List of James Bond firearms

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The following is a list of firearms used by James Bond in the novel, film, and video game adventures.

Contents

[edit] Novels

[edit] Ian Fleming

When Ian Fleming wrote the first of the James Bond novels, Casino Royale, he had no idea the direction in which the stories would go, let alone how many he would eventually write. So when he introduced Bond as using a Beretta 418 in a flat chamois leather holster he probably didn't think too much about it. He had used a .25 ACP Beretta during the Second World War when he was in Naval Intelligence and felt it was an appropriate side arm for a secret agent on an undercover mission.

Shortly before the publication of From Russia with Love in 1956, Fleming received a fan letter from a Geoffrey Boothroyd. Boothroyd was an author and gun collector. Boothroyd told Fleming that he really admired the Bond novels apart from the hero's choice of weapon. He felt that the Beretta 418 was "a lady's gun" with no real stopping power.[1] He also objected to the choice of holster. Boothroyd proposed that Bond should use a revolver like the Smith & Wesson Centennial Airweight. It had no external hammer, so it would not catch on Bond's clothes. The Smith & Wesson could be kept in a Berns-Martin triple draw holster held in place with a spring clip which would decrease Bond's draw time. Boothroyd also had bad words about the suppressor Bond occasionally used, saying that they were rarely silent and reduced the power of a gun.

Fleming replied, thanked the Boothroyd for his letter, and made a few points. He felt that Bond ought to have an automatic pistol; perhaps Boothroyd could recommend one? He agreed that the Beretta 418 lacked power, but pointed out that Bond had used more powerful weapons when the need required, such as the Colt Army Special he uses in Moonraker. Fleming also said that he had seen a silenced Sten gun during the war and the weapon had hardly made a whisper.

The "Colt Army Special .45" that rides under the dash in Bond's car is yet another Fleming mistake. Colt did, indeed, produce a double action revolver in the early years of the twentieth century that was given the nomenclature "Army Special." However, the revolver was built on what Colt called its .41 caliber frame, first introduced in 1888 as the "New Army and Navy." A smokeless powder version was released in the early 1900s, now called the Army Special, a nomenclature continued until Colt released the Official Police model in the late 1920s. Army Specials were typically chambered for .38 Special or .32-20 Winchester, but never for .45. That large caliber was restricted to Colt's New Service, first released in 1905, and the Colt Shooting Master, issued in the 1930s.

Walther PPK 7.65 mm
Walther PPK 7.65 mm

Boothroyd recommended the Walther PPK 7.65 mm as being the best choice for an automatic of that size, with its ammunition available everywhere. He suggested, however, that 007 ought to have a revolver for long-range work. Fleming asked Boothroyd if he could lend his illustrator Richard Chopping one of his guns to be painted for the cover of From Russia with Love. Boothroyd lent Chopping a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver that had the trigger guard removed for faster firing.

Fleming had Bond's Beretta caught in his holster at the end of From Russia with Love, an event that almost costs the secret agent his life. In the next novel, Dr. No, a certain Major Boothroyd recommends that Bond switch guns. Bond is issued a Walther PPK but is told to carry it in a Berns-Martin triple draw holster, which is designed only to carry revolvers. This mistake was possibly due to an error in Fleming's notes, transposing the Walther PPK for the Smith & Wesson Centennial Airweight. However, Fleming lore says that Fleming had bought such a holster and had it sent to Jamaica, making this error all the more puzzling. It has been argued over the years that Q-branch could have modified this legendary holster to accommodate automatics, but this is unlikely- the design of the holster was centered around the cylinder of a revolver, where the spring clip would "grip" the pistol.

