You are 98% correct. Other than a newer semi autos that need a little help to run well with blanks without a blank firing attachment.
A couple of examples I ran across was in Big Jake, where his son has a “new Bergman 1912” automatic. That was a Walther P-38 with some cosmetic changes. And in Planet of the Apes, the gorillas were carrying M-1 carbines with replacement stocks.
The list goes on.
So since most movie guns are real, it is a red line rule of no live ammo on the set. None... zero...never.
Also a little trivia. here’s how real the guns are. The guns are usually stored at a prop shop in California. If you want a couple of cases of Winchesters and Peacemakers for your movie, the guns aren’t just loaded up and sent to the out of state set. They are being transferred from one company to another (the production company).
Ergo, the guns are shipped to an FFL in the state in question, entered into his inventory and then legally transferred to the production company. The process goes reverse after the film is completed.
Also, the people playing with the after hours. Basically, the movie production company became an illegal gun store for out of state dopers from California with no background checks.
If you or I did the same exact acts, BATF would be at your door at 4am.
I enjoy going to the Movie Guns Database when I see a unique firearms in a movie
They give lots of detail at times.
Exactly.