Geoffrey Boothroyd (1925 – 2001) was a small arms expert who wrote to Ian Fleming in 1956 suggesting that Bond "wouldn't last very long if he used a 25 Beretta. This sort of gun is really a lady’s gun, and not a really nice lady at that." In addition, using a chamois shoulder-holster made it difficult to draw the weapon quickly. Fleming took notice and subsequently reported that the Beretta lets Bond down at a crucial moment: Bond was on his feet. She was coming at him again. He tugged furiously at his gun. The silencer had caught. There was a flash of light. Bond dodged. One of the needles rattled against the wall behind him and the dreadful chunk of woman, the white bun of wig askew on her head, the slimy lips drawn back from her teeth, was on top of him. (From Russia, With Love (1957))
For Bond's next adventure, the Mi6 armourer (now named Major Boothroyd) equips Bond with a Walther PPK: "I’ve just been testing most of the small automatics. Five thousand rounds each at twenty-five yards. Of all of them, I’d choose the Walther PPK 7.65 mm. It only came fourth after the Japanese M-14, the Russian Tokarev and the Sauer M-38. But I like its light trigger pull and the extension spur of the magazine gives a grip that should suit 007. It’s a real stopping gun. Of course it’s about a .32 calibre as compared with the Beretta’s .25, but I wouldn’t recommend anything lighter. And you can get ammunition for the Walther anywhere in the world." (Dr No (1958))
Of course Major Boothroyd becomes the movie mainstay Q, played by Desmond Llewelyn in seventeen subsequent Bond movies. I quite like the fact that the vast majority of mainstream audiences don't know that the ancient boffin's real name is Geoffrey.
