History Main / ImproperlyPlacedFirearms

* While all the other guns in the original ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' (set around 2293) are futuristic enough, the game's sniper rifle is merely a long-barreled, early model M16 with a scope attached to the carry handle, a rather out-of-place ShoutOut to ''Manga/{{Golgo 13}}''. Lampshaded in the old official site's timeline of the series, where the in-universe explanation for replacing it with the Lightning Gun in ''[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004 UT2003]]'' was that it was "a relic of centuries past".

** To a very slightly less absurd extent, all AK-74 assault rifles you find have been modified to chamber 5.56mm NATO. While it makes sense for the Shop's armory to have theirs modded as such for logistics' sake, it's not nearly as plausible for terrorist cells to do the same considering how much easier the -74's original 5.45mm ammo is to come by in the areas of the world the game takes place in.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII'': German soldiers in Normandy using Soviet-made [=PPSh=]-41s and SVT-40s. Actually not that ridiculous an example, as [[https://ww2militaria.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/ppsh_germanforces.jpg the Germans in the real life war]] were rather fond of these Soviet weapons and often kept them as war trophies, even having [=PPShs=] rechambered to fire the German 9mm round and designated MP-41(r), while the SVT-40s saw widespread use as the Germans lacked a worthwhile self-loading rifle until Walther used the captured weapon as inspiration for the G43. Of courwse, Germans using captured Soviet weapons in such numbers ''outside'' of the Eastern Front stretches belief.

* Another WWII example: many games with setting in the Pacific Theater such as ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'', ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' often implausibly depicts the Nambu Type 100 submachine gun as a standard-issue weapon used by Japanese soldiers, essentially acting as a Japanese counterpart for the already overrepresented MP 40. Disregarding the fact that in real life, no less than ten thousand units of it were produced ''at most.'' (for comparison, around 1 million units of the aforementioned MP 40 were produced at the end of the war).

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' continues the trend. Examples including but not limited to the [[https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Becker_revolving_shotgunBecker Revolving Shotgun]] - an obscure prototype that in real life only had around 100 units produced - being a standard-issue shotgun for Axis forces in both Europe and Pacific, late-war German weapons such as the [=StG=] 44 and the Volkssturmgewehr seen in the hands of Wehrmacht forces in Stalingrad and El-Alamein, Japanese forces in Bougainville using MG 42s and the aforementioned [=StG=] 44s and a French resistance fighter with an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS-44 AS-44]] - a prototype Russian assault rifle - as her WeaponOfChoice.

** In the same game, literally ''everyone'' uses the .45 ACP [[CoolGuns/{{Handguns}} Colt 1911]] as sidearm. Forget Beretta, Makarov, Norinco, or any other brand or caliber that would be more plausible for non-American folks to carry; heck, the only 9mm weapons in the entire game are the Micro-Uzi and the MP5SD.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'' doesn't have nearly as many examples, partly since there are only four missions set during the Cold War like in the previous game, but it's still around mostly by way of reusing weapons from the first game for its flashback arsenal, most of which were outdated and replaced by the mid- to late-80s setting. So, for instance, Woods uses an original-model M16 (misidentified as the improved A1) for Operation Just Cause, at a point in time where the military had switched to the [=M16A2=] and a combat scenario where the "Commando" - a CAR-15 - would have made more sense. A particular screamer, however, is from the second flashback level, set during the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan. It would have actually made sense for the game to give some of those mid-80's Soviet troops the RPK-74 used in the first game - instead, they're given the old belt-fed RPD machine guns the RPK-74 replaced in the real world. Worse, that RPD model [[PropRecycling is lifted directly from]] ''Modern Warfare 2'', complete with a Picatinny rail over the feed tray that shouldn't exist for another nine years at that point (and which Russian military guns in general didn't start using until another decade or so after that). The player also has the option of invoking this with the singleplayer version of Create-a-Class; nothing is preventing them from [[OlderIsBetter taking an '80s gun they like into]] the [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2025 levels]], for instance using that old M16 when the standard JSOC rifles seem to be the [=HK416=] and a slightly dressed-up [=XM8=]... or, after completing the game, [[AnachronismStew doing the opposite]] and, say, fighting a battle in the Angolan Civil War with the KRISS KARD pistol (still not in production even years after the game came out) and a completely fictional weapon like the [[ArmorPiercingAttack cover-penetrating]], [[XRayVision x-ray-scoped]] "Storm PSR".

