Firearms in The Professionals: Rifles Used by CI5 Agents and Their Enemies

We covered the pistols and submachine guns in the first part of this series. This time, we're looking at the rifles featured in The Professionals. From classic battle rifles and experimental prototypes to firearms that were well ahead of their time. Some have become highly sought-after collector's pieces, while others inspired designs still in use today.

If you've read the first part of our look at the fascinating firearms featured in The Professionals, you may have been surprised by the variety of handguns and submachine guns chosen for the series. And the rifles are no different. It almost seems as if the firearms adviser—or advisers—were gun enthusiasts just like many of us. Or perhaps they simply had good connections at the Royal Armouries Museum.

So let's take a look at some of the well-known—and not so well-known—long guns featured in this iconic series about Bodie and Doyle.

TIP: Haven't read the first part yet?
Start with our overview of the pistols and submachine guns used by CI5 agents and their adversaries in The Professionals.

Rifles in The Professionals

AR-10: The Predecessor of the Legendary AR-15

We have to start with the AR-10. It was, of course, the predecessor to the far more famous AR-15, the rifle that propelled its designer, Eugene Stoner, into the ranks of the world's best-known firearms engineers. The AR-15 also appeared in the episodes Long Shot and Lawson's Last Stand.

The AR-10 itself appears in two episodes. The first is Kickback, in which Bodie plays a mercenary—a fitting role, since his character had actually served as one before joining CI5. Here he carries the so-called Sudanese model. This was the export version of the ArmaLite AR-10 chambered in 7.62×51 mm NATO.

Strictly speaking, it was not an assault rifle but a battle rifle. The "Sudanese model" takes its name from the contract for the Sudanese armed forces. That alone makes it noteworthy, as when it entered service in 1958 with this relatively poor African nation, it was an exceptionally modern design. At the time, the U.S. Army was issuing the far more conventional M14. Fewer than 10,000 AR-10 rifles were produced in total, with roughly a quarter built as the Sudanese model. Another major user was Portugal during its colonial era.

The ArmaLite AR-10 laid the foundation for the design philosophy that later evolved into the now-legendary AR-15 platform. Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin – Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 4.0

The second episode featuring the AR-10 is Hunter Hunted, and this one is even more interesting. The producers modified the rifle and introduced it as an "American .22-calibre 180." The calibre is obviously incorrect, but what really catches the eye is the unusual drum mounted beneath the handguard. It is actually a 50-round drum magazine from the Thompson submachine gun.

The inspiration may well have come from the American 180, a rather obscure .22 LR submachine gun fed from a massive pan magazine holding between 165 and 275 rounds, with a staggering cyclic rate of 1,200 to 1,500 rounds per minute. In the episode, however, the characters reload the rifle in the normal way, so it's hard to say what the drum was actually meant to represent.

The rifle is also fitted with a scope and a laser sight, which was remarkably advanced for its time. It is often claimed that this episode was the first time a laser sight appeared as a practical concept on television. Whether that's actually true is difficult to verify—but it certainly looks cool.

AR-18: The Design That Shaped Modern Rifles

Another ArmaLite rifle featured in the series is the 5.56×45 mm NATO AR-18, which appears in the episodes Foxhole on the Roof, No Stone and Operation Susie. In the first of these, Bodie even carries the AR-18S carbine variant, which, in the author's opinion, is simply ultra-cool.

If you think you've never fired an AR-18, you may want to think again. Its operating system became the basis for many successful modern assault rifles, including the FN SCAR, HK G36, Steyr AUG and the CZ BREN 2. It uses a short-stroke gas piston combined with a rotating bolt.

The AR-18 was originally intended as a cheaper, more accessible alternative to the AR-15 for markets that could not afford the latter. In the end, however, its operating system proved to offer several advantages over the AR-15. For example, the AR-15's direct gas impingement system is generally considered less suitable for military rifles than a gas-piston design. Relocating the recoil spring away from the stock also allows the AR-18 to use a folding stock—something the AR-15 cannot do because of its buffer tube.

The AR-18 became particularly popular with the IRA during the 1970s and 1980s, when Irish republican paramilitaries fought British forces in Northern Ireland. The IRA also appears in The Professionals, although less often than one might expect.

The ArmaLite AR-18 was developed as a simpler, more affordable alternative to the AR-15. Its operating system later influenced the design of many modern military rifles. Photo: Rama / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 FR)

SIG SG 510: A Swiss Battle Rifle

If the SIG SG 510—also known as the Sturmgewehr 57—looks unfamiliar, you're not alone. It's hardly a common sight. In the episode Heroes, it is carried by a pair of hired assassins.

