M-41A 'Aliens' Pulse Rifle 

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"I'd like to introduce you to a close personal friend of mine. M-41A pulse-rifle. 10 millimetre, with over and under 30 millimetre...pump-action grenade launcher".

So Corporal Hicks tells Ellen Ripley in 'Aliens' (1986). In reality, of course, that weapon doesn’t exist yet, and this prop 'rifle' disguises a .45 calibre M1 Thompson sub-machine gun with parts from a SPAS-12 shotgun.

Director James Cameron personally designed the M-41A and much of the military equipment in 'Aliens'.  The job of realising this futuristic but realistic-looking military rifle was given to British armourer Simon Atherton of the prop house Bapty & Co.

Frankenstein's Gun

Cameron chose a Second World War Thompson sub-machine gun as the basis for the rifle. The sleek MP5 sub-machine gun he originally wanted didn't have an impressive enough muzzle flash. Added to the Thompson were parts of two shotguns, a heat-shield and pump grip from an SPAS-12 and, on the few examples of a working 'grenade launcher,' a cut-down Remington 870 shotgun  was concealed inside the other parts, although our example doesn't have this.

A custom housing made by a car body manufacturer was fitted over the top along with a few custom parts. The wonderfully dramatic ammunition counter was only fitted to a few guns. This is a heavy gun and so a number of lightweight solid 'stunt' guns were also made. This was no doubt a relief to the actors who had to carry it.

A Lucky Find

After Aliens, all but one of the pulse rifles were disassembled. Our M-41A pulse rifle was rebuilt and sprayed black when it re-appeared in 'Alien 3' (1992). The sequel called for two more pulse rifles to equip the Weyland-Yutani operatives who appear at the end of the movie.

Beyond the movie world the M-41A also features prominently in several franchise video games including 'Aliens: Colonial Marines' and 'Aliens: Dark Descent'.

Prior to sale, it was resprayed a more recognisable colour. The original paint, which we believe is still there under the later coats, was more of a brown colour. It has sustained wear and tear over the years, but its 'beat up' appearance was how Cameron envisioned it. He asked for the props to be deliberately bashed up in order to look like real military service weapons. This suited his intended aesthetic, a sort of 'Vietnam in space', and the tale of military might defeated by the primal horror of the alien.

As co-curator of the display and the person responsible for collecting the M41A back in 2015, it’s my personal favourite object; the perfect mix of prop design and firearms history, used by numerous iconic characters throughout one of my all-time favourite films. It’s also rare for a movie prop, as although it features so heavily, is meant to be a standard issue weapon 'in-universe', and filming always requires multiple examples – our Pulse Rifle is one of only seven known examples (not including resin stunt versions). For me, although we have two blasters from the Star Wars movies and every fan has their favourite, the Pulse Rifle will always be the ultimate in sci-fi weaponry.

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

Further reading

In October 2019, the Aliens pulse rifle joined many of our other popular culture objects in the 'Make: Believe' display in the Self-Defence gallery in the museum in Leeds. Also on display were the guns used to create it, and the original cinema poster depicting Ripley holding the M-41A.

Listen to Jonathan Ferguson explain more of the history of this remarkable film icon in this YouTube video.

Watch movie prop aficionado Adam Savage of 'Tested' discuss the prop rifle with auctioneer 'Propstore' in this YouTube video.

The pulse rifle was acquired as part of the Royal Armouries' Heritage Lottery Funded 'Collecting Cultures' project which aims to look at arms and armour through the lens of popular culture.