Rambo III is an unusual movie in that it's production was halted about two thirds into the shooting schedule of the film. Rambo III was scheduled to film entirely in Israel, and many scenes were filmed there, using Israeli armorers. However, the spectacle of a major American movie being filmed in the middle east created a lot of concern about terrorist attacks (to disrupt the production and 'send a message of the U.S.'). Before production could be completed, Israel revoked the production's permission to remain in the country (the official reason being security concerns and threats made to the American film crew). Not wishing for a multi million dollar film to be scrapped, then California State Senator Pete Wilson (R), helped the production relocate back to Southern California. The remaining shots were completed (including many insert shots) using the same talent, but utilizing areas around the California Desert, most notable Lone Pine, CA. The sudden change from 'accurate Soviet weaponry' (provided by the Israeli armorers) to the typical 'faux' weaponry seen in many American movies, is explained by this sudden relocation back to California. Thus we see mocked up Browning M2 .50 cal Machine guns instead of real Soviet DShK 12.7mm MGs, etc. Stembridge Gun Rentals took over the final shoot (back in California).
Most notably, the armored vehicles at the final battle changed from the authentic and original Soviet armored vehicles from the middle of the film, to the modified American tanks, APCs and the KLMK Camo Suits(from the film Red Dawn). These were provided by Veluzat Armored Vehicles out of Newhall, California. Only aficionados of tanks would notice the change.
The weapons used in this movie are:
Note: This is still a work in progress.... There were many errors on this page BEFORE I started working on it. So be patient and let me finish before nitpicking on the details. :) Thanks. MPM2008.
Seen carried by the Mujahideen and by Armed tribal members in Peshawar, Pakistan. The ones in the early parts of the film are authentic AK47s (the real deal). These were all captured enemy arms, taken during the many wars between Israel and their neighbor nations. Israeli movie armorers have access to tons of authentic captured Soviet weaponry over the years, and any film shot in Israel would have real Soviet guns.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingTribal member in Peshawar holds an AK47 - 7.62x39mmError creating thumbnail: File missingMujahideen fighters hold a council with Rambo, many holding AK47s. These are Israeli movie guns, evident by the extra long screw on blank adapters on the end of the barrels. American Armorers usually have drop in BFAs or thread the interior of their barrels and use a hex nut as the blank adapter, but the Israelis don't. This is the case for every movie filmed in Israel that has AK47s and is a good visual indicator where a scene was filmed.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnother good shot of the AK47s with the extended screw on blank adapters. These are noticeably thinner than any of the military screw on blank adapters and are a different shape than any military BFA issued for the AK or any of it's variants.
AKS-47
Seen briefly, some of the Soviet Soldiers carry the milled receiver AKS-47 underfolder rifle, the predecessor to the underfolder AKMS rifle. Since this sequence was filmed in Israel, one can assume these are authentic Russian AK-47 Milled receiver weapons.
Full Stock AKMs are used by the Mujahideen and the Russians. Rambo and Col. Trautman also use the AKM rifle on numerous occasions throughout the film. The ones used while filming in Israel are real Soviet AKM rifles. The ones used while filming in California were Maadi ARM rifles (the American imported versions of the MISR).
Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) and Rambo are seen with a Hungarian AMD-65 rifle. The traditional muzzle brake of the AMD-65 was replaced with an Israeli Blank fire adapter (also seen on the other AK variants). The same AMD-65 type rifles were also wielded by Russian Tankers (ironically, wearing the same 'faux' Soviet winter tanker uniforms made for the film "Red Dawn".)
Error creating thumbnail: File missingHungarian AMD-65 as seen in the film. This one has an American copy of an Israeli blank fire adapter (which is slightly longer and thinner than most commonly seen external BFAs. This is the version seen in the movie.)Error creating thumbnail: File missingRambo and the AMD-65 inside the desert prison - 7.62x39mmError creating thumbnail: File missingSoviet tanker crews getting mowed down by Rambo, all wielding AMD-65s with the Israeli BFAs - 7.62x39mm
Fake AKS-74
AKS-74 rifles were mocked up from AKMS underfolder rifles. The real AKS-74 assault rifle (5.45mm) is a side folding rifle. The ones in the film, however were obvious underfolding stocks as well as 7.62 sized magazines. A faux AK-74 style muzzle brake was put on the rifles. Remember that this was filmed in 1987, and no AK74 or 5.45mm guns existed in the United States (or our allies) at this time.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingColonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) gets ready to grab a fake AKS-74 (mocked up from an AKMS) to fire at a fleeing helicopter. These examples have the underfolding stock and the metal 30 round magazines.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Spetsnaz Commando (looking suspiciously like Borat) is killed by Rambo in the caves. Details of the firearm are visible in this double shot.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSpetsnaz commandos ride back towards the camp on armored vehicles, all carrying the fake AKS-74 rifles.
AKM with underslung M203 40mm grenade launcher
Of all the wacky weapons to appear in a war movie, this is one of the strangest combinations in cinema history. Lacking the Soviet BG-15 40mm grenade launcher which was mounted to the real AK-74 rifles in the Russo-Afghan war, the movie armorers merely attached a U.S. made M203 grenade launcher to a Maadi AKM (ARM) rifle (with an aftermarket side folding stock). It is first seen wielded by Sgt. Kourov (Randy Raney), who is killed in a one on one fight with Rambo. Rambo later takes the weapon and uses it at the final battle. What is unusual is that after the first shot, Rambo fires multiple shots out of the 40mm launcher when he has no more visible rounds to load the weapon with.
