Recognizing "your" guns in movies...

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lsudave

lsudave

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I just watched Atomic Blonde, and I have to admit, I picked out just about every handgun in that film.

For full disclosure: the movie is set in East and West Berlin the week the Berlin Wall falls, and it's a spy thriller.
I was in college at that time, perhaps 20 or so; there was a foreign language requirement, and I chose German because I was interested in the Cold War angles. One of my instructors was an attractive West German woman in her mid twenties, who spoke English without an accent, and also taught Russian (ah yes, the speculation I had about her true career goals ;), but then we were in South Lousiana, far away from the intrigue).

Anyway- as I said, my son and I recognized just about every handgun, because I own them:
  • Makarovs- plenty of them put to use, including silenced versions. My second pistol was in this caliber
  • ?format=750w.jpg
  • mine (in a group)
  • [ 32827915016_a9c496cd7c_z.jpg
  • Tokarev- this was actually my first handgun; they had a silenced one. I can only imagine the beating it would put on that can with that muzzle blast
  • 800px-At_tk.jpg
  • mine
  • 32486051160_8ab7cd3dd6_z.jpg
  • CZ 75 (pre B)- this was my early Grail gun, and probably the 3rd pistol I bought.
  • 600px-Ab_75_1.jpg \
  • mine
  • 32743798701_2168457974_z.jpg
  • Hi Power (probable FEG variant)- I have the FEG variant, got it right after the 75.
  • 600px-At_FN.jpg
  • mine
  • 32024387154_e78519c098_z.jpg
The above were used by the bad guys, as well as our heroine
  • Sig P226- used by our heroine and W German police. I've been wanting one awhile, was only last year that I came across one (a 91 W German) at the right price.
  • 600px-At_SIG.jpg
  • mine
  • 33668452645_60d18c1f73_z.jpg
I find stuff like this neat. This (the time period, not the movies) is part of the reason I like the guns I do; those are more than just "cheap surplus" to me.

To be honest, movies do help the attraction too. :)
Hence,
32052500383_a3801f5a21_z.jpg
I know it's also the US military pistol, but I'm pretty sure Die Hard and Lethal Weapon had some influence on my purchase.
 
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lsudave said:
I find stuff like this neat. This (the time period, not the movies) is part of the reason I like the guns I do; those are more than just "cheap surplus" to me.
Click to expand...
This is my favorite era of pistols. The lines are just attractive and never really found a striker fired gun that tickled my fancy. Don't have the gun collection to be in your situation but someday....
 
Can't count the Makarov pistols I've seen in movies. I'm only naming movies I've seen, and in which I recognized the firearm.

TT-33 (and, of course, the Mosin rifle) in "Enemy at the Gates."

Star Super B (as a stand-in for a 1911) in "Pulp Fiction."

SKS rifle in "Rescue Dawn" and "Tears of the Sun."

Ruger P-95 in "The Marine."

Bauer .25 in "Foxy Brown" (Pam Grier rocks this little jewel.)
 
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I agree in part about the movies. I buy them because of the movies, I sell them because I have had my fun with them, and the ones I keep are the ones that just seem right to keep. Somehow for me that is the 1860s to roughly 1910 design revolvers, particularly the Smith and Wesson guns. I do have others, but mainly wheelguns designed in that era. I'm still waiting for a colt DA revolver to fall for, but so far no luck. I actually just this week picked up a colt to add to the safe, and in true form I bought a beater to fix up. I already love the little thing, and I'm slowly but surely caressing it back to life....but then again those ww2 guns....

And yeah I constantly pick out guns in movies, often point out mistakes, and more often than I should I start thinking about buying things I don't need and shouldn't spend money on.
 
lsudave said:
I just watched Atomic Blonde, and I have to admit, I picked out just about every handgun in that film.

For full disclosure: the movie is set in East and West Berlin the week the Berlin Wall falls, and it's a spy thriller.
I was in college at that time, perhaps 20 or so; there was a foreign language requirement, and I chose German because I was interested in the Cold War angles. One of my instructors was an attractive West German woman in her mid twenties, who spoke English without an accent, and also taught Russian (ah yes, the speculation I had about her true career goals ;), but then we were in South Lousiana, far away from the intrigue).

Anyway- as I said, my son and I recognized just about every handgun, because I own them:
The above were used by the bad guys, as well as our heroine
I find stuff like this neat. This (the time period, not the movies) is part of the reason I like the guns I do; those are more than just "cheap surplus" to me.

To be honest, movies do help the attraction too. :)
Hence,
View attachment 784156
I know it's also the US military pistol, but I'm pretty sure Die Hard and Lethal Weapon had some influence on my purchase.
Click to expand...
The NRA museum currently has the Die Hard 1 Beretta in it's collection, it is the very same prop gun from Lethal Weapon 1.:)

I actually have a former RKO Pictures prop Krag which was probably used in the film "Gunga Din". I've poured over the movie frame by frame, but can't prove it, lol. It was missing the sights and fitted for blank firing when I got it- also looked like a tank backed over it a couple times. Still shoots pretty good doe!

