We have all seen the classic Western movie trope, the one where an eagle-eyed marksman turns the whole room dark by shooting out a candle flame like he had just blown on it gently. Just a simple point and a click is all it takes to easily put out the light on the big screen. Well thanks to the latest video from the YouTube duo of Dan and Gavin we now know that actually hitting a candle wick with a gun is way, way harder than it looks, but that if you are going to watch it be done it’s much more satisfying to watch it in super slow motion.

The Slow Mo Guys engaged in an old-style challenge video, where they took (many) turns from about ten feet away trying to be the first to extinguish a candle with a gun, with what they describe as “the most inaccurate air pistol.” (No mention of their struggles possibly being a result of using inaccurate shooters.)

Numerous times they managed to douse the flame, primarily from hitting the wax of the candle and the resulting burst making the flame go out, but not until Gavin hit a pure shot, one that only hit the wick, did they finally have a winner.

And it was worth the wait, because the visuals created from that shot were far more pleasing than the ones of them hitting the candle. There was more life to the flame in its final moments when it was freed from the wick than when it was simply crushed by the exploding wax.

So although those cool gunslingers in Westerns made shooting out a candle look like more of a breeze than it really is, they never thought to show us how cool it looked in super slow-mo, which is just as impressive to see.

What other shooting challenge would you like to see the guys try next? Don’t be slow, hurry into our comments section below to tell us your suggestions.

Images: The Slow Mo Guys