Aliens Pulse Rifle:
The "10-Hole Hero"
A DETAILED ANALYSIS BY XHIWAR
Introduction
fig. 1: Famous screenshot of Hicks showing the 10-Hole Pulse Rifle to Ripley.
None of the Pulse Rifles used in Aliens are exactly alike. This can be seen especially well on the Aliens Pulse Rifle Information & Resource Page by Willie Goldman, which gives detailed information about all known screen-used Pulse Rifles.
However, the so-called "10-Hole Hero" Pulse Rifle (or "prototype", or "Cameron" Pulse Rifle) deviates in crucial details from the rest of the Hero Pulse Rifles. It is generally accepted that this was the prototype Pulse Rifle on which the rest of the Hero Pulse Rifles are based and is therefore slightly more detailed. Several details were most likely omitted to save manufacturing costs for the other Hero Pulse Rifles.
It is also the Pulse Rifle that is seen in one of the most iconic scenes of the movie "Aliens", where Corporal Hicks explains the function of the Pulse Rifle to Ellen Ripley, showing us a few very close up scenes of the Rifle (see fig. 1). It is also the Rifle shown in the hands of Private Frost when preparing the Pulse Rifles on the USS Sulaco, racking the grenade launcher of the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle (see fig. 2).
The Rifle also seems to be less weathered (i.e. in more "pristine" condition) than the rest of the Hero Pulse Rifles. For these reasons, many people see it as a somewhat "idealized" version of what the Pulse Rifle is meant to be, even though it is harder to recreate than the rest of the "Hero Pulse Rifles".
fig. 2: Frost preparing the 10-Hole Pulse Rifle for the mission.
References
The 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle is hard to recreate because it has not been seen or photographed since shooting of the movie wrapped. The 10-hole Pulse Rifle is generally believed to be in the collection of James Cameron (most likely without working grenade launcher section, see next section). Therefore, any attempt at replicating that particular Rifle has to rely mainly on screenshots from the movie "Aliens".
In addition, there are several photographs of the 10-Hole "prototype" Hero Rifle prior to filming. While these images are mostly congruent with the screen-used "10-Hole Hero", the prototype deviates in a few details. Four "prototype" shots exist: left side view, right side view, bottom view and front view (see fig. 3). Larger versions of some of these shots have surfaced over the years, but unfortunately not all of them.
fig. 3: All known photographs of the "prototype" Pulse Rifle prior to filming.
fig. 4: Armourer Simon Atherton handling the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle.
Furthermore, the 10-Hole Hero is the Rifle handled by Armourer Simon Atherton in the Aliens DVD special "The Risk Always Lives: Weapons and Action", available on the Aliens DVD quadrilogy box set (see fig. 4). While the Pulse Rifle can only be seen briefly, it is still very interesting to see it outside of the movie in a (presumably) undimantled state.
I do not know of any further appearances of the 10-hole Hero Pulse Rifle in any other media. There are reference pictures of the Delta Pulse Rifle in later media, which gives indications about the details of the 10-hole Hero Rifle and how it was assembled (see the section below), but no further images outside of a very few behind-the-scenes images showing the original Rifle exist.
10-Hole Hero and Delta Pulse Rifle
fig. 5: 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle (top, movie still) vs. Delta Pulse Rifle (bottom, image from Propstore).
The Delta Pulse Rifle is the only surviving Pulse Rifle with a functional Remington 870 inside the SPAS cage, all other surviving Hero Pulse Rifles were equipped only with a dummy grenade launcher (see fig. 5).
While there are people who argue that there were two Pulse Rifles with functioning Remington 870, this cannot be observed on screen. In the movie "Aliens", only the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle can be seen firing the grenade launcher (separate section on this topic coming soon).
For this reason, the theory has been proposed that the grenade launcher section (SPAS cage with Remington 870, including front block) of the original 10-Hole Hero Rifle was "transplanted" to the Delta Pulse Rifle after filming was completed and that the grenade launcher section of the Delta Pulse Rifle is actually a remainder of the 10-hole Hero Rifle.
This theory is very credible for the following reasons:
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The front block on the Delta Pulse Rifle is identical to the unique front block of the 10-Hole Hero Rifle (see the Front Block section for more infomation).
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The Delta Pulse Rifle is the only "Hero" Pulse Rifles where the front block is not attached to the SPAS cage with a screw through the top right front of the SPAS cage (see the Front Block section for more infomation).
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On both the 10-Hole Hero and the Delta Pulse Rifle, the trigger guard of the Remington 870 can be seen below the SPAS cage. On the 10-hole Hero, the trigger guard was "hidden" by a bent metal plate, whereas on the other Hero Rifles, this plate was flat (see Remington 870 section for more infomation).
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The SPAS cage of the Delta Pulse Rifle is the only surviving Hero Rifle to have the additional holes for the pins of the Remington 870, like the 10-Hole Hero (see SPAS cage section for more information).
These are all unique features of the "prototype" pictures mentioned above, leading me and several others to believe that the Delta Pulse Rifle is now equipped with the (most likely only) functioning Remington 870, while the 10-Hole Hero was most likely retrofitted after filming with one of the SPAS cages with mock-up shotguns.
The Differences
This site is designed to show the differences differences of the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle from its Hero brothers. Some of those are well known (or in fact he basis for the name), others are lesser known or recently discovered by me and "Bug Stomper". To best illustrate the differences, I am reviewing the differences part by part:
The Shoulder Stock differs only slightly, but still is unique to the 10-hole Hero or "prototype" Pulse Rifle.
The cuts in the SPAS cage are very distinctive on the 10-hole Hero, although barely noticeable on screen.
One of the more mysterious details is the (Thompson) grip of the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle.
Even the Thompson M1A1 Rifle does have some unique elements on the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle.
Ammo Counter
Learn not only how the Ammo Counter was unique, but how you can build one.
Interesting Things
Here are some things you might be interested in:
Find any more unique details?
If you find any info on this page to be wrong or find any more unique details of the 10-Hole Hero Pulse Rifle, feel free to contact me and I'll add your discovery to the page as soon as possible!
For more information on Pulse Rifles, visit the Aliens Legacy Forum.
Also, visit the Aliens Pulse Rifle Information & Resource Page by Willie Goldman (alienscollection.com) to learn about all the different Hero Pulse Rifles.