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[sam]

Is it not the sound effect of someone racking the slide on a big gun with a full magazine more KA-CHUCK?

The CLK sounds a bit wimpy for a shotgun, CLK would be more a 32. 

Now if someone was racking an empty handgun, rather than a shotgun, CLK-CHKKK would be about right, but it seems to me that even a 32 arguably has a more manly sort of sound when the racking actually loads a bullet in the chamber.

CLK-CHKKK just somehow sounds me like a normal sized gun with no bullets in the magazine or chamber being racked.  When you hear the bullet going into the chamber, it makes a sound that is somhow suggestive of a big man saying "I am in charge now!"

But then, punches don't sound like KA-POW either.  Is CLK-CHKKK a standard comic book convention for the sound of racking the slide?

[Andreas]

On a completely unscientific basis, I'd say that for me, subjectively, CLK-CHKKK conjures up the sound of a pump-action shotgun being pumped.
I think the allcaps make the difference between a tiny clk-chkkk which could be a pump-action .22 BB gun, and the loud CLK-CHKKK for a 12-gauge.
The lack of vowels doesn't, to me, make the sounds less loud, it merely signals that this is a single sound with two parts, and not a potentially coincidental pair of potentially unrelated sounds, CLACK-CHUKKK. Clack, with the vowel, has a full stress - perhaps even an emphatic hyperstress - and the stress serves to make that sound distinct from other words, preventing their combination into a two-part sound.
I might have preferred a CHK-KRKK instead though 

[sam]

I might have preferred a CHK-KRKK instead though 

CHK-KRKK is alright.  The trouble whith CLK- is that it suggests click, which is the somewhat wimpy sound of a handgun being racked with no bullets in the magazine.

[gunner]

my old m97 "trench gun" made a click as the bolt unlocked, "clack" when it hit the rear travel limit, then "ka-chunk" as it picked up and fed the cartridge. all fair warning that serious business was afoot. i quite enjoyed the look on the goon's face, a perfect rendition of an "ooh s**t!" expression. sin loi.
"gunner"
(just checked, the m1911a1 makes a sort of "clunk, clunk" sound when racked with the magazine out, not feeding a live round.)

[Andreas]

Oh I know what it is! The CLK is the sound of feeding a grapeshot round into an M79, and the CHKKH is from slamming the M79 shut!  Now that's some shotgun
Why anyone would sneak up on a guy with the M79 open and dry beats me! But hey, birds ain't smart

[Killydd]

I never could figure out why all over fiction, people threaten with a weapon that is not ready to use, and find the need to ready it halfway through the conversation.

[abookwyrm]

I never could figure out why all over fiction, people threaten with a weapon that is not ready to use, and find the need to ready it halfway through the conversation.

I found the answer to that question in a movie that I believe was called "Phonebooth" and the answer went something like this: "Because that sound, is scary."

[gunner]

@ andreas,
it seems that the bird was smarter than the corporal, why am i not surprised.
"gunner"

[Big.Swede]

I never could figure out why all over fiction, people threaten with a weapon that is not ready to use, and find the need to ready it halfway through the conversation.

Psychology. If you would rather have them stop, sease and desist, get the hell away, stick ´em up or whatever. The sound of a gun being cocked is a very good persuader and indicator that unless they start behaving right freaking now, you have the means to put a stop to them.

Case in point. When i was doing my tour of duty in the Swedish army we got detailed to do honor guard at the royal castle. It´s actualy more to prevent vandalism and drunks doing stupid things than anything else. Anyway, around comes saturday night and around 3 AM the rowdy crowd is heading home from the bars and some punks decides to hassle the guards in time honored tradition. It happens, you get used to it.

This group was more irritating than others, so an alert call is made and the response group was sent out to tell them to GTFO our guard area. A few minutes of general hubbub goes down and then i hear the rather distinct voice of the officer going "Stand down!" and the sound of 3 assault rifles being charged. Now it might not be as impressive as the sound of a 12 gauge, but it does get the point across rather well.

Turns out one of the geniouses tried to grab the rifle of one of the response group. Along comes the police, turns out 3 of them are carrying knifes, 1 is on drugs and pretty much the lot of them are known troublemakers and drunk to boot. But that ratchet of rifles being charged got their attention, compliance, and fortunatly no actual physical force had to be used at all.


