What Kind Of Gun Did Don Johnson Use In "Miami Vice"...?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Kind Of Gun Did Don Johnson Use In "Miami Vice"...? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:31:40 PM EDT

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:34:46 PM EDT

[#1]

An FNFNC?

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:36:31 PM EDT

[#2]

BREN TEN!

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:36:41 PM EDT

[#3]

Al right I'll bite Steyr AUG

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:37:20 PM EDT

[#4]

That's an AUG but in the first year he used a P220, then a Bren Ten and finally a SW 645 or was it a 4506?

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:37:38 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
BREN TEN!

+10

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:50:31 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
Quoted:
BREN TEN!

+10

Looks like a queer with a cheap paintball gun.

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:50:36 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
BREN TEN!

+1

Posted: 12/31/2005 8:56:48 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Quoted:
BREN TEN!

+1

Yep, Bren Ten, the gun on the show was converted to shoot 45ACP blanks because 10mm blanks were impossible to find back then. Remember this gun was on the cutting edge of technology back then.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:00:49 PM EDT

[#9]

TONY ACARO, TONY ACARO that's who the crazy dude dry-walled into the wall of the run down
old building in that episode.

Damm I miss Miami Vice.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:02:09 PM EDT

[#10]

How about Tubbs' cool sawed-off shotgun he carried as a pistol?

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:05:15 PM EDT

[#11]

www.thegunzone.com/brenx/brendex.html

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:06:43 PM EDT

[#12]

wasn't Eagle's lead man Glen Frey in a bunch of episodes, as a "recovering" drug smuggler or some such?

ar-jedi

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:09:55 PM EDT

[#13]

Check out the episode "Smugglers Blues." First time I ever saw an AR with a beta mag. It was a near religious experience.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:10:41 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
wasn't Eagle's lead man Glen Frey in a bunch of episodes, as a "recovering" drug smuggler or some such?

Yeah, but Crockett never shot anybody with him.

Woody

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:11:30 PM EDT

[#15]

passed on a bren ten at a gun show a few years ago for like 650 bucks. I still regret it sometimes...

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:18:45 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
TONY ACARO, TONY ACARO that's who the crazy dude dry-walled into the wall of the run down
old building in that episode.

Damm I miss Miami Vice.

That was the best fuckin' episode of Miami Vice!

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:27:17 PM EDT

[#17]

The one that never ran out of ammo and could throw a dude 20 feet dead with a hit to the buttocks.
Given that last picture, the one that goes the best with a shitload of eyeliner.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:34:51 PM EDT

[#18]

Isn't that the gun Al Pachino used in Heat?

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:37:18 PM EDT

[#19]

Plasma Rifle with a 40Watt Range

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:39:16 PM EDT

[#20]

thats a tough one ill have to get back to you on that one

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:50:51 PM EDT

[#21]

I know he used a 4506 for a few years. I remember one episode they used full auto stainless mini-14's also.

The Willie Nelson episode was the best.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:54:04 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
passed on a bren ten at a gun show a few years ago for like 650 bucks. I still regret it sometimes...

I don't know, I've seen a Bren Ten that was pretty beat-up because previous owner(s) shot full power factory ammo thru it. I have a Bren Ten but I only shoot my mild reload 45ACP-level ammo and even then the friggin extractor flew off(thank goodness I found the sucker on the range floor, I would probably be screwed). This gun is not like a Colt etc where if you wear out the frame, you can get a new one, when the frame is worn you've got a paper weight.

Posted: 12/31/2005 9:55:41 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
An FNFNC?

Beat me to it

Posted: 12/31/2005 10:35:50 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
How about Tubbs' cool sawed-off shotgun he carried as a pistol?

Yeah, dat shizzle was Class 3, weren't it? Never saw no goldarn tax stamp!

Posted: 12/31/2005 10:57:49 PM EDT

[#25]

Bren Ten... I'd never heard of it... but then I was a kid in the 80s. Looks like it's based off of a CZ / EAA design... the frame on the outside of the slide, instead of the other way.

Interesting.

I do know Don Johnson used a Commander size 1911 with a compensator in .38 Super in Nash Bridges.

Posted: 12/31/2005 11:24:38 PM EDT

[#26]

i don't remember the name of that rifle but it sounds really GHEY

Posted: 12/31/2005 11:28:09 PM EDT

[#27]

I thought it was a Datonix in .45 for the handgun...

All those years I was wrong...

O well, I love mine anyway!

Posted: 12/31/2005 11:35:34 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Bren Ten... I'd never heard of it... but then I was a kid in the 80s. Looks like it's based off of a CZ / EAA design... the frame on the outside of the slide, instead of the other way.

