Does A Gun Make The Movie or The Movie Make The Gun?

Oct 15 • News • 5863

After coming down with a mild cold this past week, I spent more time than I probably should have on my couch watching action movies. It may have been the rather large spoonfulls of cold medicine that spawned what I would call a “eureka” moment, but all at once the floodgates of knowledge opened and had me going over every action movie I’ve ever seen trying to answer this one question: Does a gun make the movie or does the movie make gun?

 

Since I don’t work in Hollywood and can’t give you the ins and outs of who chooses the guns for the movie, I can’t answer this with irrefutable certainty. It would make sense that the guns are chosen to mirror the personalities of the characters who flaunt them on the big screen. However I also have a feeling that there may be a chance that firearm manufacturers pay big cash money to get their weapons strategically placed in a film.

 

That is a debate for another time. Instead, what I’d like to focus on is the general public’s response to seeing these guns in action. Can it be that by somehow seeing our favorite protagonist in a movie taking out bad guys with a gun, that specific firearm is now at the top of our list of next purchases? Does the fact that our hero uses a certain glorified gun elevate his cool status, and play a part in whether or not said movie gets your thumbs up? Simple Yes or No questions, these are not.  The best way to wrap your head around this idea is to go over a few action movies that we know and love.

 

Skyfall-2012

 

Although this is certainly not the first Bond film where the Walther PPK is used, it is my personal favorite. When I think of the movie the first thing that comes to mind is not James Bond but the classic German made pistol that he decimates all with.

 

Lord of War-2005

 

I have never been a fan of the AK47 platform but after seeing Lord of War for the first time, I couldn’t help but want one. For me, this movie definitely made the gun.

 

Collateral – 2004

 

If you’re not familiar with this film, there’s one scene in particular that’ll stick with you more than anything. Vincent, the main character, draws his gun and takes out two bad guys so quickly that if you blink you just might miss it. Call it the Troll in me but had he been using something other than the HK USP 45 I don’t think the scene would have been as believable. The gun chosen for his character gave him credibility, and helped make him the badass the movie was trying to portray. The gun definitely made this movie.

 

Lethal Weapon – 1987

 

Nowhere else has the Beretta 92F looked as cool as it did in the hands of Martin Riggs. Not only was he one crazy son of a gun, but the scene where he shot the smiley face in the target had firearm enthusiasts everywhere in the market for that gun. Heck, it’s the only reason I wanted a Beretta 92f –  and because of that, I wholeheartedly believe this movie made the gun.

 

I could go on for days with theses action movie examples, but It all boils to down to one of two situations: If you see a gun and the first thing that comes to mind is a movie, then the movie made the gun. On the flipside, if you think of a movie and the first neural impulse you see is of a specific firearm, then clearly the gun made the movie.

 

So next time you sit down for your required weekly dosage of action flicks, ask yourself  “Does the main actor’s gun make the movie or the movie make the gun?” Now if only we can get the exact pistols they use in the movies that allow you to shoot 30 rounds without reloading…

 

What was your favorite gun in a movie? Let me know in the comments below!

 

As always guys, shoot-em straight and be safe.

 

Jeremy L • 1 Comment on Does A Gun Make The Movie or The Movie Make The Gun?

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Ducks and Bucks Sweepstakes

Oct 8 • News • 3922

It may seem as though we’re constantly giving away a bunch of awesome gear on the OpticsPlanet Facebook page. However generous our previous sweepstakes were, they are nothing compared to our ground-breaking “Ducks and Bucks” giveaway. EVERY single day until  11:59 PM, November 7th 2104, OpticsPlanet will be giving away a new prize. These prizes brought to you by Bushnell and Primos Hunting, range from everything from  a new riflescope to cleaning kits. The best part of this giveaway is the that when you participate in the interactive game, you’ll instantly know that day if you won or not.

Of course there’s a lot that can be said about the grand prize. The $15,000 all expenses paid, Wildlife Farms hunting retreat is the ultimate sportsmen experience. Nearly 2,000 acres of pristine land just outside of Little Rock Arkansas, Wildlife Farms is the ideal location for a wide range of hunting opportunities. No matter if you’re in to hunting waterfowl or stalking whitetail is your thing, rest assured knowing the Wildlife Farms property has something for you.

