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Saving Private Ryan

From Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
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The following weapons were used in the movie Saving Private Ryan

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Saving Private Ryan (1998)

M1 Garand

Perhaps the most commonly seen weapon in the movie, the M1 Garand is used by the majority of the U.S. soldiers seen in the film. The M1 Garand is easily identified by the characteristic ping it makes ejecting its clip after the last round in the en bloc clip is fired. Based on the way everyone can hold these weapons easily, they seem to be light weight models for easy handling in the film, which cuts the realism down a bit.

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M1 Garand semiautomatic Rifle with leather M1917 sling - .30-06
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An M1 Garand prop rifle used in the film during the D-Day scene. The butt still has sand stuck in it from the beach.
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This image of a soldier during the D-Day scene shows that the rifles in the film are clearly not genuine 9 1/2lb Garands and simple light weight replicas.
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Pvt. Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) fires his M1 Garand.
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PING! Private Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel) fires his M1 Garand.
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A Soldier fires his M1 Garand at a fleeing German. The rifle makes the distinct PING sound but you can clearly see it just jammed.
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A soldier of low morals holds an M1 Garand with cuts in the stock for an ammo pouch to sling through like an M1 Carbine. This is a stange stock for a Garand. Also note how he can easily hold it with one hand since it is lighter than a real Garand.
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Sergeant Hill (Paul Giamatti) holding his M1 Garand.
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Cpt. Miller (Tom Hanks) pulls the trigger groupings out of the M1 Garands marking dead G.I. graves so they are rendered useless should any Germans try to capture them.
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A soldier loads up his M1 Garand before the battle in Rammele.
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Mellish fires his M1 Garand and then claims it jams, despite the fact it is clearly still in battery.
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PING! Pvt. James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) firing his M1 Garand. Damon's lack of training for the film is evident, note how his sight is above his eyeline.
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Cpl. Timothy P. Upham (Jeremy Davies) holds his M1 Garand on a group of fleeing German soldiers including Steamboat Willie, whom he kills. Note how his hand is on the bolt handle, which could result in a finger pinch. Also note how he rests his thumb on the reciever tang, which could result in "shooter's thumb", getting whacked in the nose by you thumb knuckle do to the recoil.

M1A1 Thompson

The M1A1 Thompson or "fast gun" appears several times in the film, primarily as the main weapon of Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks). It is also used by Captain Fred Hamill (Ted Danson) to end a standoff between Miller's men and a group of German soldiers they had stumbled upon. The M1 Thompson was too expensive to produce by the Normandy invasion and the cheaper M1A1, which simply attached the firing pin to the bolt, made it far easier for mass production as well as cheap too. They were far more commonly issued with 30 round magazines, which is evident on Miller's Thompson.

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M1A1 Thompson - .45 ACP.
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Cpt. Miller removes his M1A1 Thompson from its protective plastic bag.
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Captain Fred Hamill (Ted Danson), left, and one of his men holding freshly fired M1A1 Thompsons.
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Cpt. Miller reloads his Thompson before the battle in Rammelle, despite having been clearly seen reloading it the scene before when facing the half-track.
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Cpt. Miller with his Thompson at the ready.
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Cpt. Miller fires his Thompson through the peep hole of a Tiger Tank.
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Cpt. Miller firing his Thompson.
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A soldier fires his Thompson at a German through the wall.

M1 Carbine

The M1 Carbine appears in the film as the main weapon of Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore). It was fitted with one double magazine pouch strapped to the butt stock.

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M1 Carbine - .30 Carbine
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Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore) with his M1 Carbine on Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector.
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Sgt. Horvath firing his M1 Carbine.
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Sgt. Horvath with his M1 Carbine.
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Sgt. Horvath racks the bolt on his M1 Carbine before facing the machine gun nest.
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Sgt. Horvath with his M1 Carbine.

M1911A1

There are several appearances of the M1911A1 pistol, in the hands of Horvath (Tom Sizemore) and Miller (Tom Hanks), as well as other members of the squad. Horvath uses it to threaten PFC Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) when he threatens to abandon his squad, later throwing it at a German during the final battle when he runs out of ammo. Miller is seen firing it at an advancing Tiger tank as he lies wounded on the bridge in one of the film's more memorable moments.

