“I don’t know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life—anybody’s life; my life. All he’d wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die.”
If you know what movie those words come from, this gun roundup is for you. And if you’re not familiar with Blade Runner, both the original and remake, you’re seriously missing out. These are some of our favorite guns used in both movies. We also suggest you make time for Blade Runner.
LAPD 2019 Blaster
If your first thought upon seeing “LAPD 2019 Blaster” is that it doesn’t exist, you’re both right and wrong. The LAPD 2019 Blaster was created specifically for the 1982 Blade Runner movie and it isn’t really labeled during the movie itself. Apparently, this is what the firearms guy, or the writers, for the show thought guns would look like in the super distant future of 2019. Now that 2019 has come and gone, we can confirm guns don’t look like this, although some manufacturers do seem to try.
The Blaster was made by using a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver and the receiver from a Steyr Mannlicher 222 Model SL. Those dual triggers come from the Steyr and the wooden grip is an ode to the Bulldog. The end result is a gun that might be cool if it was ever invented as a functional pew-pew.
Anyway, the Blaster is carried by Harrison Ford’s character, Deckard, throughout the movie. In other scenes, officers can be seen with holstered Blasters, but apparently, those were nothing but black molds used as visual props. It’s also used by Rachael at one point in the movie. This is basically the ultimate Blade Runner gun.
It’s worth mentioning the LAPD 2019 Blaster returns in Blade Runner 2049. In the sequel to the original movie it’s once again wielded by Harrison Ford but also used by Ryan Goslin, who plays Officer K. At one point in the newer movie, Officer K shoots eight times without reloading, which is interesting considering the Bulldog is a five-round weapon. Of course, it is the future, so all bets are off.
Curious why Ryan Gosling uses the LAPD 2019 Blaster in the newer Blade Runner 2049 movie when it would be, at that point, an outdated relic? Don’t worry, we’ve got you.
LAPD 2049 Blaster
Yes, there was an updated version of the old LAPD 2019 Blaster in Blade Runner 2049. Meet the LAPD 2049 Blaster, yet another creation that was never given a real name during the movie. In this case, the gun was built entirely at the whim of the prop guy. They tried using another gun and building around it but apparently felt the gun looked too “fat” with a revolver inside. In the end, they cobbled the LAPD 2049 Blaster together from random stuff and called it good. Firing the gun was done using CG, so it didn’t matter that it wasn’t a functional weapon.
The LAPD 2049 Blaster is carried by Ryan Goslin, who plays Officer K. It shows up early on in Blade Runner 2049 when Officer K uses it to threaten another character named Sapper. As it turns out, it wasn’t the only LAPD 2049 Blaster made for the movie. Unlike the first time around, this time the props master opted to create more than one futuristic gun.
LAPD 2049 Double-Barreled Blaster
What could be cooler than the LAPD 2049 Blaster used by Ryan Gosling’s character in Blade Runner 2049? Why, a Blaster with double barrels, of course. Two barrels are always better than one.
Not a lot of details are known about the Blaster used by the character Luv, who was played by Silvia Hoeks. We do know it had two barrels and that she used it quite a bit. Like the main Blaster used by Gosling, this one was fired using all CG, leaving the props master free to do what he wished with its design.
Interestingly, Luv’s Blaster is sleeker and doesn’t appear to have as many random parts in its design as Gosling’s model. If only these could become real-world guns, wouldn’t life be just a bit better?
COP 357 Derringer
We promised there were real guns used in Blade Runner, so here you go. The COP 357 Derringer is an actual gun that was used in the1982 Blade Runner movie. The character who uses it is Leon, played by actor Brio James.
Leon isn’t a human, he’s a replicant. Specifically, he’s a Nexus-6 replicant who managed to get into the Tyrell Corporation by pretending to be a “waste disposal engineer.” He smuggles the gun into his Voight-Kampff test, which is the test used to determine whether someone is a human being or a replicant. The test is administered by Dave Holden, a character played by Morgan Paul. Right before Leon draws and fires the derringer, he and Holden are going back and forth about the test:
Leon: I’ve never seen a turtle… But I understand what you mean.
Holden: You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back, Leon.
Leon: Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden? Or do they write ’em down for you?
Holden: The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t. Not without your help. But you’re not helping.
Leon: [angry at the suggestion] What do you mean, I’m not helping?
Holden: I mean: you’re not helping! Why is that, Leon?
[Leon has become visibly shaken]
Holden: They’re just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they’re written down for me. It’s a test, designed to provoke an emotional response… Shall we continue?
It doesn’t take long for Leon to decide to simply shoot Holden. After all, Holden is going to figure out he’s a replicant. Unlike a real-life derringer, this one blows Holden right through the wall. The gun, which is a four-shot model, had been modified to fire two barrels at the same time for more dramatic muzzle flash. Its usual report was changed using special effects to sound more futuristic (or what they assumed would be futuristic based on 1982 standards).
Which of the Blaster models would you most like to be made into a real gun? Tell us in the comments below.