Rambo briefly carried the SVD Dragunov rifle after the Hind helicopter he stole was shot down. Considering the time frame, it is also likely that the rifle is a Norinco NDM-86, the Chinese clone of the SVD rifle, since the NDM-86 was readily available for commercial sale during the late 1980s. Rambo uses the same rifle to take down a number of Russian soldiers in the deleted scenes of the movie.
Used by Rambo during the final battle with the Red Army.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPKMS - 7.62x54RError creating thumbnail: File missingDuring the final battle, Rambo runs carrying a Russian PKMS. This may be a mockup for several reasons (a) the final battle was film in the U.S. and importation of weapons from most Combloc countries (other than China) was prohibited and (b) he never fires the weapon.
Browning M1919 .30 Cal Machine Gun
An unfortunate result of the sudden relocation of filming back to the U.S., a 'Soviet' soldier fires a mocked up M1919 .30 cal machine gun with a fake extended barrel shroud to simulate some sort of Russian weapon.
Another Americam "Mock Up", an American M2 Heavy Barrel was mounted to a 'light blue pickup truck' (Didn't know those light blue pickup trucks were common in Soviet Armored units!) and modified with another fake barrel shroud to disguise the weapon's origins.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingA disguised M2 .50 cal mounted on a standard pintle mount, with the pole shrouded with some sort of tarp (on a light blue pickup truck!)
An accurate and real DShK 12.7mm Soviet Machine Gun is used by Rambo to down an attack helicopter. It is one of the very few times a real DShK (rather than a fake one made out of an American gun like an M2 .50 cal) is used in an American Motion Picture. The scenes where a real DShK was used were filmed in Israel, using real Soviet weaponry courtesy of the Israeli Armorers.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRambo readies his DShK Heavy Machine GunError creating thumbnail: File missingRambo fires his DShK Heavy Machine Gun - noteworthy is the non-disintegrating ammo belt (which is correct).Error creating thumbnail: File missingRussian guards at the base camp fire their DShK Heavy Machine Gun at Rambo - 12.7mmError creating thumbnail: File missingRambo prepares to take out a Russian sentry whose only weapon is his DShK Heavy Machine Gun - 12.7mm. Standard procedure for most armies is that a soldier manning a crew served weapon will have a smaller weapon to defend himself with, either a carbine, a pistol or a submachine gun.
"Acetylene Gas firing" Oerlikon 20mm AA gun
A real Oerlikon 20mm AA gun is used in the final battle, wielded by Col. Trautman, however it is mysteriously missing a rear sight and (most importantly) the drum magazine. This is an auto cannon with no ammunition. The one used in the film was an 'acetylene' gun (a real weapon mocked up with Acetylene gas internals to 'fake firing'). This method is used many time in either helicopter mounted guns (for safety) and heavy machine guns. They fire a 'flash of fire' rather slowly to simulate the firing of a large machine gun round.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRichard Crenna mans a fake Oerlikon 20mm gun. For an example of a correct Oerlikon gun (see the Stealth page.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCol Trautman (Richard Crenna) fires 'acetylene fire' from the front of his fake autocannon. This is a common special effect 'trick' used in movies when blanks are either too dangerous, too expensive, or too much of a hassle.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIn stand by mode, one can see the 'pilot light' still burning, waiting to ignite the bursts of flammable gas when the gun starts 'firing' again.
Other Weapons
RPG-7
Rambo wields an RPG-7 during his night fight with the compound guards.
An improvised flamethrower is used by the prison guards at the Russian military base.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingAfghan guard, dressed in all black clothing, but wearing Soviet tanker's insignia wields an improvised flamethrower, which Rambo takes and uses against him.
M134 Minigun
An M134 is seen on the chin of the Soviet helicopter but is not used in the movie.
A custom take down Compound Bow is Rambo's weapon of choice when he wants to kill silently, or with blue cyalume Light sticks or 'explode a helicopter' (!)
Seen used by Spetsnaz in the battle in the caves, we see an early model holographic or red dot optical sight mounted on a fake AK74. This was filmed in 1987 so we would see the early ancestors of today's EOTech or Aimpoint sights.
Rambo ducks under and hitches a ride underneath an authentic Soviet T-62 Tank. This was the night compound sequence filmed in Israel, (which was the only way an American film could obtain a Soviet tank) since no motion picture vehicle company in the U.S. had access to real Soviet Armor, especially a relatively recent tank like the T-62, during the time frame of this film.
When the film was forced to relocate to California, the movie's access to real Soviet vehicles suffered. The Russian armored vehicles in the final battle were taken straight from the film Red Dawn. This is a fake Russian T-72 tank from Veluzat Armored Vehicles out of Newhall, California.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRambo miraculously manages to drive a tank, fire the main gun and reload it, with no other crewmen in the vehicle, while charging a helicopter!
Fake Soviet Uniforms
Not a weapon, but worth noting, the Soviet soldiers were outfitted years before any surplus came out of Russia or any of the Eastern bloc nations. The actors wore a bunch of stuff that no Soviet Soldier would be caught 'dead' wearing ....
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSoviet soldiers wear French Tropical hats in place of the correct Soviet desert boonie hatsError creating thumbnail: File missingMore "Soviet" extras in the California desert. While carrying AKM rifles, they wear the fake KLMK style jumpsuits, Austrian web gear and Red Chinese Fur hats with the mini red star pins ... all while having hair that is far too long for the Soviet military standards. Only soldiers on long range missions, far from their base camp would be allowed to go unshaven or grow their hair so long.
