Guns of the untouchables

imjin138

imjin138

US Veteran
Joined
Mar 28, 2004
Messages
1,272
Reaction score
195
Location
Racine Wi. USA
I know in the TV show they carried Police Positives, and in real life I have a book with a photo of a 5 inch S&W M&P 38 attributed to Eliot Ness. I also have read a book by Paul Robsky the wiretap man for the group who swapped out his Army 1911 for a Detective Special.

Anyone else have any ideas of what they may have carried?
 
Register to hide this ad
I can't answer your question but I'd like to mention (for the Untouchables fans) that full episodes are available on Youtube. All of seasons 1,2, & 4 are there...don't know why season 3 is N/A. I've been working my way through them all.
 
Don't know either, but in the TV show they actually carry post war Official Police .38's with 4" barrels (the front sight is a giveaway). The gun in the opening titles is a Police Positive Special.
 
imjin138: There is an article in the January 2008 issue of guns magazine titled The Handguns of Eliot ness and the untouchables written by massad ayoob it might give you the information that your looking for.
 
Bib said:
I can't answer your question but I'd like to mention (for the Untouchables fans) that full episodes are available on Youtube. All of seasons 1,2, & 4 are there...don't know why season 3 is N/A. I've been working my way through them all.
Click to expand...

Same here, watched about a dozen episodes so far. Loved that show growing up in the 50's and early 60's. Robert Stack was one heck of a Trap/Skeet shooter as I recall.
 
One of the Thompson's originally issued out to the Chicago field office ended up years later at the Butte, MT field office. I have shot it!

Talk about a piece of history.

FN in MT
 
Evil Dog said:
Same here, watched about a dozen episodes so far. Loved that show growing up in the 50's and early 60's. Robert Stack was one heck of a Trap/Skeet shooter as I recall.
Click to expand...

I don't think I missed one show when it was on TV, always looked forward to the next one, I was totally hooked.
 
I just bought the complete series collection off Amazon.com for $136.36 including shipping. I've been watching the show on ME TV and it really brings back memories. I am 1/2 Italian and I remember when "the outfit" complained about the show type-casting Italians as bad guys. That, plus the "excessive violence" torpedoed the show. Whata shame. It was one of the best shows on TV.
I also just bought a Colt Official Police and a S&W M&P pre-model 10. I took delivery of the gun today. Geez what an awesome, high-quality gun.
I can picture it in the hands of bad guys (or good guys) very easily.
Left gun is the Colt Official Police and right gun is the pre-war Model 10.
And believe it or not, they are STILL making the shoulder holster that Eliot Ness and other lawmen used in the TV show. See it here:
A. E. Nelson Leather Co.

I plan on ordering a version for each gun. Since we have open carry in NM, I can carry it right out in the open. :D
 

Attachments

  • pix867146615.jpg
    pix867146615.jpg
    102.8 KB · Views: 118
  • pix099899230.jpg
    pix099899230.jpg
    103 KB · Views: 119
Last edited:
Good Thread

Thanks guys for all the info. This was my first time venture into the Lounge area of the forum, and right off found some firearms info on one of my favorite TV shows and actor, Robert Stack was the best.
 


Here's a shot of the Butte Tommy gun back a few years ago when the local FBI Agents were using my range to qualify. I enjoyed shooting it...WHAT a piece of History. But frankly their 10mm MP-5's with a can...were far more fun.

Any "The Untouchables" the 1990's movie fans?? I have a shot of yours truly and the cast, taken from the scenes they filmed here in MT.

FN in MT
 
Frank237 said:
Here's a shot of the Butte Tommy gun back a few years ago when the local FBI Agents were using my range to qualify. I enjoyed shooting it...WHAT a piece of History. But frankly their 10mm MP-5's with a can...were far more fun.

Any "The Untouchables" the 1990's movie fans?? I have a shot of yours truly and the cast, taken from the scenes they filmed here in MT.

FN in MT
Click to expand...

I watched the movie but wasn't that impressed with it. Robert Stack as Eliot Ness was so ingrained in me that it was like seeing someone besides Sean Connery playing James Bond. It just wasn't right. :)
I've been watching old gangster movies on YouTube. Murder Inc. with Peter Falk is AWESOME! My Untouchables video collection should arrive tomorrow. Can't wait to start watching it. YouTube also has episodes of that show. If you use one of the video capture websites, you can save them to your hard drive and burn them on DVD. Works great and NO COMMERCIALS!
 
Back in 1964-65 I was in my last year at MSU, majoring in Police Administration. In the second quarter of the year I was sent out on "field training", essentially three months of ride-along with three different agencies--local, county, and federal. For the federal I wound up with ATF in Chicago.

When I checked in I found out that there were still two guys on the pay roll from the days of Prohibition. One, Al "Wallpaper" Wolff (who I understand was an advisor on Costner's "Untouchables" movie years later) and another whose name I no longer recall. They were older than dirt--at least 70--and I was all ears.

