"Heat," caught gun guys attention from the moment it shot across movie screens in December 1995. The Al Pacino-Robert De Niro vehicle offers exhilarating set pieces, super cool guns and innovative on-screen gunplay.

The "Heat" movie guns were cool when the film was first released  and they’re still cool 30 years later. When Michael Mann let the guns do the talking, the movie is definitely something to watch. We, at Rock Island Auction Company, are big fans of the firearms of “Heat” and several of them – the models, not the on-screen examples -- are available in Rock Island Auction Company's May 2-4 Premier Firearms Auction in Bedford, Texas.

Before we start talking about the Heat movie guns, the cops and robbers should get some attention. Chief among the robbers is De Niro's master criminal Neil McCauley. His gang is loaded. Val Kilmer portrays second-in-command Chris Shiherlis, and Tom Sizemore is Michael Cheritto. Jon Voight serves as the group’s fence, and Dennis Haysbert fills in as getaway driver for the absent Danny Trejo. These guys handle guns like foot soldiers, not actors.

Heading up the Los Angeles Police investigation is Pacino’s Lt. Vincent Hanna. His deputies, -- Mykelti Williamson, Ted Levine and Wes Studi – may be less recognizable than the stars that dot De Niro’s crew but are fantastic. Beware of spoilers ahead.

Heat Movie Guns: FN FAL

The “right hand of the free world,” FN FAL is long and sleek even in its paratrooper configuration with the side-folding stock. Sizemore’s Cheritto double taps his FN FAL to eliminate one of the armored car guards in the robbery that opens the film. Cheritto uses the gun only in short bursts in the scene, an appropriate technique as some shooters report the FAL has a stout recoil that causes barrel climb quite quickly.

One of the first Heat movie guns seen is a FN FAL. This example was imported as a semi-automatic rifle but converted to select fire by Phoenix Armory in Arizona.

Guns of Heat: Heckler & Koch 91

McCauley’s crew was after $1.6 million in bearer bonds in the armored car and wants to unload them. He offers them back to money launderer Roger Van Zant at a reduced price, knowing they were insured. At the drop, Van Zant has ordered an ambush, but McCauley’s men have the drop on them, and Shiherlis takes out the assassin with his Heckler & Koch HK91A2 and blasts several rounds into the getaway Dodge pickup before Cheritto eliminates the driver with a Benelli M3 Super 90, using the pump action.

The HK91, one of the Heat movie rifles, is the semi-automatic civilian version of the G3 battle rifle that served the German Army, considered the best military arm of its era when it was produced from 1964 to 1976.This pre-ban Heckler & Koch HK91 was manufactured in 1979, according to the “HK” date code on the left of the magazine well.

Guns of Heat: The Doldrums

A whole bunch of uninteresting stuff happens through the middle of the film. Relationships blah, blah, blah. However, McCauley’s crew goes underground after learning Cheritto was identified by police as being at the armored car heist. In another scene that adds to the heist drama, the police think they have the drop on the robbers who are supposed to be checking out their next job, but Hanna realizes it’s a setup and they’ve been made.

Among the shotguns of Heat, the Remington 870 is carried by a number of police officers in the film’s bank shootout scene. This is a U.S. Marine Corps Remington Model 870 Wingmaster slide action trench shotgun. The gun bears the USMC features of a bayonet adapter assembly with rifle sight and bayonet lug for use with the included M7 bayonet and the extended magazine tube with 7-round capacity.

After stopping McCauley on the interstate, Hanna invites him for coffee at a nearby diner. Their conversation is like a pair of heavyweight boxers, sparring to size up the other. In one of the scenes that is a quiet high point, they come to similar conclusions about their personal pursuits:

Hanna: “What are you, a monk?”

McCauley: “I have a woman.”

Hanna: “What do you tell her?”

McCauley: “I tell her I'm a salesman.”

Hanna: “So then, if you spot me coming around that corner... you just gonna walk out on this woman? Not say good bye?”

McCauley: “That's the discipline.”

Hanna: “That's pretty vacant, you know.”

McCauley: “Yeah, it is what it is. It's that or we both better go do something else, pal.”

Hanna: “I don't know how to do anything else.”

McCauley: “Neither do I.”

Hanna: “I don't much want to either.”

McCauley: “Neither do I.”

While Hanna and McCauley are circling each other, a former member of McCauley’s crew, Waingro, is getting tight with the money launderer, Van Zant, and offers to take out his former boss. Ignoring the abandoned sub-plot that Waingro might be a serial killer, he was part of the armored car holdup crew but his quick trigger ended with the three guards being killed. McCauley intended to kill Waingro for his transgression but was interrupted by police, allowing him to escape.