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' continues the tradition. The SPAS-12 (which is infamous for being uncomfortable in real-life and famous in fiction due to its menacing and imposing look) seems to be one of the most common and widely-used shotguns in the world, second to the Ithaca 37, and both are frequently found in the hands and armories of Soviet, East German, Cuban, and Vietnamese troops. The Western 1911 is depicted as the standard-issue sidearm for every armed forces. For rifles, the Soviets should primarily be using the AK-74, with perhaps some AKM's mixed in, and the East Germans should be using their own AK variants, but instead, one of the most commonly-found weapons for both seems to be the Ak 5, a Swedish weapon that did not exist in 1981. Also seen in Soviet and East German hands are various configurations of West German [=MP5s=]. The latter might be believable, if unlikely, in East Berlin but is completely out of place carried by a Soviet sentry on a military base in Ukraine. While infiltrating said base, CIA operative Bell also carries a Chinese-made Norinco Type 63. This could be hand-waved to them trying to enforce plausible deniability by not carrying western weapons, but their partner, Woods, primarily uses an [=MP5=] and a Remington 700 on the same mission.
* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII'': German soldiers in Normandy using Soviet-made [=PPSh=]-41s and SVT-40s. Actually not that ridiculous an example, as [[https://ww2militaria.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/ppsh_germanforces.jpg the Germans in the real life war]] were rather fond of these Soviet weapons and often kept them as war trophies, even having [=PPShs=] rechambered to fire the German 9mm round and designated MP-41(r), while the SVT-40s saw widespread use as the Germans lacked a worthwhile self-loading rifle until Walther used the captured weapon as inspiration for the G43. Still, Germans using captured Soviet weapons in such numbers ''outside'' of the Eastern Front stretches belief.
** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' continues the trend. Examples including but not limited to the [[https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Becker_revolving_shotgunBecker Revolving Shotgun]] - an obscure prototype that in real life only had around 100 units produced - being a standard-issue shotgun for Axis forces in both Europe and Pacific, late-war German weapons such as the [=StG=] 44 and the Volkssturmgewehr seen in the hands of Wehrmacht forces in Stalingrad and El-Alamein, Japanese forces in Bougainville using MG 42s and the aforementioned [=StG=] 44s and a French resistance fighter with an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS-44 AS-44]] - another obscure prototype assault rifle - as her WeaponOfChoice.

** The Russian and British Assault class originally used the Browning Automatic Rifle. A later patch replaced the Russian BAR with the DP-1928, and the SAS Assault in the Secret Weapons of WWII expansion got the Bren.

** The Russian Medic uses an MP-18, as opposed to the ridiculously common PPSH-41. This might be for balance reasons, as the PPSH's [[MoreDakka 71-round drum]] would give Russian medics a noticeable advantage in multiplayer (and the devs presumably overlooked that it could also use 35-round mags).
** Most of the Japanese classes in general all use German weapons, while the Engineer uses the experimental and never issued Type 5 Rifle. The Assault class used the [=StG 44=], though like the above, a patch eventually replaced it with the Type 99.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' continues the tradition. The SPAS-12 (which is infamous for being uncomfortable in real-life and famous in fiction due to its menacing and imposing look) seems to be one of the most common and widely-used shotguns in the world, second to the Ithaca 37, and both are frequently found in the hands and armories of Soviet, East German, Cuban, and Vietnamese troops. The Western 1911 is depicted as the standard-issue sidearm for every armed forces. For rifles, the Soviets should primarily be using the AK-74, with perhaps some AKM's mixed in, and the East Germans should be using their own AK variants, but instead, one of the most commonly-found weapons for both seems to be the Ak 5, a Swedish weapon that did not exist in 1981. Also seen in Soviet and East German hands are various configurations of West German [=MP5s=]. The latter might be believable, if unlikely, in East Berlin but is completely out of place carried by a Soviet sentry on a military base in Ukraine. While infiltrating said base, CIA operative Bell also carries a Chinese-made Norinco Type 63. This could be hand-waved to them trying to enforce plausible deniability by not carrying western weapons, but their partner, Woods, primarily uses [=MP5=] and [[{{AKA47}} Pellington 703]] on the same mission.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' continues the trend. Examples including but not limited to Becker Revolving Shotgun being standard-issue shotgun for Axis forces in both Europe and Pacific, late-war German weapons such as [=StG=] 44 and Volkssturmgewehr seen in the hands of Wehrmacht forces in Stalingrad and El-Alamein, Japanese forces in Bougainville using MG 42s and the aforementioned [=StG=] 44s and a French resistance fighter with a Soviet prototype assault rifle as her WeaponOfChoice.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' continues the trend. Examples including but not limited to Becker Revolving Shotgun being standard-issue shotgun for Axis forces in both Europe and Pacific, late-war German weapons such as StG 44 and Volkssturmgewehr seen in the hands of Wehrmacht forces in Stalingrad and El-Alamein, Japanese forces in Bougainville using MG 42s and the aforementioned StG 44s and a French resistance fighter with a Soviet prototype assault rifle as her WeaponOfChoice.

