For fun discussion, and without starting any Hatfield or McCoy Fueds...

I reciently saw a movie on John Dillinger...

The "bad" guys had Thompsons with 50 and 100 round drums, sometimes when the drums ran out they reloaded with 20 round stick magazines...
And some bad guys had 30/06 BAR's...

Same for the Law Enforcement people...

So my 2 questions to you are...

If, you are the Bank Robber which do you prefer???

If you are the "Cops" which do you prefer???

And WHY???

Remember, this is just for fun discussion...

I'll bet not too many have carried a Thompson with a fully loaded 100 round drum, they weigh a lot. So do BAR's, but a Thompson with a 20 or 30 round straight magazine would be the most maneuverable, in a very relative way, and probably a lot faster in close quarters.

I had one of the early 1927A-1 semi-autos Auto-Ordnance put out in the early 1980s. Nice gun. I was an idiot to sell it. It weighed thirteen pounds with a loaded 30-round stick magazine. A hundred-round drum would probably weigh another five pounds.

A bandit would probably prefer the stick for ease of handling, what with jumping in and out of those Model A Fords. A cop would probably prefer the drum for sustained firepower once they caught up to Bonnie and Clyde...

Assuming the role of the criminal:
Thompson for going in and out of banks with 50 round drum and several 20 round mags in a bag. With a two person team, the objective is to get in and out fast.

BAR for in the car and in the hide out. The cars back then had thicker steel. The 45ACP had issues penetrating cars when it hit at odd angles.

As the cops:
You are almost always caught on the defensive. You carry a 1911, and lock a BAR and shotgun and bolt rifle in the vehicle. The 1911, because it is small and light enough to ALWAYS have it. the BAR in case you end up in a pitched battle (or you think you will use it in a vehicle chase). Bolt rifle, because if you get a chance to take a precision shot you will need it.

well - bar's always work, but many of the drum mags on a thompson don't. other than that thompsons are very reliable too. many of the villians of that era carried bar's as did the guys with white hats. they were cheaper and more obtainable than the very expensive thompson

Clyde Barrow preferred the BAR, certainly an awesome weapon with tremendous firepower.

http://texashideout.tripod.com/guns.html

BAR with armor piercing for shooting up the cars chasing you.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
BAR with armor piercing for shooting up the cars chasing you.

My understanding, from what I have read, is that is precisely why Clyde Barrow liked it, with armor piercing bullets it would shoot right through an engine block.

That shotgun looks like a Browning. Is it?

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:
That shotgun looks like a Browning. Is it?

Browning designed it.
Sold the design to Remington.
Remington was making it at that time.
Then Browning (the company) started making them.

So....Yes it is a Browning Design, but it was made by Remington.

quote:

Originally posted by ddunn:

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:
That shotgun looks like a Browning. Is it?

Browning designed it.
Sold the design to Remington.
Remington was making it at that time.
Then Browning (the company) started making them.

So....Yes it is a Browning Design, but it was made by Remington.

Precisely, Remington Model 11. Clyde obviously had fine taste in firearms.

I have an AK-47, w/ Bulgarian 75 rd. drum mag. That's the "Goldilocks Compromise" between the two.

Someone on the forum must have knowledge of guns used in the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.That was serious SD when you NEVER were without a gun !!
IIRC the 45acp was a favorite in a 1911 or Thompson. Anyone remember ?

quote:

Originally posted by ddunn:

quote:

Originally posted by homebrewer:
That shotgun looks like a Browning. Is it?

Browning designed it.
Sold the design to Remington.
Remington was making it at that time.
Then Browning (the company) started making them.

So....Yes it is a Browning Design, but it was made by Remington.

John M Browning sold the patent to FN of Belguim the Rem M-11 was made on license of the Browning patent but Rem did not own the patent, parts were not interchangable between the Browning and Rem. FN manufactired the guns sold under the name Browning

The Thompson for robbing banks and the BAR for
most everything else.

Chasing criminals I would take the BAR.

For anything but actual robbery (due to concealability, and I use the term very loosely) the BAR has it all over the Thompson which has a high rate of non-selective fire, usually a very poor trigger and limited range.

At gun fight range both work, with the clear edge going to the Thompson due to lighter wt (and again I use the term "lighter" very loosely, a Thompson, even with a 20 round magazine is like carrying a junior boat anchor around) and more maneuverabilty but for anything else take the BAR and kill the Tommy gun carriers before they can get into range. Frankly, at real gunfight range, a trained guy with a 1911 would easily kill both of the automatics, given an even draw.

Gatogordo

I see your modern Logical thinking.

And I am a confirmed 1911 freek.

But I have also shot a Thompson [and a BAR] quite a bit as well.

NOTHING avialable back in the day, hand held, had as much "firepower" up close as a Thompson with a 50 or 100 round drum.

For vehicle suppression, cover busting, the 30/06 BAR with AP was Supreme as well.

That is all I will say, till I give my choices...

Really hard to use all that firepower UP CLOSE when you've got a couple of .45 holes in you chest and head.