Weapons can look cool on videos, showcasing how they work and how they interact with certain objects at certain speeds.
However, one video showed the true, grim reality of weapons in one demonstration gone horribly wrong.
In a YouTube video, US Army veteran, Adam Knowles, was showing his audience how an RPG-7 operates.
Tragically, the test ended in disaster as the weapon exploded in the veteran's hands.
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The video exposes the dangers of 'back-blast' from various rocket launchers, showing the incident in slow-motion.
Viewers can observe the immediate explosion of the rocket launcher once its triggered, engulfing the weapon in flames.
The extreme force propels Knowles backward causing his helmet to fly off and knocking him unconscious.
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And the total impact caused Knowles to suffer various injuries such as a broken jaw, a fractured skull, shrapnel wounds, and third-degree burns.
The US veterans' friends immediately run to his rescue and call 911. Reports say he was airlifted to hospital.
Knowles said his treatment involved 'multiple skin grafts, stitches, and other surgeries' which have reportedly topped $300,000. Knowles is wearing arm casts as part of his recovery.
During his recovery, Knowles looked back on his near-fatal mishap and analysed what the problem was. In another video, the YouTuber explained how the shoot consisted of several launcher tests and the RPG-7 happened to be the 'final shot of the day.'
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'The rocket launcher basically exploded,' Knowles said.
He explained how the booster failed, causing the weld to fail and pressure bump in the tube.
The built up pressure then caused an explosion downwards, causing damage to his body rather than his head.
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He continued to say that luckily for him the weld failed first because it 'acted as a released for pressure.' otherwise it would have likely detonated the entire launcher and the impact to his head could have been much worse.
Comments on Reddit have expressed disbelief on the disaster like 'wow can't believe that he survived' and 'the explosion was literally right next to his face. How the f*** is he still alive?'
Other viewers are astounded at the luckiness of the US veteran saying: 'That could have been drastically worse' and 'He's so lucky he walked away from that'.
Whilst Knowles reports that he feels 'a lot better', the YouTuber has informed his audience he still has a 'solid few months' of rehabilitation ahead.
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Though Knowles is not one to let nasty explosions get in the way of making more videos as he says he's determined to 'keep moving forward', aiming to make a new video once he's back on his feet.