* Another WWII example: many games set in the Pacific Theatre such as ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' often depict the Nambu Type 100 submachine gun as a standard-issue weapon used by Japanese soldiers, essentially acting as a Japanese counterpart for the already overrepresented MP 40. In real life, no less than ten thousand units of it were produced ''at most.'' (for comparison, around 1 million units of the aforementioned MP 40 were produced the end of the war).

* There are so many M3 Grease Guns and Stens captured by the People's Liberation Army in the Chinese civil war and the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar, hardly any war show in China is filmed without them. Cue dozens of anachronistic shows with M3s appearing before WWII. For really low-budget shows, it is possible for a Type 56 AK to appear in Imperial Japan hands. It's also common for the Type 54 (a copy of the Tokarev TT-33) or Type 64 (Walther PPK) to stand in for other pistols.
* Another WWII example. In many WWII video games with Pacific War settings such as ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'', Japanese Nambu Type 100 submachine gun were often depicted as standard-issue [=SMGs=] used by enemy Japanese soldiers, basically acting as Japanese/Pacific counterpart for the already overrepresented German MP 40. This despite in real life, no less than ten thousand units of it were produced ''at most'' (for comparison, around 1 million units of the aforementioned MP 40 were produced the end of the war).

* Another WWII example, in many WWII video games with Pacific War setting such as ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'', Japanese Nambu Type 100 submachine gun were often depicted as common SMGs used by enemy Japanese soldiers, basically acting as Japanese/Pacific counterpart for the already overrepresented German MP 40. This despite in real life, no less than ten thousand units of it were produced ''at most'' (for comparison, around 1 million units of the aforementioned MP 40 were produced the end of the war).

** In the same game, literally ''everyone'' uses the .45 ACP [[CoolGuns/{{Handguns}} Colt 1911]] as sidearm. Forget Beretta, Makarov, Norinco, or any other brand or caliber that would be more plausible for non-American folks to carry; heck, the only 9mm weapon in the entire game is the Micro-Uzi.

* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', FBI agents at the 5th wanted level strangely carry AK-47s, an odd weapon for American law enforcement to carry. In the other [=GTA3=]-era games, they carry the [=MP5=], a more plausible weapon and one which acts in the game as a more logical "mid-power" weapon between the Uzi carried by the level-four SWAT teams and the M16s carried by the army at six stars, while the AK is only carried by criminals after [=GTA3=]. Oddly, however, in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' the same sort of issue crops up: the soldiers in and around Fort Zancudo carry the Norinco Type 56-2 instead of the more appropriate [=M4A1=].

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' continues the tradition. The SPAS-12 seems to be one of the most common and widely-used shotguns in the world, second to the Ithaca 37, and both are frequently found in the hands and armories of Soviet, East German, Cuban, and Vietnamese troops. The Western 1911 is depicted as the standard-issue sidearm for every armed forces. For rifles, the Soviets should primarily be using the AK-74, with perhaps some AKM's mixed in, and the East Germans should be using their own AK variants, but instead, one of the most commonly-found weapons for both seems to be the Ak 5, a Swedish weapon that did not exist in 1981. Also seen in Soviet and East German hands are various configurations of West German [=MP5s=]. The latter might be believable, if unlikely, in East Berlin but is completely out of place carried by a Soviet sentry on a military base in Ukraine. While infiltrating said base, CIA operative Bell also carries a Chinese-made Norinco Type 63. This could be hand-waved to them trying to enforce plausible deniability by not carrying western weapons, but their partner, Woods, primarily uses [=MP5=] and [[{{AKA47}} Pellington 703]] on the same mission.

