Ten seasons of Hawaii Five-0 produced one of the deepest weapon lists on television, mostly because the show never met a raid it didn’t want to escalate. What’s interesting is that the two leads carry very different guns for very deliberate reasons, and one of the best props in the whole run belonged to a dead man.
Here’s what McGarrett, Danny and the task force actually carried.
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Steve McGarrett’s SIG Sauer P226
McGarrett is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve and a former SEAL, and the show gives him the pistol that goes with that history. From “Nalowale” in season one he switches over to the newer SIG Sauer P226 E2, and it stays his gun.
That’s a genuinely well-chosen prop. The P226 is the pistol most associated with the SEAL teams, and having him carry it into a civilian task force role says everything about the character without a line of dialogue. The E2 variant is the updated frame with the reshaped grip, which is a level of specificity most shows don’t bother with.
His father’s M40 sniper rifle
The best gun moment in the series is quiet. At the start of “Kame’e,” McGarrett is at the Marine Corps rifle range at Ulupa’u Crater, firing an M40 sniper rifle that belonged to his father.
The whole show is about him unpicking his father’s death, and here’s a scene where he simply shoots his father’s rifle. No dialogue needed. That’s how you use a prop.
John McGarrett’s Smith & Wesson Model 67
In the flashback episode “Hookman,” Steve’s father John McGarrett is armed with a Smith & Wesson Model 67 during a robbery. A stainless K-frame .38 is precisely right for a Honolulu detective of that era, and it quietly sets up the generational gap: the father carries a service revolver, the son carries a SEAL’s pistol.
See our best .38 Special revolvers guide for the modern equivalents.
Danny Williams’ Heckler & Koch P30
Danno carries an HK P30 from season two onwards, and the contrast with McGarrett is the entire relationship in miniature. Steve has the military pistol. Danny has the modern police service gun, because Danny is a detective who came from New Jersey and would quite like everyone to stop blowing things up.
The show also flashes back to his Jersey days in 2001, where he and his partner Grace Tilwell carry early-model Smith & Wesson 5906s with hooked trigger guards and adjustable sights. That’s an unusually precise bit of period detail.
The task force hardware
Five-0 raids more buildings per season than most departments do in a decade, and the kit reflects it. HK MP5A3s and MP5K-PDWs handle the entries, with Colt AR-15A2 Government Carbines for anything longer. Danny runs an MP5A3 in “Ma’eme’e,” and in “Ki’ilua” he and Commander Wade Gutches carry AKMS rifles on a rescue mission into North Korea, which is exactly as restrained as that sounds.
Revolvers are well represented too. Smith & Wesson Model 686s and Model 36 snubs appear across the seasons, plus Walther PPKs and IMI Uzis on the wrong side of the law.
More on that little Walther in our Walther PPK review.
Frequently asked questions
What gun does Steve McGarrett carry?
A SIG Sauer P226, switching to the E2 variant from “Nalowale” in season one. It fits his background as a former Navy SEAL.
What pistol does Danny Williams carry?
A Heckler & Koch P30 from season two onwards. Flashbacks to his New Jersey years show him with an early Smith & Wesson 5906.
What rifle belonged to McGarrett’s father?
An M40 sniper rifle, which Steve fires at the Marine Corps range at Ulupa’u Crater at the start of “Kame’e.”
Why do the two leads carry different pistols?
It’s deliberate characterisation. McGarrett’s P226 is the SEAL pistol from his military past; Danny’s P30 is a modern police service gun. The guns state the difference between them before either says a word.
Keep exploring
Part of our guns of TV legends series. See also Magnum P.I., the other great Hawaii show, and Miami Vice.
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