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FAMOUS MOVIE GUNS ARTICLES
The Most Powerful Handgun in the World
The firearm with easily the greatest movie-star status is none other than the Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver, immortalized by the ‘Dirty Harry’ film series.
Chosen as the main sidearm for the movies’ hard-boiled Chicago Police detective protagonist, Inspector ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan…
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 1, December 2017
You Know My Name
You know his name, and you also know his signature sidearm.
Of all the famous movie guns, the Walther PPK, and its association with 007, must be the most recognizable of all.
It has also been the longest running relationship between co-stars, as the first James Bond movie…
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 2, January 2018
A Gun For The Heroes
The late 1980s and early 1990s was a glorious time for action movies.
Some of the most classic, memorable, and perhaps even pivotal action movies and heroes were produced over this period, pushing the boundaries and rewriting the rules of action, graphic violence, excitement, suspense, wise-cracking dialogue, and movie franchising…
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 3, February 2018
When Size Really Does Count
The Desert Eagle is a firearm that was just MADE to appear in movies.
It is big (perhaps that’s an understatement), aggressive-looking, and powerful, especially when chambered in the calibre it’s most known for, the giant .50 Action Express or, as Bullet-Tooth Tony famously puts it in one of the firearm’s most memorable movie scenes: “Desert Eagle point-five-oh.”
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 4, March 2018
The Shotgun From The Future
In the early 1980s, an unusual but exciting new shotgun appeared on the market, almost as if it was called into existence simply to appear in the amazing action movies and television shows of that era.
It very soon found a welcome home in the entertainment industry, and has since been used extensively across all entertainment-media formats.
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 6, July 2018
The Gun That Made The Silver Screen Roar
When I ask people who aren’t firearm enthusiasts what famous guns come to mind when they think about movies, TV shows, or video games, I’ve received a lot of varied, and mostly vague, answers like ‘pump shotgun’, ‘9 mm pistol’, ‘M16’ and ‘bazooka’.
I guess it’s easy to forget that many people aren’t as interested in the subject as I am, which is understandable. In all fairness, if you asked me to name five current famous cricket players, you’d have me stumped.
But the one gun that the majority of people can, and do, mention by name is the Tommy Gun – or, as it is officially known, the Thompson submachine gun.
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 7, August 2018
Movie Guns: Honourable Mentions
Up to now we have looked at some famous firearms used in movies that have distinct links to particular characters or film series. Obviously there have been hundreds of other firearm models used in the entertainment industry, going back to the time of the first moving pictures.
In most cases, many of these firearms have been used in much greater numbers and frequency than the ones we looked at previously, and this is one of the reasons why they have not developed the same strong association with just one character or film…
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Vol. 1, Issue 8, September 2018 (Part 1) and Issue 9, October 2018 (Part 2)
Local is Lekker!
I’ve always enjoyed seeing South African-made firearms in movies and television shows, especially Hollywood or international productions.
It always gives me a feeling of pride and even slight patriotism, even though I have no commercial ties to the local firearms industry.
I guess it’s simply the same as supporting your home team and the gratification of showcasing your country’s accomplishments to the rest of the world.
By Alessandro De Grandis, first published in On Target Africa magazine, Issue 16, September 2019