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| Smith & Wesson recalls James BondÂ’s weapon of choice |
| 2009-02-27 |
| James Bond’s gun of choice has been targeted for a recall. Smith & Wesson said yesterday that it’s recalling all Walther PPK and PPK/S guns manufactured between March 2002 and early this month. The Springfield firm said a defect could allow the $605 weapon to go off without anyone pulling the trigger. Ooooh. Sounds exciting... “While we have no reason to believe that the condition affects every pistol produced during the designated period, we have chosen in the interest of safety to replace the hammer block in every (weapon) that is returned,” Smith & Wesson said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. In a memo to customers posted on its Web site, the Springfield firm advised owners of the gun to “STOP USING YOUR PISTOL AND RETURN IT TO SMITH & WESSON AT ONCE.” Anybody have one? Company Vice President Liz Sharp told the Herald that Smith & Wesson engineers discovered the problem during routine tests, and that the firm “has not reported” any consumer injuries. However, Granite City, Ill., police officer Jeremy Hunter sued the gunmaker last fall over wounds sustained in 2006 when his PPK/S allegedly went off on its own. Smith & Wesson has denied any responsibility for the accident. Still, the firm plans to fix all PPK and PPK/S guns for free, including covering shipping costs to and from Smith & Wesson’s factories. The company estimates the recall will cost a total of $900,000 to $1.3 million. The Walther PPK is famous the world over as Agent 007’s pistol, appearing in most of the 22 James Bond movies released since 1962. Local gun dealers say the German-designed weapon is also popular with real-life consumers, as it’s small, easy to carry and holds seven rounds. Jim Wallace of the Northboro-based Gun Owners’ Action League said he hadn’t heard any of his group’s members complain about the PPK, “but it sounds like Smith & Wesson is doing the right thing.” |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #9 Q: Now Bond PAY ATTENTION, we've modified this so that you don't even have to pull the tr ... Bond: BANG Q: Ouch!!! Bond, would you kindly call for a medic. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2009-02-27 21:40 |
| #8 A) Beretta model 418, .25 automatic |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-02-27 17:38 |
| #7 I haven't kept up with S & W. They were an American firm and then a British firm and then an American firm. I did not know they were manufacturing the PPK and PPK/S. I have an older Walther PPK .380 and like it fine. It does not have a "happy trigger." I had read that the Mossad, at one time, used .22s while on the job. I don't know if that is still true today. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-02-27 16:00 |
| #6 And I've read more Bolan than Bond, which you american might find weird, but the serie (part of it, anyway) actually was translated and well-diffused, as "train station literature", and my grandpa used to have quite a few, which were a delight for a young teen. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2009-02-27 14:33 |
| #5 Nope, IIRC, it is .25 and .32, though, obviously, the movies has had to keep up with an ever-increasing firepower, especially now, to keep that "heroic" image. But, back in the olden days, a .32/7,65 was an acceptable choice for a novel hero. Bond is not Mack Bolan, let's just say that. List of James Bond firearms |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2009-02-27 14:30 |
| #4 Beretta, and I believe a .22 (.25 is actually weaker)M forced him to trade it for a 9mm. claiming he had to use several shots and missed some kills. ('Oh and Bond, leave the beretta'.) Bond resisted the forced change and tried to sneak it out of M's office. What I thought interesting, he wasn't given a holster, apparently the Beretta and the 9mm were the same overall size. (PS I've got a .22 beretta, the Montgomery cops use them as backup weapons, usually in an ankle holster, what's good enough for both Bond and the local law is good enough for me, it's a beauty, light, accurate, and small.) |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-02-27 14:25 |
| #3 A .25 ACP, IIRC, which Bond reluctantly swap with the "more manly" .32. |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2009-02-27 14:15 |
| #2 Berretta. |
| Posted by: Gabby 2009-02-27 13:55 |
| #1 Pop quiz, smart guy: Which pistol did 007 prefer before M forced the PPK on him? |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-02-27 13:36 |