James Bond Guns, Part III: The Pierce Brosnan Era

In the 1990s entered the newest Bond: Pierce Brosnan. Set in the post-Cold War era yet (mostly) before the modern Global War on Terror, Bond faced off against villains with motives that were financial than about world domination.

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The settings are certainly reflected in the firearms that Bond and the various villains used, which includes a large mix of international firearms.

And those looking for the Walther PPK in the hands of Irish-American actor Pierce Brosnan should know this is when he traded in his legendary sidearm in for a more modern weapon. Outside of Goldeneye, the movies themselves were, well, not great. But, we only care about the guns here. Be sure to check out the other three parts in our series:

Goldeneye (1995)

Goldeneye, Walther PPK — Bond maybe a relic of the Cold War, but uses a weapon developed by Nazi Germany. Just saying.

Goldeneye, AKS-74 — Along the way Bond manages to acquire an AKS-74, which was still being used by Russian Federation’s military in the mid-1990s.

Goldeneye tank — Surprisingly this does, in fact, mark the first time Bond drives a tank.

After legal issues delayed the production of a follow-up Dalton film, six years passed until Pierce Brosnan took over the role. Goldeneye film offered fresh blood — Judi Dench stepped into the role of M — and also addressed the post-Cold War era. The film borrowed some plot elements from the book version of Moonraker, and was a solid restart to the series.

Brosnan’s Bond was described a “relic of the Cold War” and aptly he still used the PPK. He later was armed with an AKS-74, a compact version of the AK-74. As for big guns, Bond didn’t fire the main weapon, but still managed to do some considerably damage around St. Petersburg, Russia, in a Soviet Era T-55 tank modeled to resemble the late-Cold War era T-80.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Pierce Brosnan, James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies, Walther P99 — Bond now is issued with the Walther P99, which was developed in the 1990s — so it seems he finally has a truly “modern sidearm.”

Tomorrow Never Dies, H&K MPK — Among the captured guns that Bond uses is an H&K MPK.

Tomorrow Never Dies, Calico MP50A — Bond also uses a captured Calico MP50A – it is always amazing that villains don’t have standard weapons to issue to their paid thugs!

Tomorrow Never Dies, AR-18 — When taking out a Central Asia black market arms fair Bond is armed with a modified AR-18, which he manages to take with him when he hi-jacks a jet fighter. Perhaps he actually returned it to Q’s armory!

While the real-life William Randolph Hearst can be credited with saying to artist Federic Remington, “you furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war,” the plot of this one remains questionable. Media mogul Elliot Carver tried to start a war between Great Britain and China to promote his new global cable news network and along the way get exclusive broadcasting rights in China once the war is ended. There would probably be easier ways to get ratings, but it set up a good excuse to poke fun at the media.

This was the final Bond film to feature a PPK for a while, as Bond later opted to use a Walther P99. He also picked up an MP5K and a Calico MP50A — both taken from Carver’s henchmen. During the pre-credit sequence, he was also armed with a modified AR-18, which surprisingly he didn’t leave behind in the field.

The World Is Not Enough (1999)

The World Is Not Enough, Colt 1911A — When he isn’t using the P99 Bond has a Colt 1911A1.

The World Is Not Enough, Walther P99 — Bond sticks with the Walther P99 – fitting as this film came out in 1999!

The World Is Not Enough, Colt MkIV Series 70 — Bond takes the villains Colt MkIV Series 70, but it morphs into an Auto Ordnance 1911. Villains’ guns seem to do that in the Bond universe.

The World Is Not Enough, Auto Ordnance 1911 — Bond takes the villains Colt MkIV Series 70, but it morphs into an Auto Ordnance 1911. Villains’ guns seem to do that in the Bond universe.

The World Is Not Enough, Steyr TMP — Bond uses captured firearms from the villains henchmen and this includes the futuristic looking Steyr TMP.

A film featuring the world’s “most wanted” terrorist today would be very different. It probably wouldn’t have featured Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) either. The plot felt too much like a rehash of past Bond outings, but it did offer diverse locales and enough action to pass the time.

The guns were enough to make this one enjoyable. Bond carried the P99 throughout the film, but was also seen with a Colt 1911A1. In typical Hollywood fashion, the .45 fired 20-plus rounds at a time despite its 7-8 round capacity. Bond later took a Colt Mk IV Series 70 from the femme fatale, yet somehow it transformed into an Auto Ordnance 1911. He also found time to use a captured Steyr TMP and FN P90 submachine gun. Bond villains seem to like diversity in their guns.

Die Another Day (2002)

Die Another Day, Walther P99 — Brosnan’s Bond stuck with the P99 in his final outing.

Die Another Day, Smith & Wesson Model 10 — Bond also used a henchman’s S&W Model 10.

Die Another Day, Mac-10 — Bond goes all “Mac Daddy” with the Ingram Mac-10.

Die Another Day, Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Sniper Rifle — Bond shows off his sniper skills with the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare sniper rifle.

This was the first Bond film to be made in the post 9/11 era. It also marked the 40th anniversary for the series, as well as the final time Pierce Brosnan played the spy. It departed from the typical Bond film in that the spy was actually captured and held in North Korean prison for some 14 months before escaping. The film included references to each of the previous films, but relied too much on computer-generated imagery (CGI) and featured some silly gadgets like an invisible car.

In his final film as Bond, Brosnan still used the P99, but along the way used a Smith & Wesson Model 10 HB, which he took off a henchman. He also later used an Ingram Mac-10. At one point in Die Another Day, Bond was seen with a suppressed Accuracy International Arctic Warfare sniper rifle. However, while it was fitted with a normal scope, it was shown to utilize a hi-tech reticle.