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Die Hard 2
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Die Hard 2 is the 1990 sequel to 1988's Die Hard. Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, now a lieutenant with the LAPD who this time finds himself trapped in Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport during Christmas week when mercenaries take over the airport's instrument landing system and threaten to bring down incoming passenger jets (one of which is carrying McClane's wife Holly) unless a deposed military dictator on his way to the United States is allowed to be freed upon his landing. Directed by Renny Harlin, the film encountered some controversy at the time of its release due to its vivid depiction of an airline disaster as well as its (unrealistic) depiction of a firearm that would be able to pass through an airport metal detector. The film was released in some video formats under the title Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
The following weapons were used in the film Die Hard 2:
WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Handguns
Beretta 92FS
Instead of the Beretta 92F carried in the original Die Hard, Lieutenant John McClane (Bruce Willis) carries the improved Beretta 92FS as his sidearm in this film. The Washington Dulles Airport Police, including Chief Carmine Lorenzo (Dennis Franz) carry the Beretta 92FS. US Army Major Grant (John Amos) also uses a 92FS, standing in for the military-issue M9. Since McClane transferred to the LAPD after the events of the first Die Hard, it is likely he switched to the 92FS since that was the standard-issue sidearm of the LAPD at the time. This is correctly shown in the film, as Sergeant Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) is also shown carrying a Beretta instead of the Smith & Wesson Model 15 he used in the first film.
The Beretta 92FS used by Bruce Willis in this film was originally purchased by Cinema Weaponry for Lethal Weapon 2. Unlike the Beretta 92F used in the first film, the slide release on the 92FS was not extended for Bruce Willis, though the magazine release was reversed to accommodate Willis (who is left-handed).
Glock 17
Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) and the mercenaries under his command use Glock pistols as their sidearms. This is one of the earliest appearances of the Glock in a major Hollywood film (it had just been featured in 1989's Johnny Handsome). While the handguns seen in the film appear to be the Glock 17 model, in a now-notorious scene early in the film, McClane (Bruce Willis) identifies the handgun to Chief Lorenzo (Dennis Franz) as a "Glock 7," (no such model exists) and recites a string of inaccuracies, describing it as "a porcelain gun made in Germany that doesn't show up on your airport metal detectors and costs more than you make in a month."
The most glaring misconception is that the weapon is undetectable to the X-Ray machines at the airport, while in reality, Glock never produced such a handgun. In fact, 83.7% (by weight) of the Glock pistol is normal ordnance steel and the "plastic" parts are a dense nylon Zytel-based polymer known as "Polymer 2", which is radio-opaque and is therefore visible to X-ray security equipment. In addition, virtually all of these "plastic" parts contain embedded steel not to make the firearms "detectable", but to increase functionality and shooting accuracy. Contrary to popular movies like Die Hard 2, neither Glock nor any other gun maker has ever produced a "porcelain", "ceramic" or "plastic" firearm which is undetectable by ordinary security screening devices. Even if a pistol that was completely undetectable by either X-ray machines or metal detectors were to be developed, the ammunition inside would still be detectable. Another mistake is the claim the Glocks are made in Germany when in reality, they are manufactured in Austria.
When Glock pistols were first introduced to the U.S. market, they were promoted as being lightweight because of their extensive use of non-metallic components. This generated controversy from people fearing that this would make them easier to conceal from metal detectors and X-ray devices - hence the scene in the movie. However, as described, the scenario shown in the film is pure Hollywood fiction. Armorer Mike Papac, whose company Cinema Weaponry supplied all of the firearms used in Die Hard 2, has commented, "I remember when we did that scene, I tried to talk them out of it. There's no such thing as a gun invisible to metal detectors, and there shouldn't be, but they wouldn't budge. They had it written into the script and that was that."
M1911A1
General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero) is seen with a blued M1911A1 while onboard the military plane transporting him to the States. He then is seen using it to fire at McClane.
Smith & Wesson Model 19
Several airport police officers throughout the film carry Smith & Wesson Model 19 revolvers as their sidearms.
