Rambo III

Rambo III is an unusual movie in that it's production was halted about two thirds into the shooting schedule of the film. Rambo III was scheduled to film entirely in Israel, and many scenes were filmed there, using Israeli armorers. However, the spectacle of a major American movie being filmed in the middle east created a lot of concern about terrorist attacks (to disrupt the production and 'send a message of the U.S.'). Before production could be completed, Israel revoked the production's permission to remain in the country (the official reason being security concerns and threats made to the American film crew). Not wishing for a multi million dollar film to be scrapped, then California State Senator Pete Wilson (R), helped the production relocate back to Southern California. The remaining shots were completed (including many insert shots) using the same talent, but utilizing areas around the California Desert, most notable Lone Pine, CA. The sudden change from 'accurate Soviet weaponry' (provided by the Israeli armorers) to the typical 'faux' weaponry seen in many American movies, is explained by this sudden relocation back to California. Thus we see mocked up Browning M2 .50 cal Machine guns instead of real Soviet DShK 12.7mm MGs, etc. Stembridge Gun Rentals took over the final shoot (back in California).

Most notably, the armored vehicles at the final battle changed from the authentic and original Soviet armored vehicles from the middle of the film, to the modified American tanks and APCs (from the film Red Dawn). These were provided by Veluzat Armored Vehicles out of Newhall, California. Only aficionados of tanks would notice the change.

The weapons used in this movie are:

Note: This is still a work in progress.... There were many errors on this page BEFORE I started working on it. So be patient and let me finish before nitpicking on the details. :) Thanks. MPM2008.

Assault Rifles

AK-47

Seen carried by the Mujahideen and by Armed tribal members in Peshawar, Pakistan. The ones in the early parts of the film are authentic AK47s (the real deal). These were all captured enemy arms, taken during the many wars between Israel and their neighbor nations. Israeli movie armorers have access to tons of authentic captured Soviet weaponry over the years, and any film shot in Israel would have real Soviet guns.

Tribal member in Peshawar holds an AK47 - 7.62x39mm

Mujahideen fighters hold a council with Rambo, many holding AK47s. These are Israeli movie guns, evident by the extra long screw on blank adapters on the end of the barrels. American Armorers usually have drop in BFAs or thread the interior of their barrels and use a hex nut as the blank adapter, but the Israelis don't. This is the case for every movie filmed in Israel that has AK47s and is a good visual indicator where a scene was filmed.

Another good shot of the AK47s with the extended screw on blank adapters. These are noticeably thinner than any of the military screw on blank adapters and are a different shape than any military BFA issued for the AK or any of it's variants.

AKS-47

Seen briefly, some of the Soviet Soldiers carry the milled receiver AKS-47 underfolder rifle, the predecessor to the underfolder AKMS rifle.

Soviet soldiers make their rounds carrying the AKS-47 underfolder assault rifles - 7.62x39mm

AKM

Full Stock AKMs are used by the Mujahideen and the Russians. Rambo and Col. Trautman also use the AKM rifle on numerous occasions throughout the film. The ones used while filming in Israel are real Soviet AKM rifles. The ones used while filming in California were Maadi ARM rifles (the American imported versions of the MISR).

AKM assault rifle, 7.62x39mm

Col. Trautman and his AKM - 7.62x39mm

Col. Trautman fires his AKM - 7.62x39mm

Russian soldier fires his AKM at the final battle (filmed in California). He is wearing the 'faux' copy of the KLMK pattern camo suit made for the movie Red Dawn and is wearing the plastic Soviet style helmet shell used by OPFOR (U.S. Military training units) - 7.62x39mm

AKMS

Carried by Mujahideen, the Russians and Rambo.

AKMS, stamped steel receiver w/ slant muzzle brake and under-folding stock - 7.62x39mm

Mujahideen fires his AKMS - 7.62x39mm

Rambo uses the wire buttstock of an AKMS to break through a stone wall - 7.62x39mm

AMD 65

Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) and Rambo are seen with a Hungarian AMD-65 rifle. The traditional muzzle brake of the AMD-65 was replaced with an Israeli Blank fire adapter (also seen on the other AK variants). The same AMD-65 type rifles were also wielded by Russian Tankers (ironically, wearing the same 'faux' Soviet winter tanker uniforms made for the film "Red Dawn".)