SIG SG 510 is the commercial designation of the Swiss Army's service rifle, adopted in 1957 and chambered in the Swiss 7.5×55 mm cartridge. Smaller numbers were also produced in 7.62×51 mm NATO and several other variants. In its standard military configuration, it is a notably heavy rifle, weighing 5.7 kg (12.6 lb). Even so, it remained in Swiss service until 1990, when it was replaced by the SIG SG 550.

Its weight is offset by an integrated bipod, which, together with diopter sights and the Swiss reputation for precision engineering, delivers excellent accuracy. Beneath its unconventional appearance lies a roller-delayed blowback system clearly influenced by the neighboring German school of firearms design—think H&K G3.

Attentive readers will also notice the distinctive charging handle, shaped rather like a beer keg, a feature carried over from earlier Swiss service rifles. Another interesting detail is the winter trigger. Designed for use with gloves—a practical feature in the Alps—it folds down to provide a larger trigger surface. It is also sometimes used for more precise shooting, as target rifle shooting has long been a national passion in Switzerland.

If you don't mind the relatively expensive ammunition, civilian semi-automatic Stgw. 57 rifles can still be found at surprisingly reasonable prices. For firearms enthusiasts, they're a great buy.

StG 44: The First True Assault Rifle

The next Sturmgewehr featured in the series is the original—the StG 44. In the episode Dead Reckoning, it is carried by Bulgarian agents during a prisoner exchange. If you're wondering why this German assault rifle appears instead of a Soviet design, the answer is fairly simple. The production team likely couldn't obtain a suitable AK-47 or AKM, the rifles actually used by the Bulgarian People's Army at the time.

That was hardly unusual. Just watch war films from the 1960s, '70s or even the '80s. Historical accuracy in military hardware was often a low priority. American tanks painted with German crosses routinely stood in for Tigers and Panthers.

Back to the StG 44. We called it the original Sturmgewehr, and we meant it literally. It was the world's first true assault rifle. Introduced by Germany in 1944, it impressed Allied troops with its performance.

Its influence went on to shape assault rifle development around the world, including in the Soviet Union. Interestingly, its designer, Hugo Schmeisser, was taken by Soviet authorities to Izhevsk after the war, where he worked as a firearms designer. At the same factory, another engineer was developing his own rifle—Mikhail Kalashnikov.

This is where history becomes somewhat speculative. We may never know whether Schmeisser merely inspired Kalashnikov or played a more direct role in the development of the AK-47. What we do know is that, a few decades later, the now extremely rare StG 44 stood in for the ubiquitous AK-47/AKM platform in The Professionals. Quite the irony.

The German Sturmgewehr 44 combined the characteristics of a submachine gun and a rifle into a single firearm, creating the assault rifle concept as we know it today. Photo: Rama / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 FR)

Sa vz. 58V: A Czechoslovak Rifle Makes an Appearance

It would be a crime not to mention our beloved Sa vz. 58. It only makes a brief appearance in the episode A Hiding to Nothing, where it is carried by a Palestinian terrorist. That is actually a fairly plausible choice, considering that the entire Eastern Bloc—including Czechoslovakia—provided extensive support to various terrorist groups fighting against the United States and its allies.

According to available records, this episode also marks the first appearance of the Sa vz. 58 on television outside Czechoslovak productions. At home, the rifle was a frequent sight, as the communist regime regularly used film and television to promote the Czechoslovak People's Army.

Although the screenshot from the episode is of fairly poor quality, it is still possible to identify the folding-stock Vvariant. Even a high-quality Czechoslovak rifle, however, was no match for the impeccable marksmanship of the series' main characters.

AMD-65: An Unusual Hungarian Kalashnikov

In the penultimate episode, A Man Called Quinn, a former British agent who has been brainwashed by the KGB and sent back to Britain on an assassination mission is seen carrying a rather unusual version of the legendary Kalashnikov.

The AMD-65 is a remarkably modern-looking rifle, even by today's standards. It served with the Hungarian People's Army before later finding its way into the arsenals of many armed forces, particularly in the developing world, where large numbers were exported as military surplus after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Chambered in 7.62×39 mm, it features a shortened barrel and a redesigned handguard with cooling slots that bear a passing resemblance to modern M-LOK interfaces—although the similarity is purely visual. The handguard incorporates a fixed vertical foregrip, essentially an inverted version of the pistol grip. While this improved weapon control, it also made magazine changes less convenient, which is one reason the rifle was typically issued with 20-round magazines. The wire stock, on the other hand, offers only minimal shooting comfort.