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M1911A1 - .45 ACP
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Pvt. Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper) fires his M1911A1 into a German filled trench.
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Pvt. Jackson draws his M1911A1 when they first confont Steamboat Willie and checks the magazine, which is cleary empty.
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Horvath (Tom Sizemore) threatening to shoot PFC Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) with his M1911A1.
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A wounded Cpt. Miller fires his M1911A1 at an advancing Tiger Tank. Note how his .45 is clearly out of battery, but in perfect working order in the next shot.
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Cpt. Miller fires his M1911A1 at the advancing Tiger tank.
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Miller in amazment after seeing the Tiger blow up after shooting it with his M1911A1 (which was actually blown up by a P-51 Mustang). For some reason, the pistol was only loaded with six shots instead of the fully-loaded seven.

M1 Bazooka

The M1 Bazooka rocket launcher makes several appearances in Saving Private Ryan. It is first seen in the hands of a U.S. Army soldier under the command of Captain Hamill. Later we see Private James F. Ryan (Matt Damon) use an M1 Bazooka to destroy a German half-track. This same Bazooka is later used by Horvath during the final battle to destroy a German Marder self-propelled gun and again in an attempt to destroy a Tiger tank, but unfortunately for our protagonists the rocket is deflected by the tanks' heavy armor.

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M1 Bazooka 60mm with rockets
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Private James F. Ryan (Matt Damon) with his M1 Bazooka after destroying a German half-track.
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Sgt. Horvath fires the M1 Bazooka.
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Cpt. Miller attmepts to use an M1 Bazooka before Sgt. Hoorvath takes it.
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Sgt. Hoorvath fires a shot at a Panzer tank, but sadly it deflects do to the heavy frontal armor. If only it had approached sideways or backwards.

M1903A4 Springfield

The squad's sharpshooter, Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper), carries the sniper version of the M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle. The differences include the deletion of the front sight, and the addition of a scope. Jackson is famous for quoting religious scriptures when shooting the rifle, and shooting a German sniper through his own scope similar to a feat accomplished by Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock in the Vietnam War.

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M1903A4 Springfield sniper variant .30-06 with M84 scope
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Private Daniel Jackson (Barry Pepper) aims his M1903 Springfield.

Browning Automatic Rifle

As the squad's BAR gunner, PFC Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) carries a Browning Automatic Rifle as his main weapon. The BAR Reiben carries is not his original one, which he claims he lost during the start of the D-Day landing to keep from drowning, and has the bipod removed.

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M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle .30-06
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PFC Richard Reiben (Edward Burns) carrying his BAR.

Browning M1919

Among the weapons used by the defenders during the final battle are a pair of Browning M1919 machine guns. Both guns eventually run out of ammunition, their users being killed by the Germans.

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Browning M1919 .30-06 on M2 tripod
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Corporal Henderson (Maximilian Martini) and Pvt. Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) load their Browning M1919 in preparation for the final battle.

Mk 2 Hand Grenade

During the attack on the machine gun nests, the squad uses Mk 2 hand grenades to take out all but one of the Germans manning it, some of which throw the grenades back at them, though thankfully miss. Later, at the final battle in Ramelle, several Mk 2 hand grenades are tossed into a disabled German tank, killing the crew.

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Mk 2 High-Explosive Fragmentation hand grenade
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Several Mk 2 hand grenades being tossed into a disabled German tank.

M1 Flamethrower

During the D-Day landing scene Doyle (Glenn Wrage) uses his M1 Flamethrower to clear one of the German bunkers overlooking Omaha Beach, turning the occupants into human torches who are picked off by other soldiers as they emerge.

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Doyle (Glenn Wrage) uses his M1 Flame Thrower to clear out a German bunker.
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A German bunker erupts in flames.

Bangalore Torpedo

Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) employs a Bangalore torpedo to clear the barbed wire protecting the German bunkers on Omaha Beach.

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Bangalores being carried on Omaha Beach.
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Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath (Tom Sizemore) lights a Bangalore torpedo.

