Seen carried by all NCOs and officers and used by some Enlisted men during certain circumstances. Both Corporal. Thomas E. Clark (Don Harvey) and PFC Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) are seen carrying and using the M1911A1 for protection.
The M16A1 rifle is standard issue amongst all of the soldiers seen in the film. In Eriksson's squad, the members cross utilize the different weapons from time to time, usually manning a weapon when another is reloading, or injured.
Sgt. Tony Meserve (Sean Penn) uses a fake XM177 , built up from an Colt Sporter II Carbine. What makes it weird is the unusual flash hider/muzzle brake which is too long for an XM177, the wrong diameter and has holes on one side only (the left side).
Used by PFC Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox). It is notoriously seen used to blow away an incoming grenade thrown at him, which in reality did happen to PFC Max Eriksson during the Vietnam War.
The Viet Cong guerrillas use both full stock and folding stock AK47s (which are most probably Type 56 rifles) however in the real war, despite the fact that the majority of AK rifles were Chinese Type 56s, there were some original Soviet AK47s given to the NVA who supplied them to the VC.
An unseen perpetrator uses an M26 hand grenade to attempt to blow up PFC Max Eriksson in the Latrine.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingM26 "Lemon" hand grenade.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn unidentified hand holds an M26 while lying in wait for Eriksson. Why the perpetrator chooses to wear the yellow chamois gloves (issued to M60 gunners along with their asbestos mitt) is unknown. Is he afraid of fingerprints? No prints remain on a grenade after it goes off....Error creating thumbnail: File missingEriksson sees the M26 Grenade at the last moment. Note that this grenade has an unusually shiny off color bright green paint job, and no lot nor armory markings.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe barracks toilets explodes. Hollywood's gift to the public, standard Fragmentation grenades that explode like howitzer rounds. Any of us who have actually thrown live grenades (in military service) know that they don't have the power to obliterate an entire building.
M29 81mm Mortar
M29 Mortars are seen in the fire base in the background and are featured when the VC use captured ones for an attack.
M72A1 LAW Rockets are seen slung on the backs of U.S. Soldiers during marches or massing scenes. Also seen being uncrated by VC who are sorting captured weapons.
In the days before CGI, filmmakers had to build the massive sets and use actors (not CGI composites) to populate those sets. In this film, Base Camp Wolf is an impressive and massive Army encampment with many REAL UH-1D Huey Helicopters taking off and landing every few minutes.
Kudos to the Art Designer/Prop Master for coming up with period Beer Cans. PFC Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) sits at a bar with a bunch of empty Budweisser cans. Despite being a wee bit too large for the beer cans of the day, they are the correct straight side, removable tab beer cans that existed in the 1960s.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPFC Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) talks with Chaplain Kirk (Sam Robards) as he downs another Budweisser. The cans and designs are correct for the 1960s, in contrast to the tapered aluminum drink cans used from the 1970s to today.