The creator of the show wanted the star to have SotA firearms. Toward the end of the Miami Vice show, they switched over to a S&W 4506. The Bren Ten was based on the CZ75 as suggested by shooting guru Jeff Cooper. The gun was made by Dornan & Dixon Enterprise of Huntington Beach Calif.

Want more info on the Bren Ten? See here:
www.bren-ten.com/

From the above web site:

Miami Vice, Sonny Crockett And His Bren Ten

Background Info

The police drama Miami Vice aired in the fall of 1984. The two main characters are Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Phillip Michael Thomas) who play two vice detectives in Miami, Florida.

Sonny Crockett carried a number of different guns throughout the five season run of the popular series. In the original two-hour premier he carries a Browning BDA in .45 Auto (this is the European heel mag release version of the Sig-Sauer P220 imported by Browning). After this though, he carries a Bren Ten for the rest of the first two seasons. For the third and fourth seasons Detective Crockett switches to a Smith & Wesson 645 in .45 Auto. Then in the fifth and final season he changes once again, this time to the new Smith & Wesson 4506, also in .45 Auto. In a number of shows throughout the run Sonny is also seen carrying a .45 Detonics Combatmaster in an ankle holster, but I am not sure which episode or season this started.

detonicscombatmaster.jpg
Detonics .45 caliber Combatmaster

It is my belief that the switch from gun to gun was more of a fashion statement than anything else. When Don Johnson's character started carrying the Bren Ten it was a brand new, state of the art pistol. But then Sonny switches to the S&W 645 in 1986 which, coincidentally, is the year that Dornaus & Dixon closed their doors. Then two years later, when Smith & Wesson releases their latest generation semiautos, Detective Crockett upgrades once again to the "newest and latest," this time a S&W 4506. Interestingly enough both the S&W 645 and 4506 are full-sized, 5", stainless steel semiautos. At any distance it would be quite difficult to tell the Bren and the two Smiths appart. In fact my Bren Ten Standard Model fits very well in a Milt Sparks IWB holster that I have for my S&W 1006 which is externally identical to the 4506.

All-Stainless Bren?

There are a number of interesting facts about the Bren Ten used on Miami Vice. First off, the gun used by the character Sonny Crockett appears to be an all-stainless steel gun. None of the production guns made by Dornaus & Dixon were all-stainless. Because of gauling problems between stainless steel slides and frames Dornaus & Dixon opted to go with a stainless frame and a carbon steel slide, and on ALL the full-sized guns these slides are blued, without exception. The Special Forces Light, however, has a slide that is hard chromed rather than blued. This is the finish that is also on the Miami Vice Bren. From what I understand, Sonny Crockett's pistol received this treatment to make it more visible during night filming. (This is the same reason it was decided to repaint his Ferrari Testarossa white which was originally black like the Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4 that was used in the first few seasons.)

Some Bren collectors have followed suit and had the slide on their Bren SM's hard chromed to match the Miami Vice Bren. I think this makes for a very attractive gun, but unless I end up with a second SM, or a spare slide, I think I'll keep mine original. To each his own...

Technical Details

Another aspect often discussed by Bren collectors concerns the actual make-up of the blank-firing prop gun used by Don Johnson. It is said that the actual gun used was in fact a .45 caliber pistol rather than a 10mm Auto. This was for the simple reason that .45 blanks were readily available while blanks for the 10mm were basically non-existant. This would be easy enough as Dornaus & Dixon produced a limited run of 250 Marksman Special Match Brens chambered in .45 Auto. There are a number of episodes, however, where close-ups of Sonny's Bren Ten plainly show the Gunsite Raven and the words "BREN TEN" on the slide. These markings were not on the Markman pistols. The .45 slide that came with the Dual-Master did have the correct markings, but these special guns were also engraved which would have shown. Another possibility is that these guns were Standard Models fitted with a .45 Conversion Kit which came with a slide that included all the same markings as a Standard Model. Of course the final option is that these guns were simply custom made for the show.

While speculation is entertaining by it's very nature, we still want to know the facts, and in this case Bruce Orlowski has been gracious enough to share with us the real story behind the Miami Vice Bren Tens. Bruce writes:

The two guns were ordered specifically for the show by Michael Mann's production company. They did not come off the assembly line, but were built by Tom Dornaus personally. Tom did the initial blank conversion, if you want to call it that, but actually these two guns were built from the ground up specifically for firing blanks. He used major components which were not deemed suitable for production guns, but were perfectly adequate for a blank gun. The two guns were Standard Models with the old style rear sight assembly and no trigger

Posted: 12/31/2005 11:56:26 PM EDT

[#29]

has no one seen the original post it's an AUG, yes crocket carrid a BREN TEN thenA S&W.

