Video Game Guns: From the Console to the Display Case

Nicknamed the “Chicago Typewriter,” not everyone wielding a Tommy Gun was on the wrong side of the law. The Thompson actually served law enforcement and soldiers equally well. Capable of firing from a stick magazine or a drum magazine, the Thompson was chambered to fire .45 ACP pistol cartridges. This particular example was found on the beachhead at Anzio, Italy, by Captain Frank Grismer, U.S. Navy.

This German hand grenade was nicknamed the “Potato Masher” because it closely resembled the non-lethal kitchen utensil. The stick handle greatly improved the distance that the grenade could be thrown. Thirty to forty yards was an attainable range for these devices. Originally designed as a concussion weapon, a fragmenting sleeve was adopted in 1942 that turned it into an anti-personnel fragmentation grenade.

Chambered in 7.7mm, the Type 99 was slightly shorter than the earlier Type 38 and could be fitted with the Type 30 bayonet or even a grenade launcher. While it never completely replaced the Type 38, entire regiments ended up being outfitted with the Type 99.

During World War I, the Model 1897 shotgun became known as the “trench broom” because of how effective it was at sweeping away the enemy in the ever-present trenches of that conflict.  The gun continued to be used quite effectively in World War II. The trench models featured a perforated steel heat shield on the barrel and a lug at the end to accept the M1917 bayonet.

Always a reliable choice, the .357 Magnum revolver in Call of Duty is what is known as a “Pre-Model 27” because the numbered model designs didn’t come around until after World War II. This double-action revolver features a six-inch barrel in the video game, but the example shown here has a shorter, 3.5-inch barrel.