Four iconic movie prop guns 

'Aliens' M-41A Pulse Rifle

Arguably the star of our movie gun collection so far is the M-41A pulse rifle from 'Aliens' (1986), which was rebuilt by Bapty and used in 'Alien 3' (1992).

Made by Simon Atherton (who opened up his own prop house, Zorg Ltd. in 1997), to a design by 'Aliens' director James Cameron. The pulse rifle has become one of the most iconic movie weapons of all time and is renowned for its realistic, gritty 'used and abused' look.

Atherton cleverly used a .45 calibre Thompson submachine gun with some parts from a SPAS-12 shotgun.

Together with the famous 'Blade Runner' pistol and the Smart Gun also seen in 'Aliens', it showed that sci-fi guns did not have to shoot animated laser bolts and go 'pew.

Given the pace of technological development in the field, it seems likely that if weapons are taken into space, they will resemble the pulse rifle more than the laser weapons of 'Star Wars' and 'Buck Rogers'.

Find out more about the pulse rifle in our Collection Online record

'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' steampunk submachine gun

The 2003 action film 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', which was loosely based on the cult graphic novel series by Alan Moore, offered a chance to create imaginative pieces that encapsulated the steampunk aesthetic.

Like many of the firearms featured in the movie, weapons of this type did not exist in the real world in 1899. The submachine gun did not appear in military use until 1918. Most steampunk design fuses technology with the look of nineteenth century industrial machinery.

For the infamous 'Captain Nemo', played in the film by actor Naseeruddin Shah, Bapty were tasked with creating several retro-futuristic submachine guns that blended the steampunk look with the decorative styles of the Indian subcontinent.

The resulting silver and white guns matched elements of Nemo's iconic Nautilus submarine vessel and his large 1930s style touring car.

Requiring functioning guns that would fire blanks for the cameras, Bapty turned to a British-designed Second World War classic, the Sten gun which they substantially disguised with wood, plastic and paint. Even the Sten's tubular metal stocks were altered to hide the real world heritage of these wacky weapons.

This Sten was originally made in Long Branch in Canada, but Chinese markings show that it was supplied to China during the Second World War to aid in the fight against Japan. Sometime later, it returned to the UK and may well have appeared in an earlier movie production in its wartime form, as houses like Bapty lend and re-use weapons regularly.

The Sten conversion is complete with its threaded barrel restrictor used to generate sufficient internal pressure to operate the working parts of the gun. Without these adaptors most movie guns can't function since there is no bullet to build up pressure.

Find out more about the submachine gun in our Collection Online record

'Star Wars' E-11 Blaster

One of the most iconic designs in the 'Star Wars' universe is the blaster used by the Imperial Stormtroopers. Look familiar? It was made by adapting the Sterling MK.4 submachine gun, or the L2A3 in military service parlance.

It was modified with additions including a Second World War American tank gun sight, black flanged ribs (plastic drawer runners from B&Q) and a part cannibalised from a photocopier.

It was modified with additions including a Second World War American tank gun sight, black flanged ribs (plastic drawer runners from B&Q) and a part cannibalised from a photocopier.

Captain Nemo's steampunk revolver

Another weapon from 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' is Captain Nemo's revolver, which was adapted from a Cold War Russian Tokarev TT33 pistol and given a steampunk makeover to disguise its Soviet-era heritage.

The weapon's slide was covered with a cylindrical moulding like that used on the steampunk submachine gun, and an unusual turret feature was affixed where the rear sight would normally be. 

The magazine was comically extended to look like those on the Sten gun and capped with a conical 'skull crusher' stud. 

Although this weapon was unique to Nemo, like with other movie props there were four examples made in case of reliability problems, or damage sustained during filming. This means that the Royal Armouries is lucky to have one of only four guns made. 

Like the steampunk submachine gun, this pistol is a fully intact, live-firing movie machine gun modified with a restrictor and further internal modification to allow it to operate normally on camera.

Find out more about the steampunk revolver in our Collection Online record