Posted: 1/1/2006 7:54:01 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Quoted:
TONY ACARO, TONY ACARO that's who the crazy dude dry-walled into the wall of the run down
old building in that episode.

Damm I miss Miami Vice.

That was the best fuckin' episode of Miami Vice!

Negative, "No Exit" with Bruce Willis was the best one.

Posted: 1/1/2006 7:59:21 AM EDT

[#31]

On the subject of "what kind of gun", what was the scoped rifle that Mel Gibson used in the desert scene to take out the bad guys?

Posted: 1/1/2006 7:59:59 AM EDT

[#32]

Well, for those of you (like me) suffering from Miami Vice Withdrawal Syndrome, it will be playing daily on Spike, starting this week, I think.

DVR's, ENGAGE!

Posted: 1/1/2006 9:31:33 AM EDT

[#33]

Don't forget, Seasons 1 & 2 are out on DVD....Buy 'em both

, you can watch them whenever you want.

The only problem with Universal is they take a while between season releases, unlike some companies which seem to release new seasons of shows every month.

January Season 3 of Magnum comes out for those interested!

Posted: 1/1/2006 9:52:07 AM EDT

[#34]

[edited] ok ... i read warlords post ...

Posted: 1/1/2006 10:12:31 AM EDT

[#35]

tag

Posted: 1/1/2006 10:19:01 AM EDT

[#36]

Their re-making Miami Vice into a movie, starring Colin Farrel and Jamie Foxx:

]www.apple.com/trailers/universal/miamivice/]

Posted: 1/1/2006 10:28:07 AM EDT

[#37]

Crockett's Sidearms: Must disagree about what has been written on some online rags; a few things didn't add up so I went and did some looking...

Crocket carries the Browning BDA/Sig 220 for the pilot up until "Evan" (Near the end of Season 1) where he picks up the Bren 10 and carries it up until after "Irish Eyes are Crying" (with Liam Neeson) in season 3, after which he trades up to a (very sweet) Heinie Full House Compensated M1911A1 for the remainder of the season.

Season 4 is where the S&W 645 appeared and was used until the end of the show.

Miami Vice ended in 1989: the 4506 was not a possibility because third Generation pistols didn't make it to market until the Spring of 1990.

Posted: 1/1/2006 11:07:11 AM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:
Their re-making Miami Vice into a movie, starring Colin Farrel and Jamie Foxx:

www.apple.com/trailers/universal/miamivice

I don't think they're going to be able to ull that off....

Posted: 1/1/2006 12:55:29 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
Crockett's Sidearms: Must disagree about what has been written on some online rags; a few things didn't add up so I went and did some looking...

Crocket carries the Browning BDA/Sig 220 for the pilot up until "Evan" (Near the end of Season 1) where he picks up the Bren 10 and carries it up until after "Irish Eyes are Crying" (with Liam Neeson) in season 3, after which he trades up to a (very sweet) Heinie Full House Compensated M1911A1 for the remainder of the season.

Season 4 is where the S&W 645 appeared and was used until the end of the show.

Miami Vice ended in 1989: the 4506 was not a possibility because third Generation pistols didn't make it to market until the Spring of 1990.

This is not correct. He has the Browning BDA (Sig P220) in the pilot, and then has the Bren Ten in the first regular season episode which is "Heart of Darkness." The S&W 4506 he wears at the end of the series is actually one of the very early transition models and was actually marked as a 645.

Posted: 1/1/2006 1:00:42 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
On the subject of "what kind of gun", what was the scoped rifle that Mel Gibson used in the desert scene to take out the bad guys?

HK PSG-1

Posted: 1/1/2006 1:04:48 PM EDT

[#41]

Airsoft?

Posted: 1/1/2006 6:39:00 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
Quoted:
On the subject of "what kind of gun", what was the scoped rifle that Mel Gibson used in the desert scene to take out the bad guys?

HK PSG-1

Thank you.

Posted: 1/1/2006 9:36:06 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
TONY ACARO, TONY ACARO that's who the crazy dude dry-walled into the wall of the run down
old building in that episode.

Damm I miss Miami Vice.

That was the best fuckin' episode of Miami Vice!

Negative, "No Exit" with Bruce Willis was the best one.

I think thast I've watched all of the epsisodes but I don't remember this one...

Posted: 1/1/2006 10:01:29 PM EDT

[#44]

Quoted:

The two guns were Standard Models with the old style rear sight assembly and no trigger

No trigger? How do they go BOOM?

