The movie “Act of Valor” is based on real events and even involved active-duty Navy SEALs in its production. In fact, some of the shooting sequences were live fire scenes filmed during training exercises. This movie highlights the courage and selflessness of many of our nation’s heroes, all of which culminate in a sacrificial event that happened several years ago. For this article, we’re going to focus on some of the guns used in the movie. This is our top five list of guns to check out in Act of Valor. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out.
M240G
It makes good sense that the M240 (and M240G) makes a lot of appearances in Act of Valor. After all, this belt-fed machine gun has seen a lot of use in the military. It’s chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal (FN). The M240 and its variants have been used in quite a few wars including Operation Just Cause, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. The M240G variant, specifically, weighs in at 25.6 pounds unloaded, and has a barrel length of 21.7 inches. It has a cyclic rate between 650 and 950 rounds per minute and a listed effective range of out to around 2000 yards.
In the movie, the M240G is seen on deck mounts on the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen’s (SWCC’s) SOC-R (Special Operations Craft – Riverine), along with showing up at some other times. There are also M240D variants with spade grips mounted on Navy Seahawk helos in the movie. One of the nice things about Act of Valor is that the inclusion of active duty SEALs means greater accuracy throughout.
Colt M4A1
The Colt M4A1 is a recognizable, iconic weapon that’s spent many decades as the duty weapon of every branch of the military. It comes as no surprise that it shows up repeatedly in Act of Valor. The scene where the character Chief Dave is rising from the water with his M4A1 shouldered has become somewhat synonymous with this movie. In that scene, his rifle has an Aimpoint CompM2 mounted to it along with a Surefire 6P weapon-mounted light. It’s noteworthy that later on in the movie, Chief Dave is shown with a different M4A1 that has an Eotech on it instead.
Aesthetically, the M4A1 is easy to spot in its SOCOM carbine configuration. This 5.56 NATO chambered rifle is what a lot of people think of when an AR-15 is mentioned, and while the two are similar, they’re not the exact same gun. The major difference is that the military’s M4A1 is full-auto-capable while your average AR-15 is not. While the rifles in the movie did have red dot sights, they also retained their forends and fixed front A2 sights.
SIG Sauer P226
The SIG P226 is wielded by Chief Dave, among others, which makes sense because this is a handgun that’s seen a lot of use by special forces and Teams guys in general. This is a full-sized handgun that’s offered in a few different calibers, but the model used by the military is typically chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum. It has a 10-round capacity and a steel frame, giving it an edge for durability and enough heft to mitigate felt recoil. The barrel length is 4.4 inches and the overall empty weight is around 34 ounces. The P226 has quite a few variants and every version has the same reputation for longevity, reliability, and accuracy.
In Act of Valor, this handgun is shown prominently in the climactic firefight. The gun shown has iron sights, which is certainly accurate. The P226 is a great pistol (and if you like it, you should check out the SIG Legion variant).
IMI Mini Uzi
Terrorists in the movie have Mini Uzis of a few different types. The one shown above being wielded by a terrorist during a firefight is an IMI Mini Uzi with a folding stock. This model is chambered in 9x19mm Parabellum and has a variety of different magazines possible for it including 20-round, 25-round, and 32-round capacities. The exact cyclic rate depends on the generation of the gun. This is a submachine gun that started production in the 1980s and has seen quite a few iterations.
In the movie, terrorists use different Uzis with and without folding stocks and braces against the SEALs. It’s a highly portable submachine gun that’s relatively easy to fire and keep on target, thanks in part to the gun’s 9mm chambering. The use of the folding stock certainly makes it more stable, but it’s manageable even without one. In another part of the movie, a terrorist uses a different submachine gun made by Walther.
AKM
AKMs are used quite a bit by terrorists, continuing the accurate gun use of Act of Valor. The AKM (Avtomát Kalášnikova modernizírovannyj, which translates as Kalashnikov’s Automatic Rifle Modernised) is a Soviet rifle with a selector switch, meaning it’s full-auto-capable. It’s chambered in the expected 7.62x39mm and has a full-auto cyclic rate of about 600 rounds per minute. Capacity depends on the magazine used, of course. The AKM has a 16.3-inch barrel, so it’s more carbine than rifle, and it weighs about seven pounds, empty.
In Act of Valor, the AKM is used by any and every bad guy from Ukrainian guards to Mexican cartel members, and more. Some of the AKMs pictured have slant compensators while others do not. Some have wood furniture while others are black synthetic. It simply depends on the bad guy being shown at that moment. Like the Uzi, the AKM is a weapon commonly used by terrorists (and members of cartels, etc) in real life.
If you haven’t seen Act of Valor, it’s well worth watching. Not only because it includes references to true events but because it’s very well done. Here’s your major spoiler alert warning before we launch into one of the big reasons it’s such an important movie. Michael Monsoor, a Medal of Honor recipient, is depicted in the movie regarding his death. Monsoor threw himself on a grenade to protect others during the Invasion of Iraq. This sacrificial act is referenced and shown in the movie. Yes, that really happened, and his selfless act was a big part of what inspired the movie in the first place. Make plans to watch Act of Valor without delay. It’s a great movie and honors the sacrifice of a man who valued the lives of his teammates over his own.
