15 Best Guns of the James Bond Films

As was typical with most films, AKs were hard to come by in Hollywood, being something of a rarity on movie sets, though producers were able to pass off variants and copycats as the real thing with some minor cosmetic changes. The Kalashnikov — the real one — first made an appearance in 1983's Octopussy and was used by Soviet soldiers and East German guards. The AK-47 popped up again in 1987's The Living Daylights, this time in the hands of Soviet, Czech and Mujahideen fighters. It was in the same film where Bond first got his hands on anything close to an AK, the AKMS. For its use by both bad guys and 007, we'll give the AKMS a spot on our list.

In Bond's latest adventure, he wields a gorgeous Anderson Wheeler 500 NE double rifle during a gunfight at his ancestral home. Chambered in .500 Nitro Express, the Anderson Wheeler sure does pack a whallop, but in the hands of an experienced shooter like Bond, recoil is hardly a concern. Aside from its tack-driving capabilities, this British-made side-by-side is certainly a treat for the eyes — certainly fitting of a shooter as dapper as 007.

The Bren light machine gun was without question one of the most successful long arm designs of the 20th century. Designed by Czechoslovakia the 1930s, this top-loading LMG served the British Commonwealth until 1991; it only makes sense that such a successful design should make an appearance alongside Connery's Bond, though in Dr. No, the Bren was used by Dr. No's men trying to take Bond out — their efforts, of course, were unsuccessful.

Used by the Cigar Girl (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) in 1999's The World Is Not Enough, the Cobray Street Sweeper appears as a last-ditch effort to take Bond out. Based on the South African-designed Armsel Striker, the Street Sweeper features a 12-round shell capacity in a rotating drum magazine. Unfortunately, its designation as a destructive device by the ATF makes it very difficult to obtain in the U.S.

Granted, Colt revolvers aren't the first piece of weaponry that spring to mind when Bond's name is brought up, but in 1964's Goldfinger, we were treated to a beautiful gold-plated Colt Official Police, the weapon of choice of the film's namesake villain. Maybe it's a little more well known in gangster and mobster settings, but this particular revolver pointed in Connery's face is one of the prettiest we've seen.

Another radical design, the FN P90, made its big-screen debut in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, but it wasn't actually fired in a Bond film until 1999's The World Is Not Enough (left), in which it is used by Bond and enemy henchmen alike. With its unorthodox top-feeding magazine, this nonconventional bullpup certainly keeps up the 007 tradition of futuristic-looking weaponry — the only difference is this one actually exists.

The Heckler & Koch MP5 has a long history with 007, with variants appearing in numerous James Bond films and video games, but it's the MP5K with PDW folding stock from 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies that really wins us over. This submachine gun, an upgrade of the original MP5, features a folding stock and tactical foregrip for more accurate fire, plus the capability to quickly attach flash hiders or suppressors — given James Bond's propensity for silencers, this SMG's appearance should come as no surprise.

The beautiful Holland & Holland Royal side-by-side shotgun made an appearance in 1979's Moonraker, first used by Bond to shoot pheasants before turning his attention to bigger game, namely a sniper in the trees. This ornately decorated 12-gauge is a break from the more modern weaponry Bond is more commonly associated with, but it's not the last time 007 will pick up a side-by-side.

The ever-popular 1911 has made countless big screen appearances, and Dr. No marked the first time 007 came face-to-face with Ole' Slabsides. Since then, the 1911 has appeared sporadically throughout Bond's adventures in numerous variations, but to us, nothing beats a classic M1911A1, the standard to which modern semi-auto handguns are held.

Simple yet authoritative, Ingram's MAC-10 proved to be an effective machine pistol in the hands of U.S. Armed Forces — and it served 007 well too. Though originally wielded by the hitman Jaws in 1979's Moonraker, Bond finally got his hands on the MAC-10 in 2002's Die Another Day (left), and in classic Bond fashion, uses it as he pursues his adversary in a hovercraft. Maybe not the most realistic use of the MAC-10, but we can't help but be in awe of this fine pistol.

Granted, the Smith & Wesson Model 29 is probably more well-known in the hands of a certain SFPD inspector, but Roger Moore also picked up a nickel Model 29 in 1973's Live and Let Die. In .44 Magnum, the Model 29 was — at the time — one of the most powerful handguns available, and with its sleek good looks and reliability, it's everything you'd come to expect from a classic Smith & Wesson.

In real life, the Sterling SMG was a British submachine gun designed in 1944, serving the British infantry through the Gulf War, but in many of the earlier Bond films, it was to henchmen as the Walther PPK was to Bond. Chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum — or 7.62x51mm NATO in the battle rifle variant — the Sterling was weapon of choice for the bad guys, though Bond was finally able to get his hands on one in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Of course, the PPK wasn't the only Walther brandished by Bond. The P38 made a brief appearance in Goldfinger, first used by one of Goldfinger's guard before making its way into Connery's hands. The P38 is similar in design to the famous Luger P08, which is really no coincidence; the P38 was originally designed to replace the P08, the service pistol of the Wehrmacht, which was scheduled to end production in 1942.

Of course, we'd be remiss not to start the list with Bond's famous sidearm, the Walther PPK. Making its debut in 1962's Dr. No, the PPK has become a 007 staple since it was first used by Sean Connery; one could even argue that the PPK owes much of its popularity to Bond, and with its sleek, compact design, we really can't fault Bond for making this his weapon of choice.

Walther's WA 2000 sniper rifle has only appeared in a handful of movies — one of them being 1987's The Living Daylights, in which Timothy Dalton briefly uses one fitted with a custom night vision scope. With its radical bullpup design, the WA 2000 offered the same barrel length with a shorter overall length than conventional sniper rifles. However, production costs doomed the WA 2000 early on, with only 176 produced. Though only briefly used, the WA 2000 was still enough of a treat to catch our eye in Bond's hands.