What type of revolver does Indiana Jones carry?

Answer 1

Indiana Jones has used several handguns throughout the film series.

In "Raiders of the Lost Ark", Indiana Jones is seen firing two handguns, a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model (referred to as an HE2), and a semi-automatic Browning Hi-Power pistol.

The S&W HE2 handed to Belloq in the opening of the film, and later thrown into his suitcase, was a HE2 rented from Stembridge Gun Rentals in Hollywood. It had been modified with a short 4" barrel (the HE2s were manufactured with 5.5" barrels). The front sight had also been modified, and there is a distinctive silver tip on the barrel, a result of the gunmith's work on the front sight. In later scenes, an HE2 rented from Bapty Gun Rentals in London was used. This is the revolver used for all shooting scenes. It also had a short 4" barrel, but with a different, triangular-shaped front sight. The HE2 is a WWI vintage revolver. One revolver was in .45 caliber and the other was .455 caliber (a small difference).

During the bar shoot-out scene, and later on Katanga's boat, Indy produces a Browning High Power semi-auto pistol. The Hi-Power was in 9mm caliber, the same as the German handguns of the era. It was also used in WWI, but has continued to be a popular gun.

For "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," Indy fires the same S&W HE2 he used in "Raiders" (in fact, the exact same pistol) until Willie Scott drops it out of the car window during the chase scene. For the rest of the film, Indy wears an empty holster (don't ask why).

Indiana Jones uses the same revolver for both "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It is a WWI era Webley 1896 W.G. Army Revolver model, in .455 caliber. This is a British-made military revolver, which is big and heavy.

The Smith & Wesson revolver carried by Indiana Jones was not a Hand Ejector Model 2, but a variation on that gun called the M1917 which was produced for the U.S. Army during WWI when the Army couldn't get enough of the new M1911 pistols. Colt also made a similar revolver. The M1917 was produced in .45ACP and had a 5.5-inch barrel and a lanyard loop, just as Indy's sidearm does. The Hand Ejector was produced in .44 caliber and did not have a lanyard loop. Incidentally, the M1917 is still in production today as the Model 22, Model of 1917

The Browning High Power (also known as the "GP" for "Grand Puissance") was not a WWI pistol. John Browning laid out the early design for the pistol in 1925 but it wasn't completed until Dieudonne Saive finished the work after Browning's death. It was not offered for sale until it was selected by the Belgian police in 1935, which is why the pistol is also known as the GP35.