** What's funny to note about ''Modern Warfare 2'' is that ''only one of the weapons the Russians use makes sense''. This is the Dragunov SVD - and even then, it's still in its original, older wooden-furniture version, rather than the synthetic SVD-M that modern Russian forces actually use. The RPG-7 makes some sense, but even that is not the favored rocket launcher anymore, nor has it been for quite a while. Most of the other guns used by the game's Russian forces ''aren't even Russian'' -- for example, the Israeli TAR-21, the French FAMAS, or the Austrian Steyr AUG among their frontline troops, while security forces at Zakhaev International Airport use the Italian Beretta 92 and Swiss [=MP9=].[[note]]Russia ''does'' use the [=MP9=] in reality, but only among special forces in the FSB, not regular airport security -- when the FSB ''do'' show up in that mission, they've got [=MP5s=] and FN F2000s instead.[[/note]] The other ones that are Russian, such as the RPD and AK-47, have long since been replaced in military use. Still others, like the AA-12 and KRISS Vector, had ''not even been put into production'' at the time of release (and still aren't Russian, either -- both of those are ''American'').

** A well-known old school example is the prominent use of MAC-10s by future (or alien, it isn't clear) PrivateMilitaryContractors in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani "The Caves of Androzani"]], as well as the people on the Beacon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E5RevengeOfTheCybermen "Revenge of the Cybermen"]].

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetofTheOod "Planet of the Ood"]] has guards with [=M4s=] and a guy with a PPK in the 42[-[[superscript:nd]]-] century.

* There was an episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'' where an American M7 Priest (a self-propelled artillery piece from WWII), painted grey and given iron cross decals, stood in for a German AFV. They even use the Priest's gun to set off some dynamite they've wired to a bridge at one point.
--> '''Carter''': Well, I needed something to carry the dynamite in.\\
'''Hogan''': ''(indicates the tank's gun)'' That thing work?\\
'''Carter''': Yeah, and we're gonna need it, I couldn't find the detonator!

** There's also the “G18,” which is a modified Glock 17 standing in for the full-auto Glock 18. As mentioned at the top of the page, this is a common occurrence in films, and the most likely reason why the same thing happens in this game, where they can model whatever guns they want (such as [[GunsAkimbo dual]] {{sawed|OffShotgun}}-down Model 1887 shotguns [[RuleOfCool being flip-cocked after every shot]]) is that they modeled it after such a movie gun without bothering to change it at all. This sort of thing has been a recurring problem in the series, airsoft guns in particular making frequent appearances such as the ''[=CoD4=]'' "AK-74u" (based on JG's "AK Beta-F") or ''[=MW2=]''[='=]s M4 model (JG M4 S-System). Additionally, the Beretta 93R machine pistol is actually a [=92SB=] (the same gun standing in for the M9 here and in ''[=CoD4=]'') with the skeleton stock and forward grip of a 93R added on - and even for the remastered campaign released in 2020, they were able to get a proper [=92FS=] model for the M9, but still based the 93R model on it.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Played straight in ''Anime/AngelBeats'', with a group of high schoolers using realistic guns in detailed fashion. Justified by the setting being a sort of Purgatory where those who know about these weapons can re-create them. Which is hilariously subverted in episode 2 when they pull out a gigantic cannon to use against Angel, and the entire thing blows up in their face since none of them knew the mechanics of an artillery gun. Note though that, mechanically, that cannon is actually ''much simpler'' than many of the RareGuns that appear in the hands of characters.
* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is set in a future with space gates, large spaceships and advanced almost-sentient computers, yet every personal weapon seen is either very similar or exactly identical to present-day ones. Spike himself uses a Jericho 941 (entered production in 1990), Jet a Walther P99 (1997) and Faye a Glock 30 (also 1997). The anime tries to convey the idea that it's set in a somewhat realistic and retro future, so it makes sense that there are no blasters and that energy weapons are few and far between and too large for anything other than ship-based mountings (though it's never explained why Spike has a plasma cannon on his Swordfish II, when even police fighters are restricted to machine guns). You'd think personal firearms would have evolved at least ''a little''. Plenty of the weapons shown in the series were out of date even when it first started in 1998. But then again, everything in ''Cowboy Bebop'' is retro, and the setting is semi-post-apocalyptic, so it may be supposed that the development of firearms stalled while humanity expanded into space.
** It's worth noting that Spike's dated Jericho can fire in the vacuum of space. The pistol might be mundane, but the bullets are better than what you can buy today.[[note]]Bullet propellants usually contain all that's needed for combustion, meaning that normal guns should be able to fire in the airless environment of space. However, there's also nothing to convect the heat away from the gun. So, while the gun can probably get off a few shots it would quickly overheat, causing the barrel and other parts of the gun to expand, rendering the moving parts unable to move. Also, exposure to hard vacuum can cause many types of non-specialized lubrication to flash-evaporate, meaning the gun might not even fire in the first place. Space is ''not'' a good place to use most regular firearms.[[/note]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

