JOHN DILLINGER'S PARKER

[George Lander]

I had lunch today with an old friend, and afterwards got to handle the Parker VH 12 gauge that John Dillinger carried on a sling under his coat when he was visiting the local banks. The barrels are 12 inches long and the stock was shortened by half (but later he had the cut off piece reattached). I ordered a PGCA letter today for him. He was given the gun by Melvin Purvis, the G-Man in charge of the detail that killed Dillinger outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago. The gun will eventually be put on display with other interesting guns from his collection.

Best Regards, George

[Dean Romig]

George, where will the display be and what other guns will be included in the display?

[winplumber]

I would not think this gun would be legal to have in person

[Double Lab]

George,
If i'm reading your post correctly Dillinger was given the gun by a Federal agent. That does'nt make sense.
Just wondering,
Daryl

[King Brown]

The G-man absconded with the Parker and passed it along to George's friend.

[Old and Reliable]

Originally Posted by Steve Huffman

I would not think this gun would be legal to have in person

-- Ditto the 20 gauge Ithaca auto-burglar, a NID with a unusual stock that gave a nasty recoil effect- and short no-choke barrels.

Just re-read the 1961 edition of "The American Gun' and besides covering some of the rifles and tactics involved in: The War between The States, The Boer War and WW1- they also had a full feature on the preferred weapons of the 1920's-1930's gangster and bootlegging element that the ill-advised Volstead Act of 1919 brought on the American scene (not just Chicago)

The sawed-off 12 gauge was very common, and the 1911-A-1 Colt .45 and the 1921 Thompson SMG were used a great deal- the "Tommy Gun" because so many were made and never employed in the trench warfare of WW1- so they sat in storage- you could legally buy on in `1932 $200 with detachable buttstock, magazines, cleaner and oiler for the Blish system-

But Dillinger, Bonnie Parker (did she have a VH 12?) and her partner Clyde Barrow, and others involved in the bank heist-high speed getaway scenario- preferred the great BAR- removing the front bipod, Dillinger even shortened the barrel from 24" on one he "borrowed" from an Indiana NG Armory, to better fit into his V-8 Ford--at CQC range, the .45 ACP is unexcelled, but the BAR in 30-Gov't-06 with AP loads would stop a pursuing police vehicle- and when Bonnie & Clyde died in the ambush set up by Texas Ranger Fred Hamer- many of the men were carrying BARs's--

How Dillinger got the VH 12?? Great area for research indeed.

[George Lander]

Just to clarify this before it gets confusing. G-MAN, Melvin Purvis, was presented with Dillinger's Parker by the Director, J. Edgar Hoover. Purvis later presented it to my friend and it is properly registered with BATF. The gun will, eventually most probably, be put of display at the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. The owner has, already, put much of his collection there that encompasses the "Roaring Twenties" and Carbine Williams. It is well worth a trip there to see if you are in the area and it's free (donations accepted).

Best Regards, George

[charlie cleveland]

neat storey about the parker and its former owner...even john dillinger knew a good gun when he saw one...thanks GEORGE... charlie

[Bill Murphy]

Need that serial number and a scan of the PGCA letter. Get with the program, George. I never did see the Dillinger name when copying the Parker Brothers records at Ilion back in 1998, but I was looking more for A-1 Specials and competititive shooters.

[Old and Reliable]

John Dillinger a registered owner of any gun he used? Huum- a special order sent from the Crown Point lock-up in Indiana to Meriden for a "stagecoach special Vulcan grade 12??""- Huum- I don't think so--

Melvin Purvis a real "FUBAR" type who wanted to get ahead in Hoover's new "Gang-Busters" team of Feds- Just the kind of nutcase you want in charge of planning your "special ops" missions- He got word that Dillinger and crew were up at the Little Bohemia Lodge in Northern WI- went in and shot up a Ford coupe leaving the parking lot at night, assuming it was Dillinger- Wrong-o-- It was three civilian CCC employees having a few brewskis after work- and yet Hoover kept this trigger happy idiot in the FBI-

Dillinger was, without a doubt, the smartest and the most cunning of all the gangsters extant in his era- from farm roots in IN- he tried not to keep any counter or till money in his "cowboy score" bank heists- just the stuff in the vault- so that the farmers, already pretty much screwed by the Depression and the Dust Bowls, could keep their few hard-earned dollars-

Like all evil-doers, Dillinger had an Achilles heel however- He ignored the wisdom of Don Vito Corleone, who taught that women and the men who traffic in them, are weak and can bring down a powerful man if he makes the mistake of thinking with his zipper instead of what's between his ears-

With Purvis in command, and the fabled Lady In The Red Dress as the key, they ambushed him outside the Biograph Theater, where he had just watched a Clark Gable feature- Luckily this time, no civilians were shot!