The tour begins outside Xtreme Props, where the hosts point out a large vehicle under a tarp that appears to be a German halftrack, along with several period-style cars staged for film work. They head inside for what they expect will be the most interesting part for viewers: the weapons and character gear. Just inside are tables and racks covered with knives and axes being assembled for SEAL teams and other characters in The Terminal List and its prequel, as well as pieces that have appeared on The Walking Dead. Winkler axes are highlighted as a signature item associated with Jack Carr, with the armorer explaining that he helped introduce Carr to those tools. Nearby are trays of high-end watches and accessories that will help define Eastern European gangsters, Middle Eastern characters, and other criminal factions in the upcoming Terminal List prequel. The armorer explains that sometimes he personally designs props, while on larger shows the art department and production designer rely on illustrators to generate detailed concept art. Even seemingly simple items must pass through multiple approval layers, including the director and producers. The conversation then shifts to The Tomorrow War rifle builds with Hera furniture. For that movie, the team needed around 75 guns capable of firing blanks, which meant choosing between AK and AR platforms because blank ammunition in .223 and 7.62x39 was readily available. They note that online critics later argued the guns should have been in 6.8 or other calibers, but the real-world constraints of blank supply and reliability dictated the choice. In the story, future soldiers carry longer 14.5- or 16-inch rifles, while the present-day conscripts are issued whatever shorter, mismatched rifles and downgraded armor are available, visually reinforcing that they are hastily drafted and considered expendable.
Attention turns to the technical headaches of running blanks in certain firearms. The MP7 is singled out as notoriously unreliable with blanks because of the design gap between magazine and barrel, which disrupts feeding and cycling. As a result, armorers often avoid real MP7s, substituting airsoft stand-ins and CGI muzzle flashes when that look is required. The discussion clarifies the difference between dummy rounds and live ammunition: dummies may have drilled cases or inert primers, but on camera, especially at distance, they are almost indistinguishable from live rounds. Older war films sometimes betray unrealistic cartridges when viewed in high resolution. The armorer explains solid plug barrels, where the barrel is permanently blocked and only a small powder charge is used to cycle the action safely. Different guns demand different blank loads—Glock 17s, SIG pistols, MP5s, and MCX/MPX platforms each require specific grain weights—creating a logistical puzzle when productions insist on a wide variety of weapon types on set.
The process of turning real firearms into safe stunt tools is broken down in detail. Real pistols like the CZ Bull Shadow and Beretta 92FS are molded to create rubber replicas. Standard-density rubber guns are used for running, rappelling, and general movement, while ultra-soft versions are cast specifically for contact gags such as pistol-whipping, where they can safely strike stunt performers. The team showcases a large Budapest-based production loadout, with multiple Mark 25 pistols and 1980s-style steel handguns prepared in pairs so a fresh “hero” gun can be swapped in immediately if one jams. Each principal character receives both live-firing and rubber counterparts to maintain continuity through intense action sequences. This redundancy extends to holsters and accessories, ensuring that every stunt, fall, or fight can be executed without risking damage to the primary hero weapons while still preserving visual authenticity on screen.
The tour moves into a showcase of screen-used firearms from the John Wick franchise. Visitors handle MPX builds and the famous 2011 Combat Master pistols from John Wick 2 and 3, noting their competition-inspired configurations. The director’s background attending USPSA matches influenced the choice of platforms like the MPX, Glock 34, and AR-15 variants, prioritizing guns that run fast and reliably under high round counts. The armorer points out John Wick’s ankle holster pistol and other hero sidearms that appear only briefly but are meticulously prepared. Nearby are Tomorrow War pistols and Chris Pratt–associated guns, including a trimless carry pistol and a Glock 19 used by Halle Berry in another production. Some of these weapons are on screen for mere seconds, yet they receive full custom work, stippling, and sight setups to match character profiles and to satisfy directors who care deeply about realistic gun handling and aesthetics.
Attention shifts to guns from the Fast & Furious universe and other major films. Dwayne Johnson’s Glock 21 from Fast 8 is highlighted, including the moment it is passed to Kurt Russell’s character, illustrating how a single pistol can serve multiple narrative beats. Jason Statham’s plane-fight gun from Fast 8 is also shown, with the trivia that many of the stuntmen he shoots in that sequence previously worked on John Wick 2. Infinity pistols used in Fast 8 and the new Magnum P.I. demonstrate how competition-style race guns are repurposed for cinematic flair. The armorer then presents a standout piece: a Krebs custom AK with a rail, used by Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith to shoot Brad Pitt’s character while he wears a vest. This rifle, along with briefly mentioned guns from Sabotage and The Magnificent Seven, underscores how distinctive builds become instantly recognizable to fans and often define key scenes.
The display turns to Western and modern handguns. From The Magnificent Seven, viewers see Chris Pratt’s shortened 7-inch pistol nicknamed “Maria,” Denzel Washington’s sidearms, and Ethan Hawke’s Schofield revolvers, each character supported by multiple duplicates to cover close-ups, holster work, and stunt use. The armorer then highlights Halle Berry’s SIG P365, described as a “good old regular 365,” emphasizing that even a compact, everyday-style carry gun can be a hero piece on screen. Large, ported Desert Eagles and other iconic action pistols round out the case. The discussion moves to The Terminal List, featuring an ankle gun and a .38 Special revolver with a scope used in a lighthouse-style set at Lake Arrowhead. That sequence required over a week of shooting, with real blanks used to capture authentic muzzle flash and recoil. The team compares this to earlier productions, noting how advances in blank technology and gun modification have improved reliability and realism in modern sniper scenes.