Of course James Bond was the reason I HAD to have a PPK. Turned out to be the prettiest .380 paper weight I've ever owned.

And Serpico got me started on HiPowers.....:D
 
There's a website called internet movie firearms data base. Just google guns in movies and it should come up. It has been the final arbitrator a time or 2 after some beers and a movie with friends- "That was a M9! No, I'll bet you $10 that was a Sig! OK- get the laptop. And some more beers, And your wallet."
 
I spotted the Charter Arms Bulldog in Blade Runner 2049, does that count?

;)
 
During the First World War, British bought a significant quantity of 455 revolvers from several different Spanish makers. None of them were Webley copies. They were all copies of the big S&W 44 top break revolver, with the device that keeps the cylinder from rotating when the gun was not cocked left out. The British were not terribly happy with them, and no one seems to know how they used them.

I have seen them in two movies, both British: "The Lady Vanishes", made in the 1930's by Alfred Hitchcock (there is also an FN 1900 in that movie) and "White Mischief", made in the 1980's and set in WWII British Kenya. I used to own one, but I never fired it because the horn grips were in bad shape and I could find no replacements. So I sold it. Now the price on them has skyrocketed (well, at least the asking price).

Incidentally, there is a place called the IMFDB on the Internet where you can look this kind of thing up. I only mention this incident because the gun involved was so obscure.
 
I had one of those except it was .44-40 caliber. Checking with the NRA Dope Bag, I was advised never to fire it with commercial ammunition. Their best advice was to dismantle the gun or weld it shut.

Bob Wright
 
Monac said:
Incidentally, there is a place called the IMFDB on the Internet where you can look this kind of thing up
Click to expand...
Yeah, I did that after watching the movie. Confirmed what I saw- I owned every handgun in the film (in the condition displayed on camera) except the Manhurin revolver and the Stechyin at the beginning.

Regarding movies, I do appreciate when they take the time to research and place the correct guns into the film, and when the guns included seem to have a purpose as to why that model is there.
In Atomic Blonde, obviously you will have Makarovs and the occasional TT 33 in East Berlin, and the P226 in West Berlin. As I recall, the Hi Power, our heroine placed that in her bag while in London, goiing to meet the head of MI6; that's also a gun that fits in place. I appreciated the appearance of the CZ 75- it was used in the film by a KGB agent, she took it from him. That seems to match internet lore about the usage of those, I honestly don't know if it was truly used by them (but it's always made sense, since it was a very good design being cranked out behind the Iron Curtain).
WestKentucky said:
And yeah I constantly pick out guns in movies, often point out mistakes
Click to expand...
I do that, and sometimes I also notice the other direction- every so often, it seems like there's a scene constructed by a firearms enthusiast, who put a little thought into it.

One such scene occurred on the show NCIS LA a few years back, and in watching, I came to the conclusion that SOMEONE involved in that show was into guns as much as any of us are.

I've long since forgotten the actual plot for one episode (stop the bad guys obviously), but early they show the team shooting at a range. The 3 federal agents have Sigs (P228s I believe), but the LAPD guy (Dekes) has a Beretta 92FS. They all are good shots (of course). His partner asks him why he still uses his old big gun, and he replies that his gun saved his life before, he's comfortable with it and he doesn't want to give it up.
Ok, quick review of common gun discussions and knowledge-
  • yeah, there's a good chance that if he was on the LAPD a decade or longer, he did get a Beretta issued.
  • yes, the Beretta is a lot bulkier than the Sig P228, we see that issue around THR discussed a lot
  • another issue we see discussed- muscle memory. Sigs are drastically different from Berettas (and almost any other model). If he's had the Beretta since it was issued, he's got at least a decade's worth of training with it. We are even told that he has had to use it, and did so successfully. Switching to a Sig, he loses that. And since they seem to have to draw guns every week (episode) :eek:, I don't think any of us would want to lose any edge we might have in such circumstances. I'm not, if I were in that spot.
Later in the episode, he loses the Beretta during a chase scene; his partner gives him the stinkeye.
  • ah yes, the dreaded "bulky Beretta" issue bites him. She almost tells him "told ya so".
End of the episode, their boss gives him another pistol and says 'try not to lose this one'. Watching that scene, she hands him a LNIB black S&W 3rd Gen, probably a 5904. Gun guy observations again; why not a Sig P228? Why, out of all the gun props available, is it a 3rd Gen S&W out of production?
  • remember, he trusted his muscle memory? S&W shares the same exact layout of controls as the Beretta... slide-mounted safety/decocker going the same direction, slide release where he's used to it.
  • So the S&W has the Beretta controls, but in terms of bulk (it's not a stainless 5906, it's a black gun, so it most likely has the aluminum frame), it's smaller, lighter and more compact, like the P228. And it shares the same capacity too.
So the "perfect compromise" is reached; he gets a smaller pistol like everyone else, but he keeps the control layout he trusts. Win-win for everyone.
Sure, it could all have been random, but given the conversations they had, it sure is a heck of a coincidence that every issue they discuss is addressed.
 