M7 Rifle Grenade

During the opening Omaha Beach landing scene we can briefly see a rifle mounted M7 rifle grenade fired from an M1 Garand after the German line has been broken.

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M7 grenade launcher
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An M7 rifle grenade about to be fired from an M1 Garand.

Karabiner 98k

As common with the German soldiers as the M1 Garand is with the Americans, the Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle is the standard-issue weapon of the German Army. One is seen fitted with a scope and covered in makeshift camouflage being used by a German sniper who mortally wounds PFC Adrian Caparzo (Vin Diesel) before being killed himself by Private Jackson (Barry Pepper). Jackson shoots the German sniper through his scope, a reference to a shot made by Carlos Norman Hathcock II (a legendary Marine Corps Sniper) during the Vietnam War.

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Karabiner 98k - German manufacture 1937 date - 7.92x57mm
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A German sniper aims his Karabiner 98k.

MG42

The German MG42 machine gun makes several appearances in the film; first in bunkers overlooking Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings, then in a machine gun nest at the base of a radar site the squad encounters. The ensuing firefight at the radar site costs them their medic, Irwin Wade (Giovanni Ribisi).

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MG42 7.92 x 57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser)
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An MG42 firing from a German bunker on Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector.

Luger P08

During the final assault, two German soldiers can be seen using Luger P08 pistols.

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Luger P08 9mm

Flak 38

A German Flak 38 is crewed by several SS soldiers during the final battle at Ramelle and delivers devastating 20mm flak rounds on Captain Miller's (Tom Hanks) men.

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Flak 38 20mm

Model 24 Stielhandgranate

During the final battle of the film, Private Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) and Corporal Henderson (Maximilian Martini) get several Model 24 Stielhandgranates thrown at them while manning one of the M1919 machine guns. Thankfully the two are able to grab and toss the grenades clear before they detonate.

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Model 24 Stielhandgranate "Potato Masher" High-Explosive Fragmentation hand grenade
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Mellish (Adam Goldberg) and Henderson (Maximilian Martini) catch and toss back several Model 24 Stielhandgranates thrown at them by German SS soldiers.

Panzerschreck

During the final battle, one of the German soldiers can be seen carrying a Panzerschreck rocket launcher, but is killed before his weapon can be brought to bear.

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Panzerschreck 88mm with rocket
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A German SS soldier carrying a Panzerschreck during the final battle.

MP40

Yet another German weapon in the film is the MP40. It's not very often seen, mostly in the scene where Miller's men stumble on a group of German soldiers, and again during the final battle.

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MP40 9mm
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A German soldier of the 2nd SS with an MP40 during the final battle at Ramelle.

M2 Mortar

At the final battle in Ramelle Private Ryan (Matt Damon) and Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) arm 60mm M2 Mortars by banging them against the steel launching base of the mortar tube and throw them like hand grenades at advancing SS soldiers, scoring several kills.

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Private Ryan (Matt Damon) and Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) arm 60mm M2 Mortars by hand.

Sticky Bomb

While planning the defense of Ramelle, Captain Miller comes up with a unique improvised explosive device he calls a "sticky bomb". It consists of a sock filled with Composition-B explosive with a fuse attached and covered in grease so it sticks where it's placed. Deploying it is a hazardous proposition though; as one soldier is killed when the fuse runs out while he is trying to place it one one of the German tanks, though the bombs do succeed in immobilizing one Tiger tank by destroying its treads.

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A "sticky bomb" placed on a Tiger tank's treads.

Molotov Cocktail

During the final battle at Ramelle two soldiers light and throw a pair of Molotov Cocktails off a balcony into an open top German vehicle below.

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Two soldiers lighting Molotov Cocktails.


Mk-II No. 75 Hawkins Grenade/Mine

Prior to the climactic battle Cpl. Henderson relays to Capt. Miller that thier arsenal of "spitwads" includes Hawkins mines. Later a 101st Airborne soldier is seen placing one on the main street and camouflaging it.

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Although manufactured as a grenade the Mk-II No.75 Hawkins Grenade was utilized more efficiently as an anti-tank/vehicle mine. Partly because its shape and weight made accurate throwing difficult.