As every gun nerd knows, the “BlasTech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol” used by Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in George Lucas’s cinematic epic Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is a real firearm– a C96 “Broomhandle” Mauser with a bunch of stuff added to it to make it look more sci-fi.
Well, the actual gun that was screen-used by Solo/Ford in the film is up on auction through Rock Island.
While that isn’t super big news as the gun has floated around at auctions in the past, the smart thing that RIAC did with it was to appear last week at San Diego’s Comic-Con International with the blaster.
The company’s first time exhibiting at Comic-Con, an event seen as ground zero for nerddom, you have to understand such a move is brilliant for getting thousands of new eyeballs on the house’s catalogs that ordinarily never would have picked one up.
Speaking of which, Rock Island even put the gun on the back of its August Premier Auction catalog.
Slow clap to Rock Island. The estimated price is in the $300K-$500K range and remember, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”
By Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
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