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What movies or shows do you think have good sound design for firearms?

Posted by TheScribe86@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 167 comments

What movies or shows do you think have good sound design for firearms?
Aside from Heat (1995), obviously

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167 Comments

ITmonketime@reddit

Everyone forget about Warfare, Civil War, and Tarkov raid a mile better than heat
View on Reddit #82670337

Square_Software1347@reddit

Escape from tarkov Raid
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ITmonketime@reddit

Peak mention šŸ”„
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cheesefubar0@reddit

Came here to post this.
View on Reddit #82151783

An8thOfFeanor@reddit

Heat is the gold standard. No music, full blanks, actual firearms training for the actors.
View on Reddit #82102790

ITmonketime@reddit

Warfare and Civil War are rigth there šŸ”„
View on Reddit #82670275

ITmonketime@reddit

Warfare has beaten it
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Bourbon-neat-@reddit

I know they couldn't have done it for a practically limitless number of reasons but the only thing that could have made it better is using live ammo like they did in Act of Valor, you don't even realize it but even the best blank firing sound effects pale in comparison to the raw power of live MG and minigun fire.
View on Reddit #82159404

fuzzycaterpillar123@reddit

Yall gotta check out [the Veteran shootout](https://youtu.be/7K_cqGAoxks?si=AGZdf5u_mUP0P9S6) https://preview.redd.it/y07ihpc2rhsg1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ffc30fe549ea9f5a0a5bdfbec06e2c0bc43e611
View on Reddit #82146231

Seinnet@reddit

ā€œCome and Seeā€ goes a notch up and uses almost exclusively live ammunition in actual firearms
View on Reddit #82142103

Sagybagy@reddit

That silence. The absence of music makes it just so much better.
View on Reddit #82127662

MattyS71@reddit

It was so in your face loud in the theater. It wasn’t until now I realized the absence of music and the now obvious impact it had.
View on Reddit #82128242

Sagybagy@reddit

It’s the moments between shots. Just pure silence then the gun shots reverberating off the buildings.
View on Reddit #82140209

djchanclaface@reddit

Inception and every Nolan movie after it. Heat. Which is a big influence on Nolan.
View on Reddit #82110598

ITmonketime@reddit

I think you were sleeping because Nolan guns don't sounds as loud
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Frosty48@reddit

I thought Inception had pretty muted gunshots. Great film but that was a failing in its sound design IMO
View on Reddit #82184851

Mammoth_Classroom896@reddit

It's a world running on literal dream logic. Having movie-style suppressors is perfect sound design.
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

It's pretty well known it was the primary influence of the intro Joker bank heist in The Dark Knight (2008), even had William Fichtner in it.
View on Reddit #82110911

harbourhunter@reddit

and and and Ben affleck was watching heat in the town
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djchanclaface@reddit

Of course! I forgot dark knight was earlier in his filmography.
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

Nbd. Saw it several times in the full IMAX. Pretty damn great.
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PM_ME_YOUR_HANDCUFFS@reddit

Anything done by Michael Mann seems to be great. Heat, Collateral, Public Enemy, Miami Vice, Tokyo Vice.Ā 
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ITmonketime@reddit

Unfortunately, Warfare 2025 has toppled it
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USS-Hellcat@reddit

The scene in Collateral where Tom Cruise takes out the thugs in the alley with the USP was phenomenal.
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Nice_Strike5198@reddit

Larry Vickers actually recreated that pretty accurately.
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PM_ME_YOUR_HANDCUFFS@reddit

Legendary scene.Ā 
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USS-Hellcat@reddit

"Yo homie! ...that my briefcase?"
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ErikTheRed99@reddit

"Yeah it is. Why, you want it back? How 'bout your wallet?"
View on Reddit #82149155

Gutaimer_@reddit

What movie is it from?
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jassack04@reddit

If you’re referring to the ā€œYo homieā€ one, it’s Collateral.
View on Reddit #82147917

rugernut13@reddit

Ba-bang, ba-bang, bang.... Bang.
View on Reddit #82120659

Hawk382@reddit

Michael Mann really ruined other gun scenes for me, everything else just sounds worse after Heat
View on Reddit #82122104

TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

*Public Enemies I hadn't heard of Tokyo Vice, I'll have to give it a watch, thanks
View on Reddit #82102017

accountnameredacted@reddit

Really good series
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PM_ME_YOUR_HANDCUFFS@reddit

Based off a book of the same name. Doesn't have a ton of gun play because of the setting (Japan) but I feel that the few scenes with guns were well done.Ā 
View on Reddit #82102298

MonsterMuppet19@reddit

I feel like Seal Team did a pretty decent job. Being that some of the technical advisors/cast members were in the actual SEAL's and one of them was former 1st SOFD-D/CAG.
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Nice_Strike5198@reddit

You should check out "Act Of Valor." This movie is supposed to be very accurate to Navy SEAL stuff.
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MonsterMuppet19@reddit

Act of Valor was a good one. Haven't watched it in quite a while though.
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Tactical_Epunk@reddit

They didn't terrible.
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beaureeves352@reddit

Well, they're SEALS, what did you expect?
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Tactical_Epunk@reddit

Exactly what we got.
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Former_Dealer_972@reddit

Always liked Raiders of the Lost Ark. In particular the Nepal bar shootout scene and the sound of Indy's S&W M1917.
View on Reddit #82222052

Nice_Strike5198@reddit

He also used a Browning Hi-Power during that scene.
View on Reddit #82261579

Nice_Strike5198@reddit

Anything done by Michael Mann is pretty technically accurate.
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KageArtworkStudio@reddit

I dunno bout movies or shows but if you play video games I really liked the sound design in Destiny
View on Reddit #82259896

PrimarchOfEightPeaks@reddit

Webley Mk VI and Lewis Gun in Peaky Blinders have very satisfying sound for me.
View on Reddit #82254316

pizzaguy4378@reddit

The Mummy (1999) has amazing firearm sounds.
View on Reddit #82234572

firearmresearch00@reddit

Fr. Great gun guy movie in general with some awesome yet generally unconventional guns to get the tism flowing
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LukeNOTSkywalkerr@reddit

I really don't understand people naming Warfare and Civil War in here. I must have watched versions with bad sound then šŸ¤”
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firearmresearch00@reddit

Me personally, I was not impressed by civil war but it could have been the sour taste in my mouth from all the nonsensical bullshit biasing me against it
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

I haven't seen either but did you watch them on your phone lol
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UseACoasterJeez@reddit

The rest of the soundtrack after the firefight should change to, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"Ā 
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firearmresearch00@reddit

meep
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

#W H A T
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DeltaSEALArmyRanger@reddit

Good doesn't mean realistic and vice versa btw
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umbrellassembly@reddit

Warfare
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DarkMatterM4@reddit

That's a bingo.
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Shikamaru_Senpai@reddit

![gif](giphy|DFu7j1d1AQbaE)
View on Reddit #82226117

umbrellassembly@reddit

You just say "bingo."
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Cigarsnguns@reddit

That's a bingo
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terrrastar@reddit

You just say ā€œbingoā€
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dirtycurt55@reddit

Bingo! How fun
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ramblinscooner@reddit

This guy is definitely hiding enemy’s of the state
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WarlockEngineer@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-uzLCx3awc
View on Reddit #82117842

umbrellassembly@reddit

Nice https://preview.redd.it/w42k0sp3kfsg1.png?width=853&format=png&auto=webp&s=c872efba5791cb1a9d05f45154aa408386f0b214
View on Reddit #82115415

Smokey_tha_bear9000@reddit

When the medic came back to just hollering. Damn
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HK416fan@reddit

Heat- tier one:)
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Justownit41ce@reddit

Den of Thieves
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TheAlphax13@reddit

Which ones this?
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

Heat (1995) H&K G3
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vckadath@reddit

