Why didnt the harry potter people use guns?

[EASY PETE]

And wands at the same time, might have been easier

[Someguyinhere]

Originally posted by Roccandil:

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

They may not be able to block the projectiles out right, but they can transmute them into something harmless. Like when Dumbledore turned the shards of glass Voldemort was launching at him into a flurry of snow.

In fairness, Dumbledore blocked -everything- Voldemort threw at him. :)

Also, as far as I can tell, you need to see a projectile coming to transmute it, and I imagine it would be possible to magically treat projectiles in some way, to make them harder to transmute.

I think it's also a numbers game. There's waaaaay more muggles than there are magic users.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by Someguyinhere:

I think it's also a numbers game. There's waaaaay more muggles than there are magic users.

Voldemort didn't attack the school exclusively with magic users. He also used magical creatures, including giants, and dementors.

Dementors, who's very presence alone is enough to suck all sense of hope and happiness out of anyone in the vicinity. That would be instrumental in destroying the muggle's sense of morale on the battlefield.

[NotaBear]

Originally posted by Coldhands:

Originally posted by Dragon Master:

Why use guns with finite amount of ammunition when you have a wand that can do anything?

"Avada k-" *BANG*
Bullets are pretty fast.

there are enchanted clothing with shield charms built in, the weaselly twins sold a bunch of them for exmaple

[Someguyinhere]

Originally posted by aierce:

Originally posted by Coldhands:

"Avada k-" *BANG*
Bullets are pretty fast.

there are enchanted clothing with shield charms built in, the weaselly twins sold a bunch of them for exmaple

Again, show evidence that shield charms stop physical, non-magic projectiles. Firearms are mentioned in one of the books. The way its referred to implies that most wizards and witches barely understand the concept of a firearm, yet alone how one works.

Have you ever researched how fast a bullet moves? Even a relatively weak load like a .22 short? Magic is targeted. Once a bullet is actually in motion, I think most wizards in that universe are at a disadvantage.

[Lord Doober De La Goober MXI]

pretty sure any wizard could turn that gun into a snake..or wasps

[Someguyinhere]

Originally posted by Lord Doober De La Goober MXI:

pretty sure any wizard could turn that gun into a snake..or wasps

Good luck doing that from nearly a mile away. Or even being able to envision and cast the spell non-verbally before the trigger has been pulled. No wizard or witch is fast enough to stop anything once a bullet is in flight, any caliber.

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by GARDEN YOUR GARDEN RIGHT NOW OR :

Make a spell that gives you infinite ammo

Or just make the ammo clip shaped like an infinity symbol.

Snake Eater reference! I love it. :D

[Lord Doober De La Goober MXI]

Originally posted by Someguyinhere:

Originally posted by Lord Doober De La Goober MXI:

pretty sure any wizard could turn that gun into a snake..or wasps

Good luck doing that from nearly a mile away. Or even being able to envision and cast the spell non-verbally before the trigger has been pulled. No wizard or witch is fast enough to stop anything once a bullet is in flight, any caliber.

has that been proven in the Wizarding World? (actual question, not as hard core potter fan as I would have liked to be)

though not sure how logic can be imposed on a illogical situation and race

[Time Traveler]

Originally posted by GARDEN YOUR GARDEN RIGHT NOW OR :

And wands at the same time, might have been easier

Firearms are heavier and bulkier. Furthermore, they require more maintenance, ammunition and are much louder than a wand. That and Ron would probably have shot his eye out in the first book if they had given him that official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle that he had asked for Christmas.

[Coldhands]

Originally posted by aierce:

Originally posted by Coldhands:

"Avada k-" *BANG*
Bullets are pretty fast.

there are enchanted clothing with shield charms built in, the weaselly twins sold a bunch of them for exmaple

Does a shield charm work on bullets?
And since the topic is about wizards using guns, I'm sure they could make magic guns and bullets to penetrate magical defenses.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by Coldhands:

Does a shield charm work on bullets?

I see no reason why it couldn't. When Dumbledore transmuted the glass shards, he erected a barrier, and the shards transformed as they were passing through it. He didn't have to target them directly.

[Anvos]

Originally posted by GrandMajora:

Originally posted by Coldhands:

Does a shield charm work on bullets?

I see no reason why it couldn't. When Dumbledore transmuted the glass shards, he erected a barrier, and the shards transformed as they were passing through it. He didn't have to target them directly.

The problem is we know shield spells can be overwhelmed, so this entirely comes down to the unknown variables of does the velocity and caliber exceed what a shield charm can deflect/absorb.

Not to mention it also comes partially down to the unknowns of how magically reactive the bullet metal is. Lead, Tungsten, and Depleted Uranium all seem suspect how useful magic would be against them.

........................................

Glass is a very bad example since how easy its constituent parts are to manipulate even without magic and glass itself in small pieces is rather easy to change even without magic as well.

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by Anvos:

Not to mention it also comes partially down to the unknowns of how magically reactive the bullet metal is. Lead, Tungsten, and Depleted Uranium all seem suspect how useful magic would be against them.

You should also take the kind of wand being used in the casting into account. Since we know that depending on its length, flexibility, wood and core, the wand can affect the user's magical abilities in various ways.

[_Artamis_]

there was a spell i cant remember the name of that shot a bullet like object out the tip of the wand and i dont believe it could be deflected by protego but also has a lot of kickback so was rarely used.

[Ricochet]

I don't have any knowledge on HP lore but per my fan fiction dive, muggle things cannot work in the magical world unless there's a magical application to produce the same process.