Stranger Things has been one of the few shows that’s consistently been great and simultaneously not gotten axed by Netflix.
This behemoth of a show takes on the 1980s with a mix of Goonies, classic horror, and a little bit of Cold War ruckus. It isn’t necessarily a gun-filled action adventure, but it’s got its fair share of firearms.
In Season 4, Nancy is a total badass who appreciates a good gun, but today we are going to be looking at David Harbour’s Hopper and his choice of sidearms as the Chief of Police in Hawkins.
He’s a small-town cop in the 1980s, so we know it’s predictably going to be a revolver.
Throughout the Series
Interestingly enough, he’s swapped revolvers a few times. In Season 1, he starts with the Smith & Wesson Model 66.
In Season 2, we get a very nice Colt Python, and in Season 3, he goes back to the Model 66.
This shows us that Hopper likes wheelguns, but more specifically, he likes stainless steel, .357 Magnum wheel guns with 4-inch barrels.
The Model 66 premiered in 1970 and was a stainless steel take on the classic Model 19. This was before S&W just stuck an identifying six on the last two digits of a gun design. The Model 66 is a K-frame revolver making it a medium-sized gun.
Predictably, it was a 6-shot revolver with a proper rear sight and designed for duty use. It was perfect for a police officer who needed something capable, reliable, and relatively easy to shoot.
Even with .357 Magnums, the Model 66 eats up the recoil and is fairly tame to shoot.
With a four-inch barrel, it’s the perfect configuration for law enforcement. Sadly Hopper loses his beloved gun in Season 1 and gets an upgrade in Season 2.
Well, “upgrade” might not be the right term. The Python is certainly a more expensive revolver. It’s a very finely tuned and capable gun, but I don’t want to say the Model 66 was a bad gun.
Colt’s Python is just undeniably cool.
These guns came with some of the best stock triggers of the time. They look amazing and shoot well as long as they don’t lose timing.
Hopper’s Python isn’t much different than his Model 66 when it comes to layout and configuration.
He clearly likes the shiny look and goes with a nickel-plated Python. It wears a 4-inch barrel with its unmistakable vent rib. We also get .357 Magnum compatibility, an adjustable rear sight, and big wood grips.
This is another great configuration for law enforcement of the era and provides plenty of power and capability. Although, the Python must have cost a pretty penny and been tough on a small-town cop’s salary.
For whatever reason, in Season 3, he goes back to carrying a Model 66. Often shoving the heavy gun in his pants sans holster. It appears to be identical to his original.
How Hopper Wields Them
There are a few times David Harbour looks like he knows his way around a gun.
For example, anytime he has to use a gun and a flashlight, which is often, he does a Harries technique when he wields the two together.
He keeps a nice high grip on the gun when he shoots and seems confident with the weapon. Where he fails is that he tends to use the trigger as a finger rest. Even when he’s not shooting or doesn’t even intend to shoot, his finger often rests on the trigger.
It’s like he missed day one of firearms training but excelled in the following lessons.
Hopper doesn’t get much of a chance to shoot his guns, but he does wield them often. Throughout the show, he often takes a long gun when available and holsters his revolver.
I love this and get frustrated when the good guy leaves a rifle lying on the ground in media. Even a rifle with a half-empty magazine is better than a revolver with six shots.
In one episode of Season 2, he takes both an Ithaca 37 and AR-15 from his patrol car before engaging in mischief.
Gun to a Demon Fight
Guns in Stranger Things aren’t always highly effective, but what other choice does the average joe have against interdimensional demons? Heck, if the show was in 2022, I could see a good reason to bring something like a .357 Magnum over a 9mm.
These demons are tough with thick skin, and the extra oomph from a magnum might be a little more effective when you view the demodogs as large game.
Read the original article in its entirety at pewpewtactical.com.
The finger on the trigger of the revolver is easy to explain. In the era this is supposed to be it was what everybody did with a DA revolver. The finger off the trigger was started with Jeff Cooper and the 1911 craze. But didn’t catch on for all firearms until the 90’s.
rick – not saying you are incorrect 😉 but a LOT depends on how you were trained. I cut my duty teeth on wheel guns mid ’70s before a stint as an MP. Both taught me to keep my finger off the bang switch (or booger hook in today’s parlance). IOW it all depended on who did the training