Link to NRA video of the gun
The gun was formerly part of the Stembridge Arms inventory (a gun rental firm supplying guns for TV shows and movies since 1920) and was auctioned off:
And is now on display at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia.LOT 152
Colt MK IV Series 70 Gov’t Model
semi-auto pistol, 9mm Luger cal., 5”
barrel, #70L33101. The barrel is
adapted for firing blanks, approx. 95% blue finish remaining with
slight holster wear, checkered brown plastic grips, correct Colt 9mm
Luger marked magazine. From the Stembridge Arms inventory with
two tags noting “Tom Selleck Magnum P.I.” and “Hold for
Magnum”. For the fan of the long-running “Magnum P.I.” television
series. Est.: $1,500-$3,000.
http://www.originalprop.com/blog/wp-con ... ection.pdf
Finally I found some real documentation of some of things I've been claiming about the gun all along, namely the following NRA article:
Though the prop gun was a 9mm; it was a .45 ACP within the Magnum PI universe, as stated in multiple episodes. If anyone has specific quotes, maybe they can provide them along with the name of the episode. So far, the following examples have been cited by only looking:
As depicted onscreen as a private detective in Hawaii, Thomas Magnum
relied on a military pattern Colt pistol. The National Firearms Museum is
now in possession of this Colt pistol. Prop gun aficionados enjoy the
nuances of unusual pieces and this Magnum p.i. handgun is actually a 9
mm Parabellum pistol, rather than the expected U.S. Army issue .45 acp
caliber. The 9 mm chambering for this prop gun was selected due to
better functioning with easily obtainable 9 mm blank cartridges—ideal for
a propmaster responsible for reliable operation of prop guns on set.
http://www.nrapublications.org/a1f/MagPI.asp
As to whether or not a .45 ACP version of the Colt Government Model was ever used onscreen for non-firing scenes; there is no evidence of this that I know of. There are three ways to tell that the gun is a 9mm:The episode where the Asian assassin blinks before he strikes, TC tells Magnum, use the 45. The scene with the guy in the tub shooting holes in Magnum's bathroom mentions it being a 45 as well.
1. Bore Size
A 9mm (.355") bore is smaller than a .45 ACP (.451") bore (.096" difference). This is not always easy to distinguish onscreen, but I've always gotten the impression of a smallish bore on Magnum's gun.
2. Magazine
The 9mm magazine for a 1911-type pistol is visibly different than the .45 ACP magazine for a 1911-type pistol, due to the alignment grooves pressed into the 9mm magazine, which the .45 ACP magazine lacks. The magazine is usually not visible, but in the scenes in which it is visible, it is always a 9mm magazine.
3. Lowered Ejection Port
With Series 70 Colt Government Models, the 9mm version had a lowered ejection port, while the .45 ACP version had a standard military M1911/M1911A1 style ejection port. Whenever the ejection port on Magnum's gun is visible (ejection ports are visible on the right-hand side of 1911-type guns), it is always a lowered ejection port.
Finally, I must respectfully take issue with the current entry regarding Magnum's gun in the trivia section here:
Magnum's weapon of choice was a .45. The propmaster's weapon of choice was a 9mm. As written, this trivia entry gives the impression that the character Thomas Magnum chose to use the anemic 9mm when in fact, he chose to use the far more formidable .45 ACP, just like the .45 he used in the military.Magnum's weapon of choice for self-defense is the Colt Series 70 Government Model 9mm, Colt's commercial version of the standard military-issue M1911A1. Magnum also sometimes carries a Walther PPK in an ankle holster as a backup weapon.
In other words, Thomas Magnum, the character, carried a .45 ACP loaded with live ammunition. Tom Selleck, the actor, carried a 9mm Parabellum loaded with blanks, dummy cartridges, or perhaps not loaded at all, depending on the requirements of the scene.
