The Americans

The Americans (2013-)

The Americans is an American television period drama series created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg. The series premiered in the United States on January 30, 2013, on the cable network FX, and concluded its third season on April 22, 2015.

Set in the early 1980s during the Cold War, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth Jennings -real name "Nadezhda"; Russian: Надеҗда- (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings -real name "Misha"/"Mikhail"; Russian: Миша/Михаил- (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet KGB officers posing as a typical American married couple living in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., with their two unsuspecting children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) and their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent working in counterintelligence.

The series focuses on the personal and professional lives of the Jennings, sometimes incorporating real life historical events into the narrative. Their assignments as highly trained and dangerous Soviet spy agents range from sabotage, assassination, kidnapping and extraction of individuals (or top secret information) to recruiting potential agents.

On March 31, 2015, FX renewed the series for a fourth season consisting of 13 episodes to premiere in March 2016.

The following weapons were used in the television series The Americans:

Pistols

Beretta 84FS Cheetah

What appears to be a Beretta 84FS is the pistol used by Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) in some episodes of Season 1, while the Cheetah series is a good choice for the 1981 setting, the FS features were not introduced until years later.

Beretta 84FS Pistol .380 ACP

A suppressed Beretta 84FS is the pistol used by Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08).

Beretta 92FS

A suppressed Beretta 92FS is used by Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08). A Beretta 92 or a Beretta 92SB would have been a more appropriate choice, as the 92F was not introduced until the mid-1980's, a few years after the season's setting.

Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm

Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) with the suppressed Beretta in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08).

Browning Hi-Power

Gregory (Derek Luke) uses a nickel-plated Browning Hi-Power during a shootout in "Only You" (S1E10).

FN Browning Hi-Power Nickel plated with "beer can" adjustable sights - 9x19mm

The nickel-plated Browning Hi-Power is fired by Gregory (Derek Luke) in "Only You" (S1E10).

The nickel-plated Browning Hi-Power during a shootout in "Only You" (S1E10).

Colt M1911A1

Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) disarms a cleaning woman's angry brother of his Colt M1911A1 in "The Clock" (S1E02). The grips of another M1911A1 (this one with ivory grips) can be seen tucked in the waistband of the man who sells Phillip anti-ballistic missile schematics in "Gregory" (S1E03).

Colt M1911A1 - .45 ACP

Phillip holds the Colt on Viola after disarming her brother in "The Clock" (S1E02).

Smith & Wesson 645

Phillip uses a Smith & Wesson 645 taken from one of his and Elizabeth's KGB interrogators in "Trust Me" (S1E06), the presence of the 645 is an anachronism as the show takes place in 1981 and the 645 was not released until 4 years later.

Smith & Wesson 645 - .45 ACP

Phillip holds the anachronistic Smith & Wesson 645 taken from one of his and Elizabeth's KGB interrogators in "Trust Me" (S1E06).

Smith & Wesson 3913

An assassin appears to be a armed with a suppressed Smith & Wesson 3913 in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08). This weapon is anachronistic for the time period of the series, as the pistol was introduced in 1990.

Smith & Wesson 3913 - 9x19mm

An assassin appears to be a armed with a Smith & Wesson 3913 in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08).

Phillip is threatened with the pistol in "Mutually Assured Destruction" (S1E08).

Makarov PM

A KGB agent fires a Makarov PM out a car window. A suppressed Makarov is used by an assassin in "Covert War" (S1E11).

Makarov PM - 9x18mm Makarov

A KGB agent fires a Makarov PM out a car window.

Silenced Makarov PM.

A suppressed Makarov is used by an assassin in "Covert War" (S1E11).

Tokarev TT-33

General Zhukov (Olek Krupa) briefly is seen with a Tokarev TT-33 pistol in "Covert War" (S1E11).

Tokarev TT-33 7.62x25mm Tokarev

Closeup of the Tokarev in "Covert War" (S1E11).

Revolvers

Smith & Wesson Model 19 Snub

The Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 3" barrel appears to be the revolver carried by several agents of the FBI, notably Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich).

Smith & Wesson Model 19 Snub Nose (right side) - .357 Magnum.

Special Agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) uses his revolver in "Safe House" (S1E09).

Stan draws his revolver during a raid in "Only You" (S1E10).

Shotguns

Remington 870 Slug Gun

A SWAT officer is armed with a Remington 870 during a raid in "Only You" (S1E10).

Remington 870 Slug Gun - 12 Gauge

A SWAT officer is armed with a Remington 870 during a raid in "Only You" (S1E10). These officers are wearing PASGT ballistic helmets with goggles, which are anachronistic for the time period. SWAT teams in 1981 were equipped with WWII-surplus, dark colored M1 steel helmets or dark and white fiberglass motorcycle helmets with riot shield visors. SWAT police would adopt the PASGT until the early nineties.

Assault Rifles

AKM

KGB agents also wield AKMs.

AKM - 7.62x39mm

Sniper Rifles

Remington 700PSS

In the episode "In Control" (S1E04), Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) takes out two Remington 700PSS chambered in .308 rifles from a hidden cache. Philip also uses the rifle in the episode.

Remington 700PSS with Harris bipod, in .300 Win Mag

In the episode "In Control" (S1E04), the rifles are seen in closeup. Note the Leopold scope.

SVD Dragunov

Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) uses an SVD Dragunov to kill a target in Washington DC.

SVD Dragunov - 7.62x54mm R

The very incorrect reticule of the SVD in a very incorrect Washington D.C.