already have shot you...

[Oberondreams]

Machine Guns don't work in the magical world, much like computers and the likes... inside of the magical world they would become useless. If they were outside of the magical world.. yes.. they might be in a bit of trouble... but then again... you don't exactly need a wand to cast all your spells. I think in this last book, they were going to teach how to cast spells without your wand. If you had a moment of a gun pointing at you, you could turn the gun into chocolate frog.. with just a adrenline pumping thought.

the real question is.. why am I even answering this...

[Void Dragon]

Where is it written that guns don't work?
Do we know anything of the principles behind those spells that prevent them from working?

And what if the wizard never saw the bullet coming?
You could use sniper rifles.

And why you are answering this?
Because it's a normal serious question...

EDIT: You are talking about wands, I was talking about pronouncing the spell, never said anything about those wands...

[hermi-nomi]

Umm ... I think guns would probably work within a magical environment such as Hogwarts. It's only muggle electrical equiptment such as computer s that don't work (properly.) As to guns being an advantage against wizards ... well, they would only be an advantage in the same way that guns are used to the villiams advantage against a muggle ~ that is, by the element of suprise or coercion. In a duel, the competant wizard will still have an advantage over a gun wielding muggle in that a wizard can cast non-verbal spells (see HBP chp7(?)

[Paige Turner]

In response to your question, "Has anyone ever considered what a great weapon machineguns would be against wizards?" I would have to say Yes. Somebody has, indeed, considered what a great weapon machineguns would be against wizards. The whole situation is predicated upon the idea that you could "get the drop" on a wizard or somehow sneak up on him. If that is a given, I suggest that not only would machine guns be an effective weapon, but you would do well with rifles, hand guns, hockey sticks, knives, boomerangs, yo-yos, coffee mugs, picture frames, wrenches, sticks, mops, wire coat hangers, rolled-up magazines, aneroid barometers, tins of tuna, thumb tacks, and doilies.

Admittedly, death by doily would be as much an ordeal for the doily wielder as it would for the victim.

[Oberondreams]

Originally Posted by hermi-nomi

Umm ... I think guns would probably work within a magical environment such as Hogwarts. It's only muggle electrical equiptment such as computer s that don't work (properly.) As to guns being an advantage against wizards ... well, they would only be an advantage in the same way that guns are used to the villiams advantage against a muggle ~ that is, by the element of suprise or coercion. In a duel, the competant wizard will still have an advantage over a gun wielding muggle in that a wizard can cast non-verbal spells (see HBP chp7(?)

Hmm... I guess that makes sense. I mean, Colin Creevys camera still worked in Hogwarts. Assuming that its a manual camera. I don't think any of the new ones would work.

I'm very unfamilar with guns.. mostly because I am anti-gun in all directions. But this is besides the point.. were talking about Harry potter. I think most older guns are just mechanics and no electronics. Do newer guns, say, Automatics, do they have electronic equipment to make the bullets shoot faster... or is that all mechanics?

And whos to say they couldn't come up with a spell to disable a gun within an area. I mean.. I would think with some of the spells we've seen, that its something they could certainly develop.

The thing I've always though of... is....

Lets say there was a Nuclear Bomb somewhere near a Magical town or say like, Hogwarts. Obviously the affect of the bomb would seep into the town.. or would it? I mean... she wrote in the books that Muggles could walk to the edges of hogwarts, but then be hit with a spell that makes them remeber something they needed to do, go back the way they came. So its not like they are in a totally seperate universe or paralel.

I know this is all just speculation over an imaginary place... but its still interesting to explore the imagination, even if it is a bit dreary... But then again.. she does try to tie in the real world with the magical world.

I would think that if there was a Nuclear fallout, the magical world would stop the bombs. Turn em into like... a big bomb of mashed potatoes or something. Or a Fizzing Wisbee.

[hermi-nomi]

I think wizards could make say Hogsmeade secluded from the rest of the muggle environment if there was a nuclear fallout. Consider the QWC ~ it's not made clear in the film, but the Quidditch pitch has spells on it so that the snitich for example can't fly of to India or something.

I have to log off the PC now ~ ta-raa

[Void Dragon]

I think guns would probably work within a magical environment such as Hogwarts. It's only muggle electrical equiptment such as computer s that don't work (properly.)

That I also believe, you know the thing about EM-fields...
I think that can be a side-effect of some magic, sounds logic IMO

The whole situation is predicated upon the idea that you could "get the drop" on a wizard or somehow sneak up on him.

That was in fact, also my idea, the element of surprise and the firing speed advantage in many cases.

I mean, Colin Creevys camera still worked in Hogwarts.

Now that doesn't make sense...
If computers don't work, it has to be some sort of electro-magnetic field disturbing electric signals. Cameras also work on that principle, unless the camera is magical...

I think most older guns are just mechanics and no electronics. Do newer guns, say, Automatics, do they have electronic equipment to make the bullets shoot faster... or is that all mechanics?

Most guns don't have electronics, only some of the most modern, like the French FAMAS, or the Belgian (hihi) FN-P90 (the gun from Stargate).
An M16A or certainly an AK-47 just work by explosion-recoil, in fact an extreme exo-thermic reaction.

So, if you can make a fire in Hogwarts, you can fire a normal gun

[Void Dragon]

Assuming that its a manual camera. I don't think any of the new ones would work.

Didn't read this, my bad, forget my mentioning of the camera's in my former post...

[Wishful]

You can probably shoot a wizard with a bullet, but they'll fix you in St. Mungo's in no time. It's just a piece of metal, should be no problem. I mean, they can even recover whole missing limbs! I think the only causes of instant death in the wizarding world are old age and the Killing Curse.

[MJRevell]

Also, you can think a heck of a lot quicker than the speed of a bullet; a strong wizard would be able to use a non-verbal spell to save themselves fairly easily.