Unusual S&W Revolver in "Goldfinger"

Sharpsdressed Man · January 30, 2014, 12:28 AM

I've seen it several times, but never scrutinized it enough. ***** Galore packs a S&W that Bond identifies as a S&W .45 caliber. If you look close, it appears to be a S&W Triplelock, and has a 4"barrel with a ramp sight: not a standard combination for a S&W of that period. So, it may be a cut down and customized S&W, and very unusual for that period. At first I thought it might be the same gun that Indiana Jones used (referred to as the "Bapty" gun, for the prop rental house in London that it was borrowed from) for movie use, but that gun had no ejector shroud. The "Goldfinger" revolver has a heavy ejector shroud, and is most likely a cutdown Triplelock. Both have a copy of a Baughman ramp sight on four inch barrels. Anyone else catch this, or have more info?

Jim Watson · January 30, 2014, 12:54 AM

Miss Galore's revolver does indeed appear to be a New Century "Triple Lock."
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Goldfinger

On IMFDB, the third picture of her holding Bond at gunpoint on the airplane appears to show the rectangular front latch. The fifth may reveal the two pins holding the latch in the front of the shroud.

They call it a Model 22, which is doubtful.

The front sight is on a nonstandard ramp and the barrel length looks odd.
I figure this is a gun in a prop department or prop rental house for a long time, ever since it was just a second hand pistol that could be had cheaply and not an icon of the make. Modifications by a previous owner or the prop master, who knows.

Anecdote: My agency was at the time playing host to visitors from all over for a biannual technology demonstration. We had a Korean engineer stay over for additional study after the official meetings. There was not then much social life around here and he was glad to go to an adventure cinema with a bunch of co-op students and junior engineers.
After the movie, he said "Very entertaining, but why did everybody in the audience laugh when Mr Bond spoke to "Poosy Galore?" We had to explain the play on words to him, which he then thought amusing but a bit strange.

9mmfan · January 30, 2014, 12:54 AM

Edited to allow for the fact that Jim Watson is better at this than I am.

Dragline45 · January 30, 2014, 12:56 AM

Edit: Looks like Jim beat me to it. But when in doubt, always check IMFDB.

Deaf Smith · February 1, 2014, 05:23 PM

Well if she really packed a .45 revolver she was in better steed than Bond and his weenie .32!

BTW... I have Honor Blackman's book on Judo! "Honor Blackman's Book of Self-Defense".

Yes she was a judo fan. Got that book at a garage sale for just a few bucks, The cloths they wear in the photos are British 1960's attire. A real gas!

Deaf

g.willikers · February 2, 2014, 10:31 AM

Ah the days when actors could be trusted with real guns, instead of ones made of rubber with computer graphics firepower added in the editing room.

El Paso Joe · February 4, 2014, 01:54 AM

Just gotta say, when the movie came out I was a teenager with a lot of Vitamin "T" flowing through my system and, even though I was interested in guns and shooting, it was NOT the pistol I noticed...

Sharpsdressed Man · February 4, 2014, 06:21 PM

^^^Probably why I never noticed it til now, 50 years later!

Driftwood Johnson · February 4, 2014, 08:08 PM

Howdy

Sorry, those photos are just too hazy and indistinct for me to make a positive ID of it being a Triple Lock.

For those who are not sure what we are talking about, here are two photos showing the two pins on the side of the extractor rod shroud and the rectangular front of the third latch.

January 30, 2014, 12:28 AM	#1
Sharpsdressed Man Junior member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 1,176	Unusual S&W Revolver in "Goldfinger" I've seen it several times, but never scrutinized it enough. ***** Galore packs a S&W that Bond identifies as a S&W .45 caliber. If you look close, it appears to be a S&W Triplelock, and has a 4"barrel with a ramp sight: not a standard combination for a S&W of that period. So, it may be a cut down and customized S&W, and very unusual for that period. At first I thought it might be the same gun that Indiana Jones used (referred to as the "Bapty" gun, for the prop rental house in London that it was borrowed from) for movie use, but that gun had no ejector shroud. The "Goldfinger" revolver has a heavy ejector shroud, and is most likely a cutdown Triplelock. Both have a copy of a Baughman ramp sight on four inch barrels. Anyone else catch this, or have more info?

February 1, 2014, 05:23 PM	#5
Deaf Smith Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2000 Location: Texican! Posts: 4,453	Well if she really packed a .45 revolver she was in better steed than Bond and his weenie .32! BTW... I have Honor Blackman's book on Judo! "Honor Blackman's Book of Self-Defense". Yes she was a judo fan. Got that book at a garage sale for just a few bucks, The cloths they wear in the photos are British 1960's attire. A real gas! Deaf __________________ “To you who call yourselves ‘men of peace,’ I say, you are not safe without men of action by your side” Thucydides

February 2, 2014, 10:31 AM	#6
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Ah the days when actors could be trusted with real guns, instead of ones made of rubber with computer graphics firepower added in the editing room. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

January 30, 2014, 12:54 AM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	Miss Galore's revolver does indeed appear to be a New Century "Triple Lock." http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Goldfinger On IMFDB, the third picture of her holding Bond at gunpoint on the airplane appears to show the rectangular front latch. The fifth may reveal the two pins holding the latch in the front of the shroud. They call it a Model 22, which is doubtful. The front sight is on a nonstandard ramp and the barrel length looks odd. I figure this is a gun in a prop department or prop rental house for a long time, ever since it was just a second hand pistol that could be had cheaply and not an icon of the make. Modifications by a previous owner or the prop master, who knows. Anecdote: My agency was at the time playing host to visitors from all over for a biannual technology demonstration. We had a Korean engineer stay over for additional study after the official meetings. There was not then much social life around here and he was glad to go to an adventure cinema with a bunch of co-op students and junior engineers. After the movie, he said "Very entertaining, but why did everybody in the audience laugh when Mr Bond spoke to "Poosy Galore?" We had to explain the play on words to him, which he then thought amusing but a bit strange.

January 30, 2014, 12:54 AM	#3
9mmfan Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2012 Location: Weatherford, TX Posts: 301	Edited to allow for the fact that Jim Watson is better at this than I am.

January 30, 2014, 12:56 AM	#4
Dragline45 Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2010 Posts: 3,513	Edit: Looks like Jim beat me to it. But when in doubt, always check IMFDB.

February 4, 2014, 01:54 AM	#7
El Paso Joe Senior Member Join Date: July 4, 2006 Location: Spokane Valley Posts: 340	Just gotta say, when the movie came out I was a teenager with a lot of Vitamin "T" flowing through my system and, even though I was interested in guns and shooting, it was NOT the pistol I noticed...

February 4, 2014, 06:21 PM	#8
Sharpsdressed Man Junior member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 1,176	^^^Probably why I never noticed it til now, 50 years later!

February 4, 2014, 08:08 PM	#9
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	Howdy Sorry, those photos are just too hazy and indistinct for me to make a positive ID of it being a Triple Lock. For those who are not sure what we are talking about, here are two photos showing the two pins on the side of the extractor rod shroud and the rectangular front of the third latch.