Movies like Bonnie and Clyde, The Highwaymen, Public Enemies, The Untouchables, and Lawless have gotten me interested in guns of the prohibition era roaring twenties, and more interestingly, the guns of the "Motorized Bandits" of the 1930's. First up is a Modified Winchester Model 1907 in .351 SLR.
In its pedestrian form, the M1907 was a revolutionary weapon for its day. A blowback-operated semiautomatic rifle, the gun broke down into two pieces for easy portage. The M1907 was a popular Law Enforcement arm and was offered in “Plain,” “Fancy Finish,” and “Police” versions. The rifle’s production run spanned half a century. In 1907 the plain version sold new for $28. That equates out to about $740 today.
Van Meter’s 1907 had been modified for the specific mission of bank robbery by legendary mob gunsmith Hyman Lebman. The barrel was shortened and fitted with a modified Cutts compensator. A Thompson vertical foregrip was fitted to the forearm, and the weapon was converted to full auto. The gun fed from an extended magazine.
Hyman Lebman has also been known as Lehman. His son Marvin espoused the Lebman spelling. Lebman was a depression-era gunsmith and leatherworker based out of a modest shop in San Antonio, Texas. A gifted tinkerer, Lebman had a well-deserved reputation for modifying weapons to make them more tactically effective. His clients included such legendary gangsters as Dillinger, Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Roger “The Terrible” Touhy, and others.
Lebman sold quite a few M1921 Thompson guns through his shop. In the heady days before 1934, the National Firearms Act machineguns could be purchased openly through the mail. It was also legal to convert weapons to full auto without any ancillary government involvement. One of Lebman’s most popular conversions was called the “Baby Machinegun.” This was a Colt M1911 pistol in either .45ACP or .38 Super converted to full auto and fitted with the vertical foregrip from a Thompson, a muzzle compensator, and an extended magazine. Lebman maintained a test range in his basement and once inadvertently loosed a burst from one of these weapons upward through the floor of his home, narrowly missing his son Marvin.
Lebman claimed he thought the sundry gangsters buying his guns were wealthy Texas oilmen who were simply firearms enthusiasts. In 1933 Lebman even hosted Baby Face Nelson, Nelson’s wife Helen, and Homer Van Meter in his home for Thanksgiving. Hyman Lebman continued gunsmithing until 1976 and died of Alzheimer’s disease in 1990. At least two of Lebman’s weapons are on display at the FBI headquarters in Washington DC as part of the Dillinger arsenal.
My Lebman 1907
In its pedestrian form, the M1907 was a revolutionary weapon for its day. A blowback-operated semiautomatic rifle, the gun broke down into two pieces for easy portage. The M1907 was a popular Law Enforcement arm and was offered in “Plain,” “Fancy Finish,” and “Police” versions. The rifle’s production run spanned half a century. In 1907 the plain version sold new for $28. That equates out to about $740 today.
Van Meter’s 1907 had been modified for the specific mission of bank robbery by legendary mob gunsmith Hyman Lebman. The barrel was shortened and fitted with a modified Cutts compensator. A Thompson vertical foregrip was fitted to the forearm, and the weapon was converted to full auto. The gun fed from an extended magazine.
Hyman Lebman has also been known as Lehman. His son Marvin espoused the Lebman spelling. Lebman was a depression-era gunsmith and leatherworker based out of a modest shop in San Antonio, Texas. A gifted tinkerer, Lebman had a well-deserved reputation for modifying weapons to make them more tactically effective. His clients included such legendary gangsters as Dillinger, Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Roger “The Terrible” Touhy, and others.
Lebman sold quite a few M1921 Thompson guns through his shop. In the heady days before 1934, the National Firearms Act machineguns could be purchased openly through the mail. It was also legal to convert weapons to full auto without any ancillary government involvement. One of Lebman’s most popular conversions was called the “Baby Machinegun.” This was a Colt M1911 pistol in either .45ACP or .38 Super converted to full auto and fitted with the vertical foregrip from a Thompson, a muzzle compensator, and an extended magazine. Lebman maintained a test range in his basement and once inadvertently loosed a burst from one of these weapons upward through the floor of his home, narrowly missing his son Marvin.
Lebman claimed he thought the sundry gangsters buying his guns were wealthy Texas oilmen who were simply firearms enthusiasts. In 1933 Lebman even hosted Baby Face Nelson, Nelson’s wife Helen, and Homer Van Meter in his home for Thanksgiving. Hyman Lebman continued gunsmithing until 1976 and died of Alzheimer’s disease in 1990. At least two of Lebman’s weapons are on display at the FBI headquarters in Washington DC as part of the Dillinger arsenal.
My Lebman 1907
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