John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) carries two Colt M1911A1 pistols kept in a leather crossdraw shoulder holster rig throughout the film, although he rarely fires them. In the second bank robbery, he is seen training one of them on the bank manager as he opens the vault and the other on the lobby. Several of his gang members also carry and use them, including Harry "Pete" Pierpont (David Wenham), Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff), Walter Dietrich (James Russo), Charley Makley (Christian Stolte), and "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham). Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) reaches for a nickel 1911 when he is shot down in an Ohio field, but Purvis kicks it from his hand. The pistols used by the prison escapees (most of Dillinger's gang) in the opening scene are 1911s smuggled into the prison by Dillinger. FBI agents such as Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) and Charles Winstead (Stephen Lang) also fire 1911s, during the Little Bohemia and Biograph Theater scenes respectively.
While Dillinger was said to prefer .38 Super pistols in real life, there are currently no .38 Super blanks in the armorer industry, and all of the M1911A1s in the film were chambered in .45 ACP, except for the machine pistol. In the actual screenplay, the pistols are said to be "Colt .45 automatics".
Special
On the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology", Johnny Depp talks about his weaponry, including two ".45s".
Colt Model 1902
John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke) fires a Colt Model 1902 at vigilantes and police during the Sioux Falls robbery after his Thompson runs out of ammunition.
Special
Hamilton's pistol during the Sioux Falls robbery is best seen during the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology".
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
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. It is also seen when he places it down on a hotel room table in Tucson, earlier in the film. The script describes it as a "Colt .380 automatic", which was the pistol Dillinger was supposedly carrying the night he was killed on July 22, 1934.
Colt Official Police
The FBI agent who beats Billie Frechette, Harold Reinecke (Adam Mucci), carries a Colt Official Police. An Official Police is also seen inside the gun safe in the Crown Point jail.
Several FBI agents are seen with Colt Detective Specials, usually seen in their hip holsters. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is notably seen with one holstered in several scenes.
Colt New Service
A Colt New Service revolver with a 5 1/2" barrel is seen in a man's hand before Nelson opens fire on him in Sioux Falls.
Smith & Wesson Military & Police
The Tucson policeman who removes Dillinger's handcuffs after he is arrested in the hotel has a very early production Smith & Wesson Military & Police revolver in his holster. It has the rounded hard rubber grips only used between 1899-1905.
Smith & Wesson Model 10
When Purvis tells FBI agent Carter Baum (Rory Cochrane) to wait in the alley when going to arrest Nelson in the apartment building, Baum draws a Smith & Wesson Model 10 that he later uses to fruitlessly trade shots with the Thompson-armed Nelson. Several other FBI agents are seen with Model 10s.
Special
On the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology", a Racine police officer is seen firing a Model 10 at the Dillinger gang from behind the car. In the actual film, this shot is too far away to tell what model of revolver he is using.
Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol & Automatic Rifle
Colt Thompson Hybrids
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and several other of his gang members, notably "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham), Harry "Pete" Pierpont (David Wenham), and John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke) have Thompsons, sometimes seen with the stock removed with a lanyard attached. Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) carries and fires one as he is being pursued by Purvis. During the breakout from Crown Point jail, Dillinger hands a Thompson to Herbert Youngblood (Michael Bentt). FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) also uses a Thompson in several scenes. During the Little Bohemia shootout, there was a continuity error with Purvis' Thompson. He starts out with a drum magazine, but when reloading, continuity errors show him instantly switching to a stick magazine.
The guns used in the film were a mix of Colt M1921s (Some the same used in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) with 1928 internals, M1928A1s refinished to look like M1921s (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)
Deleted Scenes
Although featured in the trailer, some shots of Dillinger riding on a getaway car's running board holding a Thompson didn't make it into the final cut of the film. Based on the clothing and the fact that this scene appears in the script but not the film, it can be deduced that these scenes were supposed to be the gang's getaway from the Greencastle bank robbery (the second one shown in the film).
Special
On the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology", Johnny Depp and director Michael Mann both talk about the Thompson, with Depp referring to it as a "1921 Thompson" and how it should be aimed and fired like a rifle, rather than fired from the hip.
Dillinger's Colt .38 Super "Machine Pistol"
John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson owned a rather unique firearm at one point, a Colt Government Model chambered in .38 Super (which would pierce body armor when the .45 ACP round wouldn't) which was specially modified by gunsmith Hyman Lebman (also referred as Hyman S. Lehman) to fire full auto, loaded with an extended magazine, was fitted with a Thompson's fore-grip 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. The Colt "machine pistol" used in the film was a Colt Government Model originally chambered in .38 Super that was converted to 9mm to fire blanks. Note before the the Colt Mark IV Series 70 Government Models, Colt 38 Supers were not classified or marked as "Government Models". Since they aren't that common in the film industry it's easier to list them under Government Model.
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' FBI men is also seen firing a BAR during the Little Bohemia shootout. Van Meter's BAR has a notably 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. In a documentary about the film, Dorff joked that handling the weapon one-handed often felt like it weighed seventy five pounds.
