The Weird Truth About James Bond's First Gun

May 2024 ยท 1 minute read

The .25 ACP Beretta, if you're not familiar, is tiny. It's a fun-sized firearm. If there were roller coasters for guns, it wouldn't meet the height requirement for any of them. That was sort of the point โ€“ in Casino Royale, Bond carries it in an underarm holster, where the weapon is completely concealed once he puts on his jacket.

The Daily Telegraph reports that around the time From Russia, With Love was published, Ian Fleming was contacted by a firearms enthusiast named Geoffrey Boothroyd. In his letter, Boothroyd stated that "a man in James Bond's position would never consider using a .25 Beretta. It's really a lady's gun -โ€“ and not a very nice lady at that! Dare I suggest that Bond should be armed with a .38 or a nine millimetre -โ€“ let's say a German Walther PPK? That's far more appropriate."

This, apparently, was back when writing a letter really meant something. Fleming wrote back, thanking his critic for the well-informed advice. In Dr. No, he introduced a new character, an MI6 armorer by the name of Boothroyd, who chastised Bond for using a girly gun and replaced it with something, uh, more in keeping with traditional gender roles? Maybe? Gun culture is a labyrinth.

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