They told me a couple of gun stories. One was when on agent was showing another his new revolver as they were driving along behind an armored car. Somewhere in the conversation they noticed that the barrel of a Thompson was pointed out the gun slot in the back door of the armored car, right at them. They promptly backed off!

The other story from these guys was that he had taken to carrying a 1911, and got involved in a shootout. He shot a guy on a set of stairs and he cried out, "You killed me!". The response came back, "That's what I'm trying to do, you ***!".

Maybe they were just trying to impress a green kid. If so, they succeeded.

My mother was raised in Chicago in those years, and she said it was one tough town. I suspect she knew what she was talking about.
 
Bib said:
I can't answer your question but I'd like to mention (for the Untouchables fans) that full episodes are available on Youtube. All of seasons 1,2, & 4 are there...don't know why season 3 is N/A. I've been working my way through them all.
Click to expand...

Can you give me the information Ilook for I would love to watch them. I loved that series.
 
Bat Guano, I know that story.

Somewhere in my library I have a paperback written by one of the Untouchables. Not Ness - Paul Robsky. The Last of the Untouchables.
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/popular-library/174-1.jpg

Anyway. In the book he told about he and his partner driving down the road, and whichever of 'em was not driving was going on and on about his new snubnose 38, and how much smaller and lighter it was than the 1911 he HAD been using. As they pull up to a redlight he pulled it out of his shoulder holster to show it to the driver. The driver says, "Drop it", and he dropped it to the floorboards, then turned and looked out the side window. They are sitting next to an armored car, and a Thompson snout is sticking out the gun port. Light turned green and they made a left and went away quickly. :D

I always thought that was a neat story.
 
Deputy said:
I just bought the complete series collection off Amazon.com for $136.36 including shipping. I've been watching the show on ME TV and it really brings back memories. I am 1/2 Italian and I remember when "the outfit" complained about the show type-casting Italians as bad guys. That, plus the "excessive violence" torpedoed the show. Whata shame. It was one of the best shows on TV.
I also just bought a Colt Official Police and a S&W pre-war model 10. I took delivery of the Model 10 today. Geez what an awesome, high-quality gun.
I can picture it in the hands of bad guys (or good guys) very easily.
Left gun is the Colt Official Police and right gun is the pre-war Model 10.
And believe it or not, they are STILL making the shoulder holster that Eliot Ness and other lawmen used in the TV show. See it here:
A. E. Nelson Leather Co.

I plan on ordering a version for each gun. Since we have open carry in NM, I can carry it right out in the open. :D
Click to expand...

Not totally sure about the OP, but your S&W is a postwar item. The curved hanmer should have told you that immediately! This gun was certainly not made before 1948 and may well date from the 1950's. It has the postwar shorter action. The blue finish is also usually a lot duller than the brighter blue on prewar guns, and the stocks differ.

For $10, you could order most postwar guns with a better polished blue finish, and a special Bright Blue was routine on the .357 Magnum (Model 27 after 1957) and the Combat Magnum/M-19. After about 1955-57, they began using a better finish again on service guns, excepting the Highway Patrolman/M-28.
 
Texas Star said:
Not totally sure about the OP, but your S&W is a postwar item. The curved hanmer should have told you that immediately! This gun was certainly not made before 1948 and may well date from the 1950's. It has the postwar shorter action. The blue finish is also usually a lot duller than the brighter blue on prewar guns, and the stocks differ.

For $10, you could order most postwar guns with a better polished blue finish, and a special Bright Blue was routine on the .357 Magnum (Model 27 after 1957) and the Combat Magnum/M-19. After about 1955-57, they began using a better finish again on service guns, excepting the Highway Patrolman/M-28.
Click to expand...

Welllll...I guess that depends on WHICH war you are talking about. Mine is pre-Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War. :D
From what I've been able to find out, it was made 1948-52, based on Serial Number. And there were certainly gangsters as well as police using them back then. Doesn't lessen the mystique of the gun.
 
Deputy said:
Welllll...I guess that depends on WHICH war you are talking about. Mine is pre-Korean, Vietnam and Gulf War. :D
From what I've been able to find out, it was made 1948-52, based on Serial Number. And there were certainly gangsters as well as police using them back then. Doesn't lessen the mystique of the gun.
Click to expand...

Well, no. But it DOES mean that it isn't precisely the model used by the Untouchables in real life. I thought you were under that impression.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chief38
Apparently Hickok45 no longer gets his guns from Bud's - now uses Gallery of Guns
2 3
Replies
44
Views
3K
smoothshooter
S
J
My Rant of the Day
Replies
9
Views
366
Yendor357
Y
LVSteve
For the fans of old tractors
2
Replies
23
Views
774
glowe
glowe
pantannojack
Beware the finders of lost friends
Replies
16
Views
833
CalifEd
C
lkabug
Year of the Snake
Replies
5
Views
358
lkabug
lkabug

Latest posts

Back
Top