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Public Enemies
The following firearms were used in the film Public Enemies:
(All screencaps are from the HD version of the trailer released March 2009)
Colt 1903 Hammerless Pocket
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) keeps a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless as a secondary sidearm, most notably as a "pocket pistol" when in hiding in Chicago after the Little Bohemia shootout.
Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer
A Colt 1903 Pocket Hammer was shipped for use in the film, but was either not used or the scene was deleted as it is never seen.
Colt Detective Special
Several FBI agents are seen with Colt Detective Specials, usually seen in their hip holsters. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is notabley seen with one holstered in several scenes.
Colt M1911A1
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) carries two Colt M1911A1 pistols kept in a cross-draw shoulder holster rig through out the film, although he rarely fires them. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) also uses one as his sidearm during the Little Bohemia shootout. "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham) also carries one as his sidearm, and notably uses it to shoot an FBI agent in the back in his apartment building. Charles Winstead (Stephen Lang) fires one during the Biograph Theater scene. While Dillinger was said to prefer .38 Super pistols in real life, there are currently no .38 Super weapons or blanks in the armorer industry, and all of the M1911A1s in the film were chambered in .45 ACP.
Colt Thompson Hybrids
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and some of his gangsters, notably "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham), and FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) use Thompson Submachine Guns guns throughout the film. One of Dillinger's Thompsons has the stock removed and is attached to a lanyard. John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke) and several other of Dillinger's bank robbers use Thompsons, Hamilton wielding two when Dillinger enters the Chicago mob's betting parlor after breaking out of the Crown Point jail. The guns used in the film were a mix of Colt M1921's (Some the same used in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) with 1928 internals, M1928A1's refinished to look like M1921's (by adding a polished blued finish) and there were some Thompson hybrids that were built out of various models. (thanks goes to Steve Karnes for the information on the guns)
Browning Automatic Rifle
One of Dillinger's bank robbers Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff) uses a Browning Automatic Rifle during several of the gang's robberies. One of Purvis' (Christian Bale) men is also seen firing a BAR during the Little Bohemia shootout. Van Meter's BAR has a notabley shorter barrel than the standard models released, although it was actually Bonnie & Clyde who favored the sawed down BARs, and not Dillinger's gang. The weapons were modified in the "Bonnie & Clyde" configuration and supplied by Gibbons Ltd. for the film.
Mauser Gewehr 1898 Sporter
Melvin Purvis fires a sporterized Mauser Gewehr 1898 when searching for "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) in Ohio. He ultimately uses it to fatally wound Floyd after taking a well aimed shot at him as he flees, making use of the double set triggers to lighten the trigger pull and make his shot more accurate.
Remington Model 8
Dillinger grabs a Remington Model 8 autoloading rifle during his breakout from Crown Point jail. These rifles are also seen in the hands of of FBI "G-Men" at the airport.
Winchester Model 1887
FBI agent Charles Winstead (Stephen Lang) fires a sawed-off Winchester Model 1887 chambered in 10 Gauge during the Little Bohemia shootout.
Winchester Model 1907
One of Dillinger's men is seen firing a Winchester Model 1907 fitted with a 10-round magazine and a Thompson foregrip during the Little Bohemia shootout. This is historically accurate since this weapon was found among the weaponry in Dillinger's crew and is seen in the famous picture. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) also comments to his fellow FBI agents how they will be issued "Winchester .351 semi-automatic rifles", which are Model 1907s. Some FBI agents are seen carrying unmodified versions in the film.
Winchester Model 1897
FBI agents and police in the film are seen carrying Winchester Model 1897 shotguns. When Billie Frachette (Marion Cotillard) is apprehended by the FBI, one of the agents is seen carrying "Trench" model with a heat shield and a bayonet lug.
Remington Model 11
Some FBI agents and one of Dillinger's gang members carry Remington Model 11 shotguns, most of which have sawed down stock and barrels. The weapon used in the film was indeed a genuine Remington Model 11 and not a Browning A5 as stated previously. The weapon used in the film was supplied by Independent Studio Services and converted to blank fire (a rather difficult process).
Dillinger's M1911A1 .38 Super "Machine Pistol"
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) carried a rather unique firearm at one point, an M1911A1 chambered in .38 Super (which would pierce the police officer's body armorer when the .45 ACP round wouldn't) which was specially modified to fire full auto, loaded with an extended magazine, was fitted with a Thompson's foregrip and a Thompson's Cutts compensator to turn it into a miniaturized "machine pistol". In the film Dillinger is sadly never seen using it, and it is only wielded in the hands of "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham), who uses it during the Little Bohemia shootout to fire out the windows and later to gun down an FBI agent before stealing his vehicle.
In the movie, the prop pistol used by Stephen Graham was built and supplied by Independent Studio Services, one of the largest rental armories in Hollywood. The gun started out as a Colt 38 Super, but it was re-chambered to fire 9mm blanks, since .38 Super blanks are practically non-existent and almost never used by film armorers. As with the real-life equivalent used by Dillinger's gang, the weapon was converted to fire automatic and given a Thompson foregrip and Cutts compensator. The 20-round magazine used in the pistol was built by welding together a pair of standard 9mm magazines. (This information was provided to IMFDB by an armorer from ISS, who also sent along the picture of the screen-used weapon seen below.)
Browning M1917
Used by soldiers outside prison keeping Dillinger.
Link of Interest
Link to the Auto-Ordnance site which has a photo of Dillinger Gang weapons confiscated by the FBI: