Highwaymen

[mark5pt56]

I enjoyed it as well for all the reasons above. While I don't know the true sequence at the "stop" In the movie, he was golden in the letter of the law in regards to force. I understand he was criticized back then. But then, like my man above, they just needed it and certain latitudes are giving under the circumstances.

[sundance435]

That looks very Bonnie appropriate. I think I want one now.

Edited to ask if extended magazine tubes existed back then??

Yes, supposedly LE only from the factory. Would've had to buy at a police supply store back then. That being said, just like with Dillinger's guns, there were a lot more competent gunsmiths then and it probably would've been a fairly easy add-on. Hamer mentions Clyde using two welded-up 20 round BAR mags. In the final shootout, you can see one of the lawmen rocking a 10 or 15 round mag in (I think) a Winchester 1907. Those were supposed to be LE only at the time, too. IIRC, Dillinger had some made for his either Rem Model 8 or Win '07 (don't remember which he had). In "Highwaymen", Hamer is accurately portrayed using a Rem Model 8 and I loved that you can even see the recoil to it as he's firing.

According to this the price for a Thompson back in the day was $200 which would equal about $2600 today.

http://www.guncollectionsonline.com/tommygun.htm

I liked the gun store scene but thought "that is a heckva lot of 1935 $ sitting on the counter" while watching it.

I think it more likely Hamer got his full autos from Texas National Guard, Prison or LE sources, still made an interesting scene though. As far as the Colt Monitor only 125 were made in 1931 with 90 going to the FBI and most of the rest going to prisons and law enforcement so one being in a Lubbock gun store in 1935 is not likely.

There was a Monitor in the final shootout, but as you said, it likely came from a government agency. I was actually disappointed that he didn't ask for his Remington Model 8 in that scene. That is one awesome rifle.

Overall, I liked the movie, but I wish there'd been a little more action. They were really loose with the facts, too. Gault wasn't some drunk on a farm when Hamer approached him - he was working for Texas DPS. Some other stuff happened out of sequence, too, but I know, it's a movie. They all really hated "Ma" Ferguson, though.

This movie brought a lot of SJW-type attention to Hamer. There are some interesting stories there about his life pre and post-Bonnie and Clyde. I'm not going to pass any judgment on the man - turn of the century Texas, up through the '20's was a wild place. "Due process" was relative to the times.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Sometimes people just need to be L shaped ambushed. Sometimes all you need is a .45 and the hate.


When I have more free time I’m gonna watch it again, listen to special music, and maybe start carrying my MR762. On this free time lots of whiskey may be involved with the special music and filterless cigarettes

I really didn't know the story all that well, except for that they got put down hard on a country road- so it was nice to not know exactly what was going to happen. I did notice that nice L shaped ambush. No stupid stuff. I like how they called it the 'blind' - like they were going to hunt ducks. Any pics of how close that was to the road? They really put all their eggs in that basket.

My son was impressed with the real pictures (I assume) that ran in the credits. They mag dumped on that car that would make an NYPD cop giggle. That thing was Swiss cheese. 45ACP and 30-06 at that range, at that volume? THey would have been hamburger.

I did like the comment about the round count that was happening the fire-fights. 1000 rounds when most cops had a six shooter- ugh.

Best quote is when the kid says that main characters are supposed to over 50 kills between them- and Harrelson says that they did that in one day.

[TexHill]

During the scene where the two motorcycle cops were killed in Grapevine, a second witness observed that two men opened fire on the officers and that Bonnie remained in the car. The man that the second witness implicated was Henry Methvin. Methvin's parents would later help Hamer to kill Bonnie & Clyde in exchange for leniency for their son. By blaming Bonnie the state was able to justify killing her and not look like they were letting a cop killer get away with murder.

[Firefly]

Honestly the part that got me was Woody Harrelson saying “Manos Arribas” in a tired and dejected tone.

