MovieChat Forums > Gunga Din (1939) Discussion > What Guns?

What Guns?

posted 20 years ago by PhillyMobster
7 replies | jump to latest

Its always been a little frustrating to me that Hollywood, especially in the 1930s and 40s made period movies, and geared everyone in it with the closest thing at hand. What I want to know is, what are the guns that are used in this movie. I know towards the end when Cary Grant and company are up on the roof of the temple, they have a 1903A3 Springfield, but what I'm more interested in is are their native troops in the opening battle scene.

Sometimes they look like Lee-Metfords, and other times they look like Krags. Can anyone help me with this?

[–] DelendaEst 18 years ago

1898 karbines

[–] TorontoJediMaster 18 years ago

The rifles appeared to be the .30-40 Krag-Jorgensen.

It had been a standard issue rifle for the U.S. military from the 1890's until the 1903 Springfield replaced it.

Overall, it's not a rifle that British troops would have used in India for that period. However, the Krag-Jorgensen was used in a large number of Hollywood productions from the 1930's (it was the rifle the sailors carried on Skull Island in King Kong), and it was cost-effective to use. (I guess studios purchased the surplus rifles from the military for use as props).

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[–] macliggett1 17 years ago

The British Troops use the Krag Jorgensen rifle, not the '03. The Thugs use Trapdoor Springfields. You have to remember that in '39, the '03 was still the standard US Military issue rifle. Sufficient Martini Henrys would probably be hard to come by.

[–] ndenton-1 13 years ago

Some of the actors are seen using Martini Henry's which would have been standard issue for British troops. Most of the Indians would have been using Indian style flintlocks with the large curved back stock (not shown, probably due to a lack of props). This normally would have been clamped under the arm, not braced against the shoulder when fired.

The Thuggees however could have purchased modern weapons of the time quite easily as they were well endowed from their murderous killing sprees.