Search the BOOM Library website and you’ll find that there’s no shortage of libraries created around firearms. There’s plenty to choose from, so why make another?
Quite simply, we felt there was a gap for weapons that don’t fit into convenient historical or genre segments. We wanted to give sound designers access to what we call ‘real world’ weapons. Some are the same sidearms detectives carry on duty. Others are the rifles issued to soldiers on their first day. And some are the weapons that, illegally, end up with people neither group wants to see armed.
That’s what TACTICAL GUNS is about. It features twenty-five weapons, chosen by who uses them and why, not by era or type.
BOOM Library founder Axel Rohrbach was clear: “We didn’t want another firearms library organised around a single kind of scene. Cops, special forces, criminals. That’s three different worlds, and this library moves between all of them.“
Carried by Police
The Glock 17 has been the standard issue for the Austrian military since 1982, and from there, it found its way into police holsters across the US and Europe. It’s the sidearm used by many street-level law enforcement officers, drawn during a stakeout or traffic stop instead of on a battlefield.
The Remington 870 has a similar background. For decades, it was the standard patrol shotgun for American police, though many departments now use patrol rifles. It’s included here as a piece of history, not as a reflection of what’s in most squad cars today.
These are the sounds of routine work, controlled and practised, carrying the weight of a job, not a war.
Used by Criminals
The VZ 61 Skorpion has the most documented history in this set. It was used by the IRA, the Italian Red Brigades, and the Red Army Faction during decades of European political violence, and more recently, it has been found with organised crime gangs in Sweden and the UK.
The AK-47 fits here as well, but in a different way. Besides its military history, it’s also one of the most trafficked weapons worldwide, moving through conflict zones and criminal networks.
The Uzi is known in this context, but it’s important to be clear: its reputation comes more from decades of pop culture than from actual crime records. It’s included here, but it has less real-world use than it is often credited with.
Axel says this is where it got harder to establish provenance: “The criminal side is the hardest to state as fact, and we’ve been careful not to overclaim it. But for a handful of these weapons, the record is real, not just a mythology created by films.“
Issued to Armies
The AK-47 is the most widely produced and used rifle in the world, with a long history and ongoing service in Russian forces and militaries across Africa and Eastern Europe. To be precise, it’s not Russia’s current standard issue – that’s the AK-74 and AKM family – but the AK-47 still has a huge presence worldwide.
The PKM is similar – a squad support weapon used in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East since the Soviet era.
The British Armed Forces adopted the AWM as their long-range sniper rifle, used by the 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Royal Marines, and the RAF Regiment. It’s not just for special forces – its service record is broader.
These are real service weapons, not props made to look authentic. A war scene using these reflects what soldiers actually carry.
The Sound Before the Shot
Almost every weapon in TACTICAL GUNS comes with matching handling sounds: magazine changes, safety clicks, and grip adjustments before drawing. These details enhance the sound design; after all, a character may draw a gun but not fire it.
As with many of our libraries, such as ROAD RAGE, sound designers know authentic sound design often comes from numerous sound effects as the scene unfolds, not just a single moment.
The handling elements in this collection ensure you’re working with more than just the bang!
One Library, Every Register
This collection covers everything from a compact pistol to a belt-fed machine gun. It can create the quiet tension of a stakeout or the intensity of a firefight.
In a nutshell, this library covers a lot of different sound design challenges without compromising accuracy or quality.
As Axel puts it: “This isn’t a bigger or smaller version of anything else we make. It’s built to cover ground none of our other libraries was designed to cover.“
And that is always our challenge: to create resources for sound designers that give them maximum choice without compromising on quality.
Check out TACTICAL GUNS; this may be the library that means the sound design on the scene hits the target!
