Desierto

Desierto (2016)

The following weapons were used in the film Desierto:

WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!

M1 Garand (sporterized)

Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is armed with what appears to be a sporterized M1 Garand, chambered in .30-06 or .308. It is never made clear because the rifle is never seen being reloaded, despite being fired well over eight times. The Garand rifle has a maximum capacity of eight rounds and clips are made that allow for less, with hunting in mind. This rifle is missing its forend and is fitted with a scope, despite being too far forward to be of any practical use. Despite using such a heavy caliber, he demonstrates almost no recoil from his shots, likely meaning that the gun is either converted to blanks or was simply made to look like it was firing in post-production. Also, the M1 Garand receiver has a cocking handle on the right side only, but scenes show Sam cocking the rifle from the left side. Whenever it is fired, it works as if it is a bolt action, and Sam has to manually cock the charging handle each time after firing, despite the fact that this rifle is a semi-automatic. However, if the gas system is turned off, the rifle can be rendered to operate in single-shot, although this is more likely a factual error, as the rifle firing was likely done in post-production. It should also be noted that Sam makes shots from a standing position that are optimistic (to say the least) after drinking whiskey (a poor idea, given dehydration and border patrol concerns). This rifle also is seen in the hands of Moises (Gael García Bernal).

M1C Sniper Variant with M82 scope - .30-06

Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) with his M1 Garand.

Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) takes up what appears to be a sporterized M1 Garand.

Sam holds the rifle. Note that the scope is very far forward, rendering it almost certainly useless. He would be better off using iron sights, but closer inspection reveals that the rear aperture peep is gone, meaning that it was likely removed.

After firing a round, Sam has to manually work the charging handle to eject a spent shell like a bolt action, despite the fact that this rifle is a semi-automatic.