The Prohibition era was a wild time in American history. Even though massive cities were being built and the country was starting to modernize with new technology, in some ways it was as if the Wild West never ended.
The Prohibition era was also a time when weapons technology was rapidly advancing and modernizing. The repeating rifles and revolvers of the Old West that needed to be cocked or chambered before each shot were gradually being replaced with semi-automatic (and fully automatic) weapons that offered cops and gangsters alike a lot more firepower than had previously been available.
Here are the 15 most iconic weapons of the American Prohibition era:
1 – Colt M1903/1908
Anyone who wanted a compact and reliable semi-automatic pistol in the Prohibition era would have been naturally drawn to the Colt 1903 automatic. This was a .32 ACP pistol designed by John Browning that held 8+1 rounds. The hammer of the 1903 is shrouded by the slide to reduce the chances of it snagging on clothing when being drawn from a pocket or a holster. Bank robber John Dillinger famously had a 1903 in his pocket when he was gunned down by law enforcement outside of the Biography theater in 1934. The .380 ACP version appeared later as the Colt 1908 and held 7+1 ponds.
2 – Colt M1911/M1911A1
The other primary semi-automatic pistol that Colt offered during the Prohibition-era was the M1911 pistol, which held 7+1 rounds of .45 ACP. The M1911 had been adopted as the standard issue service pistol of the U.S. military and was also widely used by law enforcement and gangsters as well. Colt later updated the M1911 as the M1911A1, which had a shorter trigger and arched mainspring housing to improve the ergonomics. 1911 pistols were highly valued for the stopping power of the .45 ACP round and slim design. While less common, the .38 Super round was also chambered for the 1911 and was favored by John Dillinger.
3 – Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army revolver, otherwise known as the ‘Colt Peacemaker,’ had been one of the most common revolvers in use during the Old West period and was still in widespread use during the Prohibition age. Many law enforcement officers in more rural parts of the country, for instance, were still packing the venerable Peacemaker. Even though it was technically obsolete compared to double action revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, the Single Action Army was still valued for its natural pointability and effectiveness of the .45 Long Colt or .44-40 Winchester rounds that it fired.
4 – Colt Official Police
Initially designated as the Colt Army Special, this revolver was later renamed as the Colt Official Police as part of Colt’s marketing campaign to law enforcement. The Official Police was a medium-sized .38 Special revolver that was adopted as the standard issue sidearm of the FBI and countless law enforcement departments throughout the United States in the Prohibition age. It competed directly with the Smith & Wesson Model 10 and over one million units were produced by Colt in total.
5 – Colt Detective Special
The Detective Special was another hugely successful offering from Colt. Anyone who wanted a compact 6-shot .38 snubnose revolver during the Prohibition era would have had a difficult time overlooking the Detective Special. It was in common use with law enforcement either as a backup gun or as an undercover weapon, and it was favored by many gangsters of the era as well due to how easy to conceal it was.
6 – Colt New Service
The New Service was a large-frame double action revolver that Colt produced from 1898 to 1941. It was chambered for larger calibers such as .45 Long Colt and .44 Special, and was later even offered in the powerful .357 Magnum cartridge. The New Service was favored by patrolmen and police officers who wanted a reliable handgun that could penetrate the body armor and automobiles that robbers and gangsters often used for cover, but it was also heavier to carry than the Detective Special, the Official Police, or Smith & Wesson Model 10. Over 350,000 units were produced by Colt.
7 – Smith & Wesson Model 10
The Smith & Wesson Model 10 was a medium-sized .38 Special revolver that was one of the most widely used guns during the Prohibition era by men on both sides of the law. It was famously the preferred sidearm of Al Capone. As with other Smith & Wesson revolvers, the Model 10 is easily distinguished from competing Colt guns of the period due to the piece of metal in front of the ejector rod. The Model 10 is still being made today and Smith & Wesson has produced over 6 million units so far, making it the most produced handgun of the 1900s.
8 – Thompson M1921/M1928 Submachine Gun
Perhaps the most recognizable firearm of the Prohibition age is the Thompson submachine gun in .45 ACP. The Thompson was adopted by the United States military and was also offered to the civilian market, but sold poorly because it was enormously expensive. It was notoriously used by numerous gangsters, robbers, and criminals of the era due to its high rate of fire, and law enforcement departments were forced to adopt the weapon as well in order to have comparable firepower. The Thompson fired from either 50-round drum magazines or 20-round stick magazines.
9 – Browning Automatic Rifle
Another automatic firearm originally intended for the military that found equally widespread use by the military and criminals during the Prohibition era was the Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, in the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The BAR was favored by criminals who wanted an automatic weapon that could pin down police officers and shoot at longer ranges than the Thompson could; it was infamously one of the preferred weapons of Bonnie and Clyde for this purpose. In response, the FBI began fielding the BAR as well by distributing them to their agents all over the country. The BAR held 20 rounds in its magazine.
10 – Winchester Model 1907
The Winchester 1907 was a .351 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was very popular with law enforcement during the Prohibition era who needed a rifle with decent range and a faster rate of fire than bolt action or lever action rifles. Likewise, criminals found good use for the 1907 for the same reasons. Capacity was 5, 10, or 15 rounds depending on the magazines used. Close to 60,000 units were produced.
11 – Remington Model 8
A semi-automatic rifle of the period that competed directly with the Winchester 1907 was the Remington Model 8. The 1908 was offered in the .25 Remington, .30 Remington, .32 Remington, and .35 Remington, each of which were specifically made by Remington for this gun. Like the 1907, the Model 8 was available with 5-round, 10-round, or 15-round magazines and was favored by both criminals and law enforcement. Over 80,000 units were produced in total.
12 – Winchester 1894
Lever action rifles were still in widespread use throughout the country during the Prohibition era. Not only were they widely used by civilians for sport and hunting, they were also still in service with police officers and patrolmen. While Winchester rifles of varying models and capacity were being used, the Model 1894 in .30-30 was arguably the most prolific. It was very reliable, offered decent range, and had moderate recoil.
13 – Sawed Off Shotguns
Double barreled shotguns with the barrels and stocks cut down were heavily favored by robbers and criminals of the Prohibition period. Sawed off shotguns were easy to conceal and were devastating when used at close ranges. They were also incredibly simple to operate and had minimal chances of malfunctioning in comparison to the mechanically more complicated firearms of the era.
14 – Winchester 1897
One of the most popular pump action shotguns of the Prohibition era was the Winchester 1897. Designed by John Browning, the Winchester 1897 was used by American soldiers to such great effect in World War I to clear trenches of enemy soldiers that the German government actually protested that they be outlawed in combat. Naturally, law enforcement and criminals of the 1920s and 30s were drawn to the 1897 for similar reasons; in the hands of a skilled shooter, 6 rounds of 12-gauge buckshot or slugs could be sent downrange very quickly! The 1897 is distinctive amongst pump action shotguns for its exposed hammer.
15 – Winchester 1912
Another popular pump action shotgun of the Prohibition period was the one that Winchester released after the 1897: the Model 1912. Unlike the 1897, the 1912 had an internal hammer, which makes it easy to distinguish them from one another. In terms of operation, however, the two shoguns were equally effective and were heavily favored by men on both sides of the law who wanted a repeating shotgun that would be very effective as a personal defense weapon. The 1912 was available in 12 gauge, 16 gauge, and 20 gauge.
