I just finished a book called “The Epic Life of Frank Hamer – The Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde.” I knew Hamer from the Bonnie and Clyde ambush and all the subsequent movies, but I never knew his long history before the ambush. This man was a lawman to his core, and the Bonnie and Clyde ambush was really a small bump in an epic life. Today we are going to examine Frank Hamer and his guns in detail.
Who exactly was Frank Hamer? Besides being the lawman who got Bonnie and Clyde, he served in a variety of law enforcement roles for 40 years. He fought in 52 gunfights, including an assassination attempt in which he and his wife shot it out with two thugs. He led the charge against the Ku Klux Klan and, over time, saved 15 people from lynch mobs.
He has a star in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. He was wounded 17 times in his life and left for dead four times. In 1939 at the age of 55, he and 49 other retired Texas Rangers offered the King of England their services in case of Nazi Invasion, although the king didn’t take the Rangers up on the offer.
Hamer saw a lot of change during his career. He began his time as a law enforcement officer during a time when the wild west was becoming a bit tamer, but not fully. He saw the rise of modern firearms and was apparently never shy about adopting better technology when needed. Let’s dive into his favorite firearms of note.
Frank Hamer’s Hammers
Colt Single Action Army in .45 Colt
Historians agree that Frank’s favorite handgun was a classic Colt Single Action Arm in .45 Colt. This was likely the type of gun he cut his teeth on as a Texas Ranger. This is one of the most famous guns of the old west and arguably one of the best revolvers of its time. Hamer’s Colt had a 4.75-inch barrel and featured beautiful engraving. He nicknamed the revolver Old Lucky.
Smith and Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century
Smith and Wesson didn’t believe in brevity in the 1900s, and this revolver is more commonly known as the Triple Lock. This was a modern double-action revolver chambered in .44 Special. Hamer famously carried one in 1917 in Sweetwater, Texas. Two assassins by the names of Gee McMeans and Red Phillips attempted to kill Hamer and his wife, Gladys. Hamer was shot in the thigh and shoulder during the ambush and eventually wrestled with McMeans over his 1911.
Gladys used a Colt Pocket Auto to return fire and keep the second killer off her husband. Eventually, both killers came at a wounded Hamer with shotguns, and Hamer drew his Triple Lock from his holster and put a round through Mceans heart, killing him instantly. Phillips fled but was later captured.
The Triple Lock was declared the finest revolver ever made by Elmer Keith. The new .44 Special round was big, heavy, and powerful. The weapon would be a resounding success for S&W.
Colt 1911 .38 Super
When he began hunting for Bonnie and Clyde, Hamer reportedly invested in a Colt 1911 .38 Super pistol. This was a very modern choice, and it’s easy to see why Hamer chose the pistol. The .38 Super had a great reputation for zipping through the windows and doors of early automobiles, and Bonnie and Clyde were motor bandits.
Plenty of criminals and police chose the .38 Super prior to the invention of the .357 Magnum. The bullet was quite fast for its time and, with the right projectile, punched through hard cover better than most calibers of the era. Hamer reportedly wore the .38 Super and Old lucky on his Bonnie and Clyde Manhunt.
Winchester 1894 in .30-30
In 1906 Frank Hamer was a young Ranger under the command of Captain Rogers. They had heard a local sheepman was missing after paying $4,500 dollars for a flock of sheep to a man named Ed Putnam. A short while later, another stockman disappeared, and the sheepman was found shot dead. The Rangers and local sheriff tracked Putnam to a brothel, and he refused to leave, so the Rangers opened fire on the building.
Hamer covered the back and held his fire. When Putnam put a pistol out the window to fire, Hamer fired first, hitting Putnam in the head and killing him. His rifle of choice was the classic Winchester 1894 in .30-30. This lever gun is another relic of the old and dangerous west. An appropriate weapon and arguably the patrol rifle of the era.
The Model 1894 was one of Winchester’s finest rifles and possibly their most popular.
Various Remington Model 8s
Time passed, and technology improved, and it appears Frank was not one to use an old gun out of habit. His favorite rifle was arguably the Remington Model 8. This recoil-operated, semi-automatic rifle was quite the weapon for the era and offered rapid follow-up shots. An internal magazine held five rounds, and there were extended magazines made custom for law enforcement. It doesn’t appear that Frank owned any of these extended magazines. Frank owned several Model 8s throughout his career in numerous calibers.
Frank used a Model 8 to kill murderer Rafael Lopez near the Rio Grande. Lopez was quite the shot and reportedly grazed Hamer’s face before Hamer hit him in the heart. He used a Model 8 to kill Encarnacion Delgado. Delgado had killed a Ranger in front of Hamer, and in a flash, Hamer put five .25 Remington rounds into his chest.
In 1934 when hunting, Bonnie and Clyde Hamer acquired a Remington Model 8 in .35 Remington. This heavy cartridge through a 200-grain round at 2,000 feet per second and transferred nearly 2000 foot-pounds of energy. The bigger caliber would do more against the vehicles of the bandits. He was right, as this was the rifle he wielded when ambushing the two murderous lovers.
The Man and the Legend
Frank Hamer was said to be a calm and cool man in a fight. He had a steady aim and impressive marksmanship skills. His long career was punctuated by violence and gunfights, and he held his own time after time. He adapted and evolved with the times, and it likely kept him alive. If you need a reading suggestion, “The Epic Life of Frank Hamer – The Man Who Killed Bonnie and Clyde” is a wonderful book. There is so much more to Hamer and his life that’s worth reading about.