Remember that the only way to enjoy everything that this monumental sweepstakes has to offer is enter. With any luck you could walk away a very happy hunter.

 

Enter Here: http://www.opticsplanet.com/ducks-and-bucks.html

KellyB • No Comments on Ducks and Bucks Sweepstakes

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4 Ways to Become A Firearm Fanboy

Oct 8 • News • 7526

According to Urban Dictionary, a “Fanboy” can be defined as: “A passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, Magic: the Gathering, etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.”

 

Ditch the  Star Trek and Comicon, the fanboys I’m referring to pledge their allegiances to the likes of John Browning and Mikhail Kalashnikov. You know who these gun geeks are. They’re in every group of friends and heck, you might even be one.

 

Before you try to tear me a new one in the comments, remember that this is all in good fun. We all enjoy firearms or you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place, so sit up, relax and listen in as I poke fun at the armpit of the firearms community.

 

1. Watch YouTube Videos from someone with no legitimate credibility.

 

Now that everyone and their grandmother has a decent camera in their pocket, they somehow think that anyone and everyone should listen to their fifteen minute VLOG on the latest celebrity gossip. You’d think that being the level headed gun toting individuals that we are, we’d be above such atrocities. However this isn’t the case – they’re everywhere! With every YouTube video search, you end up with a handful of channels that are 100% worth their weight in gold and then there are these other guys. These swill merchants of search result page 6, are the bane of the firearms communities’  existence. With videos usually being filmed in the same place they store their lawnmower, they’re the first ones to praise a new weapon as the messiah before even putting a decent amount of rounds through it at the range.

 

Don’t know what channels I’m talking about? Do they start out the first minute of their video with blanket claims like “best handgun in the world”? ESC ESC before the sudden onset of garbage leaving their mouths taints your impressionable mind. Avoid these guys at all costs! You’ll thank me in the long run…

 

 

2. Establish a wardrobe of t-shirts in every tacticool color imaginable with said favorite brand smack dab in the center.

 

As if painting a giant bull’s-eyes on your forehead wasn’t enough, you throw a gun logo on it to boot. Patches on the inside of your safe door or stickers on your guns case are one thing, but c’mon people don’t highlight the fact that you might have a gun on you when you’re walking down the street. Believe it or not I like these shirts as much as any fanboy out there, but I also only wear only them when I’m hanging around my house or while at the gun range to show off my love for said firearm manufacturer.

 

I almost forgot if you really want to dweeb out, slap a gun sticker of your favorite firearm brand on your car, making sure to point out the fact that your vehicle would be an excellent opportunity for a would-be thief to get ahold of a gun.

 

3. Think that by picking some oddball firearms manufacturer as your own, you have now multiplied your cool factor by a power of 5.

 

 

This one irks me the most. I swear YouTube is filled with noobiciles who pick guns by throwing a dart at a board filled with obscene metal and polymer concoctions. The reason why no one has ever heard of this ugly stepchild of a gun you stumbled on is they’ve erased all memory of it for its sheer stupidity. What’s really funny is when these bozos decide they’re going to run this gun in IDPA all tactical-like, and end up with a holster that doesn’t fit because even the holster companies know the pistol is a joke and won’t make a specific one. Do everyone a favor and leave your funky firearm off of my YouTube “suggested videos to watch”, because there’s no way you’re going to convince me to buy that $600 paperweight.

 

 

4. Discredit any other equally acceptable weapon platform.

Ok, I admit I was guilty of this when I was of age to buy a pistol.  I came from the school of thought that a GLOCK was the child of Zeus and every time I fired the thing my Clint Eastwood-like accuracy would destroy everything in my path. After my first pistol competition and a dead last finish, I learned this couldn’t be farther from the truth.  It’s this type of mindset that cripples the firearms community. Who cares if the M&P is better than a Glock? And what makes you the authority? Personally I do love Gaston’s creation more, but in all honesty I shoot the M&P better. Talk about the awesome logic in that.

 

Fanboys everywhere be warned. Your days of pillaging our brains with misinformation is over! Then again what do I know? This is all coming from a guy who’s writing this while using a Glock cleaning mat as a mouse pad……

 

What’s your favorite firearm manufacturer? Let me know below in the comments. As always guys, shoot-em straight and be safe!

Jeremy L • 7 Comments on 4 Ways to Become A Firearm Fanboy

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