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The M134 weighs 85lbs without ammunition, and the actor has to hold it out in front of them in an awkward position. 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to
by ashtonkem 6y ago
The M134 weighs 85lbs without ammunition, and the actor has to hold it out in front of them in an awkward position. 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. Add in the need to carry/consume a prodigious amount of ammunition plus the recoil generated by the blanks, and it's a lot to deal with.
- lmm 6y ago> 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. The way the anecdote is usually told is that Schwarzenegger was the only guy on set who could carry it at all, not that he was the only guy who could hold it out in front of him. Is that an exaggeration?
- wmeredith 6y agoThe weight of the gun would also help immensely with the recoil.
- tyingq 6y agoIt's fairly obvious the movie scene has the M134 in a sling, so that he's not holding the whole thing up with his hands. When he starts walking, he only has one hand on it, near the rear of the gun. Not disputing it's heavy and awkward. It's just not, to me, something you would cite as "only a really strong person could do it". You can find videos of pretty normal looking people firing it while it's held by a sling and their hands.
- daniel-cussen 6y agoThe additional criteria is that he has to act a certain way and look a certain way while carrying it, on film camera. He needs the strength for it not to get in the way of the performance at all.