Guns from Public Enemies

Steve Johnson
by Steve Johnson

Lars Dalseide, of the NRA, was kind enough to sent me photos of the two of the guns used in the movie Public Enemies. These guns will be on display at the upcoming Nation Firearm Museum Movie Guns exhibit.

I was very surprised to learn that the bolt action used in the movie by G-Man Melvin Purvis was a Mauser 98 Sporter, not a Mannlicher. You can read more about the guns at the NRA Blog and on the latest episode of The Curator’s Corner (Click on the Mar 18 tab, then scroll down to “Phil Schreier; National Firearms Museum”)

Mauser 98 Sporter used by Melvin Purvis
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless used by Depp
Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson

I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!

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  • Clodboy Clodboy on Mar 22, 2010

    Damn, I was hoping to see a closeup of Dillinger's custom machine pistol - a 1911 chambered in .38 Super, fitted with a Tommy Gun's compensator and foregrip (the grand-daddy of today's armour-piercing PDWs - although in Dillinger's hands it was probably more of an "offense weapon")

  • Matt Groom Matt Groom on Mar 22, 2010

    Are these the same models of guns used by the real guys, or were they just good looking props available fore the movie? As I understand it, the pistol Purvis used to kill himself was the pistol he used to kill Dillinger.

    I didn't like the movie. I Thought it was too much a sob story about Dillinger, who was an evil, ruthless killer. A really bad guy. Purvis was a lot more interesting a character than he was made out to be in the movie.

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