The main handgun used by Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) is a Colt MKIV/Series 70 Government Model, which is a commercial version of the U.S. Military M1911A1. This handgun is supposed to be the one he carried during his service in Vietnam and is sometimes carried in a tanker-style holster, most often seen carried inside wast band small of back, no holster. It is sometimes seen in Magnum's flashbacks to Vietnam. A former propmaster for the show has been quoted saying that the original gun was a traditional .45 ACP 1911, but was soon changed to a 9mm version because .45 ACP blanks were too hard to get on location for the show.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe actual main prop from the show (Colt MKIV/Series 70 Government Model, 9×19mm Parabellum, serial number 70L33101, currently owned by the National Firearms Museum). A 9mm version of the Government Model was chosen for reliable functioning with readily available blanks. In the context of the show, Magnum's pistol was playing the role of a .45 ACP however, given that various characters referred to it as a "forty-five" several times throughout the series.Magnum with his Colt Government Model in a promotional photo.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMagnum loads the mag into the Colt in the pilot episode "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii" (S1E01). Note the line on the magazine that's different from an M1911A1's magazine.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMagnum (Tom Selleck) with his Colt Government Model in the pilot episode "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii" (S1E01).Error creating thumbnail: File missingMagnum puts down the Colt to take off the ring in the pilot episode "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii" (S1E01).
Star Model B
In some episodes, Magnum's Colt becomes a Star Model B.
As what was common for productions in the 1970's and 1980's, the Valmet M71S rifle is seen used as a substitute for the AK-47. In the pilot episode, Vietnamese pirates are seen opening fire on T.C.'s helicopter from a boat. Higgins refers to the rifles in the episode as AK-47's.