The Barrett M82’s evolution in film work is examined. In the movie Shooter, the M82 struggled with blanks and often had to be manually cycled, limiting realistic semi-auto fire. For The Terminal List, armorers modified the M82’s gas system and tuned blanks so it could cycle reliably, allowing more dynamic firing sequences. They also call out gun-handling inaccuracies in Shooter, such as a missing bolt and an implausible AR reload where the rifle appears to auto-load itself. The conversation then spotlights Brad Pitt’s STG44 from Fury, chambered in 8mm Kurz. The STG44 is described as the original assault rifle, combining an intermediate cartridge, select-fire capability, and detachable magazine in a configuration that influenced later designs. Its historical significance and distinctive silhouette make it a prized screen-used piece, illustrating how productions sometimes prioritize period-correct, rare firearms even when they are more challenging to support with blanks and maintenance.
The focus returns to The Tomorrow War and The Terminal List’s modern and futuristic rifles. The armorer describes building roughly 75 rifles capable of rapid fire based on AK and AR platforms, dressed up with futuristic furniture and accessories to sell the sci-fi setting while still running reliably on .223 and 7.62x39 blanks. Chris Pratt’s Terminal List rifle setup is detailed, including a real Trijicon ACOG, a Cloud Defensive light, and Burnproof Gear wraps, with a Sim Lock and other accessories that mirror high-end civilian builds. The team laments how editors often cut out reloads, turning 30-round magazines into “10,000-round” mags on screen. They also show Spear rifles—13-inch shorties in 7.62—chosen not for exotic ballistics but because blank availability and cycling reliability drive most practical decisions. Some gear is provided by manufacturers, while other components are purchased outright to achieve the exact look and performance the director wants.
A gleaming gold AK from Narcos: Mexico is presented, possibly finished in titanium nitride or actual gold plating, representing the ostentatious “narco gun” aesthetic. It is part of a larger AK inventory destined for shows where many villains carry AK variants. The tour then highlights an ACR from Transformers 3, built to look futuristic and chamber oversized, “Transformer-killing” rounds while still functioning reliably with blanks. This leads into a discussion of the complex logistics of sending real blank-firing guns overseas. Productions in countries like Hungary or Croatia require local import permits, while U.S. exports must be cleared by the State Department. Every shipment involves detailed paperwork, serial tracking, and coordination with customs. These challenges are compounded by industry labor disputes and production shutdowns, which can suddenly pause or restart projects, forcing armorers to juggle inventory and timelines while ensuring that hundreds of weapons arrive safely and legally on foreign sets.
The armorer describes how recent labor strikes triggered a production shutdown, followed by a massive February surge when multiple shows and films in Budapest, Croatia, Miami, and other locations all needed guns simultaneously. Around 900 firearms were shipped by air to several countries, each requiring careful packing, manifests, and regulatory compliance. The conversation shifts to specific movie guns, including Hugh Jackman’s elaborate shotgun from Van Helsing, used against Dracula’s offspring, and a gun Chris Pratt takes from a bad guy and repurposes in The Magnificent Seven. Woody Harrelson’s revolver setup from Zombieland and Zombieland 2 is examined, identified as a .45 Colt that many viewers mistakenly assume is a .44 Magnum. The hosts reference the films’ “cardio” and “double tap” rules, tying the gun to its comedic survivalist context. They also reiterate how Tomorrow War conscripts are intentionally issued shorter-barreled rifles and inferior armor to underline their expendability in the story.
The discussion turns to shotguns and high-level manipulation. The armorer recalls what may have been his first Hollywood rental guns—two Beretta 92s for the TV show JAG in the late 1990s—before highlighting Ben Edwards’ impressive tactical reloading of a shotgun while engaging cartel enemies on screen. A shotgun originally intended for Halle Berry could not be shipped to Morocco due to strict shotgun permit rules, so she trained with it in the United States; the gun ultimately went to Keanu Reeves. For John Wick 3, the team chose a Benelli M4 over an M2 because the M4’s gas system proved more reliable with blanks. In-house stippling and custom work on the Benelli M2 are showcased, noting its status as a dominant competition shotgun used by shooters like Daniel and Nils Jonasson. They compare it to the Beretta 1301 in extended configurations and mention an unused backup shotgun with a Picatinny forearm built as an insurance gun for Wick-style sequences.
The final section revisits a Mossberg .308 bolt-action rifle last sent out for Fear the Walking Dead, illustrating how even relatively plain rifles cycle through multiple TV productions. A Desert Tech rifle is then previewed, slated for an upcoming show where a well-known actor will use it with a different scope configuration tailored to that character. The host highlights personal favorites from the visit: the Genesis 12-gauge shotgun from John Wick 4, set up for dramatic rapid fire, and Keanu Reeves’ actual Glock 34 Combat Master, including a signed example from Taran Butler. These pieces embody the blend of competition performance and cinematic spectacle. The video concludes by emphasizing that Hollywood overwhelmingly uses real firearms that are heavily modified, neutered, and controlled for safety, rather than cheap blank-only clones. Every blank load, barrel plug, and rubber stunt double exists to balance on-screen realism with rigorous safety standards.
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