Novel Year Guns
Casino Royale 1953
  • Beretta 418, Bond's main gun.
  • Colt Police Positive with sawn barrel. Bond keeps one under his pillow while he sleeps.
  • Long-barreled .45 Colt Army Special. Bond has one on the seat of his car as he chases Le Chiffre.
Live and Let Die 1954
  • Beretta 418, Bond's main gun.
  • Colt Detective Special. Bond takes this off Tee-Hee's corpse and uses it to kill two more of Mr. Big's men in the car park.
  • Champion speargun. Bond uses this to fend off a barracuda during his swim to Mr. Big's island.
Moonraker 1955
Diamonds Are Forever 1956
From Russia with Love 1957
Dr. No 1958
  • Walther PPK, Bond's new main gun.
  • Beretta 418. James Bond is forced to hand this gun over to M.
  • Smith & Wesson Centennial Airweight for "long-range work". Bond decides to take this to Crab Key island instead of the PPK as there will be no time for close encounters.
  • Smith & Wesson .38. Bond finds this gun on Crab Key and uses it to kill three of Doctor No's men.
Goldfinger 1959
For Your Eyes Only 1960
"From a View to a Kill"
"For Your Eyes Only"
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun
  • Savage 99F. Bond is given the gun by an Canadian police Colonel, a "Colonel Johns".
"Quantum of Solace"
  • No gun is mentioned or used.
"Risico"
"The Hildebrand Rarity"
  • Champion speargun. Bond used this to kill a Stingray in the Seychelles.
Thunderball 1961
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun. He also used a shotgun that Largo handed him to shoot at skeet.
The Spy Who Loved Me 1962
  • As this book is told from the point-of-view of the "Bond-girl", the identity of Bond's gun is not mentioned. But it is presumably his Walther PPK.
  • Smith & Wesson Police Positive. Bond gives this gun to Vivienne Michel "in case she needs it".(Fleming likely intended this to be a Colt Police Positive, but he had suffered a heart attack during the final editing proces and the error was never corrected.)
  • Submachine gun. Bond mentions in an anecdote that he used a submachine gun on his last mission in Canada, and that he fired from the hip which is "the correct way to fire" an automatic weapon.
  • Bond keeps a gun under his pillow as he sleeps, but this gun is never identified.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1963
You Only Live Twice 1964
  • Walther PPK, but Bond isn't allowed to take it with him when he faces Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
The Man with the Golden Gun 1965
Octopussy and The Living Daylights 1966
"Octopussy"
  • No gun is mentioned or used.
"The Property of a Lady"
  • No gun is mentioned or used.
"The Living Daylights"
  • Winchester International Experimental target rifle .308 caliber. Bond uses this to shoot the KGB assassin in West Berlin
"007 in New York"
  • No gun is mentioned or used.

[edit] Kingsley Amis

Novel Year Guns
Colonel Sun 1968

[edit] John Gardner

On March 20, 1974 an attempt was made to kidnap HRH Princess Anne. The Walther PPK of the police officer protecting her jammed and was subsequently withdrawn from service. When John Gardner was asked to write a new series of James Bond continuation novels, one of the first things he decided was to update Bond's trusty Walther PPK. Gardner devoted two pages in his first James Bond novel Licence Renewed to the debate over whether to use a revolver or an automatic, and what make and model, before finally settling on an older FN M1903 in 9 mm Browning Long (9x20mmSR). Even Bond himself admits that it is an old gun. The original hardback cover illustration by Richard Chopping shows the FN pistol.

After criticism from fans for choosing an old gun, Gardner replaced the gun three more times, eventually sticking to the ASP 9 mm for the rest of the series. As he intended to downplay the gadgets in his books, Gardner compensated by bringing to the series a colorful arsenal of weapons from around the world.

Novel Year Guns
Licence Renewed 1981
  • FN M1903 9 mm. Bond chooses this to replace his Walther PPK, which is now banned by the service.
  • Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum. Bond keeps one of these (illegally) in his Saab 900 Turbo, and uses it during a car chase, firing it through his car's gunports.
  • Antique dueling pistol.
  • Colt Python .357 Magnum. Bond uses this briefly in an airborne shootout with Murik's men.
  • MBA Gyrojet.
For Special Services 1982
  • Heckler & Koch VP70 9 mm. After criticism from fans over the choice of an old gun, Gardner replaced Bond's FN M1903 with a more modern DAO 9 mm polymer pistol.
Icebreaker 1983
Role of Honour 1984
  • ASP 9 mm. Gardner finally settled on the ASP as Bond's main gun.
Nobody Lives Forever 1986
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
No Deals, Mr. Bond 1987
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
Scorpius 1988
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
  • Browning Compact 9 mm
Win, Lose or Die 1989
Licence to Kill 1989
Brokenclaw 1990
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
The Man from Barbarossa 1991
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
Death is Forever 1992
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
Never Send Flowers 1993
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
SeaFire 1994
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.
GoldenEye 1995 *Walther PPK, Bond's main gun, AK-74, Browning High Power.
COLD 1996
  • ASP 9 mm, Bond's main gun.

