Gunsmith Builds Firearm Inspired by ‘Terminator’
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.22.14
Marked with the Cyberdyne logo and fully equipped with a cooling system, backpack battery system, and display panel, this firearm by Georgia gunsmith Len Savage bears little resemblance to any real-life gun. That, of course, was the plan. Savage, the owner of Historic Arms LLC in Franklin, based his gun off the plasma weapons used by futuristic robots in the Terminator Series.
According to Examiner columnist David Codrea, it is called the “Cyberdyne Systems 1919A-10 Man-Portable Modular Weapon System,” or “Simple Jack” for short. The name is a nod to the fictional corporation that created the sentient computer Skynet, which sets the events of the Terminator series into motion.
You are not likely to see Simple Jack in the films, however. While the Terminator movies were iconic for the host of guns utilized by Arnold Schwarzenegger—perhaps most famously the Winchester 1887 in the second installment—the design for Simple Jack came entirely from Savage. Yet it does bear a close resemblance to the General Dynamics RSB-80 Plasma Gun, as well as the M65 Smartgun from Aliens.
Historic Arms has made a reputation for itself by manufacturing semiautomatic replicas of fictional or historic firearms. The Simple Jack was converted from an old Browning 1919A1 .30 caliber machine gun and modded with a host of additional features. Among the most notable are the programmable ammo counter, spotlight, and even remote firing from a keypad. Unfortunately, the entire package—along with the battery—weighs about 88 pounds. This one-of-a-kind firearm also came with a hefty price tag, although neither Savage or the private buyer who commissioned the gun disclosed exactly how much the gun cost.
