You can see some fantastic historical collectible firearms in these Rock Island Auction Company videos, but I find the narrations of them to be a bit overwrought. Then again, they're promoting auction items, so, it's forgivable. Still...

Anyway, Clyde Barrow had this shotgun in his lap when he and Ms. Parker were ambushed in May, 1934, and it is the shotgun which appears in the famous photo of the two of them. It would be hard to top this as the premier artifact from the Public Enemy era.

With the changes made to the NFA, I think we'll see a resurgence in the A5/Model 11 Whippet. There's a lot of beater shotguns kicking around in pawn shops, old gun stores, antique stores... and in the private collections of a generation aging out from shooting. I picked up my Model 11 for under $200. The barrel on mine is cut flush with the magazine tube and I left the stock intact, but I can see why Clyde kept his so close - for the time period, that was a hell of a lot of firepower in a really handy form factor. It isn't my favorite shotgun to shoot, but mine spends more time out of the safe since I cut it down than most any other "long gun" I own. It has a charm all its own.

I've seen pictures of that shotgun before, but this is the first time I've gotten a close look like that. News to me that it took a round in the receiver. That dent and the pictures make the provenance kind of hard to argue. I'm really interested to see what it goes for.

Sure looks like Bonnie has her finger on the trigger of that Browning. !!!!

Clyde's shotgun is going to be auctioned off towards the end of this month at Rock Island in Bedford TX, 15 min. from where I live. I imagine it will go for a lot of money.

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum in Waco TX has a small Bonnie & Clyde display, along with a Frank Hamer display. They have Bonnie's sawed-off Model 11 in 20 gauge and also Clyde's Winchester Model 1901 lever action shotgun. Here are some crappy pics I took, if you're ever in Waco, a great museum to visit.

It's interesting to consider how these two and others like them from the time period led directly to the NFA, and a twist of irony that Clyde Barrow's actual sawed-off Browning A5 is NFA exempt because of its historical status. Likely Bonnie Parker's Model 11 pictured above as well.

"If I had a million dollars..."

Nice piece of history there.