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The TV show Bonanza is a rather poor attempt at armaments. One episode recently (rerun, of course) hinged about the Pony Express and pre-Civil War. All are armed with Colt SAAs, though they have no cartridges in their gun belts. But they had Winchester Model 92s made up as Henry rifles. This by removing the forend and brass plating the receivers. Tell tale signs were the loading port and the round tubular magazine.

Bob Wright
 
In "Joe Kidd" Clint Eastwood uses a Ross M-10 in .280 Ross. In the movie, the rifle is scoped. My M-10 has the standard iron sights. It has one flip up leaf that is rather amusingly marked 0-500. :what: Now, the 280 is a flat shooting round....but it ain't THAT flat shooting !!
 
I do wonder why specific brands don’t contract with action/thriller authors to feature their guns. Why should H&K, Sig, and Glock get all the exposure? Why doesn’t Ruger get together with an author like Daniel Silva or other to feature their guns inthe stories. I would think they would get good return on the outlay. W
 
rpenmanparker said:
I do wonder why specific brands don’t contract with action/thriller authors to feature their guns. Why should H&K, Sig, and Glock get all the exposure? Why doesn’t Ruger get together with an author like Daniel Silva or other to feature their guns inthe stories. I would think they would get good return on the outlay. W
Click to expand...
Ruger P series autos featured prominently in the old USA "Le Femme Nikita" series, a strange choice as the Agency operatives rarely took missions in the US.

And, of course, Hannibal Smith made the Mini 14 notorious in the A-team.

But ya, Ruger does seem to get less screen time than many brands.
 
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BobWright said:
I had one of those except it was .44-40 caliber. Checking with the NRA Dope Bag, I was advised never to fire it with commercial ammunition. Their best advice was to dismantle the gun or weld it shut.

Bob Wright
Click to expand...
The Spanish Trocaola top-breaks were quite well made, though the Brits procured questionable S&W copies from other makers as well. These most certainly did see use right up through WW2 with the Home Guard and the RAF.
 
WestKentucky said:
I'm still waiting for a colt DA revolver to fall for,
Click to expand...
I was conflicted on Colts too, having had many Police Positives, Official Police, and a New Army that just didn't stick around. But I just dropped a wad o' cash (though I got a good deal by today's Snakegun standards) on a minty 4" Diamondback like the Duke used in "Brannigan." I think it's a keeper!

Plus, it's as close as I'll likely ever come to Rick Grimes' Python, lol.
 
It's been mentioned already but that Internet Movies Firearms Data Base is at : www. imfdb.org and is very interesting, as you can look up a particular firearm from a very extensive list and it gives all the movies, TV, etc. where you can see that particular model of gun, along with other information about the character(s) who carried it, etc. Quite an extensive cross-referenced study of guns in movies and TV. Check it out if that sort of stuff interests you.
 
lsudave said:
I just watched Atomic Blonde, and I have to admit, I picked out just about every handgun in that film.

For full disclosure: the movie is set in East and West Berlin the week the Berlin Wall falls, and it's a spy thriller.
I was in college at that time, perhaps 20 or so; there was a foreign language requirement, and I chose German because I was interested in the Cold War angles. One of my instructors was an attractive West German woman in her mid twenties, who spoke English without an accent, and also taught Russian (ah yes, the speculation I had about her true career goals ;), but then we were in South Lousiana, far away from the intrigue).

Anyway- as I said, my son and I recognized just about every handgun, because I own them:
The above were used by the bad guys, as well as our heroine
I find stuff like this neat. This (the time period, not the movies) is part of the reason I like the guns I do; those are more than just "cheap surplus" to me.

To be honest, movies do help the attraction too. :)
Hence,
View attachment 784156
I know it's also the US military pistol, but I'm pretty sure Die Hard and Lethal Weapon had some influence on my purchase.
Click to expand...

Nice photos but there is only one Makarov in your picture... those other 9x18mm pistols are NOT Makarovs.

Would you call every pistol chambered in .45 ACP a Colt? No, you would not. Therefore every pistol chambered in 9x18mm isn't by default a Makarov.
 
Panzerschwein said:
Nice photos but there is only one Makarov in your picture... those other 9x18mm pistols are NOT Makarovs.
Click to expand...
The OP posted "mine (in a group)".

I read that as my Makarov in a group picture of my other pistols...which appears to be accurate.

I could see how it could be misread as my Makarov in a group of other Makarovs, but then, wouldn't he have posted, " A group picture of my Makarovas"
 
rpenmanparker said:
I do wonder why specific brands don’t contract with action/thriller authors to feature their guns.
Click to expand...
Because the authors aren't the ones who determine which guns will appear in the movies. The producers decide that.

Gun manufacturers pay a lot of money to producers for "Product Placement" in movies
 
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