The large muzzle brake also gives the rifle a distinctly modern appearance. With the shortened barrel, however, it serves a practical purpose by ensuring the rifle operates reliably.

In the series, Quinn uses the AMD-65 with a period optic, making the rifle look even more futuristic.

The Hungarian AMD-65 is based on the AKM design but features a shorter barrel, a distinctive vertical foregrip and a folding wire stock. Photo: Thornfield Hall / Wikimedia Commons

Steyr AUG: A Futuristic Bullpup Ahead of Its Time

You might not think of the AUG as an especially exotic rifle. For years, civilian semi-automatic versions—originally surplus rifles from Austrian or Malaysian military stocks—have been available here at reasonable prices. Back in the late 1970s, however, it was still a highly modern, futuristic-looking firearm, especially with its extensive use of polymers.

The AUG makes only a brief appearance in the final episode, No Stone. There are, however, promotional photographs from the series in which it takes center stage alongside Bodie and Doyle.

It is not the only bullpup featured in The Professionals, despite the fact that the concept was still relatively new and uncommon at the time.

Enfield XL64E5: The Prototype That Became the SA80

We've saved perhaps the biggest unicorn for last. The Enfield XL64E5 was a development prototype of what would eventually become the British Army's standard service rifle—the SA80, better known as the L85.

This bullpup rifle, with its magazine located behind the trigger group, is fitted with an optic that would later become familiar as the SUSAT sight used on the SA80. Interesting not only because of its experimental 4.85×49 mm chambering, but also because these prototype rifles—then still undergoing British Army trials—were loaned to the production team for the episode Wild Justice. In it, Bodie and Doyle use them during a hostage rescue training exercise.

The XL64E5 itself was an indirect successor to the earlier EM-2, a post-war bullpup prototype chambered in the experimental .280 British cartridge. Considering that the EM-2 was developed at RSAF Enfield between 1948 and 1950, it can only be described as a pioneering design. While it was not the world's first bullpup, it anticipated the widespread adoption of assault rifles in this configuration by at least one or two decades.

Unfortunately for the EM-2, NATO adopted the 7.62×51 mm cartridge as its standard rifle round in the early 1950s, effectively ending its chances of entering service.

Behind the Scenes: Interesting Facts About the Series

Let's finish with a few interesting facts about the series' two main characters, Bodie and Doyle.

Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw, who played Bodie and Doyle, reportedly did not get along during filming and often struggled to tolerate each other on set. They only became friends after the series had ended. Ironically, their on-screen characters reflected many aspects of their real personalities.

Martin Shaw's Ray Doyle was the more thoughtful and empathetic of the two, while Lewis Collins was known for being direct, aggressive and, according to Shaw, a little arrogant. Perhaps the producers intentionally cast two actors with contrasting personalities. Whatever the case, none of that tension is visible on screen—in fact, quite the opposite.

Staying with Lewis Collins for a moment, he was every bit as adventurous in real life as his character. He loved action, fast cars, martial arts and shooting. He even completed the selection course for the elite British SAS, a process that only around 15 to 20 percent of candidates finish. In the end, however, he was not accepted. By then he had already become too well known, which was incompatible with the discreet nature of special forces service.

After The Professionals, Collins went on to star in Who Dares Wins. The title will sound familiar—it's the motto of the SAS, and the film itself is about the regiment.

Collins' father also knew Paul McCartney's family, and Lewis—an accomplished musician—came surprisingly close to becoming the Beatles' drummer instead of Pete Best.

One final piece of trivia: Lewis Collins was also considered for the role of James Bond. He ultimately lost out because he was considered too aggressive for the character of 007.

We're glad things turned out the way they did. Collins, Martin Shaw and Gordon Jackson remain unforgettable as Bodie, Doyle and Cowley—the trio of CI5 agents who took on everything from organised crime and terrorists to racist extremists and the KGB, and almost always came out on top.

Whether the firearms featured in The Professionals were chosen simply because they were available or thanks to the enthusiasm of the series' firearms advisers, the result was a remarkably diverse showcase of the era's small arms. Alongside familiar service rifles, viewers also got to see experimental prototypes, collector's rarities and firearms that went on to influence future weapons development. More than forty years later, the series still has plenty to offer—not only fans of classic action television, but anyone interested in the history of firearms.