[edit] Raymond Benson

When James Bond expert Raymond Benson was asked to take over writing the series, he briefly gave Bond back his Walther PPK. Benson also brought the series in line with the films and concurrently replaced Bond's PPK with the Walther P99 in the film novelisation Tomorrow Never Dies.

Novel Year Guns
Blast from the Past (short story) 1997 Walther PPK
Zero Minus Ten 1997 Walther PPK
Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 Walther PPK
Walther P99
The Facts of Death 1998 Walther P99
"Midsummer Night's Doom" (short story) 1999 Walther P99
"Live at Five" (short story) 1999 Walther P99
The World Is Not Enough 1999 Walther PPK (No Explation Given For Change)
High Time to Kill 1999 Walther P99
Doubleshot 2000 Walther P99
Never Dream of Dying 2001 Walther P99
The Man with the Red Tattoo 2002 Walther P99
Die Another Day 2002 Walther P99

[edit] Young Bond

Novel Year Guns
SilverFin 2005 No weapon used
Blood Fever 2006 9mm Beretta is used by Zoltan the MagyarA
Double or Die 2007 ApacheB
Hurricane Gold 2007 Unknown
Young Bond Book 5 TBA Unknown
  • Note A: During a gun battle that takes place in a cave, Bond picks up a rifle of unknown make and model. The gun is never fired by James as it was out of bullets.
  • Note B: The Apache is a combination of a revolver, knife, and knuckle duster that was used by thugs in 19th century Paris. It was notably used by the henchmen brothers Wolfgang and Ludwig Smith as they carried out various murders across London. It was not used by Bond.

[edit] Films

[edit] Official films

Walther P99 9 mm, Bond's current sidearm
Walther P99 9 mm, Bond's current sidearm

The scene from the novel Dr. No is replayed more-or-less verbatim in the 1962 film, ensuring the Walther PPK a place in cultural history. Bond shows a great deal more fidelity to his side arm in the films than in the novels, even going so far as to take on an international arms dealer and hi-tech arms enthusiastic Brad Whitaker armed only with an eight-shot, 7.65 mm semi-automatic.

During the 1963 production of From Russia With Love (film), photographer David Hurn was commissioned to photograph the actors of the film in their costume. When the Theatrical property Walther PPK did not turn up for the shoot, Hurn volunteered his own Walther LP 53 air pistol and said he would airbrush out the long barrel; the airbrushed stills appearing in a US "JAMES BOND IS BACK" poster. However, Renato Fratini a film poster artist saw the original stills of the weapon and used it in his U.K. posters with the weapon appearing in several more film posters up to The Man With the Golden Gun. On 14 February 2001, Hurn had his LP 53 (serial number 054159)in its original presentation case and letter of provenance auctioned off at Christie's where the weapon fetched US$20,437.41.[2]

As there is more gunplay in recent films, Bond has changed to a more modern handgun, though it is still a Walther. There is also a greater use of assault rifles and submachine guns during the battle sequences.

