James Bond Packs Heat, .357 Magnum Sets Auction Record

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The legendary Colt Python .357 Magnum once owned by James Bond author Ian Fleming sold for £12,000, breaking records at Bonhams' Fine Modern Sporting Guns and Vintage Firearms auction on March 28.

The gun was given to Fleming in 1964 by the Colt Company and was one of the prestige items on show at Bonhams' vintage firearms sale in Knightsbridge.

An anonymous buyer snapped up the gun, which Fleming had until his death after being sent it by a senior Colt executive, who was said to be so impressed by the author's work he wanted to get in touch.

The Colt is one of the weapons famously seen in The Man with the Golden Gun, with KGB villain Scaramanga wielding the firearm.
According to a Bonhams press release,

The revolver is accompanied with a letter of authentication. Patrick Hawes, Head of Sporting Guns at Bonhams says:“The .357 Magnum is one of the hardest hitting handgun calibres around.
[...]
The left side of the revolver’s action frame is engraved, 'PRESENTED TO IAN FLEMING BY COLT'S PATENT FIRE ARMS MFG. CO.', The snub-nosed revolver has a short 21⁄2in. barrel, with the bore in excellent condition.

Over the years Ian Fleming took some criticism for leaving Bond exposed and under-gunned with the Italian Beretta .25. In "Doctor No" Bond abandoned his Beretta as he was ordered to begin carrying a Walther PPK 7.65mm as his standard issue firearm. So around the time that Fleming was writing The Man with the Golden Gun, Colt presented the .357 Magnum to him.

The reason that Fleming never armed James Bond with the powerful, heavy, bulky Colt may be that it would have spoiled the line of 007’s immaculate dinner jacket, while the PPK being a smaller and lighter weapon was easier to conceal.

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