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.