Recently I’ve been watching an Amazon channel called Universal Action. It runs reruns of The A Team and Miami Vice.

I get that the A Team is the same plot over and over. Rinse and repeat. But, the thing that amazes me about both is it reminds me how when all of those shows were coming out that I got to see a lot of different guns for the first time.

In the early 80s, most tv shows had small 5 shot revolvers and maybe the occasional 1911. These shows started to introduce guns like the Bren 10 or the VP70.

I remember first seeing the M16 with a 203 attached and how it amazed me as a teenager. Seeing the Linda SMG in early episodes was really cool. Late in the seasons of Magnum PI you started seeing the Walther PPK. As corny as these shows may have been, teenage me watched for the action but studied the new and different firearms.

Miami Vice, great show. I always think of the sequence when Sonny and Tubbs are in a Ferrari driving at night set to "In the air tonight" . It isn't as cool as other firearms but Tubbs loading a 12 Gauge coach gun is awesome. Hearing each shell set in the barrel then closing the action sets the tone.

I always liked Sonny's Miami Classic holster that housed his Bren 10. Galco has the story behind the holster.

I used to watch The Equalizer in the mid 80s, starring Edward Woodward and it was a very good show, I was first attracted to it hearing that Police drummer Stewart Copeland composed the music. Before I bought my first gun, I knew some of the guns used while watching, including McCall's gun of choice, a stainless Walther PPK, and the show was sprinkled with a lot of semi-autos and full autos, including Ingram Mac 10s and Uzis.

I remember Michael Knight had a gun from time to time. I remember a .38 revolver he used but there were others.

Miami Vice opened up so much for future shows/movies in so many areas-firearms, clothes, cars, etc.. Great show.

Some amazing shots were made with .38 snubs. One gun savvy show was Hunter. He carried an HK P9S.

Thinking about it, and not to be too specific, I guess the H&K P-7’s, MP-5’s are more 80’s MOVIE guns.

Always wanted a Bren-10!
Had the chance to grab one years ago, but passed up on that deal for whatever reason.
(No one accused me of being smart!)

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:

I remember first seeing the M16 with a 203 attached and how it amazed me as a teenager.

Man, FUCK that gun!

Here I am, a skinny runt Lance Corporal brand new to my Unit.
“Here ya go, kid” and they handed me an M-16A2 with the “say hello to my little friend” M-203 grenade launcher.

Boy, did I think I was the luckiest kid in the Marine Corps!
And it was better than humping around “The Pig”! (M-60)

Yeah, I was wrong about that one.
Do you know how heavy the gun AND AMMO is?
Oh no! Always lug around extra grenades too! Sooo much fun humping up hills all day with one of them!

seem to remember as a kid,
Mannix
Beretta
Cannon
Hawaii 5-0
Barnaby Jones,
and then later stuff like Barney Miller,

a lot of 38's J frame or detective models,
and some had Silencers!!!

I have get to get, and really want, a S&W 645...only because the Bren10's are way out of reach now days.

Miami Voice was THE show that made me want to be a cop...little did I know as a kid, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be (at least not where I worked)

Soldier of Fortune, Inc was in the 1990s but in the same vein.

My favorite line from the Rockford Files -- "Jim, you just can't go around shooting down light aircraft with a handgun!"

The detective who played Cannon used a revolver and never ran because he had trouble walking fast. Similarly, Broderick Crawford {Highway Patrol} was a practicing alcoholic and had his drivers license taken away. The chase scenes were all on private roads because of this.

I remember how cool the guns on Miami Vice were, but the classic revolvers on "Police Story" included the occasional Colt Diamondback. Loved and still love those ventilated rib top straps on revolvers!!!

https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Wan..._Dead_or_Alive_(1987)

80's movies!!

T.J. Hooker was very revolver (and hair; dig the "'do's" on Heather Locklear and Adrian Zmed!) heavy. https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/T.J._Hooker

quote:

1 Revolvers
1.1 Colt Trooper MK III
1.2 Colt Detective Special
1.3 Colt Detective Special (Nickel)
1.4 Colt Official Police
1.5 Smith & Wesson Model 10
1.6 Smith & Wesson Model 15
1.7 Dan Wesson Model 15-VH

The only pistols, apparently, were used by the villains.

Some of you guys are in the wrong decade. The OP asked about 1980s. To be fair, a few of the shows did go into 1980.