** Hicks carries as a backup an Ithaca 'Stakeout' shotgun, and the Marines' sidearm, the VP 70, is a real, unaltered weapon with a 'futuristic' look. The ''Sulaco's'' weapon racks are also filled with unaltered modern weapons; M16s, Colt Commando rifles, and Enfield L85s. Vasquez also uses a Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol at one point. Alan Dean Foster [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on the first of these in his novelization, when one of the Marines asks Hicks if he got his shotgun [[BreakOutTheMuseumPiece from a museum]].
*** [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] for the movie says that Hicks's shotgun is a [[AncestralWeapon family heirloom passed down from his great-great-great-great-great grandfather]], who carried it in [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]].
** Bear in mind that the gun props in ''Aliens'' look suitably futuristic enough that they actually avert this trope for anyone who's not a firearms expert. The [=M41A=] has become iconic in its own right, used as the basis for numerous other sci-fi future guns despite the actual firing parts made up of a Thompson SMG (retired in 1971) and a Remington 870 (first entering production in 1951), with the most modern part being the shell of a SPAS-12 (first produced 1982) around the 870. The various other rifles on the weapon racks [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail are not really intended to be paid attention to]] - they're just to show that the ''Sulaco'' has a lot of guns on board.
* ''Film/JamesBond''

* ''VideoGame/{{Metro 2033}}'''s unspecified type of a [[HandCannon .44 Magnum]] revolver, to the point of becoming almost a RunningGag on the series' wiki. Not only is the type of bullet it uses only widespread in America, but revolvers nowadays aren't that widespread outside of the US. There hasn't been a .44 round manufactured in Russia for decades, and ''Metro 2033'' is set in [[AfterTheEnd the ravaged remains of Moscow]] in an alternate near future. The flavor text for it in ''VideoGame/MetroExodus'' explains that regular pistol calibers were no match for the mutants that started appearing after the bombs fell, so the survivors were forced to upscale their sidearms; the .44 caliber just so happened to deliver the proper stopping power in the most compact package possible.

** What's funny to note about ''Modern Warfare 2'' is that ''only one of the weapons the Russians use makes sense''. This is the Dragunov SVD - and even then, it's still in its original, older wooden-furniture version, rather than the synthetic SVD-M that modern Russian forces actually use. The RPG-7 makes some sense, but even that is not the favored rocket launcher anymore, nor has it been for quite a while. Most of the other guns used by the game's Russian forces ''aren't even Russian'' - for example, the Israeli TAR-21, the French FAMAS, or the Austrian Steyr AUG among their frontline troops, while security forces at Zakhaev International Airport use the Italian Beretta 92 and Swiss [=MP9=].[[note]]Russia ''does'' use the [=MP9=] in reality, but only among special forces in the FSB, not regular airport security - when the FSB ''do'' show up in that mission, they've got [=MP5s=] and FN F2000s instead.[[/note]] The other ones that are Russian, such as the RPD and AK-47, have long since been replaced in military use. Still others, like the AA-12 and KRISS Vector, had ''not even been put into production'' at the time of release (and still aren't Russian, either - both of those are ''American'').
** You might be excused for thinking Fabrique Nationale is a subsidiary of the Russian arms industry thanks to these games: the FN [=P90TR=] and F2000 are used exclusively by the Russians and Makarov's Inner Circle, while the FAL appears exclusively in the hands of other enemies, despite FN being a NATO supplier in reality. The P90 is a beloved PDW for NATO forces, and the F2000 is in service with Pakistan and India... neither of whom are belligerents in ''[=MW2=]''; as for the FAL, it was the primary firearm of the British Commonwealth during the Cold War, and is roughly analogous to the American M14, at one time meant to be ''the'' standard NATO rifle - so finding it in the hands of Russian soldiers is somewhat bizarre. But Infinity Ward apparently thought they looked cool, so here they are.
*** Then again, all these new weapons are possibly justifiable -- by this point, Russia has a new government, so it's possible they decided to revamp their military arsenal. And since evidence in-game points to them having been looking for an excuse to attack America before Makarov gave them one, switching over to an arsenal using the same ammo as theirs makes some sense.

