STAR WARS AIR PISTOLS
Lucasfilm and Beeman – written by TC from the Airgun Forum
Few know this, but ILM, Lucasfilm and Skywalker and Big Rock Ranches (George Lucas’ film production shops) are in San Rafael, only a few miles from the old Beeman shop. Industrial Light and Magic, where the real props were made, was across town from Beeman and there were more than a few airgunners working there in the early 1980s…
Reality is that most operations for Lucasfilm moved to San Francisco about two years ago, but Skywalker Sound, Lucas Arts, and the Archives and Administration are still at the “Ranches” on Lucas Valley Road in San Rafael (the same freeway exit one takes to get to the old “47 Paul Dr” Beeman address. Hence the use of airguns as the base for nearly all of the prop guns in the Star Wars movies.
I’ve had the good fortune to see the MANY Beeman imported airguns that are stored in the Archives building, which I’ve mulled over during fire inspections there. If you’re a Star Wars fan and an airgunner, a trip through the private Archives buildings (now there are two) is like a fantasy. Unfortunately, they don’t give tours…
Additionally – written by Don Thompson from the Airgun Forum
The FWB C55 is a true semi-automatic, CO2 precision air pistol. It is capable of one hole groups if you can do your part. It is the one airgun I still have sellers remorse about. It is the gun used as a basis for the star wars prop gun. Here are some photos:
Here maybe another surprise the Walther LPM-1 single stroke pneumatic was also used:
