Colt Movie Prop Guns (Photos Added)

SP45

Did Colt Factory ever make guns for the movie industry and is so are they identifiable as Colt factory made. From a distance you can't tell this is a non working gun. Smooth bore blocked barrel looks like it was not bored all the way through. Cylinder is non standard size chambers with a block in the middle.

http://imgur.com/a/pXEY5

I just sent these photos to the Colt Historian. The serial number dates to the 1800s. Seems like a whole lot of difficulty to make a fake gun

rufe-snow

Sembridge gun rental's, was the outfit, that provided the prop guns for the movies for many years. Far as I know, they never used "new" guns. That were specifically made for them by Colt, or any other firearms manufacturer.

There have been various sales over the years, of various prop guns. Owned by both Sembridge and MGM, Batjac etc. They had inventory markings denoting ownership, by these organizations. Never any indication, that they were specifically made as prop guns by any of the U.S. manufacturers.

TRAP55

As Rufe says, and as far as I know, movie guns and their modifications were done by the movie gun suppliers.
It's a fascinating subject that I wish someone would do a book on, while the old timers that know the stories on these guns, are still with us.
I've spent hours on the phone talking to Jim Martin about his work on movie guns, and training the actors to use them.
He used a Great Western SAA to build a copy of John Wayne's Ivory handled Colt for "The Shootist", because Ron Howard had to throw it across the bar room.
His stories behind teaching Burt Lancaster to draw and shoot behind his back in "Vera Cruz" without burning the small of his back, and teaching Kevin Costner to draw and shoot two different directions in "Silverado", are entertaining to say the least.[:)]

rsnyder55

They also make rubber copies of guns so they can be dropped, thrown across the room, thrown at another actor, etc.

They make the copy from a mold, paint them, and when they are used, have sound effects add the appropriate noise of metal hitting the floor, etc.

Laredo Lefty

Many movie guns came up for sale at an auction house by me. A group of guns from Water World. 3 guns with holsters from Bonanza, Lorne Green's, Dan Blocker's and Michael Landon's. A couple Smith 29's used by Mel Gibson in Payback to name a few.

charliemeyer007

Very interesting. I would inquire with Colt. The 45 Cal on the trigger guard seems usual to me. Does a 5 in 1 Blank fit in the chambers?

Ricci Wright

Number comes back 1884 SSA. That sure looks like a Colt.

Spider7115

quote:Originally posted by Ricci Wright
Number comes back 1884 SSA. That sure looks like a Colt.

That's a Franklin Mint replica of Bat Masterson's Colt SAA, Serial #112737

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Franklin-Mint-Bat-Masterson-Forty-Five-Replica-1873-Colt-Single-Action-Army-/122532086811

SP45

Thanks Spider,

He Dog

The movies I worked used real guns.