Hungarian AMD-65 as seen in the film. This one has an American copy of an Israeli blank fire adapter (which is slightly longer and thinner than most commonly seen external BFAs. This is the version seen in the movie.)

Rambo and the AMD-65 inside the desert prison - 7.62x39mm

Soviet tanker crews getting mowed down by Rambo, all wielding AMD-65s with the Israeli BFAs - 7.62x39mm

Fake AKS-74

AKS-74 rifles were mocked up from AKMS underfolder rifles. The real AKS-74 assault rifle (5.45mm) is a side folding rifle. The ones in the film, however were obvious underfolding stocks as well as 7.62 sized magazines. A faux AK-74 style muzzle brake was put on the rifles. Remember that this was filmed in 1987, and no AK74 or 5.45mm guns existed in the United States (or our allies) at this time.

Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) gets ready to grab a fake AKS-74 (mocked up from an AKMS) to fire at a fleeing helicopter. These examples have the underfolding stock and the metal 30 round magazines.

A Spetsnaz Commando (looking suspiciously like Borat) is killed by Rambo in the caves. Details of the firearm are visible in this double shot.

Spetsnaz commandos ride back towards the camp on armored vehicles, all carrying the fake AKS-74 rifles.

AKM with underslung M203 40mm grenade launcher

Of all the wacky weapons to appear in a war movie, this is one of the strangest combinations in cinema history. Lacking the Soviet BG-15 40mm grenade launcher which was mounted to the real AK-74 rifles in the Russo-Afghan war, the movie armorers merely attached a U.S. made M203 grenade launcher to a Maadi AKM (ARM) rifle (with an aftermarket side folding stock). It is first seen wielded by Sgt. Kourov (Randy Raney), who is killed in a one on one fight with Rambo. Rambo later takes the weapon and uses it at the final battle. What is unusual is that after the first shot, Rambo fires multiple shots out of the 40mm launcher when he has no more visible rounds to load the weapon with.

Kourov (Randy Raney) fires his AKM/ARM with the M203 mounted underneath - 40mm

Closeup of the mounting device which attaches the M203 to the rifle.

Closeup detail of the real M203 launcher - anachronistically attached to the AKM rifle.

Rambo and Trautman walk the desert. Rambo's combo gun is clearly visible, while Trautman carries the AMD-65 listed earlier.

Rambo fires the launcher. Since these two weapons were never designed to work together, note the bizarre way Stallone has to grab the weapon (by the magazine) in order to fire the M203 launcher.

Rifles

Lee-Enfield No.1 MkIII*

Seen in the hands of Mujahideen throughout the film.

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk III* - .303 British

Lee-Enfield No.4

Seen in the hands of Mujahideen fighters throughout the film.

Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I - .303 British. The most common British Commonwealth World War Two Rifle, in service between 1941–Present

A Mujahideen fighter is seen with a No.4 Mk 1 rifle slung over his right shoulder

Mauser Karabiner 98k

Seen in the hands of Mujahideen fighters thoughout the film.

Karabiner 98k - German manufacture 1937 date - 7.92x57mm

Mujahideen holds a K98 at tribal council - 7.92x57mm

Mosin-Nagant

Seen in the hands of Mujahideen fighters thoughout the film.

Full-length, Mosin Nagant 91/30 chambered in 7.62x54R

Mujahideen holds a Mosin Nagant M91/30 Rifle - 7.62x54R

Mujahideen boy holds a Mosin Nagant M91/30 Rifle - 7.62x54R

SKS Rifle

Seen in the weapons shop by the Peshawar Arms Dealer.

SKS rifle - 7.62x39mm

SKS rifle - 7.62x39mm

SVD Dragunov

Rambo briefly carried the SVD Dragunov rifle after the Hind helicopter he stole was shot down. Rambo uses the same SVD to take down a number of Russian soldiers in the deleted scences of Rambo 3.

SVD Dragunov sniper rifle - 7.62x54mm R

Submachine guns

PM-63

This weapon is used by Colonel Zaysen (Marc de Jonge) during the interrogation scene.

PM-63

Colonel Zaysen holds his PM-63 to the throat of Col. Trautman.

Colonel Zaysen's PM-63 is cocked back, ready to fire, evident by the cocking shroud being level with the barrel tip. The PM63 msut be cocked back in such a manner to fire, and also makes it very obvious that is is locked and loaded.

