(Aliens) - M41A Pulse Rifle

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M41A Pulse Rifle - .45 ACP / 12 gauge (in fiction, 10x24mm / 30mm). The weapon pictured here is the actual screen-used "hero" Pulse Rifle from Aliens and Alien³ (it is still painted black from its use in the latter film). This is the only M41A that Bapty & Co. (U.K.) left intact after Aliens was completed. It was also the only prop to have a functional shotgun unit. Photo taken by Dan Shea for Long Mountain Outfitters.

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M41A Pulse Rifle

The "M41A Pulse Rifle" is a fictional firearm created for the world of Aliens. As described and seen in the film, the rifle fires 10x24mm, explosive tip, caseless, light armor-piercing rounds loaded into a 99-round magazine, although this is commonly downloaded to 95 to prevent stoppages. A LED readout on the right side states the nubmer of rounds remaining i nthe magazine. In addition, the Pulse rifle is fitted with an underslung pump-action 4 shot 30mm grenade launcher and a telescoping stock.

The props (which were built from a sketch by Aliens director James Cameron) were built by British film armorers Bapty & Co. and consisted of an M1A1 Thompson for the main gun and a cut-down Remington 870 as the grenade launcher, which was mounted underneath the Thompson's barrel and covered with the forend, heatshield and pump handle of Franchi SPAS-12 fitted the 870's action. The weapon was finished with a futuristic, custom-made aluminum shell painted in "Brown Bess" paint (although due to on-set lighting, the guns often appear olive green in Aliens). Several practical weapons capable of firing blanks were constructed for the production, although only one "hero" prop had a functioning shotgun unit.

Following the completion of filming on Aliens, all but the hero weapon were broken back down. The surviving hero weapon subsequently went on to appear in Alien³ several years later, where it was once again fired on screen. For this appearance, the weapon's shroud was painted black.

The Pulse Rifles were originally going to be based on the Heckler & Koch MP5A3 submachine gun, using the weapon's 1970s-style straight magazine. However, Cameron wanted the rifles to produce large, impressive muzzle flashes on screen, and this was not possible with the MP5's 9mm round. Bapty instead suggested using the M1A1 Thomspon, as its larger .45 caliber round could produce the desired effect.

The "M41A Pulse Rifle" has been used in the following:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Aliens	Sigourney Weaver	Ellen Ripley		1986
Aliens	Michael Biehn	Cpl. Dwayne Hicks		1986
Aliens	Bill Paxton	Pvt. Hudson		1986
Aliens	Jenette Goldstein	Pvt. Vasquez		1986
Aliens	Al Matthews	Sgt. Apone		1986
Aliens	Ricco Ross	Pvt. Frost		1986
Alien³	.	Weyland-Yutani commandos		1992

Video Games

Game Title	Mods	Notations	Release Date
G-Police: Weapons of Justice	.	Used by police in the opening FMV	1999
Aliens vs. Predator 2	.	.	2001
Aliens: Colonial Marines	.	.	2012