One of the interesting Heat movie guns is Waingro’s Spanish Star Megastar used during the armored car heist. Offered in 10mm, the Megastar has a 4 1/2 barrel and weighs 49 oz. This pistol, sold by Rock Island Auction in 2021, was owned by actor James Earl Jones.

Heat Movie Guns: Colt Carbine

McCauley’s crew learns of a bank that has $12.2 million sitting in its vault and decide on one last heist. McCauley offers to let Cheritto, a family man, out of it, knowing he has plenty of money stashed away. Cheritto is ready for the job, saying, “Well, ya know, for me, the action is the juice. I’m in.”

After the robbery, Cheritto gets to the waiting getaway car first, followed by McCauley. As Shiherlis walks up to the car a slight grin crosses his face, before he spots police officers across the street. Without a word of warning he lifts his Colt carbine to his shoulder and fires before getting in the car. They only escape a short distance before the driver, played by Haysbert, is killed and the car disabled. The iconic firefight is on.

McCauley and Shiherlis work their way up the street, offering each other cover against the under-gunned police, their only communication a staccato “go!” when it is clear to move forward. It is a tense, heart-pounding 11-minute scene from entering the bank to the robbers making their escape after McCauley, dragging a wounded Shiherlis, shoots his way through a grocery store parking lot and flee in a stolen station wagon.

Gun guys marvel at Val Kilmer’s reloading skills during the firefight, quickly and firmly ditching the empty magazine and loading a fresh one. This select fire Colt AR-15 Model 614 has an 11-inch barrel similar to the Heat movie guns carried by Shiherlis and McCauley.

Some of the police officers are carrying Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 shotguns during the shootout, but others did come with full-auto firepower, like Ted Levine’s Det. Bosko who carries an M16 but unfortunately is killed early in the shootout.

This U.S. property-marked Colt M16A1 select fire rifle is similar to the guns of Heat used by police in the pulse-pounding bank robbery shootout.

Heat Movie Guns: Galil

For the chaotic bank robbery, Cheritto has switched from the FAL to an Israeli select fire Galil rifle. As the crew has to shoot its way out after the getaway has been blown, Cheritto gets separated from McCauley and Shiherlis. He grabs a girl as a human shield, but as he turns to run from pursuing officers, Hanna, who has gotten in front of him, sizes up a head shot and puts down Cheritto and saves the girl.

This pre-ban IMI Model 392 Galil rifle is the semi-automatic version of the Galil ARM that is one of the guns of Heat carried by Tom Sizemore’s Michael Cheritto in the bank heist.

Guns of Heat: FN FNC

Pacino’s Hanna carries an FN FNC assault rifle into the robbery shootout, stalking the robbers up the street. After McCauley and Shiherlis escape, Hanna circles back to Cheritto. With a girl held in the robber’s arm, it is a tough shot, but Hanna brings his rifle tight to his cheek, takes a breath and releases it as Cheritto turns around. An amazing shot amid the frenzy of gunplay.

As one of the Heat movie guns, Hanna carries a Fabrique Nationale FNC. This rifle is the host to an auto sear made by S&H Arms of Tulsa, Okla. and offers semi-automatic, three-round burst and full automatic capability.

Guns of Heat: Sig Sauer P220

After McCauley gets Shiherlis patched up, Kilmer’s character nearly disappears from the rest of the film as it becomes a revenge flick. Carrying a SIG Sauer P220, De Niro’s character hunts Van Zant and Waingro for crossing him while trying to outwit Hanna. After killing the two men, McCauley tries to get away from Hanna who tails him to an airport where he is caught in the landing lights and shot by the police lieutenant using his Colt Government Model.

Yes, the showdown that ends a film filled with exquisite, beyond-cool guns is between a SIG and a Government Model.

This Swiss SIG Sauer P220 was manufactured in 1978 for the company’s 125th anniversary. Fancier than the one carried by McCauley in Heat, this P220 has gold color-filled “SIG SAUER,” “125 JAHRE,” and “1853-1978” on the left side and floral relief-carved walnut grips. It comes with a walnut display case.

Guns of Heat for Sale

When the Heckler & Koch MP5, Benelli M3 Super 90, classic police sidearms like the Beretta 92 and Smith & Wesson revolvers and the Ithaca 37 shotgun are supporting players you know a movie has some stellar guns. Heat movie guns -- from Fabrique Nationale, Colt, Galil and H&K -- are admittedly cool  and are available in Rock Island Auction Company’s May 2-4 Premier Auction in Bedford, Texas.

Sources:

Internet Movie Firearms Database