* Taken UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' which features several anachronistic faults in regards to firearms shown in the game. The FN FAL in particular - commonly known as the "Right Arm of the Free World" for its use by many Western-aligned nations, including every NATO member state except the US and West Germany - is only used, of all people, by ''Vietcong'' and ''Cuban'' soldiers in single player. To the developers' credit, the second example is slightly [[JustifiedTrope justified]], since the specific model of the FAL seen in the game was part of a shipment of about 500 of these firearms, all delivered to the Cuban police. But other parts of the game return to playing this trope straight, since while the Cuban soldiers only appear in the first level of the game it's never explained why ''every other'' Soviet-aligned military present in the game uses the FAL as well (or why half of the Viet Cong soldiers armed with them also have American M203 grenade launchers attached to them); technically, the FAL was also in service as the semi-auto [=L1A1=] Self Loading Rifle with Australian soldiers stationed in Vietnam, so the argument ''could'' be made the ones encountered in Vietcong hands are simply captured rifles. It's somewhat harder to justify the highly anachronistic French FAMAS FELIN Russians occasionally use, except the FAMAS was a Russian staple weapon in ''Modern Warfare 2'' first, so it could again just be a matter of following the leader. Also, both the Soviet special forces seen in the 1968 Kowloon mission and the Vietcong in Huế City use the SPAS-12 shotgun – a firearm model from ''Italy'' which was introduced in ''[[AnachronismStew 1982]]''. The turret in the beginning of the Vorkuta level has a mounted American M249 SAW, which was made in 1984, and the player also acquires a hand-held version of the M134 Minigun, which didn't enter service until 1963 (and is also not man-portable, but [[RuleOfCool we can forgive that part]]) and finally escapes the prison on the back of a motorcycle while flip-cocking a Winchester 1887. Several campaign levels also feature the KS-23 shotgun, a 23mm riot gun that while at least actually being a Russian model (despite it like the FAL appearing primarily in Cuban and Vietcong hands - even Mason starts with it in a mission or two set in Vietnam) was not designed until 1971 and on top of that wasn't meant for actual combat use - it was a riot gun meant for keeping the peace in prisons. The closest any of these get to an actual justification is the last part of "Crash Site", where the presence of a single American China Lake grenade launcher (next to a crate full of Soviet [=SVDs=]) in a downed Soviet cargo plane is briefly and weakly {{handwave}}d as "some kind of setup". Somewhere, a firearms enthusiast is drinking themselves to death.

* ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune II''

* Creator/SethMacFarlane shows technically fall into this with pistols: all are drawn as the exact same model, but are identified as what the character in question would logically be using. For example, in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', all pistols appear as M1911s, but in one episode, Stewie identifies one held by an Army recruiter as an M9.
** Subverted in the episode ''"Family Guy" Through the Years'' during the portion set in TheSeventies. While trying to force Chris to enlist for UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, Peter mentions that he "knows war" since he stormed the beaches of Normandy. {{Cut|awayGag}} to Peter doing just that, holding what appears to be an era-inappropriate M14, [[BaitAndSwitch only for]] the beach in question to be filled with tourists and lifeguards, as Peter's narration reveals he "stormed the beach" in 1958.[[note]]Although that would still be a year too early for the M14, which entered full production in 1959, but can be excused through RuleOfFunny.[[/note]]

* Similarly, there was at least one American unit in World War 2 that got itself trapped behind German lines and ran low on supplies. They ended up having to hunt venison using captured German rifles to avoid alerting enemies to their presence. On the other side, German soldiers loved to use Allied semi-auto rifles (the M1 Carbine was particularly well-liked for its light weight, low recoil and high magazine capacity compared to anything else available at the time; the SVT-40, meanwhile, served as the inspiration for their own later Gewehr 43) and Russian submachine guns whenever they had the chance to do so, giving the [=PPSh-41=] and PPS-43 unique designations (respectively [=MP717(r)=] and [=MP719(r)=]) and even making a 9mm version of them.

** Similarly convenient for the Germans was that many of the nations they conquered in first years of the war used variants of the Mauser bolt-action rifle, which not only fired the same 7.92x57mm round as the German K98k but were similar in size and even had bolts that were interchangeable with the K98k. Likewise, Poland and Czechoslovakia used light and heavy machine guns chambered in 7.92x57mm, allowing the Germans to press all those weapons into service without any logistical problems.

