The Anderson Wheeler .500 Nitro Express double rifle is the most English object Bond carries. In the Scottish scenes of Skyfall Daniel Craig’s Bond has it with a Barbour jacket and the family estate behind him: a big-bore sporting rifle from a small London maker, built for professional hunters rather than for cinema. It is also the gun on the cover of the book Bond on Set: Filming SkyFall.
In the film
Bond carries the rifle in the Scotland sequence, in the outfit with the Barbour jacket, and it is the weapon he has at the Skyfall house during the attack by Silva. Stuart Anderson Wheeler told ShootingUK that a member of the production team visited his shop looking for double rifles, liked the feel and balance of the boxlock, and bought a .500 that was in stock. In October 2015 ShootingUK also noted that Daniel Craig is shown with the rifle alongside the Aston Martin DB5, as Connery once posed with a Walther air pistol.
The details of the Anderson Wheeler .500 Nitro Express
A boxlock double. The film gun is a boxlock ejector, with a bolstered action powered by traditional V-springs and disc-set strikers. ShootingUK says the action is made in France with the barrels and engraved in London.
Barrels and sights. The barrels are 26in and chopper-lump, with a quarter rib, fixed and folding leaf sights of the Express type, and a folding white bone night sight on the foresight.
Stock and finish. The stock is first-class Turkish walnut, finished with oil and hand-cut chequering, with a full pistol grip and a kidney cheekpiece. The catalogue records hand-engraved house scroll in a coin finish.
Weight. It weighs 12lb.
The maker. Anderson Wheeler works from Shepherd Market in London. It makes over-under and side-by-side shotguns, bolt-action rifles and double rifles, and its big doubles are offered from .303 to .600 in two grades, best (sidelock) and field.
Owning it now
This is a made-to-order gun. ShootingUK reported in October 2015 that the boxlock takes six to ten months from the point of order, with prices starting at £14,000 excluding VAT. Other reports at the time put the same rifle at about £15,500. Those were prices from that year, so ask the maker for today’s figure; the same article put its best-grade guns from £42,000.
A rifle of this size is a licensed firearm in Britain and most other countries, and the permits, storage rules and import conditions vary; check local law before you enquire. It is also a working big-game rifle, so it makes sense for a hunter or serious collector. We did not find Anderson Wheeler’s own product page, so our button runs a GunBroker search for the model, where pre-owned examples are sometimes listed. Sales are subject to licensing and transfer rules wherever you are, and we know of no deactivated or replica version. For more from the films, browse the weapons collection.
Specifications
| Model | Anderson Wheeler .500 Nitro Express double rifle, boxlock ejector |
|---|---|
| Barrels | 26in chopper-lump, quarter rib |
| Sights | Fixed and folding leaf Express type; folding bone night sight |
| Stock | Turkish walnut, hand-cut chequering, kidney cheekpiece |
| Weight | 12lb |
| Lead time | Six to ten months from order (ShootingUK, October 2015) |
| Price | From £14,000 excluding VAT (ShootingUK, October 2015) |
Questions
Which rifle does Bond carry in Skyfall?
An Anderson Wheeler .500 Nitro Express double rifle, a boxlock made by a London gunmaker.
Where does it appear?
In the Scotland scenes with the Barbour jacket, at the Skyfall house, and on the cover of Bond on Set: Filming SkyFall.
How long does one take to make?
ShootingUK reported six to ten months from order in 2015.
Is it a special film build?
Not according to ShootingUK, which says the maker’s boxlock is popular with professional hunters and was bought from stock.
See also Daniel Craig and all the films.
