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Red Dawn (1984)
The following weapons were used in the film Red Dawn (1984):
Maadi ARM
- According to Long Mountain Outfitters (http://www.longmountain.com/movieguns/RedDawn), the AKMs used in the movie were actually Egyptian Maadi MISR (imported into the US as the ARM) semi-auto rifles, some of the first semi-automatic Kalashnikov-type rifles ever imported into the United States (besides the Clayco AKM copies). 53 such rifles were used in the movie, 32 of which were converted to full-auto by Class 2 manufacturer Pearl Manufacturing specially for the film. These guns were later used in numerous other movies. Not to be confused with the post 1989 imported firearms called "MISR" which was modified to comply with the federal import ban.
Fake AKS-74
- Fake AKS-74s are used by Soviet Paratroopers in the first attack on the school and Soviet Spetsnaz in the battle in the snow. They are actually Maadi ARM (AKMs) that were very cleverly mocked up with skeletal stocks and a custom make muzzle brake that resembled the AK74.
Fake RPG-7
- Fake RPG-7s are used by Soviet and Communist Bloc soldiers, and later Charlie Sheen. The weapon itself is a fabricated prop, utilizing a vintage 1950s era RPG-2 as a base. A flared rear blast cone and a second 'fake' pistol grip was added as well as a fake optical sight that was fabricated out of plastic (it's a bit too large and wrongly shaped for any of the real RPG optical sights). The rocket warhead is a plastic and rubber fabrication and not an RPG-2 rocket head. The fuse tip itself is the cap from a Crest toothpaste tube!
On another note, the rocket of the fake RPG-7 (like many other films that use rocket launchers) is a foam rubber fake when firing around actors. Prior to the advent of CGI in films, they were fired with real Estes rocket motors and guided along wires to their targets. Below we see a frame of film where we can clearly see the wire that will guide the foam rubber rocket head to its intended target.
Valmet M78
- The Valmet M78 LMG was standing in for the Soviet RPK since none were available in the country when this movie was filmed. The M78 LMG was used by Russian Paratroopers in the beginning of the movie and, and later by the Wolverines, most notably by Jennifer Grey.
Fake DShK heavy machine gun
- At the time of filming there were no DShK 12.7 machine guns available for use in movies, so the armorers mocked up DShKs from M60 machine guns. Apparently the size difference between a 7.62mm gun and a .50 cal gun wasn't enough to distract people during the movie.
Fake Gorunov SGM Machine gun
- Yet another Soviet era machine gun that was mocked up from the venerable (and available) M60 Machine gun.
Jatimatic SMG
- The Jatimatic was used by Colonel Strelnikov (William Smith) when he is hunting Charlie Sheen and Patrick Swayze at the end of the film. It was supposed to represent the Polish manufactured PM-63 machine pistol as none were available in the country during the time of filming as this was the Cold War.
GE M134 Minigun
An abandoned M134 Minigun, possibly from a crashed vehicle/chopper can be seen here at 01:33.
FN FAL
- Seen held by Cuban and Nicaraguan soldiers.
Colt SAA
- The Colt Single Action Army revolver was used by Jed (Patrick Swayze).
This revolver was a piece owned by director John Milius.
Marlin Model 336C
- The Marlin Model 336C lever action rifle was picked up from the store just after the invasion. Doug Toby who played the character of Aardvark fires a single shot from the back of a pickup truck at Russian troops, after an American UH-1 helicopter attacks the Soviets on the ground using rockets. He also uses it in some of the ambushes later in the film.
Savage 110
- Jed picks up a Savage 110 bolt action rifle from Mr. Morris' store at the beginning of the film. He uses it as a sniper rifle during some of the ambushes. The Savage is a likely candidate since the tapered barrel seen in the film more closely matches the stock barrels of the Savage 110 rifles such as the Remington 700. He also appears to have mounted a .22 rimfire scope on the rifle.
Remington 870
- One of the weapons grabbed by the boys from Mr. Morris' store at the beginning of the movie. Originally used in its' full sized version and then seen with the barrel cut down to just above the magazine tube after the first ambush of the Russian soldiers near the monument. Used pretty much exclusively by C. Thomas Howell's character Robert throughout the movie.
Fake SA-7 Grail aka Strela-2
- A mocked up SA-7 Grail (built from metal tubing and plastic) is used by a Cuban soldier at an attacking American UH-1D Helicopter. The Mockup of the SA7 is quite accurate. However, in the film a Cuban soldier, firing a heat seeking surface to air missile, cannot hit a slow moving UH-1 "Huey" (The post Vietnam "G" model with twin turbines). This is not likely unless he panic fires into a completely wrong direction.
M1911 Pistol
- An M1911A1 pistol is first seen in the cold dead hands of an American who resisted the Soviet invasion. The pistol is pulled from the hand of the man and inspected by a Soviet Paratrooper who stuffs it behind his webbing belt. The M1911 is also the duty pistol of Colonel Tanner (Powers Boothe).
Trivia Section
- The "Mil-24 Hind"s are excellent mockups of Hind Model-As (painted with winter camo) built up from French Aerospatiale Puma and were later used again in other movies such as Rambo 2 and 3. Three Pumas were modified (and seen on film) and all three had a fake Hind-A 'nose' sections built with darked tinted windows that slipped over the front end of the real Puma helicopter. (If you looked closely, you could see the real nose of the Puma 'underneath' the Hind Nose section through the tinted windows. This limited pilot vision and also restricted motion - quick turns were not possible lest the fake nose front end be ripped off the helicopter. Later incarnations of the same modified Puma helicopter removed the extended Hind Model A Nose sections but kept the fake wings and rockets pods (as these were study modifications and didn't adversely affect the aerodynamics of the Helicopter.)