This was a buddy cop movie set in the 30s. It wasn’t glamorous and wasn’t all gay glorifying shootouts. It rightfully portrayed Bonnie and Clyde as murderers.

It was frontier justice in an era where men were growing ever more dependent on the lies of media.

Gunslingers amongst city cops

A breed who would be culled before they could be tamed hunting down two punks with guns.

It felt good to see them get cut down.

ETA

[Henny]

Thought the movie was great. Prior to the movie, I knew almost nothing about Hamer and Gault. It seems those two men were the epitome of the stoic, quiet professional who really did their best while keeping integrity as their guidon.

After watching it, it prompted me to do some cursory research on the two and the Texas Rangers in general. I was uniformed law enforcement on the border as well and though many things have changed in the world, some things about the border did not. I also looked up "Ma Ferguson" as I did not believe there would have been a female governor in Texas in the 1930s. Quick research mostly says she was a corrupt Democratic politician that was just a place holder for the real governor, her husband. It did say she was fiscally conservative and promoted some positive ideals that may have been uncommon then.

If your interested in doing some more reading on the Rangers, especially the early days, check out the Texas Ranger Museum. The “EBooks” on the left side have some great history too! Most I have never read. The Border was a wild place in the early days. Rangers had a tough life!

https://www.texasranger.org/texas-ra...anger-history/

[Henny]

I got to watch a Colt Monitor being fired into the caliche wall of a stock tank when I was a wee lad. The gentleman that carried it was a Texas Ranger, now passed. He donated it to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, where you can see it now.

I miss him, and I miss West Texas.

Very nice!

[mack7.62]

It's possible that Hamer's Monitor was given to him by Colt:

https://www.smallarmsreview.com/disp...darticles=1929

"In the capture and shooting of Bonnie and Clyde, along with a multitude of weapons, BAR’s and one Monitor were used. The Barrow’s gang had two BAR’s, dozens of Colt 1911s, and a variety of other lethal weapons. Captain Frank Hamer of the Texas Rangers had the Monitor (serial number C-103168) that was allegedly presented to him by the Colt Company. The gang never had a chance to use their weapons because they were “cut down” before they could react."

[Ed L.]

According to another account, the lawmen only had one BAR that was borrowed from the TX National Guard and used by Ted Hinton. I believe that the Colt Monitor that is on display at the TX Ranger museum was given to Frank Hamer at a later date by Colt.

According to the book Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde, by John Boessenecker, Ted Hinton's BAR was the only automatic used by the lawmen. Frank Hamer and two of the other men had Remington Model 8 semiauto rifles, while two other men had Remington model 11 shotguns loaded with buckshot.

[SeriousStudent]

According to another account, the lawmen only had one BAR that was borrowed from the TX National Guard and used by Ted Hinton. I believe that the Colt Monitor that is on display at the TX Ranger museum was given to Frank Hamer at a later date by Colt.

According to the book Texas Ranger: The Epic Life of Frank Hamer, the Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde, by John Boessenecker, Ted Hinton's BAR was the only automatic used by the lawmen. Frank Hamer and two of the other men had Remington Model 8 semiauto rifles, while two other men had Remington model 11 shotguns loaded with buckshot.

Hi Ed,

The Colt Monitor in the Ranger Museum in Waco was carried by Ranger Joaquin Jackson, stationed in Alpine. He carried it behind the seat of his pickup.

20170420_130222_zps7daokcqu.jpg

The museum has an exhibit for Hamer, but the Monitor is not in that display.

20170420_130836_zpsmwzh56pu.jpg

Hope that helps.

And Darryl's writing a book on the guns of Frank Hamer, we've had several conversations about it. I am eagerly looking forward to that tome. He confirmed the Remington Model 8 you mentioned, along with his usual revolver that Hamer named "Old Lucky".

When Joaquin Jackson passed, I was invited to attend the auction back in Alpine and buy some of the firearms he owned and carried. I gave serious thought to it.