I often wondered are icons controlling what we buy and maintaining the sales of certain pistols? For example the Beretta 92FS, Walter PPK, and 1911 are 3 good examples. If these pistols were not presented to us in the iconic stature that they were, would the companies have ever sold so many; that is, 92FS being the Army SideArm for many years, its predecessor the 1911 as glorified in multiple wars, and Ian Fleming writing about the Walter PPK for his fictional James Bond character.

After the Philippine wars if the Army had adopted a 38 special event later a 357 Magnum as the standard SideArm, the 1911 would probably not be as popular as it is today.

These pistols may have waned in popularity long ago despite any positive or innovative features about them if it had not been for their iconic nature. In fact I am thinking of getting PPK in 22lr because I love the James Bond films. I would also like when it is original caliber of 7.65mm but the ones I have seen on GunBroker are quite pricey.

What are your thoughts?

Quickest way to move a gun is cozy up to a Hollywood prop guy and get your gear featured in a movie..

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Originally posted by CQB60:
Quickest way to move a gun is cozy up to a Hollywood prop guy and get your gear featured in a movie..

No kidding, I bought two H&Ks, simply because Angelina Jolie used them...and I didn't care about the U.S. Army, I bought my 92fs because of John McClain.

Sad thing is, I don't think I'm kidding (love those guns, though)

I wouldn't say 'controlling' so much as 'influencing'.

Dirty Harry and the S&W Model 29 is another of many examples.

I suppose being lead into something is always a possibility.

Thing is, it still has to work once all of the Walter Mitty stuff fades.

Did I buy a Desert Eagle because it has been in a gazillion movies already? No. Versatility had more to do with it. Five caliber capability (and it was cheap) is what sold me.
I can't think of anyone who bought a Glock because they saw one on Law & Order. The stuff has to be reliable or word will get out soon enough.

Sure, weapons in widespread use with military & LEO are more popular and sought after, assuming a certain level of reliability, functionality, etc.

Even then, it's not like many 92s, 1911s, or AR are remotely stock like they were issued... And then there is the Glock 8...

Didn’t Ahhhnold bave an AMT Hardballer in total recall? Not even a movie could make that dog sell.

There's a lot of truth in the notion of "icons", and the way so many manufacturers tend to advertise their wares as being iconic in some way only reinforces that.

That's not the whole story, though. Some guns, at least, tend to become iconic within the gun nut community by their own merits - people keep buying them, and people like using them. I'm thinking of the Remington 870 and the Ruger Blackhawk in particular. IIRC, the Glock also became a hit with gun nuts and cops in America long before either the news or entertainment industries really picked up on it.

If guns can become iconic then someone must be buying them before they become iconic. I think that means that there's still a healthy amount of room in the market for products that are either new or not initially designed for the military to become widely available.

Controlling? I hope not. But influence? Just look at what 'The Walking Dead' and Rick Grimes did to the values of Colt Pythons.

I didn't buy my 92s because of the Army or Hollywood. I bought my first one because it reminded me of my dad's old Beretta M1934. I bought more 92s because I like my first one so much. 007 never got me to buy a PPK, though I DO WISH he could've influenced me enough to buy that relative bargain priced Aston Martin DB5 I let get away some 25 years ago. I will admit that 'The Raid on Entebbe' did pique my interest in the Uzi, and various anti-terrorist, German special operations stories and images had me thinking about getting a SP89 way back when (but which I never did get serious enough to actually do so with either subgun). However that unrequited lust from decades previous probably dictated over my purchase of my MPX. The SEALs' use of the P226 I suppose did influence my purchase of my Mk25, but I also already owned P226s prior to that purchase and I tend to think that my own experiences with those guns was more influential than any outside source. And though I loved watching 'The Rifleman' as a kid, I still have yet to own a lever gun of any kind.

I've let friends and their guns influence my buying decisions more so than Hollywood or any military usage ever did. I want a SCAR Heavy because after shooting a buddy's I was hooked. The same with the P210 and SIG Mastershop guns. And peer pressure and not John Moses Browning or a century of military service goaded me into my first 1911 purchase because, "as everyone knows", any gun nut has to have at least one.

Though the Walther PPK and the 1911 have both achieved iconic status, the PPK's survival has certainly benefited much more from it's association with James Bond. Unlike the PPK, the 1911 earned it's reputation through actual experience on battlefields throughout the world. While there are certainly other (and perhaps better) choices in a modern full size defensive pistol, the 1911 is still a formidable fighting weapon. The PPK on the other hand pales in comparison to most modern pistols of similar size and caliber. With many excellent 9x19mm pistols nearly the same size and ~1/2 the weight of the PPK, it's difficult to imagine the PPK being an informed first choice in a modern defensive carry pistol. Dare I say, had it not been for Ian Fleming, the PPK would be as uncommon as the Ortgies or Mauser HSc. Of course, I own a PPK for no other reason than my early memories of 007, so I am guilty as charged. Enjoy.

More often than not, I have bought iconic guns because they were common enough to readily know their value and I could spot good deals.

Before the widespread availability of the internet, it was more difficult to determine the value of guns that were less known.

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Are Icons Controlling Our Pistol Choices?

No, but the oppressive laws we have here now are.
I can't see buying a full-size Glock, etc. when I'm going to be limited to 10 rounds.

I've been buying single-stack and compact pistols for the last few years since the state passed those "common sense" gun laws.

It depends and has little to do with guns. Dumb people buy things for dumb reasons all the time.

The only reason I would buy a gun I see in a movie would be because they never run out of bullets. They magically reload, and in the hands of the "good guys", they never miss the intended target.