History Main / CoinTargetingTrickshot

# The '''BizarreAndImprobableBallistics''' version, in which a character will flick a coin into the air in order to [[PinballProjectile ricochet a bullet off of it to precisely hit a target]]. This one relies much more heavily on ArtisticLicense, since it assumes that the coin is strong enough for the bullet to ricochet off of without breaking, that the coin then wouldn't nullify any of the bullet's stopping power, that the bullet manages to hit a flat surface of the coin at exactly the correct angle, etc. And that's not even putting into account that there's no guarantee in real life that pulling this off would actually ''hit'' what the shooter is intending to hit.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast port of ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead 2'' includes a few minigames, one of which is keeping a coin in the air for as long as possible by shooting it.

* Parodied in ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff''. Jason [=McCullough=] demonstrates his ImprobableAimingSkills by tossing a washer into the air and shooting at it. It comes down untouched and he claims he shot the bullet through the hole in the washer. When he isn't believed, he sticks a piece of tape over the washer and repeats the trick. When he catches the washer, there is a hole in the tape.

** V1's most iconic ability is the AltFire of their Marksman revolver, in which they toss a coin into the air and fire a bullet off of it, securing a guaranteed headshot on a nearby enemy and supplying the "+RICOSHOT" score bonus. Also, any hitscan weapon can ricochet off the coins, meaning it's possible to redirect a [[{{BFG}} railcannon blast]] off of one, doing staggeringly high damage.

* The first issue of Creator/MarkWaid's ComicBook/{{Avengers}} run -- the Silver Age {{Retraux}} half -- has ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} nailing ''four'' coins with arrows at the same time as a publicity stunt for the team's new lineup.

Subtrope of ImprobableAimingSkills, BizarreAndImprobableBallistics, and ArtisticLicenseFirearms. Often employed by [[TheGunslinger Trick Shot Gunslingers]], either as a combat technique or just to make themselves look badass. May also be used by practitioners of GunFu. If a character attempts this maneuver but misses or hits something unintentional, that's SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Compare with CoinWalkFlexing and/or other tricks done with coins, and MoneyMauling for other examples of money used as weapons.

* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'': In ''The Arctic Incident'', Holly Short pulls one off at the end of the story when she shoots a hole dead through the center of a fairy gold coin and gives it to Artemis as thanks, pointing out there's no way she could have made that shot if he hadn't restored her trigger finger with the ritual after it got cut off by a train car's door.

* Series/MythBusters tested whether this was actually feasible without special effects, and got a quick-draw/speed-shooting champion in to test it. They threw a bunch of coin shaped slugs at him. He put bullets in them. Myth confirmed.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': In one cartoon, Yosemite Sam throws a nickel in the air and shoots it. It comes down with a perfect hole through its center. Then Bugs throw a nickel in the air and shoots it. Five pennies come down.
* In Creator/TexAvery's ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}} Drag-a-long Droopy,]]'' the Wolf throws a nickel in the air and shoots it. It comes down with a perfect hole through its center. Then Droopy throws a nickel in the air and shoots it. Five pennies come down.

* In the ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' album ''Steaming Up the Mississippi'', Luke must stop a ruthless hired gunslinger. Luke challenges him to show his skill, whereupon he tosses a coin and shoots it. Luke says he's not impressed. The gunslinger then tosses up four coins and shoots each one, which Luke says is just a waste of money. He then tosses a playing card and shoots right through it. Luke admits he has skill, but also reminds him that his six-shooter is now empty and Luke has the upper hand.

* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': In one cartoon, Yosemite Sam throws a nickel in the air and shoots it. It comes down with a perfect hole through its center. Then Bugs throw a nickel in the air and shoots it. Five pennies come down.
** The same gag (done with rifles) shows up in Creator/TexAvery's ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}} Drag-a-long Droopy.]]''

** The same gag shows up in Drag-a-long Droopy.

# The '''ImprobableAimingSkills''' version. In this fashion, a character will toss a coin and subsequently shoot it out of the air, usually as an impressment or intimidation tactic. Sometimes a character is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced doing this so the audience instantly knows how good they are with guns]]. Oftentimes they will shoot a clean hole right through the center of the coin, no matter how small the coin is or what caliber of bullet they are firing. Needless to say, this is ''possible'' to [[TruthInTelevision do in real life]], but nowhere near as nonchalantly as fiction would make you think, and it's also a lot harder to create a hole in the dead center of the coin, with edge shots or just splitting the coin in half being much more common. It is also occasionally performed with bows or crossbows, especially hand crossbows because of the aforementioned handgun association, although this also assumes that a bow or crossbow's ammunition would be capable of piercing the coin at all.

* The first issue of Creator/MarkWaid's ComicBook/{{Avengers}} run - the Silver Age {{Retraux}} half - has ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} nailing ''four'' coins with arrows at the same time as a publicity stunt for the team's new lineup.