* Justified in ''Lifepod'' (the sci-fi remake of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Lifeboat'') where one character is carrying a 20th century revolver because it will get through spaceport detectors that are looking for contemporary energy weapons.

* Most of the guns used by the USDF in ''Alien Outpost'' are dressed up South African Galil copies, which is all well and good. What's odd is one soldier using an [=XM177=], a weapon that went out of production in the '70s, and the German soldier pulling out a Luger P08 (which was already on the way out during World War II).

** In general, starting with ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'', players can choose from a wide assortment of weapons... such as weapons that were never used by the playable factions (such as the F2000, the [=KH2002=], and the FAMAS Surbaissé), weapons that were only designed for civilian use (like the Cobray Street Sweeper and Barrett Model 98B), and even weapons that ''never left the prototype stage'' (the MP-412 REX, Magpul PDR, and Pancor Jackhammer).
*** ''[[VideoGame/BattlefieldHardline Hardline]]'' is arguably even worse in this regard. It's one thing to imagine an experimental assault rifle in the hands of a spec ops trooper, it's an entirely different ball game imagining them being used by domestic law enforcement, let alone gang-bangers.

* Andy Rooney (who was a correspondent during WWII) once told the story of a platoon of American soldiers who came across a German weapons cache. Either out of curiosity or necessity, they equipped themselves with the best guns the Third Reich had to offer. To paraphrase: "A U.S. mortar team, hearing the familiar sound of German firearms to their flank, dropped round after round on that position until the firing stopped..."

* ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters2003'' primarily sees weapons in the hands of Soviet forces that you would expect to see: the AK-103, the SVD, the PKM, and the rarer Bizon submachine gun. But the SPAS-12 is carried by all Soviet officers, who probably wouldn't carry a shotgun of any kind, let alone such a rare and western model (It's also seen in NYPD cars and armories, where it also wouldn't be) and the only sidearm used by the Soviets is the Beretta 92. In an inversion, the streets of New York City seem completely empty of any other weapons that would normally be widely found in America, except for the occasional magnum revolver.

* ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters2003'', with its plot involving an AlternateHistory where the Soviet Union held the advantage in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar until they were able to [[InvadedStatesOfAmerica invade the US]] in 2003, mostly makes sensible use of Soviet/Russian weapons like the AK, Dragunov, PP-19 and RPG-7 - but the first gun you get to use in the game is a Beretta 92. This ''would'' make sense normally, since the Beretta 92 was at the time the American military's standard handgun, except its in-game description claims it's also a Soviet weapon, and every Soviet soldier using a handgun has one. The only shotgun in the game is also the SPAS-12 rather than any variety of Russian weapon.

* ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters'' primarily sees weapons in the hands of Soviet forces that you would expect to see: the AK-103, the SVD, the PKM, and the rarer Bizon submachine gun. But the SPAS-12 is carried by all Soviet officers, who probably wouldn't carry a shotgun of any kind, let alone such a rare and western model (It's also seen in NYPD cars and armories, where it also wouldn't be) and the only sidearm used by the Soviets is the Beretta 92. In an inversion, the streets of New York City seem completely empty of any other weapons that would normally be widely found in America, except for the occasional magnum revolver.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' features an [=M1A1=] Carbine with an anachronistic adjustable rear sight. This can likely be explained in that they had to model it after a real-live example, and M1 Carbines that both saw service in the war and escaped the upgrades afterwards are extremely rare. ''Call of Duty 2'' featured the original M1 with period-accurate sights, but now it's far rarer than it probably should be in an odd form of game balance (the devs saw that everybody used it all the time and cut it down to a very small handful of appearances to curb this, apparently never noticing that everybody used it all the time because '''they gave it''' to the player all the time).
* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'':
** During the introductory assault course, the range master has two Desert Eagles, him brandishing the chrome-plated model [[PropRecycling taken from CoD4]] before giving the player character a two-tone one (with misaligned sights, at that). Keep in mind these are US Army Rangers in Afghanistan: Desert Eagles are definitely ''not'' standard issue (nor do the Rangers use chrome-plated ''anything''), and getting caught using an unapproved firearm can land you into ''serious'' trouble. Then again, the weapon boxes he opens before you run the Pit also contain a number of weapons that aren't standard-issue - including SPAS-12s, Mini-Uzis and even the same modded AK the Russians use later in the game - and, unless you pick up something without a suppressor in a stealth-based mission, nobody ever so much as bats an eye if you drop one of your starting guns for one that someone had just been trying to kill you with. It seems that Task Force 141, like many other special forces organizations, doesn't mind too much about the use of unorthodox equipment (Soap at one point directly encourages it, asking if you "see anything you like" in the Gulag's armory), though why the player as an Army Ranger can also take guns from enemies without consequence is purely for RuleOfFun.

