This is a movie that has it all: vampires, werewolves, firefights, and weapons galore. In case you’re not familiar with the movie “Van Helsing,” it stars Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing and Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious. The two end up doing the expected fighting of evil in the form of magical monsters, and they do it with style. There are all kinds of edged weapons, bows, and guns in this movie, and it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few. Check out our picks for the top five weapons of “Van Helsing”, and feel free to tell us what you think we missed in the comments section.
Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver (sort of)
No, it isn’t precisely a Webley-Fosbery, but it’s close. The actual revolvers used in the movie appear to be modified props, but they do bear a close resemblance to this model. For the sake of getting things as close as possible, let’s go ahead and consider these Webley-Fosbery revolvers.
This model was designed in 1895 by Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery as a recoil-operated revolver. And while this might sound like some sort of full auto revolver, it wasn’t. This gun was simply an evolution of the revolver where the cylinder rotated itself rather than needing to be rotated manually. Remember, technology has come a long way since 1895. The Webley-Fosbery was produced chambered in 455 Webley Mk II and 38 ACP. It had a six or eight-round cylinder depending on the caliber. Production of the revolver ceased in 1924, and with less than 5000 made, there really aren’t that many of these guns out there.
In “Van Helsing,” the hero dual wields them against monsters including Mr. Hyde and a wolfman. Sources believe the guns used in the movie were simply clip-on molds placed over a pair of Taurus Model 85 revolvers.
Wänzel M1854/67 Special Short Rifles
Single shot trapdoor rifles against a werewolf? Apparently, some characters in the movie feel this is a good idea because that’s exactly what they use while fighting a wolfman. Specifically, they use Wänzel M1854/67 Special Short Rifles. Does it work? No. Is it an interesting choice of gun placement? Yes.
The Wänzel M1854/67 Special Short Rifles were designed in the 1860s and enjoyed a few decades of use among foreign militaries in various military engagements. They were chambered in 14x33mmR rimfire and centerfire, and around 70,000 were produced. In “Van Helsing,” the rifles are used by other monster hunters trying to catch a werewolf, specifically a team commandeered by a man named Velkan (the brother of Anna). Since the guns aren’t loaded with silver bullets, they don’t work. The fact that they’re also single shot weapons bears some importance as well because even if they did have silver bullets they might not have been effective fast enough.
Smith & Wesson Model 3
In the movie, Anna’s brother Velkan decides he needs to capture a werewolf (that’s the ill-fated mission mentioned above where his men were armed with trapdoor rifles). Well, he’s armed himself with a Smith & Wesson Model 3, which was a fine revolver for the time, but possibly not a great choice for werewolves (who knew?). It’s hard to visualize in stills from the movie, which means you should probably go watch “Van Helsing” to confirm the model.
The Smith & Wesson Model 3 was in service from 1870 to 1915 by both the United States military and quite a few foreign powers. It was chambered in a variety of calibers including 44 Russian, 44 Henry, 32 Smith & Wesson, and 45 Schofield. The revolver in the movie appears to be a Schofield model. These guns had six-round cylinders. Interesting historical note: the Model 3 wasn’t just used among soldiers and Van Helsing. This gun was favored by many lawmen and outlaws as well and it’s said that Theodore Roosevelt also loved it. It’s just not the greatest for werewolves.
Colt Gatling Gun
Sadly, it isn’t a central weapon of “Van Helsing,” but the Colt Gatling Gun does make an appearance. It shows up in the basement of the church where Van Helsing arms himself. And because of movie magic, it’s being fired indoors without everyone being rendered instantly deaf (and without ricochets taking anyone out).
The actual Colt Gatling Gun was made with five or ten barrels, depending on the model. It did have a big drum magazine similar to what is shown in the movie, but it’s a case of close but not quite. The ten-barreled model weighed around 170 pounds empty, so you can imagine the bulk with a 500-round drum magazine dropped on top. These guns were 45 caliber and had a firing rate of 800 to 1200 rounds per minute depending on various factors. If Van Helsing could’ve loaded this up with silver bullets, imagine the mayhem he could have created at Dracula’s castle.
Gas Powered Crossbow
It isn’t a gun, but we can’t leave the full auto crossbow off this list. If only real life was like the movies, perhaps this beautiful creation would exist. Unfortunately, it’s movie magic, not reality. This gas-powered crossbow is created specifically for Van Helsing to use against vampires and features a rotating drum that fires bolts. And, of course, it has a selector switch so it can be fired however the user wants.
In the movie, you can see some sort of metal tank in the stock that apparently delivers the necessary gas to power the drum of the crossbow. Compressed air and gas-powered crossbows do exist, but not quite like this one. Van Helsing uses it fairly effectively and when he starts having trouble using it against Dracula’s brides, he dunks it in holy water. That works (of course). It also makes the brides and Dracula himself angry because that’s when Van Helsing actually takes out a bride for the first time. Let’s just say Dracula isn’t amused.
Percussion pistols, muskets, and a blunderbuss make an appearance in this movie, among other things. If you’ve never seen “Van Helsing” and you’re in the mood to suspend reality for awhile while ogling real and make-believe firepower, this is the movie for you. It just might make you want to do some inventing of your own.
What moment of gun-related cinema magic do you think we missed? Drop your favorites in the comments below.
