A spectator fires a gun at the magician, who recoils from the impact... and then turns back to the shooter revealing a "BANG!" sign on a stick (like in the cartoons!) gripped between his teeth.

Getting into and out of this trick would require some presentational finesses that I haven't really thought of (it's very early in the morning and this is just off the top of my head). Without the right presentation, this could easily elicit massive groans (understatement, there...). It might work as a joke opener to a "real" bullet catch; you would do it very quickly as a gag and then move on the the real thing. Yeah, that might work...

And I can't decide if it would be better to hold something up that breaks while the "bullet" is on its way to your mouth. That might be kind of funny, or it might not make any sense.

The other thing is, if one could figure out a way to visibly shoot the stick with the "BANG!" flag out of one's mouth, that would be ideal. I'm sure there's a way to do that, using some kind of telescoping thing (so that it fits in your mouth) with a flexible thin cloth (washable!) "BANG!" sign attached.

Hmm...

-Travis

I like that idea Travis! very original and I'd love to see it done, it really would be extremely funny,

Tom