Trivia: The screenplay called for Van Meter to use a .351 Winchester rifle during the Racine bank robbery. Although he doesn't use it in this scene, Van Meter is later seen with a .351 Winchester during the Sioux Falls robbery.
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On the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology", Michael Mann and Stephen Dorff both talk about the heavy BAR and its use by Dorff in the film.
Rifles & Carbines
Mauser 98 Sporter
Melvin Purvis fires a half-stocked Mauser 98 Sporter 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. This is a German-style purpose-built sporter with a ribbed barrel, express sights and a flat "butter-knife" style bolt handle, and not a converted military rifle. It is not, as some have suggested, a Mannlicher-Schonauer, though they were quite popular among sportsman of the era.
Trivia: Floyd was killed after Dillinger had died. However, Floyd's death scene mirrors the FBI's account - that Floyd was shot at long range by a sharpshooter, fell, and died.
The screenplay reads: "[Purvis] carries an 8mm Mauser sports rifle with a slim fore-stock and wrist and a turned-down bolt handle. It's the best rifle made in 1933."
M1903 Springfield
Some of the Indiana State Prison guards at Michigan City carry M1903 Springfield rifles, as do soldiers guarding the streets outside Crown Point jail several months later. These are not, as previously suggested, 1940s-era M1903A3s, but the correct M1903, identified by it's humped upper hand-guard. A vigilante in Sioux Falls is also briefly seen with one.
U.S. Krag 1898
The uniformed Ohio police officers aiding in Purvis's pursuit of "Pretty Boy" Floyd carry US Krag rifles, most likely M1898s. Similarly, a plainclothes guard is seen carrying an M1898 Krag carbine when Dillinger leaves his interview at the jail.
Remington Model 8
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) grabs a Remington Model 8 autoloading rifle during his breakout from Crown Point jail. These rifles are also seen in the hands of several FBI agents and policemen.
Winchester Model 1907
After Dillinger breaks out of Crown Point, a customized Winchester Model 1907 with a ten-round magazine and a Thompson fore-grip enters the gang's armory, with Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff) using one during the Sioux Falls robbery and Ed Shouse (Michael Vieau) firing it during the Little Bohemia gunfight. This is historically accurate since this weapon, built by gunsmith Hyman Lebman, was found among the weaponry in Dillinger's crew, seen in the photo linked from this article. John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke) aims a Winchester at the mobster at the farmhouse after Dillinger's prison break. Earlier in the film, Purvis also tells his agents that they will receive, in addition to Thompsons and B.A.R.s, .351 Winchester semi-automatic rifles, most likely referring to the Model 1907.
Winchester Model 1892
Winchester Model 1892 rifles are used by prison guards at the Michigan City prison. One is also used by a vigilante to graze Dillinger in the shoulder during the Sioux Falls bank robbery botched by "Baby Face" Nelson. The screenplay states this vigilante to be a deputy with a .44-40 Winchester.
Winchester 1894
Court officers in Crown Point carry Winchester 1894 rifles during Dillinger's arraignment in Crown Point.
Shotguns
Winchester Model 1897
Many lawmen use the Winchester Model 1897 pump shotgun throughout the film, including the two FBI agents, Carter Baum (Rory Cochrane) and Warren Barton (Madison Dirks), who are right behind Purvis as he chases Floyd through Ohio. Many of Dillinger's guards upon his arrival in Crown Point also have Riot and full-barreled versions.
Winchester Model 1897 Trench
When Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) is apprehended by the FBI, one of the agents is seen carrying Winchester Model 1897 "Trench" model with a heat shield and a bayonet lug.
Winchester Model 1901
FBI agent Charles Winstead (Stephen Lang) fires a sawed-off Winchester Model 1901 chambered in 10-gauge during the Little Bohemia shootout. The script called for a "pump action 10-gauge", but Winstead in the film used the lever action Winchester 10-gauge.
Special
On the DVD featurette "Criminal Technology", Stephen Lang talks about the Winchester 10-gauge lever action shotgun, referring to the weapon's looks and how it's the perfect weapon for the character of Charles Winstead.
Remington Model 11
John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke) uses a sawed-off Remington Model 11 as his primary weapon during the film's early scenes, such as the Indiana State Prison break and the Racine bank robbery. The lead Tucson policeman arresting Dillinger and several FBI agents also have Remington Model 11 shotguns, mostly with sawed-down stocks and barrels.
Machine Gun
Colt Model 1922 Machine Gun
Army soldiers guarding the streets during Dillinger's Crown Point jail escape are seen manning a Colt Model 1922 Machine Gun.
Miscellaneous
"Wooden Gun"
John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) crafts himself a "Wooden Gun" that he uses to break out of Crown Point jail before several guards realize it was fake. It has been confirmed that the real Dillinger did escape using this method, although the number of guards he took hostage likely differs from the number seen in the movie.
Trivia: Two of Dillinger's first accomplices, Pete Pierpont and Charles Makley, attempted to copy Dillinger's escape method in September 1934 by carving fake guns from bars of soap and painting them black. Their attempt failed with Makley being killed and Pierpont receiving the electric chair a few weeks after the attempted escape.