Squad Automatics and Heavy Machine Guns

PKM machine gun

Used by Rambo during the final battle with the Red Army.

PKM - 7.62x54R

FN MAG

Seen as one of the machine guns on the fake Russian Hind helicopters.

Israeli FN_MAG on display

FN_MAG-58 mounted as the door weapon on a fake Hind Helicopter

FN_MAG-58 missing it's buttstock, used by the Russian Door gunner

DShK Heavy Machine Gun

An accurate and real DShK 12.7mm Soviet Machine Gun is used by Rambo to down an attack helicopter. It is one of the very few times a real DShK (rather than a fake one made out of an American gun like an M2 .50 cal) is used in an American Motion Picture. The scenes where a real DShK was used were filmed in Israel, using real Soviet weaponry courtesy of the Israeli Armorers.

Rambo readies his DShK Heavy Machine Gun

Rambo fires his DShK Heavy Machine Gun - noteworthy is the non-disintegrating ammo belt (which is correct).

Russian guards at the base camp fire their DShK Heavy Machine Gun at Rambo - 12.7mm

Rambo prepares to take out a Russian sentry whose only weapon is his DShK Heavy Machine Gun - 12.7mm. Standard procedure for most armies is that a soldier manning a crew served weapon will have a smaller weapon to defend himself with, either a carbine, a pistol or a submachine gun.

"Acetylene Gas firing" Oerlikon 20mm AA gun

A real Oerlikon 20mm AA gun is used in the final battle, wielded by Col. Trautman, however it is mysteriously missing a rear sight and (most importantly) the drum magazine. This is an auto cannon with no ammunition. The one used in the film was an 'acetylene' gun (a real weapon mocked up with Acetylene gas internals to 'fake firing'). This method is used many time in either helicopter mounted guns (for safety) and heavy machine guns. They fire a 'flash of fire' rather slowly to simulate the firing of a large machine gun round.

Richard Crenna mans a fake Oerlikon 20mm gun. For an example of a correct Oerlikon gun (see the Stealth page.

Col Trautman (Richard Crenna)‎ fires 'acetylene fire' from the front of his fake autocannon. This is a common special effect 'trick' used in movies when blanks are either too dangerous, too expensive, or too much of a hassle.

In stand by mode, one can see the 'pilot light' still burning, waiting to ignite the bursts of flammable gas when the gun starts 'firing' again.

Other Weapons

Flamethrower

An improvised flamethrower is used by the prison guards at the Russian military base.

Afghan guard, dressed in all black clothing, but wearing Soviet tanker's insignia wields an improvised flamethrower, which Rambo takes and uses against him.

M134 Minigun

An M134 is seen on the chin of the Soviet helicopter but is not used in the movie.

HK33A2.jpg

Rambo's Survival Knife

Rambo III Survival Knife

Rambo uses his knife to cut barbed wire on the base perimeter.

Hoyt Archery Rambo Compound Bow

A custom take down Compound Bow is Rambo's weapon of choice when he wants to kill silently, or with blue cyalume Light sticks or 'explode a helicopter' (!)

Rambo assembles his Hoyt Archery Custom Compound bow when an enemy helicopter approaches.

Rambo fires his explosive tip arrows at the helicopter gunship. Gotta love that 1980s mullet hair!.

Rambo's Bow

Trivia Specials

Fake Russian T72 Tank

When the film relocated to California, the movie's armored vehicles were taken straight from the film Red Dawn. This is a fake Russian T-72 tank from Veluzat Armored Vehicles out of Newhall, California.

Rambo miraculously manages to drive a tank, fire the main gun and reload it, with no other crewmen in the vehicle, while charging a helicopter!

Fake Soviet Uniforms

Not a weapon, but worth noting, the Soviet soldiers were outfitted years before any surplus came out of Russia or any of the Eastern bloc nations. The actors wore a bunch of stuff that no Soviet Soldier would be caught 'dead' wearing ....

Soviet soldiers wear French Tropical hats in place of the correct Soviet desert boonie hats

More "Soviet" extras in the California desert. While carrying AKM rifles, they wear the fake KLMK style jumpsuits, Austrian web gear and Red Chinese Fur hats with the mini red star pins ... all while having hair that is far too long for the Soviet military standards. Only soldiers on long range missions, far from their base camp would be allowed to go unshaven or grow their hair so long.