Well, that is the real life reason for it at least. In movies and stories it just makes for a good/cool story moment.

[Bob G]

Is it not the sound effect of someone racking the slide on a big gun with a full magazine more KA-CHUCK?

My home defense shotgun has more of a 'cha-chunk' sound when it racks.

[Andreas]

I never could figure out why all over fiction, people threaten with a weapon that is not ready to use, and find the need to ready it halfway through the conversation.

Psychology. If you would rather have them stop, sease and desist, get the hell away, stick ´em up or whatever. The sound of a gun being cocked is a very good persuader and indicator that unless they start behaving right freaking now, you have the means to put a stop to them.

Case in point. When i was doing my tour of duty in the Swedish army we got detailed to do honor guard at the royal castle. It´s actualy more to prevent vandalism and drunks doing stupid things than anything else. Anyway, around comes saturday night and around 3 AM the rowdy crowd is heading home from the bars and some punks decides to hassle the guards in time honored tradition. It happens, you get used to it.

This group was more irritating than others, so an alert call is made and the response group was sent out to tell them to GTFO our guard area. A few minutes of general hubbub goes down and then i hear the rather distinct voice of the officer going "Stand down!" and the sound of 3 assault rifles being charged. Now it might not be as impressive as the sound of a 12 gauge, but it does get the point across rather well.

Turns out one of the geniouses tried to grab the rifle of one of the response group. Along comes the police, turns out 3 of them are carrying knifes, 1 is on drugs and pretty much the lot of them are known troublemakers and drunk to boot. But that ratchet of rifles being charged got their attention, compliance, and fortunatly no actual physical force had to be used at all.


Well, that is the real life reason for it at least. In movies and stories it just makes for a good/cool story moment.

I guess a lot of things speak for not having a round in the chamber when not intending to fire... I don't know if psychology is the most important one.
I personally would chamber a round as soon as I find it plausible that I'll need it - but with a round in the chamber, if someone tries to grab the weapon, they get it to the chest. Going half-cocked is going all-dicked.

[Oneil]

I believe you are speaking of the sound intruders fear more than even a barking dog or a siren..

The sound in the still of the night, of a 12 Ga pump shotgun cambering a round. 

It will make any sane non-drug crazed intruder consider their mortality, reverse direction and leave quickly to seek a softer target.

Here is a good Youtube sample if you still can't imagine the sound..  http://youtu.be/YbFH2i17goQ

 

 

[sams]

Is it not the sound effect of someone racking the slide on a big gun with a full magazine more KA-CHUCK?

The CLK sounds a bit wimpy for a shotgun, CLK would be more a 32. 

Now if someone was racking an empty handgun, rather than a shotgun, CLK-CHKKK would be about right, but it seems to me that even a 32 arguably has a more manly sort of sound when the racking actually loads a bullet in the chamber.

CLK-CHKKK just somehow sounds me like a normal sized gun with no bullets in the magazine or chamber being racked.  When you hear the bullet going into the chamber, it makes a sound that is somhow suggestive of a big man saying "I am in charge now!"

But then, punches don't sound like KA-POW either.  Is CLK-CHKKK a standard comic book convention for the sound of racking the slide?

Is it possible to draw the sound of a collective facepalm please ?

[Big.Swede]

I guess a lot of things speak for not having a round in the chamber when not intending to fire... I don't know if psychology is the most important one.
I personally would chamber a round as soon as I find it plausible that I'll need it - but with a round in the chamber, if someone tries to grab the weapon, they get it to the chest. Going half-cocked is going all-dicked.

Well, the real reason we didn´t have one chambered was safety. When you have troops walking around with a loaded and ready assault rifle in the middle of the capitol 24/7/52 accidents are bound to happen, so to minimize the risk they went for the empty chamber solution. The psychology is a neat bonus in that case.

As for plausability of use. Me, i´d rather go with that extra second it takes to work the mechanism once. What it can buy me is worth it in my eyes at least, but to each their own.

[sam]

I personally would chamber a round as soon as I find it plausible that I'll need it

If it is plausible you will need it, you are probably within earshot of the the man you might need to kill, which should considerably reduce the chances that you will need to kill him, or will even see him.