Classic War Movie WEAPONS flip flop back & forth

[mdrim13]

In the movie Sniper 2, the main character describes the gun he has as a "7.92 German Mauser, the best the Germans ever made" and he is clearly holding a Mosin Nagant without a scope and a straight bolt handle. In the next scene, the rifle he has is mounted with a scope and has the nessicary bent bolt. Funny huh?

mdrim13

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[HILLBILLY-06]

In the movie Sniper 2, the main character describes the gun he has as a "7.92 German Mauser, the best the Germans ever made" and he is clearly holding a Mosin Nagant without a scope and a straight bolt handle. In the next scene, the rifle he has is mounted with a scope and has the nessicary bent bolt. Funny huh?

mdrim13

Yeah I wondered how they were going to pass off his missing finger in the other two. I guess they sort of done o.k., but it seems like they had no intention of sequals when they done that. I can shoot my .45's left or right handed, but it was harder to shoot my rifle using my middle finger to pull the trigger and trigger finger bent back out of the way. "Awkward hollywood moment".

[1Garand]

Hollywood does indeed take license with the long arms, but with short ones too. Recently I watched an old cowboy movie with the time setting just after the end of the Civil War. Some characters were still wearing their uniforms and caps. Everyone packing a six-shooter had what looked like a Colt SAA 1873. There was not a cap and ball pistol in the entire movie, and no open top conversions. All were 1873 Colts or clones with the top strap and ejectors. The rifles were all lever actions. I wonder what do directors direct, and what do producers produce?

Not limited to Hollywood, writers will also screw the pooch. I like to read adventure writer Jack Higgins and recently returned a library book in which four, yes four souls aboard a Fieseler Storch were trying to flee from other bad dudes in a Grumman Gulfstream and were descending at 160 MPH. I thought it could be a typo, but it said MPH as sure as shootin. I don't think this airplane could come down even at 160 KPH.

And last of all, a woman I like to read, told in one of her books of the safety being slipped OFF of her S&W(?) revolver.??? In real life she flies her own jet powered chopper so she should know better.

I have been told.... "Hey, it's only a movie, don't get so bent out of shape." But I think it could be done correctly as easily as incorrectly.

I had better be quite now before I get cut off. Or more cut off!!

1Garand

[LeagleEagle]

Or all those Westerns where the action supposedly took place in the 1870s or 1880s and the characters were using Winchester Model 94 lever actions.

[emmagee1917]

I fired some off the shoulder this last 4th of July. Been shooting them for years off the ground using the grenade sights , no problem dropping them in a convertable at 100 yds . Of course I'm taking my time , have a clear view of the target , and noone is shooting back at me. Anyway , at the end of our shoot I tried to fire some off the shoulder for a change. It did not kick any harder than the .458 bolt gun , the .375 H&H Ruger , or the 9 x whatever R double rifle someone brought out for us to try. Used the light WW2 AT dummies. I could not SEE the side mounted sight to use them to aim . The left arm was in the way or mostly in the way no matter how I contorted myself. A teenage beanpole might be able too , but this old pear couldn't . Had to use the standard iron sights and all I can say is I got them to go in the right compass direction. I'll have to do more shooting to get better . I didn't find it punishing , but was not something you'd want to do a lot.
Oh , WW2 M1 launchers kept the valve open while attached , making the rifle a manual straight pull . Guys were putting them on and off so they'd have semi-auto capability , resulting in many lost launchers. By Korea , they had one that would move back and forth from the recoil of the grenade , leaving the valve closed during regular firing , but opening it for the grenade shot and then reclosing it. Sounds like the movie guy was doing it right.
Chris

[HILLBILLY-06]

Oh , WW2 M1 launchers kept the valve open while attached , making the rifle a manual straight pull . Guys were putting them on and off so they'd have semi-auto capability , resulting in many lost launchers. By Korea , they had one that would move back and forth from the recoil of the grenade , leaving the valve closed during regular firing , but opening it for the grenade shot and then reclosing it. Sounds like the movie guy was doing it right.
Chris

Thank you for your reply and the info, I really didn't know anything about them, and you did a fine job explaining things. The only thing about that movie I watched about the grenade launcher, was it appeared as though they may have used the Korean type ont the WWII movie set. I only say that because the soldier was firing his M1 Garand, launcher attatched, with regular ammo, until he was ready for the grenade. That's when he locked open the bolt, replaced the top round, slapped bolt home and put the grenade on the end of it. I thought there was something special about the gas screw, but I didn't know they had the different version by Korean era.
Thank you very much for the info, great reply... HILLBILLY-06.

---------- Post added at 07:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 PM ----------

In "To Hell and Back" (1954) Audie Murphy fires a rifle grenade shouldered from an M1 nearly point blank at a tank. Also, in Band of Brothers, the episode where they go across the river to get German prisoners, Sgt Martin fires a rifle grenade into the building from a shouldered M1.

I forgot about that Audie Murphy movie, I" ll try to find it and watch it. I have the band of brothers on DVD, but haven't watched it in a while & forgot about the river crossing and the German prisoner mission. Thank's for sending that info out there, it was a big help to my learning curve, and I find many of these replies quite educational. "Thanks to everyone" for such a wealth of knowledge and sharing... HILLBILLY-06.

[emmagee1917]

The original early gas screw had the screwdriver slot face and was solid. Each WW2 launcher came with a + face screw that replaced the sloted one . These had the gas valve in them and the launcher would not attach with the old style screw installed as a safety spec. These early launchers attached via the bayonet lug solidly and would press open the valve on installation. By Korea , the launcher would attach the same , but it would move front / rear from the recoil the grenade would exert on it during launch . This recoil ( not the rifle's normal firing recoil ) would push the launcher back , depressing the valve , venting the gas from the cylinder , then it would move forward and the valve would reclose . Be aware that there were some fake sloted , solid screws made that would allow a launcher to attach . Use of one of these while launching would damage / destroy a rifle for sure.
Chris

[Capt Mil Coll]

Just got done watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The movie is set in the year 1935. In the big scene near the end of the movie they are fighting on the suspension bridge in India and Indy cuts the ropes holding the bridge up and most of the bad guys fall into the alligator infested river. But not Indy he is still on the bridge now a ladder up the side of the cliff. They fight their way up and the bad guys are shooting arrows at Indy as he hangs on the broken bridge. The British troops arrive just in time and start shooting their Enfield No.4's at the bad guys and capture them.
Any idea why that seems strange??

[HILLBILLY-06]

The movie is set in the year 1935.

You did give us a clue LOL, I'll give another clue... I had a No.4 Enfield, it was dated 1944.

[gsimmons]

They must've been trials rifles!