Open rangeĀ 
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MLDaffy@reddit

Smokin Aces was such a good movie. Wish I could go back and watch it again for the first time. Sequel was meh kinda disappointing but still liked it.
View on Reddit #82178531

vckadath@reddit

Agreed on both. I love 50 cal sniper sequences and was shocked at Smokin but doubly on accountant.Ā 
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Destroyer1559@reddit

Lone Survivor I thought had pretty good sounding guns. You just have to watch the movie as a work of fiction unfortunately.
View on Reddit #82190039

Richard_Chaffe@reddit

Children of men
View on Reddit #82108168

Destroyer1559@reddit

Surprised Children is this far down. That movie took me completely by surprise, it's not talked about enough as one of the greats.
View on Reddit #82189854

Ok_Muffin_925@reddit

Saving Private Ryan and Warfare.
View on Reddit #82102025

Destroyer1559@reddit

Warfare is peak.
View on Reddit #82189683

ErikTheRed99@reddit

Both made veterans of their respective war walk out of the theaters because they were too real.
View on Reddit #82147729

ArsePucker@reddit

Open Range… I shoot SAA / lever action rifles / coach guns (just like them). The gun fight at end of that movie is by far the most realistic movie shootout I’ve heard. The SAA’s have a distinctive sound, well recreated.
View on Reddit #82183724

TechnicalLocksmith92@reddit

No Country for Old Men
View on Reddit #82103952

__robert_paulson__@reddit

Yeaaaa idk about this one, the sound of that silenced shotgun makes absolutely no sense. Which is a bummer cause it sounds so cool!
View on Reddit #82180663

MLDaffy@reddit

The Veteran with Toby Kebbell. Not really alot in it but they did an extremely good job with it. Awesome little movie
View on Reddit #82178697

Fried_Rifleman_6220@reddit

Falling skies.
View on Reddit #82168440

HambSandwich@reddit

I’m not an expert, but every piece of sound engineering in Guy Richie’s ā€œWrath of Manā€ is incredible to me. Would love for someone who knows guns to chime in
View on Reddit #82160955

skornd713@reddit

Ronin.
View on Reddit #82159277

r_obbie624@reddit

Warfare 100%
View on Reddit #82154420

red_alert24@reddit

Warfare, Civil War, if you have that surround sound these are on point.
View on Reddit #82102495

beaureeves352@reddit

Civil War had me saying "holy shit" out loud at points. Wish they'd put it back in theaters
View on Reddit #82107137

Missouri_Pacific@reddit

Kristen Dunst’s husband Jesse Plemons character was the pinnacle for the film.
View on Reddit #82150757

maybeitsjack@reddit

Civil War in Imax was fuckin nuts, especially that bombing scene at the very beginning
View on Reddit #82103599

Sweaty-Lengthiness25@reddit

The Apache scene ruined it for me
View on Reddit #82130550

maybeitsjack@reddit

Yeah it definitely had flaws, but a fun one either way.
View on Reddit #82131264

Missouri_Pacific@reddit

Heartbreak ridge
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Skinslippy3@reddit

I thought Bad Boys 2's and black hawk down's guns were really well done. Jerry Bruckheimer had a hand in both.
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The_Dude_5049@reddit

Funny you chose Heat for the photo since the man shoot out in that was actually the natural sound of the full power blanks they were firing reverberating off the buildings and stuff. They tried to do it with sound effects as usual but the actual life fire sounded better. So what you hear there is the real thing.
View on Reddit #82143531

PaddyBoy1994@reddit

Saving Private Ryan
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Automatic_Fix_2371@reddit

Way of the gun
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anarrowview@reddit

Damn now I want to watch this again. ā€œYou know why I can’t trust you?ā€ ā€œCause I’m a bagman?ā€ ā€œCause you’re a bagmanā€¦ā€
View on Reddit #82140866

RippySkippy@reddit

Does T2 make the list?
View on Reddit #82139045

Irorak@reddit

Drive (2011) the gas station scene. It made me jump when I saw it in the theater. Even now having seen the movie a ton of times it still impresses me.
View on Reddit #82137255

