Pop culture guns that have led us to real-life purchases

Rune

Rune

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Curious to see who all has a particular firearm because of influence from a movie / TV show / etc…

Got a Walther PPK in part because of James Bond? Or maybe a S&W Model 29 partly because of Clint’s assertion that it’s the “most powerful handgun in the world”? This thread’s for us to share those influences that have led to those purchases.

What are your impressions of it in real life? Do you still have it? If not, what made you get rid of it?

(Not sure if this belongs in the Movie/TV/Media section or somewhere in the gun section, so let me know if I put it in the wrong place.)
 
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I bought a 29 but not because of Dirty Harry. On an episode of The West Wing, President Bartlett mentions that his Secret Service detail carries 44 Magnums “with the safety off”. I couldn’t identify any other options. 🤓
 
Jeppo said:
I bought a 29 but not because of Dirty Harry. On an episode of The West Wing, President Bartlett mentions that his Secret Service detail carries 44 Magnums “with the safety off”. I couldn’t identify any other options. 🤓
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Desert Eagle, of course.
 
My first handgun purchase out of college was a USP9, mostly because it felt nice in my hand, and of the rentals available in my hometown range, I shot it the best.

But I’m not gonna lie - I played a fair bit of Counter-Strike around ‘99-‘01, and that was my counter-terrorist sidearm-of-choice (I think the game had it in .45 though).
 
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Shal'kek nem'ron!


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Thai Tran said:
A Beretta M9. Then I bought it and I was never more dissapointed
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I feel like that was a popular Hollywood choice for a while around the 90s. Which movie/show/game led you to pick it up? And what was so disappointing?

It’s been close to a decade since I’ve fired or even held one, but I seem to remember being ok with it. Don’t know that I would’ve bought one, but I can’t remember anything I straight up didn’t like about it either.
 
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15 years ago I bought a Mosin sniper for my son's birthday and gave it to him as a surprise after we watched Enemy at the Gates on DVD that night with his friends.

More recently I bought myself a model 604 clone (early M16) 'cause it looks just like the ones in all the Nam movies, even though that model was actually used by the air force.

He still has his and I still have mine.
 
Rune said:
I feel like that was a popular Hollywood choice for a while around the 90s. Which movie/show/game led you to pick it up? And what was so disappointing?

It’s been close to a decade since I’ve fired or even held one, but I seem to remember being ok with it. Don’t know that I would’ve bought one, but I can’t remember anything I straight up didn’t like about it either.
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I remember it from plethora of Holywood action movies and from Cod and such. When I picked it up, it was worse in every way compared to my CZ SP01. It's felt like a compromise between a CZ and a 1911
 
Me. said:
I bought my first “rifle” because of the TV show SWAT.


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I would go on to buy similar things as an adult, but it all started there.



Couldn‘t do the smiley-face thing at 50 yards while Murtaugh watched, or couldn’t get the packing tape to stick to your sweaty back for concealed carry? :D
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It just looks ugly in real life. The 92x and slimmer versions are fine, the older M9s are just fat as hell
 
I bought a Remington 700 because of COD back when I first was getting into firearms. So much of a noob that I even called it an R700 at the gun shop on that fateful Black Friday many years ago. They only had one left in stock. In.223. I didn’t know any better. I just wanted to get it to the range and practice my “sniping” skills! One of those moments in life that you look back on and all you can do is just roll your eyes at yourself! I love the rifle though! Really a joy to shoot. After 15 years, I just upgraded the stock to a magpul Hunter. Now I need to give it a better scope!

Also, not a firearm in itself, but I always loved Stallone‘s cobra grips on his 1911 in Cobra. So I tracked some down a few months ago. Haven’t got around to getting them put on but they look sweet!
 
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I hunted far and wide for a Steyr SSG 69 after seeing Lone Wolf McQuade. By the time I found one just like in the movie, my ardor had cooled enough that the price tag deterred me from buying it.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
Single action Colts...cause........well...................................Roy and Gene and Lone Ranger and Hoppy and John Wayne and... 👍 😍 ;)
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Imagine what Marshal Dillon would have given for a 1911 in 45 with 7-rd mag and a few backups?

I resisted buying a derringer even after having the Palidin toy belt buckle gun as a child. I also had a toy replica of Lucas McCain's rifle from The Rifleman. Lately I've also pined after a Mare's Leg because of Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive. Here's a Wikipedia entry about Josh's Mare's Leg:

Firearms[edit]​


Mare's Leg and holster
Randall carries a gimmick rifle called the "Mare's Leg" in a unique quick-draw holster.[5]: 52  The Mare's Leg was a shortened Winchester Model 1892 .44-40, with a gun belt that held .45-70 cartridges that, although they couldn't be fired from the weapon, looked more intimidating.  The gun itself was a real, working firearm rather than a prop, and had to be registered with the LAPD.

To learn the art of the quick draw, McQueen turned to Sammy Davis, Jr., whom he knew from working in New York. Davis was known for being proficient with Western-style pistol work.

Three Mare's Legs were used in the series, differing in the shape of the lever and the barrel.
 
Thai Tran said:
I remember it from plethora of Holywood action movies and from Cod and such. When I picked it up, it was worse in every way compared to my CZ SP01.
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Complete opposite experience. Started autoloaders with a CZ75B and swapped to the 92FS after shooting one. It completely surpassed all my expectations as a German terrorist and/or zombie slayer.
 
Schattenreiter said:
Smith and Wesson 29 because of Dirty Harry and a Ruger single six because of westerns and I couldn't afford a Colt.
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I know people who went with a Heritage Rough Rider because they couldn’t spend the money on a Single Six, much less a Colt.
 
I think I bought the M1 from watching all the WWII movies growing up and meeting some of the veterans of that war and Korea. That was always a bucket list item. Beretta 92's I could never spend the money on. I hear great things about the civilian models but all I ever experienced were abused remnants of pistols that were never lubed or cared for after many years of deployments. Triggers felt like dragging 60 grit sandpaper across fine gravel, grips were wide and the military had the safety/decocker so if you racked the slide and then came up you might not have the pistol go off, which took some training to overcome.


I will say, I have a Heritage barkeep and it just makes me smile. 4-click trigger/hammer, you can fan fire it and I just think its super neat.
 
cchioda3 said:
I bought a Remington 700 because of COD back when I first was getting into firearms. So much of a noob that I even called it an R700 at the gun shop on that fateful Black Friday many years ago. They only had one left in stock. In.223. I didn’t know any better. I just wanted to get it to the range and practice my “sniping” skills!
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"They" never tell you that those sniper rifles are R700 actions, only. Everything else is custom and high-end, turning that $500 Remmy 700 into a $5K rifle lol.

For me: Walther PPK, S&W 686 (Marcinko's Rogue Warrior). Ended up selling them both.
 
A Winchester John Wayne Commemorative

S&W 27 from Walker Texas Ranger
 
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