Apocalypse Now

Nice, but where's the trigger?

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The following guns were used in the movie Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now

M16A1

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.

M16A1 with 30-round magazine - 5.56x45mm.

Cap. Ben Willard (Martin Sheen) and Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (Laurence Fishburne) with their M16A1's as a camera crew films.

Clean with his M16A1.

A soldier sets the bullets in his magazine by tapping it against his helmet.

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Soldiers with their M16A1's on a Huey

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Run Charlie!

Kilgore: Smell that? You smell that?
Lance: What?
Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like...victory. Someday this war's gonna end...

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Cap. Willard in the jungle, while Chef hunts for mango's.

Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Fredric Forrest) armed with his M16A1, while speaking French to the colonist.

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Cap. Willard gives up his M16A1.

M60 machine gun

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.

M60 machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO.

A soldier with an M60 before the battle at Vinh Din Drop.

A gunner aims his M60 at an NVA women who chucked a grenade in a Huey.

"I got that dink bitch."

A clearer shot of the M60.

Clean fires the M60 at the fisherman.

"I'm good." Clean looks in horror at what he just did.

Clean fires the M60 while taking incoming tracer rounds.

Note the blank rounds and the customized 'anti-snag' made from a food can.

Chef with the M60 before switching to the M2.

M60D

M60D machine guns are mounted on Col. Kilgore's (Robert Duvall) choppers during the battle at Vinh Din Drop.

M60D machine gun - 7.62x51mm NATO.

A gunner fires an M60D.

Browning M2HB

Browning M2HBs are single and double hand mounted on the Navy PBR. Chef (Fredric Forrest) is the rear gunner with the single mounted M2HB (nicknamed "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.

Browning M2HB on pintle mount - .50 BMG.

Chef fires "Canned Heat" while taking incoming tracer rounds. Note Kilgore's surfboard.

Closer shot of Chef firing "Canned Heat".

Lance with the double mounted M2HB's.

Lance shows us his war face.

"Where the dog go?"

Trench soldiers firing an M2HB.

Trench soldiers fire an M2HB in an attempt to kill a single VC hiding under dead bodies. Unable to do so, they get the "Roach".

Chef fires "Canned Heat" while taking arrows from the natives.

M1911A1

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.

WWII era Colt M1911A1 - .45 ACP.

The camera pans on Willards M1911A1 resting on the bed.

An M1911A1 rests next to Willard on the nightstand.

Lietenent Colonel Kilgore of the 1st Cavalry Division carries an M1911A1 with pearl grips in his holster. Note the Cavalry symbols on the grips.

Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) finishes off Vietnamese civilians with his M1911A1 after Chief's men accidentally open fire on them.

M79 grenade launcher

An M79 grenade launcher is used by 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-strip paint job.

M79 grenade launcher - 40mm.

Roach tips open his M79 grenade launcher. Note tiger-stripe paint scheme.

Roach loads a 40mm HE round into his M79 grenade launcher.

Roach fires his M79 grenade launcher. Note how in this scene he wraps the sling around his arm, a well know technique to steady aim.

GE M134 Minigun

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.