Posted: 1/1/2006 11:56:44 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
I know he used a 4506 for a few years. I remember one episode they used full auto stainless mini-14's also.

The Willie Nelson episode was the best.

That episode was "El Viejo". It was good, but the best was the season 2 premier, "Prodical Son".
Next was "Definately Miami" with Ted Nugent as the bad guy. Third would be "Out where the busses don't run" (The episode this thread was started on). Of couse, these picks IMHO..

It was a kick ass show for the first 2 seasons. Then it started to slip. The story lines started to get really "Weak". Too much Gina and Trudy love life crap. Alien abductions, etc... I was turned on to some good music because of that show. They used several rock stars in the plots. Phil Collins, Ted Nugent, Frank Zappa, The guy from Duran Duran(?), Glen Frey. Probably others that I can't remember right away. I especially liked the episode "Calderone's Return" where Crockett and Tubbs have to go to Costa Mirada to get Calderone. The beginning of the episode does a lengthy scene where Crockett and Tubbs are in the Scarrab running flat out across the open ocean in slow motion to the music of Russ Ballard's "Voices". It was awesome.
Like someone else said, season's one and two are out on DVD. I have them. It's good to watch without commercial interuption.

Posted: 1/2/2006 12:19:54 AM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:
Quoted:
TONY ACARO, TONY ACARO that's who the crazy dude dry-walled into the wall of the run down
old building in that episode.

Damm I miss Miami Vice.

That was the best fuckin' episode of Miami Vice!

Yup,and the last 5 minutes or so has "Brothers in Arms " by Dire Straits playing.
For the time period , there was no better TV show. It was really cutting edge then.

Posted: 1/2/2006 12:22:33 AM EDT

[#47]

gun? what kind of eyeliner is that dude using?

Posted: 1/2/2006 12:34:02 AM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I know he used a 4506 for a few years. I remember one episode they used full auto stainless mini-14's also.

The Willie Nelson episode was the best.

That episode was "El Viejo". It was good, but the best was the season 2 premier, "Prodical Son".
Next was "Definately Miami" with Ted Nugent as the bad guy. Third would be "Out where the busses don't run" (The episode this thread was started on). Of couse, these picks IMHO..
It was a kick ass show for the first 2 seasons. Then it started to slip. The story lines started to get really "Weak". Too much Gina and Trudy love life crap. Alien abductions, etc... I was turned on to some good music because of that show. They used several rock stars in the plots. Phil Collins, Ted Nugent, Frank Zappa, The guy from Duran Duran(?), Glen Frey. Probably others that I can't remember right away. I especially liked the episode "Calderone's Return" where Crockett and Tubbs have to go to Costa Mirada to get Calderone. The beginning of the episode does a lengthy scene where Crockett and Tubbs are in the Scarrab running flat out across the open ocean in slow motion to the music of Russ Ballard's "Voices". It was awesome.
Like someone else said, season's one and two are out on DVD. I have them. It's good to watch without commercial interuption.

Are all those episodes on season I & II ?

Posted: 1/2/2006 12:43:05 AM EDT

[#49]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I know he used a 4506 for a few years. I remember one episode they used full auto stainless mini-14's also.

The Willie Nelson episode was the best.

That episode was "El Viejo". It was good, but the best was the season 2 premier, "Prodical Son".
Next was "Definately Miami" with Ted Nugent as the bad guy. Third would be "Out where the busses don't run" (The episode this thread was started on). Of couse, these picks IMHO..
It was a kick ass show for the first 2 seasons. Then it started to slip. The story lines started to get really "Weak". Too much Gina and Trudy love life crap. Alien abductions, etc... I was turned on to some good music because of that show. They used several rock stars in the plots. Phil Collins, Ted Nugent, Frank Zappa, The guy from Duran Duran(?), Glen Frey. Probably others that I can't remember right away. I especially liked the episode "Calderone's Return" where Crockett and Tubbs have to go to Costa Mirada to get Calderone. The beginning of the episode does a lengthy scene where Crockett and Tubbs are in the Scarrab running flat out across the open ocean in slow motion to the music of Russ Ballard's "Voices". It was awesome.
Like someone else said, season's one and two are out on DVD. I have them. It's good to watch without commercial interuption.

Are all those episodes on season I & II ?

"El Viejo" was season 3. The others I mentioned were season 2.

Posted: 1/2/2006 1:24:02 AM EDT

[#50]

The fact that you fuckers know episode names is worse than listening to my customers get all nosalgic about Bren-Tens for an hour or so at a time.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Kind Of Gun Did Don Johnson Use In "Miami Vice"...? (Page 1 of 2)

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