Title Year
Dr. No 1962
  • Unknown Beretta .25 caliber pistol, possibly the Beretta 418,the Beretta 1934 or 1935, or possibly the Beretta 950 Jetfire, which was introduced in 1953- the year the Bond character was "born". Bond, reluctantly, has to hand this gun over to M.
  • Walther PPK. Bond is forced to use the Walther PPK as his main gun.
  • Walther PP In at least one sequence on the island of Crab Key, Bond is seen with the longer barreled PP, but this is considered a continuity slip in the film.
  • FN Model 1910 with suppressor. (This pistol was apparently used because there was no PPK in the prop department that could be fitted with a suppressor at the time.)
  • Sterling L2A3 sub-machine gun used by Dr. No's men during Quarrel's death and the decontamination scenes
  • Lee-Enfield No.4 bolt-action rifle, seen in the hands of Royal Navy sailors towards the end of the film.
From Russia with Love 1963
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • AR-7 "sniper" rifle, kept in his attache case. Originally chambered in 22 Hornet.
  • Flare gun, used as a weapon in the boat scenes. This gun can be seen at Planet Hollywood, Orlando, Florida, where it is incorrectly labeled as being used in Thunderball. He used a pen flare from Q in that movie.
Goldfinger 1964
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Walther P38, used by several guards and Bond himself.
  • M14, seen carried by US Army soldiers during the gas attack.
  • Mauser Kar98k rifle, used by Goldfinger's men during the Fort Knox raid and gunfight.
  • MP40, used by Goldfinger's guards in the gunfights in Switzerland and in Kentucky
  • Thompson M1A1 submachine gun used by US Army soldiers in the Fort Knox gunfight.
Thunderball 1965
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Speargun used to kill Vargas and during the underwater battle. Compressed-air powered, it might be a Technisub Jaguar, or one of the Nemrod Commando range
You Only Live Twice 1967
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Sterling L2A3 sub-machine gun, used to "kill" Bond at the start of the film.
  • Lee-Enfield No.4 bolt-action rifle, used by a Royal Navy honour guard at Bond's "funeral" in Hong Kong.
  • Lee-Enfield No.5 Jungle Carbine, seen in the hands of one of Blofeld's guards.
  • Cigarette rocket, used to kill one of Blofeld's guards.
  • MBAssociates Gyrojet Rifle, used by Tiger Tanaka and his ninja commandos on the raid on Blofeld's base.
  • Smith & Wesson Model 36 .38 caliber revolver, used when killing an assassin
  • Webley Mk VI dropped by Blofeld, which Bond uses in the assault on the control room
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969
Diamonds Are Forever 1971
Live and Let Die 1973
The Man with the Golden Gun 1974
The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
Moonraker 1979
  • Wrist-Dart gun, used by Bond on two occasions.
  • Holland & Holland Royal Double Rifle.
  • Moonraker Laser - A laser gun that can be shot in space, used by the astronauts.
  • M16 Rifle, Used by Hugo Drax's henchmen in the Aztec Temple Base/Launch Site.
For Your Eyes Only 1981
Octopussy 1983
  • Walther P5, Bond's main gun. He is clearly wielding a P5 in the taxi chase, but later tells Q "I appear to have misplaced my PPK.". This confusion is most likely a script issue. It would appear the Walther asked the producers to have Bond use the new P5, which Walther was trying to market to German police agencies at the time. However, no one changed the script. This same gun is used by Connery in the competing "Never Say Never Again" released the same year.
  • VZ 58 automatic rifle. Bond takes this gun off one of Kamal Khan's men and fires it while sliding down a banister.
  • Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle (both the No.1 MkIII* and the No.4), used by Kamal Khan's men at his palace in India.
  • Steyr AUG wielded by General Orlov's men during the train yard battle
A View to a Kill 1985
The Living Daylights 1987
License to Kill 1989
  • Taurus 92 9 mm pistol (a Brazilian copy of the Beretta Model 92FS 9 mm pistol, as per the film's armorer in “The Making of Licence to Kill” by Sally Hibin), given to Bond by Felix Leiter during the opening sequence when Bond does not have a gun on him.
  • CAR-15 rifle, seen briefly being used by Felix Leiter and the DEA agents chasing Sanchez in the pre-title sequence.
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Speargun. Bond uses this to kill a guard on the Wavekrest.
  • "Signature gun", .220 (sic) sniper's rifle that is disguised as pieces of a cine camera, and only responds to his palm print. Bond uses this gun in an attempt to kill Franz Sanchez, but is thwarted by a ninja. When a ninja tries to use the gun himself, it won't fire.
  • Micro Uzi. Sanchez uses this when he tries to shoot Bond off of the tanker trucks during the final battle.
  • Beretta 92FS: Milton Krest fires this weapon at Bond, unsuccessfully, when he jumps into the water after killing the deck guard
GoldenEye 1995
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Kalashnikov AKS-74U. Bond uses this gun on two separate occasions. Xenia uses it to massacre the Severnaya facility.
  • Kalashnikov AK-74. Bond takes this from a Russian soldier in Cuba. Xenia has one strapped to her back before Bond indirectly uses it to kill her. Trevalyan wields one in the final battle with Bond. The folding stock version AK-74s that were seen in GoldenEye were Chinese-made NORINCO Type 56/AKM rifles that were fitted with AK-74 muzzle breaks and with Russian-made, AKM magazines made of red bakelite.
  • Browning BDA9. Used by Trevelyan during the chemical facility shootout.
  • Browning BDM. Trevelyan uses this gun
  • Makarov PM. Used by General Ourumov and Natalya.
Tomorrow Never Dies 1997
  • Beretta AR70/90 rifle. Bond uses this during the opening sequence.
  • Walther PPK, Bond's main gun.
  • Sig Sauer P226 Used by Carver.
  • Glock 17, Used by guards, and Carver in the last scene.
  • Calico M950 Submachine gun 9mm. Bond uses this gun to escape from Carver's Media Headquarters in Saigon.
  • Walther P99 9 mm. Wai Lin gives Bond this gun before he joins her in searching for the stealth boat.
  • Heckler & Koch MP5. Used by Carver's men, and by Wai Lin.
  • Heckler & Koch MP5K. Also used by Carver's men -- most notably in a failed attempt to break into Bond's car. Bond uses this submachine gun during the final battle.
  • M60 Machine gun -- E3 or E4 variant and presumably modified to fire Chinese ammunition -- used by Stamper to gun down Devonshire survivors.
  • M16 Rifle variants used by Carver's men. Stamper uses an M4 Carbine fitted with an M203 grenade launcher in the final battle. A henchman in the parking garage car chase also uses one, and one of the weapons that shatters the BMW's windshield.
  • Armsel Striker. One of the many weapons wielded by Carver's men in the parking garage chase.
The World Is Not Enough 1999
  • Walther P99. Bond's main gun.
  • Heckler & Koch MP5K. Used by Renard's men.
  • Heckler & Koch G36. Used by Giulietta da Vinci at the start of the film
  • Steyr TMP. Used by Parahawks, Bullion, and Renard's men.
  • FN P90. Bond briefly uses this submachine gun during the shootout in the nuclear test facility. Renard wields this as well.
  • Colt M1911A1, used by Bond on two occasions.
  • Cane Gun. Zukovsky can convert his walking cane into a single shot pistol. He uses it to free Bond from Elektra King.
Die Another Day 2002
Casino Royale 2006
  • Walther P99, Bond's main gun (in 9x19mm a.k.a. 9mm Luger).
  • Browning Hi-Power, used by Bond in the embassy in Madagascar.
  • Walther PPK This gun was pictured in promotional shots for the movie and it was fitted with a suppressor.
  • AK-47, used by the embassy guards in Madagascar.
  • M4 Carbine, Used by the police at the Miami Airport.
  • Glock 17, Carlos steals this gun from a Police holster in an equipment room at the Miami Airport.
  • Heckler & Koch USP, Used by various villians and henchmen.
  • Heckler & Koch UMP, two UMP45 .45 Caliber models with suppressor used during the Venice scene leading to the drowning death of Vesper Lynd. A suppressed UMP9 9mm model used by Bond to maim Mr. White.