SopwithStrutter@reddit

Black Hawk Down has amazing sound design. Every moment is painted with such detailed layers
View on Reddit #82137253

Uniform_Restorer@reddit

Warfare has peak sound design across the board. Being able to feel the show of force flyover in my chest when I saw it in theaters was an unforgettable experience.
View on Reddit #82136734

Tuesday2sday@reddit

Black Hawk Down!!! Won multiple awards for sound including an Academy Award.
View on Reddit #82134937

KnightofWhen@reddit

No one has said The Kingdom yet. From 2007. Good movie, excellent sound design.
View on Reddit #82128513

ForeverInThe90s@reddit

Great action and solid story. Good acting as well.
View on Reddit #82131063

WhtRbbt222@reddit

Den of Thieves
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Sweaty-Lengthiness25@reddit

I cant believe i had to scroll this far for this mention.
View on Reddit #82130698

unepic_guy@reddit

Die Hard has pretty good sound design
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MattyS71@reddit

I remember how cool it was to see the Steyr AUG.
View on Reddit #82128454

Revenger-86@reddit

Warfare
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Practical-Rub8094@reddit

Black hawl down
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Jacubbb123@reddit

Is that a G3?
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TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

Ja šŸ‘šŸ‘
View on Reddit #82125810

CityBoiNC@reddit

The town
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CNCTEMA@reddit

ive only seen the first Wick movie but the sound design was straight bad. every gun has fake muzzle flash worse than a 90s rap video and every single gunshot in the movie is the same sound file of a 12 gauge being fired outdoors 20 feet from the mic.
View on Reddit #82124713

ratrodder49@reddit

I watched 1917 in IMAX. Pretty fan-fucking-tastic
View on Reddit #82102302

ArchdukeoftheROC@reddit

No other movie made gunshots so loud I loved it. All 3 shots taken in the movie. Also the rat bomb sent me into the ceiling
View on Reddit #82124595

Cdwollan@reddit

Bladerunner 2049 theatrical cut. Especially the opening scene.
View on Reddit #82124288

Frug5@reddit

All quiet on the western front
View on Reddit #82101237

Hawk382@reddit

the recent one goes crazy with sound design, not just guns but every impact feels heavy as hell
View on Reddit #82122063

Frug5@reddit

Exactly right
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_axeman_@reddit

Sound might be the only thing; the rifles having zero recoil took me out of the movie
View on Reddit #82104402

fatzombie88@reddit

Yea and the trenches were too wide. But concessions need to be made when making a movie. Knit picking weapon mechanics in a movie like that is pretty pedantic.
View on Reddit #82111104

ammonthenephite@reddit

> Nit picking such a small weapon mechanic in a movie like that is pretty pedantic. Disagree, it's like canons not recoiling when they fire. It's an expected element of reality, and when it isn't there it can be immersion breaking.
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_axeman_@reddit

Yes and no, plenty of other war movies manage to pull those things off just fine. I imagine necessary concessions are more like not having your lead actor's faces covered by gas masks all the time, some liberties with dates/timeframes for pacing, etc.
View on Reddit #82115679

NotADirtyRat@reddit

Wait there's a recent one? Or we talking about the one that came out awhile ago?
View on Reddit #82103311

ZeeX10@reddit

I'm guessing the one from 2022
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NotADirtyRat@reddit

Ah dang. I was hoping there was another one. Still a good movie tho.
View on Reddit #82118575

gunsies@reddit

Amazing movie!
View on Reddit #82102082

TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

The recent one?
View on Reddit #82101277

Frug5@reddit

Yup yup
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Hawk382@reddit

Sicario deserves a shout too, that border crossing scene is tense af and the gunshots sound way too real
View on Reddit #82122039

TheScribe86@reddit (OP)