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': When Kitten was playing a game of [[Franchise/YuGiOh Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker]] against Tzeentch for Magnus' soul, Kitten uses Cup of Ace to flip a coin so whoever it lands for would have to draw two cards. Kitten shoots it to force Tzeentch to draw two cards, which would deck him out. [[spoiler: It turns out to be a trap, as Tzeentch had an elaborate scheme to give him the winning move. Fortunately, Kitten counters the plan by just summoning a bunch of monsters that self-buff and throwing them at Tzeentch.]]

# The first form is the '''ImprobableAimingSkills''' version. In this fashion, a character will toss a coin and subsequently shoot it out of the air, usually as an impressment or intimidation tactic. Sometimes a character is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced doing this so the audience instantly knows how good they are with guns]]. Oftentimes they will shoot a clean hole right through the center of the coin, no matter how small the coin is or what caliber of bullet they are firing. Needless to say, this is ''possible'' to [[TruthInTelevision do in real life]], but nowhere near as nonchalantly as fiction would make you think, and it's also a lot harder to create a hole in the dead center of the coin, with edge shots or just splitting the coin in half being much more common. It is also occasionally performed with bows or crossbows, especially hand crossbows because of the aforementioned handgun association, although this also assumes that a bow or crossbow's ammunition would be capable of piercing the coin at all.
# The other form is the '''BizarreAndImprobableBallistics''' version, in which a character will flick a coin into the air in order to [[PinballProjectile ricochet a bullet off of it to precisely hit a target]]. This one relies much more heavily on ArtisticLicense, since it assumes that the coin is strong enough for the bullet to ricochet off of without breaking, that the coin then wouldn't nullify any of the bullet's stopping power, that the bullet manages to hit a flat surface of the coin at exactly the correct angle, etc. And that's not even putting into account that there's no guarantee in real life that pulling this off would actually ''hit'' what the shooter is intending to hit.

* The first form is the '''ImprobableAimingSkills''' version. In this fashion, a character will toss a coin into and subsequently shoot it out of the air, usually as an impressment or intimidation tactic. Sometimes a character is [[EstablishingCharacterMoment introduced doing this so the audience instantly knows how good they are with guns]]. Oftentimes they will shoot a clean hole right through the center of the coin, no matter how small the coin is or what caliber of bullet they are firing. Needless to say, this is ''possible'' to [[TruthInTelevision do in real life]], but nowhere near as nonchalantly as fiction would make you think, and it's also a lot harder to create a hole in the dead center of the coin, with edge shots or just splitting the coin in half being much more common. It is also occasionally performed with bows or crossbows, especially hand crossbows because of the aforementioned handgun association, although this also assumes that a bow or crossbow's ammunition would be capable of piercing the coin at all.

* The other form is the '''BizarreAndImprobableBallistics''' version, in which a character will flick a coin into the air in order to [[PinballProjectile ricochet a bullet off of it to precisely hit a target]]. This one relies much more heavily on ArtisticLicense, since it assumes that the coin is strong enough for the bullet to ricochet off of without breaking, that the coin then wouldn't nullify any of the bullet's stopping power, that the bullet manages to hit a flat surface of the coin at exactly the correct angle, etc. And that's not even putting into account that there's no guarantee in real life that pulling this off would actually ''hit'' what the shooter is intending to hit.

Subtrope of ImprobableAimingSkills, BizarreAndImprobableBallistics and ArtisticLicenseFirearms. Often employed by [[TheGunslinger Trick Shot Gunslingers]], either as a combat technique or just to make themselves look badass. May also be used by practicioners of GunFu. If a character attempts this maneuver but misses or hits something unintentional, that's SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Compare with CoinWalkFlexing and/or other tricks done with coins, and MoneyMauling for other examples of money used as weapons.

* In the ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' album ''Steaming Up the Mississippi'', Luke must stop a ruthless hired gunslinger. Luke challenges him to show his skill, whereupon he tosses a coin and shots it. Luke says he's not impressed. The gunslinger then tosses up four coins and shots each one, which Luke says is just a waste of money. He then tosses a playing card and shoots right through it. Luke admits he has skill, but also reminds him that his six-shooter is now empty and Luke has the upper hand.

[[folder:Film--Live-Action]]

* ''Film/TheSwordOfSwords'' has the introduction of Fang's [[EliteMooks archer squadron]], where they shoot a bunch of bronze Chinese coins (the type with a square hole in it's center) using their arrows atop a table into the air, and then fires a second arrow each into the airborne coins pinning them in the ceiling via central hole. Incidentally this is the only time they demonstrated such skill with their arrows, in a later scene when they're sent to assasinate the hero Lin Jen-shiau, the squadron somehow still goes down in a two-minute CurbStompBattle.

* ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': In one cartoon, Yosemite Sam throws a nickel in the air and shoots it. It come down with a perfect hole through its center. Then Bugs throw a nickel in the air and shoots it. Five pennies come down.
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* Parodied in ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff''. Creator/JamesGarner's character demonstrates his ImprobableAimingSkills by tossing a washer into the air and shooting at it. It comes down untouched and he claims he shot the bullet through the hole in the washer. When he isn't believed, he sticks a piece of tape over the washer and repeats the trick. When he catches the washer, there is a hole in the tape.