About the M41-A Pulse Rifle:

Most fans will agree that one thing that set the 1986 movie ALIENS apart from so many other Science-Fiction movies is the realistic and believable designs of the USCM equipment. They were such that it would not have been surprising to see them in footage of the Gulf War. Although few of these designs made it through the movie in more than cameo spots, the M41-A Pulse Rifle played a prominent role. Carried by the United States Colonial Marines that figured so prominently in the movie, the M41-A almost became a character itself. Many of the movie's plot points turned on it, from the Marines' inability to defend themselves for fear of damaging the reactor to the revelation that Burke is worse than the ALIENS. Quite possibly the most recognizable and best known Science-Fiction movie gun of all time, the M41-A Pulse Rifle has left it's mark on the collectors' market.

The original prop was first designed by James Cameron, and then modified and built by Simon Atherton and crew at Bapty & Co. Cameron's original design called for a Heckler & Koch MP5 as the base gun, but it was decided that the MP5 did not have enough of a muzzle flash to have the appropriate impact on screen. The final prop was comprised of parts from the Auto-Ordnance Thompson M1A1, Franchi SpA SPAS-12, and Remington M870. The Thompson formed the main gun of the Pulse Rifle, while the M870 formed the basis for the grenade launcher. A reversed SPAS-12 shroud and cut-down foregrip were used to create the outer covering for the grenade launcher (a design change suggested by Simon). From there, several custom made parts were added to finish the prop, including a longer barrel for the Thompson, an end plate for the grenade launcher, rails for the Thompson barrel, the overall fairing, and the infamous ammo counter. For some enlightening diagrams of how the base firearms were put together to form the Pulse Rifle, see the Pulse Rifle Construction page on Harry Harris' Aliens Collection & Archive. You can also find an image of the original Bapty construction design and some close-up photos of the stunt version at ALIENS Archive.

For the movie, the M41-A Pulse Rifle was produced in several versions. The "Stunt" version, for background and stunt work, was a solid rubber casting of the finished rifle. The "Hero" version, for close-up and firing shots, was a functional replica that fired blanks. There was also a "Superhero" version, created with a working grenade launcher. Most of the props seen in the film are of the "Stunt" version, recognizable by the two circles on the base of the clip. The "Hero" version featured an 8-hole barrel guard with a round indent to the rear. The "Dual Practical" version featured a 10-hole barrel guard with a square indent to the rear. The "Dual Practical" is the only version still in existence at Bapty.

According to the movie, standard ammunition for the M41-A Pulse Rifle is 10mm caseless light armor-piercing rounds. When brass can be seen and heard falling from the Pulse Rifles in several scenes it is a blooper caused by practical concerns. It would have been impossible for Bapty to produce a prop based on a caseless weapon system. At the time the only caseless weapon was the 4.7mm H&K G11, which was undergoing trial by the Bundeswhewr (West German Army). Although the weapon performed well, it was deemed to be too radical, and with many Western armies having adopted new 5.56 rifles at the time, H&K discontinued the G11 project. Also covering up the ejection port of the M1A1 would have caused problems with the operation of the weapon, and Simon Atherton stated that space for an ejection port is a priority on such a prop, so as to prevent any possible accidents occuring.

It is commonly believed that the clip capacity was 95, although movie lore has revealed it to be 100. The clip is only loaded to 95 to avoid possible jams. The standard grenade used is the M40, although the M38 is also shown briefly and referred to as a M40. More information about the M41-A's ammunition has been revealed and added in Derrick Baena's Pulse Rifle Manual as well as Lee Brimmicombe-Wood's ALIENS Colonial Marines Technical Manual (ASIN: 0061053430).

The M41-A was seen briefly again at the end of ALIEN3, this time painted solid black, possibly as a Special Operations variant. The one seen in ALIEN3 is the only surviving original Pulse Rifle prop from ALIENS. All others were torn down, "struck", into their component firearms after shooting completed. As a point of interest, the surviving dual unit was also used in publicity photos for the PC computer title 'Sin', and a calender featuring a rather attractive, dark haired young lady cradling said weapon was given out free with some UK PC games magazines in late 1999.

The M41-A also made an ignominious appearance on the cover of the novel Jettison by Donnamaie E. White (ISBN: 0967782805). This is not an ALIENS novel, but appears to simply be a case of using a convenient prop. The Pulse Rifle shown on the cover has been painted primer gray, and upon close inspection, the outer housing for the grenade launcher is empty (the M870 is not present inside it). The origins of this Pulse Rifle are not currently known.

The current trend among M41-A Pulse Rifle replica builders and collectors is AirSoft. With the popularity of Saving Private Ryan, Tokyo Marui decided to produce an AEG AirSoft replica of the Thompson M1A1. Since this replica had not been previously available in AirSoft, it's release has caused an explosion of interest in the obvious modification. If you are interested in building such a replica, Tokyo Marui makes an AEG Thompson M1A1 as well as a spring-powered SPAS-12. Maruzen makes a gas-powered Remington M870 replicas which actually cycles shells as they are spent. If you do not have the time or skills to build it yourself, Monsters in Motion offers a finished AirSoft M41-A Pulse Rifle that combines these replicas for $3000.

There are several companies and individuals offering replicas of the M41-A Pulse Rifle listed in the Replicas portion of this site. There are also several companies and individuals offering replicas of items related to the M41-A Pulse Rifle listed in the Accessories portion of this site.