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Models
/ Weapons/ Leon
Item: leon's Gun: Mother's Defender
Estimated Value: $250 for the replica
Availability: unknown
Origin: Phil
Steinschneider
Links:Phil
Steinschneiders site
The following information was take from here.
Introduction
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: What do you mean I'm not helping?
Holden: I mean you're not helping. Why is that Leon?
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? Describe in single words, only the good things that
come in to your mind about.. your mother.
Leon: My mother?
Holden: Yeah.
Leon: Let me tell you about my mother…BLAM
These are the unforgettable lines that introduce us to Leon's gun in the
classic science fiction movie Blade Runner. Unfortunately, and for unknown
reasons, the armaments in Blade Runner have almost never officially been
discussed. Instead, a cult following has evolved around the movie's props
and weaponry (as well as the film itself). Hopefully, this article will
clarify many questions about what has until now been a very mysterious
prop - Leon's gun.
Assistant Art Director Stephen Dane produced several preliminary sketches
during pre-production of a gun that Deckard (Harrison Ford) was to use
throughout the movie. The drawings all appear to depict a COP .357 or
a derivation of it. In the end, probably at the direction of Ridley Scott,
the COP was dropped as the gun to be used by Rick Deckard. Instead, the
COP, in completely unaltered form, was employed as the weapon Leon uses
to maim the Blade Runner Holden in the famous opening scene of the film
(see fig. 1). fig. 1
History and Critique
The now defunct COP Inc. of Torrance, California, originally produced
the COP, or Compact Off-Duty Police. Here is an excerpt from the user
manual describing the purpose behind the gun's commercial manufacture:
"The COP was specifically designed as a police off-duty or back-up
handgun. It combines the flatness of the automatic with the instant readiness
of the revolver. Many special features not available in any other handgun
are built into the COP to make it a highly specialized personal defense
weapon."
A fascinating weapon in appearance, the COP has some very interesting
features: First, it provides the ability to fire four quick, successive
shots. Second, it can safely be carried in the loaded and firing position
with almost no chance of accidental discharge due to its very hard trigger
pull. Third, it is virtually indestructible because of its stainless steel
manufacture.
Nevertheless, some of the COP's primary features also act as some of its
major distractions. The trigger pull, as mentioned earlier, is extremely
long and hard. Furthermore, the weapon's stainless steel construction
makes it a small but relatively heavy weapon to carry. At a hefty 28 oz.
unloaded, the COP is certainly very noticeable when it is strapped to
your calf or other back-up weapon location.
Functionality
The COP has a very interesting and unusual firing mechanism. The weapon
is loaded by releasing a catch on the top of the pistol and tilting down
the four unified barrels, which pivot on a pin inserted through the frame
to expose the breech. Once open, four bullets can be placed into the available
chambers. One then reengages the barrel into the frame until a click is
heard. The gun is now ready to fire. As the trigger is pulled, an internal
ratchet (see fig. 3 - part 19), which is always centrally struck by a
cocking hammer (see fig. 3 - part 9), lines up to one of the four firing
pins (see fig. 3 - part 31). Once the trigger has traveled to the end
of its stroke, the internal hammer is released, exerting force on the
ratchet, which in turn pushes one of the firing pins forward, igniting
the primer, and firing the bullet. Each subsequent pull of the trigger
causes the ratchet to line up with the next firing pin in the sequence,
firing the bullet in that chamber, until the gun is out of ammunition
or the shooter stops pulling the trigger (see fig. 2).
fig. 2
Made entirely of stainless steel, except for the grips, which are fabricated
out of checkered wood, the COP is comprised of over 50 separate parts
(see fig. 3). Although the gun can be taken apart, it is not easily field
stripped and requires that one screw and several pins be removed for disassembly.
In the Movie
No one describes the gun used by the replicant Leon Kowalski better than
the man who played him in Blade Runner, deceased actor Brion James:
"The gun I fired at Holden was real weapon that's made in Compton,
California. It looks space-age, but it's real. And it has four barrels
on it. That way you can shoot four shots one right after the other; it's
sort of like a quadruple-barrel gun."
Excellent background information is available on Leon's gun and its creation,
as well as the above quote from Mr. James, in Paul Sammon's book Future
Noir: The Making of Blade Runner on pages 109 and 239.
Additionally, there is one important detail which will now be revealed
for the first time: According to Art Shippee, Jr., the property master
responsible for the weapons in the movie, the COP .357 used in Blade Runner
had been altered to fire two barrels simultaneously. This modification
helped create the greater than expected flash that is visible in the movie
(see fig. 4).
fig. 4 Price and Availability
The COP .357 has been out of production for many years and is relatively
difficult to locate. Nevertheless, with a little luck, good examples of
COPs can still be found and purchased for a reasonable price. According
to the fourteenth edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values, depending on
condition, a COP should retail for between $200 and $350 with $200 representing
a gun in 60% condition and $350 being the price for a pistol in 100% or
mint condition. The following places are excellent sources for those looking
to acquire a COP handgun:
The Gun List
The Shotgun News
http://www.gunsamerica.com/
It has been this author's experience that although the suggested price
for a mint COP is $350, in general, the usual cost for a NIB (New In Box)
version will run as high as $495 to $550. COP Prop Reproductions
There is anecdotal evidence that some replicas of the COP have been produced
by the Japanese. Although this has never been confirmed, this author recently
stumbled upon photographs of what appear to be replicas of a Stephan Dane
design prototype and the COP pistol in Spinner Dokuhon Final Plus 44 (see
fig. 5).
The COP Used in the Movie
The actual COP used in the movie Blade Runner was supplied by the legendary
but now bankrupt Stembridge Gun Rentals, Inc. of Los Angles, California.
For many years Stembridge was Hollywood's supplier of choice for
movie weapons. Unfortunately, due to the increasing number of productions
going to Canada and overseas, Stembridge was forced to close their doors
in the middle of 1999. According to a representative, a very wealthy individual
purchased the entire collection, including Leon's gun from Blade Runner.
The Blade Runner COP pistol is well documented and will probably show
up at a Christie's or Sotheby's auction one day. However, if you accidentally
stumble on a COP .357 that has been altered to fire two barrels at once,
you may have found the original COP used during the filming of Blade Runner.In
Conclusion
Blade Runner has been a science fiction fan favorite for many years. Since
the release of the Director's Cut in 1992, the Blade Runner cult has grown
immensely. In 1996 Westwood released the Blade Runner game and a new generation
was introduced to the movie's story, concepts, props, and social commentary.
Thanks to its legions of loyal fans, a movie that was unsuccessful during
its original release is now considered one of the top five science fiction
films ever produced.
Hopefully, this article will shed a little light on one of the two mysterious
Blade Runner guns. It is about time that the hand props of this classic
film were given the coverage they deserve.
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