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.

Very interesting that the ATF would suppose a value in their official letter exempting this importing historical item.

I am waiting for the engraving rule to go away to cut my A5 even further. Found a 30” with a bungee barel next to free a while back and chopped the wrecked barrel cutting another 3-4” off would be a cool chopper

I'd love to have one of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer's firearms, even if it wasn't used in the shooting of those two pieces of shit. The provenance would be worth it. A few months ago, the same auction house sold some firearms from the collection of the late General Norman Schwarzkopf. Some of those pieces were reasonably affordable.

I haven't heard a "sawed off" shotgun called a "whippet" in decades.

I have a Remington 11 from 1926 with a 26 inch modified choke barrel. It's my favorite hand thrown clay gun. Easy on the shoulder, easy to point, and runs like a sewing machine.

Sold at 850,000.00; 1,000,000.00 with all fees.

Wow!!

Thanks for sharing this Para. What a neat piece of history.

One of Hamer's posse members at that final shootout had been a lawman in Bonnie's hometown. She was a waitress in a local diner and he had known her before she took to a life of crime.

I actually have a 922r denial letter from the ATF from about 20 yrs ago where I was hoping to make a SBS A5. I recently looked at the letter and thought about sending it back for a formal reconsideration based upon the state of everything. I have an old beater barrel waiting to be cutoff if I could legally do it.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
I actually have a 922r denial letter from the ATF from about 20 yrs ago where I was hoping to make a SBS A5. I recently looked at the letter and thought about sending it back for a formal reconsideration based upon the state of everything. I have an old beater barrel waiting to be cutoff if I could legally do it.

What was their reason for denial

I would need more USA made parts which are impossible to find for a Miroku Browning Auto-5 light 12.

So the video at the top says the auction house worked with the ATF to have the shotgun removed from the restrictions of the NFA... I didn't know that was possible. I assume the ATF just says "this is now a standard, legal shotgun that doesn't have to be registered as an SBS"? Wild

quote:

Originally posted by 1KPerDay:
So the video at the top says the auction house worked with the ATF to have the shotgun removed from the restrictions of the NFA... I didn't know that was possible. I assume the ATF just says "this is now a standard, legal shotgun that doesn't have to be registered as an SBS"? Wild

Yes. If you go to the Rock Island Auction page for it, they posted the ATF exemption letter in the gallery of photos.

https://www.rockislandauction....uto5-whippet-shotgun

Basically, the ATF ruled that because of its historical provenance and value to collectors, it is primarily a collectors item and is not likely to be utilized as a weapon, and therefore was granted an exemption from the NFA.

26 USC 5845(a) allows for just such an NFA exemption, stating that for the purposes of the NFA:

quote:

The term "firearm" shall not include an antique firearm or any device (other than a machinegun or destructive device) which, although designed as a weapon, the [Attorney General] finds by reason of the date of its manufacture, value, design, and other characteristics is primarily a collector's item and is not likely to be used as a weapon.

There are a bunch of other NFA exemptions granted over the years as well, from individual collector items like this specific shotgun up to entire models and model families.

For example, there was a broad exemption granted for original combination holster/stocks for Mausers C96 and FN/Browning Hi-Power handguns. Because of their status as collectors items these were removed by the ATF from the NFA, and attaching an original or reproduction original-style stock to those does not make a SBR nor do they require registration, even though normally attaching a stock to a handgun does.

Or the various Marlin and Winchester "Trapper" model lever rifles from the late 19th and early 20th century that have 14" and 15" barrels but were granted an NFA exemption so are not required to be registered as SBRs.

Thank you.

Minor thread drift:

Rock Island Auction has/had a facility in Milan IL, next to the city of Rock Island, but last I heard they moved most of their inventory to TX.

Gee, why would a gun company leave IL...

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