šŸ‘ŒšŸ‘šŸ‘ great scene
View on Reddit #82122777

nanneryeeter@reddit

Fury was pretty great iirc. The ricochet was badass.
View on Reddit #82121871

number__ten@reddit

I liked Havoc
View on Reddit #82120548

jdgsr@reddit

L.A. Takedown (1989)
View on Reddit #82118255

BourbonBurro@reddit

ā€œWho killed Captain Alex?ā€
View on Reddit #82104411

Klicky1@reddit

Drop da bomb Man! The man is killing us!
View on Reddit #82118213

DarkMatterM4@reddit

Everybody in Uganda knows kung-fu!
View on Reddit #82112699

DannyDanumba@reddit

MAMA MIA!
View on Reddit #82110023

forrest1985_@reddit

Yes!!!
View on Reddit #82106737

barneylax@reddit

I always thought Den of Thieves had some above average quality with its shootout scenes.
View on Reddit #82116223

FabiusBill@reddit

Exit Wounds. Yes, the Steven Seagal + DMX flick. It was the first movie I remember seeing where the gunfire was sharp and loud. It has the bark and crack of real gunfire. Nothing like the boom+boom+boom or thump-thump-thump so many movies use to simulate the sounds of firearms.
View on Reddit #82114760

Fred_Chevry_Pro@reddit

Miami Vice surprisingly hit hard as far as gun sounds.
View on Reddit #82112501

ilovelukewells@reddit

Open Range
View on Reddit #82112126

nhgaudreau@reddit

Rambo 4 was pretty great
View on Reddit #82111851

mzrdisi@reddit

Sicario
View on Reddit #82110624

ogcoolhands@reddit

There's a western called Open range where they took the sounds from every gun being testified in the location it was filmed in
View on Reddit #82109903

NearbyZombie45@reddit

I think a lot of commenters are confused on OPs question. SOUND design was the topic šŸ˜‚
View on Reddit #82106775

ZeroPointSpecter@reddit

Collateral is a close second to Heat. Though I believe it was the same director for both movies.
View on Reddit #82103670

forrest1985_@reddit

It was. Also did Public Enemies and Miami Vice
View on Reddit #82106729

Doc308@reddit

Way of the Gun, particularly the sniper/motel shootout scene.
View on Reddit #82103643

Kentuckywindage01@reddit

Came to say that. Perfect movie for gunplay. Also, pretty solid movie all around
View on Reddit #82105765

psybertooth@reddit

Saving Private Ryan, Warfare, Heat & Civil War. Warfare and Civil War will have some of the most realistic and brutal sounds amongst those 4, likely in part to the technology of sound design vs their counterparts from 20+years ago. Warfare & Civil War were by the same people so that tracks. Saving Private Ryan was phenomenal when the DVD came out and you could really stress test your 5.1 surround sound at home. The drive in & bank shootout scenes in Heat are absolutely phenomenal in both sound and tactical approaches.
View on Reddit #82105640

bullionboyzzz@reddit

Man the movie Eddington! I don’t want to spoil anything but there’s a scene where somebody gets shot from a distance while sitting in a chair… pure cinema ! Chefs kiss !
View on Reddit #82104985

IDGAFOS13@reddit

Using the other Heat shootout scene is a refreshing change to this repeat topic
View on Reddit #82104743

idahohunterandfisher@reddit

Donut operator.
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Cuzznitt@reddit

QUACK
View on Reddit #82104726

Awrfhyesggrdghkj@reddit

HEAT. Since they legit just shot off a shit load of blanks in the middle of a city giving awesome reverb
View on Reddit #82104508

Tactical_Epunk@reddit

Tears of the son.
View on Reddit #82102724

Aardvarksof1776@reddit

Is this a joke? The Bruce Willis movie?
View on Reddit #82104111

Forsaken_Cap2515@reddit

I remember Willem Dafoe’s gun in Clear and Present Danger sounded incredible, albeit strangely low rate of fire.
View on Reddit #82103078

secret_alpaca@reddit

Heat, easily.
View on Reddit #82102518

RaymondRocket@reddit

Heat is the standard.
View on Reddit #82102387

Procks85@reddit

Barry on HBO
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Kaitlin4475@reddit

Heat set the bar!
View on Reddit #82102258