China O'Brien is a 1988 action film directed by Robert Clouse (the director of the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon). Cynthia Rothrock stars in the film as China O'Brien, a police officer and martial arts expert who unexpectedly kills an armed person who appears to be a teenager during a shootout. Deeply shocked by this, she retires from the force and swears never again take up a gun. When she returns to her native Midwestern town where her father is sheriff, China finds the town under the power of a crime boss named Sommers. When there is an opening for the job of sheriff, Sommers plans to give the star to his devoted man, but then he finds China will run for sheriff herself. After she wins the election and with the help of her friend Matt Conroy (Richard Norton) and Native American biker Dakota (Keith Cooke), China starts cleaning up the town. While an English language film, China O'Brien was overseen by noted Hong Kong martial arts film producer Raymond Chow and his Golden Harvest Studios (known for producing several films starring Jackie Chan). Rothrock, Norton and Cooke all would return for the 1990 sequel China O'Brien II.
The following weapons were used in the film China O'Brien:
When China O'Brien retires from police service, she puts her service Smith & Wesson Model 15 revolver. Corrupt Deputy Marty Lickner (Patrick Adamson) also carries a Model 15.
Sheriff O'Brien (David Blackwell), China's father, carries a Smith & Wesson Model 67 (or possibly a nickel plated Model 15). In the final scene same looking revolver is used by crime boss Edwin Sommers (Steven Kerby).
A revolver is briefly seen in hands of a teenager whom China kills in the opening scene. It has target sights and seemingly full underlug so a Colt Python is a possible guess but it's hard to prove or refute it.
An M16 Carbine in CAR-15 style is used by several Sommers' henchmen, passing from man to man. In the climactic scene Dakota (Keith Cooke) disarms Lickner (Patrick Adamson) and uses the carbine. It is possibly a customized semi-auto (converted to full auto) Commercial CAR-15 that has A1 upper receiver, full fence lower receiver, collapsible stock, a flash hider in 4.25" Moderator style, and a bayonet lug.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingCommercial CAR-15 semiautomatic Rifle - 5.56x45mm. This is strictly a semiautomatic civilian copy of the XM177 style of rifles. The flash hider is a smaller diameter copy of the XM-177 and has no sound suppression qualities and is permanently welded onto the barrel to make it legal length for over the counter gun store sales.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA henchman fires the carbine in the night scene. Note a tiny muzzle flash. This gun seems to have a longer barrel and shorter 'faux' moderator so it can be a different prop from others in this entry.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA closeup of the flash hider. Its size is equal to 3.5" or even 4.25" Moderator but the slots are placed differently. The rifle sling is not attached to swivel but is strangely tied to front sight.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLickner readies the rifle. The handguard is seen.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDakota holds Lickner at gunpoint. Note A1 upper receiver, full fence lower receiver and collapsible stock.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA closeup of the rifle.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnother closeup. Note the bayonet lug and some strange device on the trigger guard. The trigger guard itself looks like a winter model.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDakota holds the rifle during the confrontation with Sommers in stables. This is the only chance to estimate the barrel length that appears to be 11.5" or similar.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIn the final scene the rifle falls in hands of an unnamed woman who was Sommers' sexual slave.
