The Bond Armory
BCFDRay
Joppa, MarylandPosts: 373MI6 Agent
So, with the birth of my daughter, I've decided to condense my movie prop, Bond, and firearms into a single collection. I could use the space and we all know how expensive our passion can be. Aside from the occasional piece of 007 clothing, I'll be focusing my collection on movie firearms, particularly those seen and used by our beloved hero, James Bond. I'm starting this thread in hopes the Mods may deem it worthy of a Sticky and we'll have a catchall to discuss and showcase our Bond related weapons, firearms, and the like.
Comments
The Walther LP53, serial number 052XXX, made between 1962-63
The Beretta 21A in 25acp
Walther PPK, in 9mm kurz, dated to 1968
Walther PPK in 7,65mm, dated to 1939.
Bond: “I must be dreaming.”
I'm absolutely looking to add both a P99 and P5 to my collection, just waiting for a proper opportunity.
Im currently waiting for the mailman to show up with a new addition today, stay tuned!
Beretta 418 in 25, dated 1959
Great question! I am in fact a type of FFL, a C&R FFL (Curio & Relic) which allows me to directly purchase, have firearms sent to my home, as long as they meet the definitions set forth by the ATF.
To be recognized as C&R items, 478.11 specifies that firearms must fall within one of the following categories:
Firearms which were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas of such firearms;
Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and
Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event.
All it costs you is $30 and 2 stamps to apply, you must keep an acquisition/disposition log
I LOVE shooting this one. Good deal!
I'm currently debating what type of tape to use when I remove the grip panels. Something along the lines of hockey stick or baseball bat grip tape? I haven't the slightest idea what Bond would have used
I haven't read through the novels yet (Only read Casino Royale and Diamonds Are Forever). If anyone can answer me, in which one does he remove the grips? Also, does it "putt" as it did in the Diamonds
Great article
http://jamesbond.ajb007.co.uk/handguns-of-james-bond/
It is... all taped up and somewhere to go!
How long did the bluing process take? It seems to be very well done.
It is noted in that article I wrote about the Beretta, and I think in my video as well, removing the grip panels on the 318/418 Beretta is not a good idea. While it worked for the literary James Bond, it will not work safely for you.
Removing the grip panels on the Beretta exposes the trigger bar and sear. Without the panel the trigger bar will separate from the sear and the pistol will not fire. With the sear exposed it could be pushed inadvertently and the pistol could fire! Bond's customization's do nothing to enhance the pistol. After removing the grip panels and "filing' or sawing off the front sight the major change is the "sawn" barrel. I did cut the barrel on mine back to the front of the slide, then threaded it internally for a "silencer". The threading makes the barrel wall very thin and the loss of about 3/8" of rifling means bullets will "keyhole". In reality Bond ruined his pistol.
I recommend that you leave that nice Beretta alone. Remember that at the end of Moonraker Bond put his shiny new Beretta in his holster before going off on holiday - so for a while at least he carried it unaltered. If you do make the Bond modifications - best to pull the firing pin from the pistol and make it a non-shooter.
BTW: I ended up using baseball bat tape for the grip. Just make sure you put nylon tape on the handle first as the "bat tape" will rust/corrode the metal.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Regarding the tape, I'm kicking around the idea of duct tape since it was invented in the 40s and used by soldiers during WWII.
Casting "clear" grip panels is a good idea. Much better than a true "skeleton" grip!
I had no idea that "duct tape" was used by commandos... presumably it was black back then. Are there any references/photographs of tape being used by UK commandos in WW2 to improve the "grip" on personal weapons?
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond