The trademark of assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) in The Man with the Golden Gun. These “dumdum bullets” are designed to flatten upon impact for maximum wounding effect. Scaramanga has them custom manufactured in Macao by Lazar the gunsmith (Marne Maitland), who also designed the fascinating weapon that shoots them.

Because of the types of security checks he often faces, Scaramanga must have a weapon that, when disassembled, doesn’t look like a weapon. His golden gun thus converts to a ballpoint pen, a cuff link, a cigarette lighter, and cigarette case—a fact he reveals just prior to the assassination of heavily guarded industrialist Hai Fat (Richard Loo). Scaramanga hides his bullet in his belt buckle.

At the beginning of The Man with the Golden Gun, one of the custom gold bullets, with an engraved 007, is sent to the British Secret Service. M (Bernard Lee) points out that in the past an engraved bullet has been used by Scaramanga to terrify his intended victims. Rather than go into hiding, Bond (Roger Moore) takes the fight to the assassin.