If there’s one other-worldly, post-apocalyptic television show that caused upset across generations when the series ended, it had to be Supernatural. Although the popular TV show got its start in 2005, it ran until 2020, giving fans 15 seasons of what can only be described as demon-ganking material.
One of the cool things about Supernatural was and is the sheer amount of weaponry that made an appearance over the years. Here’s our list of some of the top guns of Supernatural, in no particular order.
The Colt
For those unfamiliar with The Colt, it’s one of those guns with a title all in caps and no explanation necessary. The Colt in Supernatural is a gun forged by none other than Samuel Colt, who’s portrayed in the show as a demon hunter (because of course).
In what seems rather short-sighted on the maker’s part, the revolver was made with 13 original rounds of ammo capable of permanently ending the life of a demon or other mystical bad guy. There’s a point in the show where fellow hunter Bobby and demon Ruby successfully make more ammo for it, but of course, the gun is eventually destroyed by Dagon, who was the Prince of Hell at that time.
The Colt used was a Colt Paterson 1836 which makes sense because its long barrel and overall appearance give it the appearance of being a no-nonsense, yet old, gun. Features of the revolver included a pentagram etched into its grip and “non timebo mala“, Latin for “I will fear no evil,” inscribed on the barrel.
Wildey Hunter
This might seem like a random gun to include, but it’s unique and cool, so we can’t leave it out. The Wildey Hunter makes its first appearance in Season 1 in the weapons compartment of John Winchester’s Impala. It goes on to appear other times, like in Season 3 when it’s seen in episode 11, “Mystery Spot,” which portrays an alternate reality.
The Wildey Hunter is an awesome pistol that was designed in 1973. It’s a gas-operated, double-action/single-action semi-automatic chambered in both 45 Winchester Magnum and 475 Wildey Magnum. What is that last one, you ask? The 475 Wildey Magnum cartridge was created in 1977 by the manufacturer of this gun. Its parent cartridge is the 284 Winchester and it’s designed to take a .475-inch bullet. You could say it’s a stout cartridge, and a fast one, too.
Colt Mk IV Series 80 M1911A1
This is the pistol Dean Winchester wields on a regular basis throughout the series. It’s definitely flashy, which isn’t exactly surprising, but have you ever wondered how he keeps it so shiny and clean? It just seems like fighting evil would keep it filthy rather than pristine.
The Colt Mk IV Series 80 M1911A1 is a Government-sized pistol, meaning it has a five-inch barrel and a full-size frame. You can find shiny silver Colts with pearlescent grips like this from a production run in the 1980s, but they don’t have the scrollwork Dean Winchester’s gun had. If Supernatural was written today, it’s possible Dean would be running a Glock instead of a 45 ACP, but somehow the shiny steel of this particular pistol fits his character.
Heckler and Koch MARK 23
During most of the show’s run, Sam carries a Taurus Model 92. Like Dean’s gun, his Taurus is silver with white grips. However, when Sam loses his soul, he apparently also loses his gun. In season 6, Sam is carrying a Heckler and Koch Mark 23 in 45 ACP.
It’s an interesting departure from his usual flashy gun, and it seems like a reasonably logical leap to assume the writers changed him to a black gun as some sort of symbolic gesture regarding his lost soul. We’re not sure what that says about Heckler and Koch, but we do know it’s a nice pistol.
The Heckler and Koch Mark 23 is a fairly large pistol with an overall length of 9.65 inches and an empty weight of 39.36 ounces. Even the barrel is extra long. At 5.87 inches it outdoes the Government-sized barrel on Dean’s standard carry. It has a capacity of 12 +1 and a hefty trigger pull weight of 11.47 pounds, according to the manufacturer. Symbolic of souls or not, we kind of wish the writers had allowed Sam to carry this gun for the entire series.
Sawed Off Zabala Shotgun
Sawed-off shotguns feature heavily in Supernatural thanks to how easy they are to conceal and the idea that they’re ideal to dispatch evil spirits when they’re loaded with rock salt. The Zabala shotgun sees a lot of use in the series and is usually being shot by Dean Winchester (although not always).
It’s a double-barreled, 12 gauge shotgun made in Spain, and it’s kind of a shame to see it sawed into pieces. Despite its cool appearance, this gun is probably only really worth a couple of hundred dollars, and that’s before it was sawed off in a way the feds would consider a crime.
Winchester Model 1873
This particular falls under the category of seeing random use but specifically showing up all burned to smithereens in season 2, episode 21.
Yes, you might have missed this one: Several Winchester Model 1873s are visible in the burned remains of The Roadhouse. Why did they choose to show these levers totally destroyed? No one knows.
The Winchester Model 1873 happens to be the lever-action rifle known as The Gun That Won The West. It’s been made and is made in a variety of chamberings including 45 Colt and 357 Magnum. There’s no way to know if these prop guns had the classic walnut stocks or not considering they’re nothing but charred metal in season 2.
Walther P99AS
It’s hard to forget season 12, when Hitler gets reincarnated. That happens in episode 5, “The One You’ve Been Waiting For.” In that episode, a Nazi necromancer—because of course—has a Walther P99AS the Winchesters end up taking away from him. Eventually, Dean Winchester uses it to get rid of the reincarnated Hitler once and for all. Poetic justice? Maybe.
What’s your favorite gun from Supernatural? Tell us in the comments.