* ''Modern Warfare 3'' adds a Russian machine gun that's actually in use by modern Russian forces (the PKP Pecheneg - ignoring, of course, that it's meant primarily for mounted usage), but otherwise goes all-out with this trope: the new Russian military sidearm is the [[RareGuns never-produced]] (and intended for sales to ''American'' civilians) [=MP412=] REX while FSO agents use the US Government model of the FN Five-seveN, African militia favor the (conceptual) ''Peruvian'' FAD assault rifle, a flashback to Zakhaev's assassination attempt now includes [[AnachronismStew a few Remington RSASS rifles]] which [[UnreliableNarrator weren't there the first time around]], and multiplayer allows the use of both the Chinese QBZ-97 assault rifle and the Japanese PM-9 machine pistol, despite neither the PLA nor the JSDF being present anywhere in the game. For added hilarity, the aforementioned QBZ-97 (misidentified as the earlier -95), as a bullpup assault rifle that fires in bursts, serves as a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for the second game's FAMAS - despite that the GIGN are playable in multiplayer and appear in one campaign level, thus meaning it would make perfect sense for the FAMAS to return.

* In the film ''Film/ABridgeTooFar'', most of the American paratroopers (including their Colonel, played by Elliot Gould) are seen carrying the M1 carbine, rather than the modified [=M1A1=] carbine (a smaller, easier to carry weapon with a folding wire-stock) that was specifically designed for and issued to American paratroopers. Many of the M1 carbines are also seen with the post-war modifications of a bayonet lug and/or adjustable ramp rear sight. The sergeant played by Creator/JamesCaan carries a carbine with both of these anachronistic modifications.
* In ''Film/AFewGoodMen'', Kaffee notes that Lt. Colonel Markinson committed suicide with a .45, yet the scene depicting his death clearly shows him shooting himself with a Beretta; the dialogue was likely [[TheArtifact a carryover from the original stage production]], which was written before the USMC adopted the Beretta.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsColdWar'' continues the tradition. The SPAS-12 seems to be one of the most common and widely-used shotguns in the world, second to the Ithaca 37, and both are frequently found in the hands and armories of Soviet, East German, and Vietnamese troops. The 1911 is depicted as the standard-issue sidearm for Soviet soldiers. For rifles, the Soviets should primarily be using the AK-74, with perhaps some AKM's mixed in, and the East Germans should be using their own AK variants, but instead, the most commonly-found weapons for both seem to be the Ak 5, a Swedish weapon that did not exist in 1981. Also seen in Soviet and East German hands are various configurations of the AK-47 and the MP5. The latter might be believable, if unlikely, in East Berlin but is completely out of place carried by a Soviet sentry on a military base in Ukraine. While infiltrating said base, CIA operative Mason carries a Norinco Type 63. This could be hand-waved as Mason trying to enforce plausible deniability by not carrying western weapons, but his partner, Woods, primarily uses an MP5 on the same mission.

** Throughout the series, Sgt. Schultz is armed with a Krag-Jørgensen rifle. It is very unlikely that a guard at a stalag would have carried a rifle that was both long antiquated by the time of WWII and not a standard-issue weapon of the German military.

* Enemies early in ''VideoGame/SplinterCellChaosTheory'' are armed with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Individual_Combat_Weapon AICW]], a prototype weapon system that was essentially to the Australian version of the AUG as the [[RareGuns XM29 OICW]] was to the American M16. Unlike most other occurrences of this trope, however, this is actually a plot point, as after Sam overhears a guard test-firing his weapon (noting that he [[GoodGunsBadGuns thinks Kalashnikov when he thinks of guerrillas]], and has had enough of those fired at him over his life to know that what he heard was not one) he is given optional objectives for this and the second mission to find and tag weapon crates to find out where exactly small-time Peruvian guerrillas are getting such advanced hardware from.