Submachine Guns
Heckler & Koch MP5A5
Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) uses a Heckler & Koch MP5A5 as his main weapon throughout the movie. (IMFDB previously misidentified this weapon as an MP5A3, but Blu-ray screen captures indicate that Stuart's MP5 has the 4-position Navy trigger group which characterizes the A5 variant.)
Heckler & Koch MP5A3
Garber (Don Harvey) carries a Heckler & Koch MP5A3 fitted with a Hensoldt Wetzlar Z-24 4x28mm scope, attached to the receiver with a factory H&K claw mount. Like the other MP5 variants used by Stuart's men, it also has two magazines taped together jungle-style. McClane later commandeers Garber's MP5A3 and uses it to fire at Captain Carmine Lorenzo to prove a point about the firefight between Stuart's men and Major Grant's unit. During the film, MP5 magazines filled with live ammunition are seen being switched for magazines filled with blanks and used interchangeably.
Note: Live/blank swapping is only possible in manually-operated (e.g. bolt- or pump-action) firearms, not in an autoloader like the blowback-operated MP5. Blank ammunition cannot cycle the action if an adapter is not installed to choke down the barrel and increase the gas pressure, while live ammunition will not fit down the adapter and simply blow up the firearm. The gun would have to be taken apart and the adapter removed before it's safe to use live ammunition in it, which Stuart's men clearly do not do.
Heckler & Koch MP5K
Heckler & Koch MP5K submachine guns are the main weapons used by Stuart's men. Many of them have two mags taped together 'jungle style' with blank & live ammo, same as the aforementioned MP5s. During the skywalk shootout, a few of the MP5Ks are actually converted Heckler & Koch SP89s (see below).
Heckler & Koch SP89 (mocked up as MP5K)
During the shootout on the annex skywalk, at least one of the MP5Ks used by the terrorists is actually a Heckler & Koch SP89 fitted with an MP5K vertical grip and converted to full-auto to resemble an MP5K. Apparently, the armorer didn't have enough genuine MP5Ks to use when the scene was filmed. Due to a continuity error, Sheldon (Michael Cunningham), O'Reilly (Robert Patrick) and Shockley (Mark Boone Junior) start out using the SP89 during the shootout, but are later seen with actual MP5Ks.
Shotguns
Ithaca 37
During the shootout on the Annex Skywalk, one of the SWAT officers can be seen carrying an Ithaca 37 shotgun with shell holder on the stock.
Rifles
M16A1
The M16A1 is used by the Dulles Airport SWAT team. It is also used by most soldiers in the "Blue Light" Special Forces unit led by Major Grant (John Amos).
M16 (Colt AR-15 SP1)
At least one of Major Grant's men carries an original M16 (or a Colt AR-15 SP1 converted to auto) that is fitted with an M16A1 flash hider. This weapon is meant to stand in for a genuine M16A1.
Colt AR-15 Sporter II
When Major Grant (John Amos) and the "Blue Light" unit show up at Dulles, several of the soldiers carry what appear to be Colt AR-15 Sporter II (SPII) rifles, fitted with M16A2-style hand guards, that have been converted to full-auto. They can be recognized as AR-15 SPIIs by the "slab side" lower receiver and lack of a brass deflector (visible in several shots). These are meant to stand in for the M16A2.
Machine Guns
Browning M2HB
When Baker and Thompson show up at the church and are knocking on the door, the custodian is watching a news broadcast of Esperanza's extradition, and a Browning M2HB is glimpsed on the TV.
Other
M26 Hand Grenade
In attempt to kill McClane after securing Esperanza, Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) and his men throw M26 hand grenades into the cockpit of the plane McClane is in, but luckily for McClane, he manages to escape the cockpit using the pilot's ejector seat before the grenades detonate. The grenades seen in the film (especially in closeup) are in reality dummy training grenades meant to represent the M26 style grenade (as evidenced by the obviously 'rough' cast iron and no MFG markings). In typical Hollywood fashion, the hand grenades create explosions far in excess of their power (mockingly called nuclear hand grenades by some prop masters). Also noteworthy, the M26, at maximum, has a seven second fuse delay, and it takes over half a minute for McClane to eject himself from the time the first grenade enters the cockpit.