[edit] Unofficial films

Title Year
Never Say Never Again 1983

[edit] Video Games

Note: The names of several firearms have been changed in the video games.

Title Year Guns
Agent Under Fire 2002
Nightfire 2002
  • Walther PPK (called Wolfram PP7)
  • Walther P99 (called Wolfram P2K)
  • Glock 17 (called Kowloon Type 40)
  • Glock 18 (called Kowloon Type 80)
  • Desert Eagle (called Raptor Magnum .50/.357)
  • H&K MP5 (called Deutsche M9K)
  • Ruger MP9 (called Storm M32)
  • Sig 552 (called SG5 Commando)
  • AIMS-20 (Advanced Individual Munitions System)
  • Tactical Sniper
  • Covert Sniper
  • Militek Mark 6 Multi Grenade Launcher
  • AT-420 Sentinel
  • AT-600 Scorpion
  • Korsakov K5 Dart gun
  • Franchi SPAS 12 (called Frinesi Automatic 12)
  • Delta Repeater Crossbow
  • Phoenix Samurai Laser Rifle
Everything or Nothing 2004
GoldenEye: Rouge Agent 2004
From Russia with Love 2005
  • Walther PPK (called Wolfram PP7)
  • Wright Magnum
  • Serum gun
  • Golden gun
  • Platinum gun
  • Carl Gustav m45 (called a Kronen SMG)
  • AK-47
  • Bazooka
  • Bosch shotgun
  • Sniper rifle
  • Armor piercing rifle
  • Radioactive gun
  • Minigun

[edit] References

  1. ^ 'Bond's unsung heroes' The Sunday Telegraph, Seven (supplement) 2008-05-18 retreived 2008-05-19
  2. ^ www.spybusters.com

[edit] External links

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James Bond
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