M16A1s are used by various characters throughout the film. Since this film takes place in the early '70s, the introduction of the 30-round magazine is historically accurate.
Col. Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is seen briefly holding an M16 (SP1) rifle noted by its "slab-side" reciever after the battle at Vihn Din Drop. The gun notably has an A1-style lower reciever, as evident by the fencing around the magazine, meaning this is a "franken-gun". The Use of the M16 is an error as the original M16 was never used by the US Army or any other branch of the US Military other than the Air Force. By the time the movie takes place (1970) the all M16s that were being used by the entire US Military were already replaced by the M16A1 as seen above.
M60 machine guns are used by Col. Kilgore's (Robert Duvall) gunners during the battle at Vinh Din Drop. Clean (Laurence Fishburne) is the M60 gunner on the Navy PBR. Chef (Fredric Forrest) is seen with it briefly while taking incoming arrows from natives, but switches to the single mounted M2.
Browning M2HBs are single and double hand mounted on the Navy PBR. Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Fredric Forrest) is the rear gunner with the single mounted M2HB (nicknamed after the band "Canned Heat"). Lance Johnson (Sam Bottoms) is the front gunner with double hand mounted M2's. While traveling on the river through the Do Lung Bridge two soldiers are seen firing an M2 trying to kill a single VC under all the dead VC bodies.
An M1911A1 is seen on Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) nightstand in hotel bedroom in Saigon at the start of the film. Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall) uses one as his sidearm throughout the movie. In a deleted scene, Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) aims Willards 1911 at him when he's caged.
An M79 grenade launcher is used by The Roach (Herb Rice) to kill an NVA soldier hiding in the barbed wire during the scene at the Do Lung bridge. Roach had customized his with a tiger-stripe paint job.
A GE M134 Minigun is seen door-mounted on one of the UH-1 Huey choppers during the famous raid scene. Being that the movie was filmed in the Philippines, they also supplied the helicopters which were outfitted with real guns. Since the weapons require no blank adaption to fire, all they needed was lots of blank ammunition to get the guns running.
NVA are seen using Norinco Type 56 assault rifles throughout the film, and they are also seen in the hands of Kurtz's men. It is noteworthy that this film was released in 1979 and took nearly three years to complete (thus photography started in 1976). During the 1970s, the Norinco Type 56 were not being imported into the U.S., and none were in U.S. Armorer inventories. The only reason Coppola's film had them was because they were supplied by Filipino armorers in Luzon.
Capt. Colby (Scott Glenn) carries an Ithaca 37 fitted with a heat shield and bayonet lug. In a deleted scene, he uses it to kill the photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) for taking Kurtz's picture only for Willard to throw his knife hitting him in the gut, killing him.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingKorean War Era M1 Carbine, with Birch Stock, Adjustable sight, bayonet lug, and twin magazine pouch. Most of the World War II variations of the M1 Carbine were sent back to the Military Arsenals and retrofitted with the Bayonet Lug and adjustable rear sight. This is the version seen after late 1945 and all the way until the 1960s. This version is seen most often in World War II movies, despite being anachronistic for most World War II battlesError creating thumbnail: File missingFrench Colonists with their M1 Carbines.Error creating thumbnail: File missingDistant shot of the Colonist with their M1 Carbines.
MAT-49
A French Colonist is seen armed with a MAT-49 submachine gun.
