The Firearms of Modern Hollywood 

Over the last two decades, there has been a rising trend in modern Hollywood blockbusters; action films are bigger than ever. With the ever-growing popularity of franchises such as the Marvel franchise, the DC Comics franchise, the Bourne Trilogy, and the Taken movies, and combining them with several excellent films about war and politics, such as American Sniper and Warfare, weaponry has never been more prevalent on our screens.  

While many modern movies and TV programs now include firearms within their stories, this article will break down which makes and models are the most popular with modern storytellers, and if they are using the correct firearm, and provide better recommendations if they are not.  

Marvel and Firearms 

Let’s start with the Marvel franchise, one of the most successful franchises of all time. When it comes to Marvel, you should expect a little bit of everything. In the Captain America film, the Captain himself holds a Colt M1911A1, which is correct for the period the movie is set in and would work well with his infamous shield. It is a simple gun with a single-stack magazine, which could fire a longer distance than Captain America could throw a punch. It is also an all-American classic, perfect for the American hero.  

The Black Widow is more human than superhuman; she most certainly needs a firearm. She started the franchise with a range of pistols, such as the 9mm Glock 26. The standard version will hold 10 rounds, but with the addition of a double-stack magazine, it could increase to 50 rounds. Throughout the movies, when dealing with criminals, Black Widow uses the same gun, and while it is not the most imaginative pairing to hit our screens, it is at least consistent and realistic.  

While some of the superheroes carried firearms in the Marvel movies, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. also wielded several guns, including the S&W M&P series of polymer-frame, striker-fired pistols. This reliable and practical gun can shoot up to 17 rounds, perfect for taking down the bad guys.  

Along with the Marvel franchise, many other superhero movies also use firearms frequently. These include the fan favorite, Man of Steel, a DC Comics adaptation of Superman. Like the Marvel franchise, this film contains superheroes, so the type of guns used will be very similar. There are a lot of rifles utilized, including the M4A1 Carbine, the Colt MK 18 Mod O, and the M16A2.

Also, there is a fair share of machine guns like M249 SAW, M249 Para, Browning M2HB, and FN M240D. Some may be mounted onto tanks or Humvees, while others are used with a Picatinny rail and a mount. Other weapons shown in this movie are grenade launchers such as M203A1 Grenade Launcher and shotguns such as M26 MASS with an M4A1 Carbine.  

Military Films and their Firearms 

Another successful blockbuster that showcases many different firearms is American Sniper, a Clint Eastwood military movie starring Bradley Cooper. While this movie has some technical mishaps, overall, it has a very important message on how military snipers can literally save thousands of lives. Throughout the film, several rifles were used, including the M40A3 Rifle, which was utilized by Marine scout snipers and has added extras such as Unertl 10x scopes and Schmidt and Bender M8541 scopes.  

In the last battle scene of American Sniper, the main character, Kyle, is seen holding a Remington M24A1 Rifle, which ISS gunsmith Scott Fritschler manufactured to replicate the original guns. These guns are used by Special Forces operators, and they are used correctly in the final scenes. Several other firearms are used throughout this film, including the McMillan TAC-338 Rifle, the Knight’s Armament Company MK 11 Mod 0 Rifle, and the Colt MK 12 Mod 1 Rifle.  

These films show that different types of firearms can be used in various situations, mostly in the protection of the innocent. Warfare is also a physical depiction of the brutality of war and being a member of the military. From this movie, several firearms were chosen to defend the United States of America. Only one pistol was shown, the SIG-Sauer P226, during the movie, but it was never used. This pistol was likely a stand-in for the MK 25 but was missing a threaded barrel in the film.

Of course, assault rifles are heavily utilized with the Iraqi soldiers carrying AKM assault rifles, which is historically correct. In contrast, the US Navy Seals use M4A1 carbines and MK 18 Mod 0 CQBRs with various attachments, including EOTech 512 holographic sights, LMT rear sights, KAC vertical foregrips, and AN/PEQ-15 laser sights. 

For the snipers, one of the main characters is seen observing with a Knight’s Armament SR-25, which is utilized in real military life. There is also a sprinkle of machine guns with the MK 46 Mod 0 and MK 48 Mod 0 used during heavy battle scenes.  

Overall, modern movies do an excellent job of using the correct military firearms in their films. If they did not use the proper gun for some reason, they would replace it with something with similar specifications or dimensions to make the scene look life-like.  

From the movie Warfare, which was released this year, it shows that every year, moviemaking is becoming truer to life and factual, which gives a greater understanding of firearms and their true benefit. If you would like to know more about weapons or gunsmithing, check out MGS Trade School for the extensive library of firearms and excellent gunsmithing courses. Start your journey today with MGS! 

Written by: Ryan Clancy, Engineering HQ