Today it’s hard to find someone who would never have heard of a hero like James Bond. Most watched at least a few films, but fans watched the entire series of “Bond” to the holes. Of course, many of them would like to know which gun is in James Bond. Let's talk about this, as well as about some other interesting details.
Which gun does he usually use
In the vast majority of films, James Bond's gun is the same - Walter PPK. This is a really good choice - it is no coincidence that after adopting it in 1935, Germany produced a million of these pistols. Of the several modifications, the hero uses the 7.65 mm model. Confident battle at a distance of 25 meters, 8 rounds in the store, severe injuries when hit by a target and exceptional reliability make him the choice of true professionals.
In addition, it is compact, having a shorter barrel than other pistols in the series. It was produced by order of the Ministry of the Interior of Prussia, and it was led by people who were well versed in weapons, who knew what good operatives needed.
So, if you are interested in which pistol of which system James Bond used usually, you can remember - this is Walter PPK. However, this was not always the case.
How was born Major Butroyd
Fans of "Bond" are well aware that the film was shot in a series of magnificent and very popular books written by Ian Fleming. Although he was considered a participant in World War II, he never got to the front line, serving mainly in the rear. So, by his own admission, he knew very little about weapons.
Therefore, when writing a book, he armed his hero "Beretta 418" with a caliber of 6.35 mm. Yes, it is precisely such a James Bond gun that appears in the first books. Moreover, the secret agent shoots him without a miss, confidently hitting any enemies.
That was until Ian Fleming received a letter from Jeffrey Butroyd, a small arms specialist from Glasgow. He wrote that he really liked the series of books, but the James Bond pistol caused sincere bewilderment. After all, it is more likely a female weapon - the caliber is too small to be used in a real battle.
Butroyd also advised Fleming to change the frivolous gun to Walther PPK.
The wise author heeded the advice, and an interesting scene appeared in the next book. The faithful Beretta failed Bond, after which he ended up in the hospital. Then, on the advice of weapon expert Major Butroyd, Bond changes it to Walther PPK. So Fleming not only did not forget the advice of a concerned reader, but also immortalized the latter in the pages of his book. Later, when filming this scene was in the film "Doctor No".
When Bond changed his principles
Yes, for many years, James Bond's favorite gun has remained unchanged. Only in 1983, the scriptwriters decided to make a small change. For this year, two films about the secret super-agent were released at once: Octopus and Never Say Never. It is not known why, but in these films the main character changed his rule, using the new Walther P5 instead of Walther PPK.
Of course, most viewers are not very good at weapons, so they did not even notice any substitution.
But still, in subsequent films, the creators decided to abandon this innovation by returning the classic pistol to James Bond - he again appeared on the screen with his beloved Walther PPK.
Keep up with the times
But nothing lasts forever. Even the best and most reliable weapons become obsolete. Therefore, when watching the film "Tomorrow Never Dies," many weapons experts were divided into two camps - some were enthusiastic about the innovation, and others were saddened by the rejection of the classics. The fact is that in this film, the usual pistol was replaced by Walther P99, adopted in Germany in 1996.
For nine years, until 2006, a secret agent performed assignments for the glory of the Queen of England with this gun. In nine years, four films have been released.
But then either the scriptwriters decided to return to the classics, or the management changed, or it was decided that the English agent should be extremely conservative, but the hero was again armed with a Walther PPK pistol. This happened in the 2008 film “Casino Royale”, and the trend continued in subsequent films - “Quantum of Solace”, “Skyfall Coordinates” and “SPECTRUM”. What will happen to the armament of James Bond in the future? This is still difficult to say.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds toy gun
There were frankly funny situations on the set, which few know about. One of them is associated with the filming of the film "From Russia with Love", or rather, with the production of an advertising poster for him. On it, Sean Connery stands with a brutal expression and a long-barrel pistol in his hands.
Someone captivated the poster - because he promised that soon there would be an opportunity to see his beloved hero again. Well, weapons connoisseurs frankly made laugh. They somehow knew which gun was used by James Bond - and it turned out to be an ordinary toy. On the set of the poster, it suddenly turned out that the gun used in the film was not at hand. The assistant was sent to the store, and he acquired a pneumatic gun in the toy department, capable of killing a mouse, and even at a distance of no more than 5 meters.
However, the awkward situation was financially beneficial. In 2010, the toy was sold at auction for a very impressive amount - 277 thousand pounds, which is approximately 370 thousand dollars.
Conclusion
Our article ends. Now you know which system gun James Bond used, how many times during his long career he changed it. Readers also learned some historical and fun facts related to this universe.