[dn3500]

I'm not a handgun expert at all but I've caught a few of these, like the guy who racked the slide on his revolver. The author who really impressed me, although not with his handgun knowledge, was Tom Clancy. I was in the anti-submarine warfare business in the 1970s and some of what he wrote in Red October I only knew from classified sources.

[fractallyte]

Precedent: A 1944 science fiction story accurately described an atomic bomb – so much so that it prompted a visit from the FBI to the NY office of Astounding Science Fiction. Definitely a point of pride for editor John W Campbell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadline_(science_fiction_stor...

[dvh]

Chuck Norris can rack the slide on his revolver

[waltwalther]

Church Norris can spin the cylinder on his Glock.

[short_sells_poo]

Chuck Norris can play a game of Russian Roulette with a loaded semi-auto handgun and win. Repeatedly.

[bombcar]

Didn’t he piece rumors and made intelligent guesses so well that the government freaked out wondering where the leak was?

[Simulacra]

I seem to recall reading that is basically what he did. He had good sources, he was an excellent writer, and a world class researcher.

[lukan]

Possible he had a real source?

[djeastm]

Possibly, but I can't imagine a writer taking that kind of chance at the height of the Cold War just for verisimilitude.

[lukan]

I mean, the way I imagine it is he chatted with one ore more guys and after a while he got bits here and there he was technically not supposed to have, not enough of its own, but with imagination enough to get the rough picture of how it worked and got very close. But I don't think conscious braking of classified information happened. More carelessness I guess.

[bombcar]

That's what I've heard - intelligent research, combined with unclassified facts gleaned from conversations at coffeeshops and bars, led to a pretty accurate picture.

[rolph]

sometimes, you just have to hang out in the right bar, and you will hear a multitude of secrets, this is why some projects had thier own towns so none of the inside would get out.

[lukan]

Russia was a bit more extreme in that regard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_city

[pseudohadamard]

If I was doing this, I'd take it to extremes: "He heard the 'snick' of the revolver's safety as the baddie slid a fresh magazine into the handle, followed moments later by the click-click as the bolt shot home. He knew he still had a few moments while the baddie nestled the stock against his cheek, taking care not to catch his fingers on the bayonet lugs".

There, that should do it.

[Simulacra]

There's a rumor that Reagan very seriously asked his admirals repeatedly if it was true. I know he "couldn't put it down."

Tangentaly related observation, but Reagan may have been the only president to really pay attention to movies and entertainment for inspiration of future events, and possibilities. It was said that he had a similar reaction to War Games, and took it very seriously

[kibibu]

Until it came to anything vaguely to do with computing or electronics, which turned into basically magic