The 1986 Miami Shootout is one of the most famous gunfights in modern history. The Miami Shootout is famous for forcing the FBI to swap to automatics and the 10mm cartridge and spurs conversations about stopping power. Instead of discussing stopping power, we’re going to look at the guns used in the 1986 Miami Shootout by both the FBI agents involved and the bank robbers.
If you aren’t familiar with the event, let’s do a 30-second rundown.
In 1986, a pair of violent bank robbers were hitting a variety of southern Florida banks and armored cars. Bank robberies are the purview of the FBI, so the FBI went to search for the bank robbers.
Eventually, eight FBI agents engaged the two bank robbers, and a five-minute shootout ensued with 145 rounds fired and resulted in the death of the bank robbers and two FBI agents with an additional five agents wounded.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. Here are the guns of the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout.
The Guns of the Miami Shootout
The FBI Agents
The agents carried a mix of issued and personal weapons, including revolvers and automatics. At the time, federal law enforcement allowed agents to carry personally-owned weapons as long as their supervisor signed off on the weapon.
Fourteen total FBI agents were out looking for the bank robbers, but only eight were engaged in the firefight. The other six who didn’t make it were packing MP5s and AR-15s in their trunks. Sadly, the FBI agents at the fight were not as well-armed. However, the guns used in the Miami Shootout were typical of Law Enforcement of the 1980s.
The Handguns
S&W Model 13
At least two Agents were carrying an S&W Model 13 revolver. This was the last revolver issued to the FBI. It was a six-shot .357 Magnum revolver. The FBI model featured a three-inch barrel and a round butt design. It was a very nice revolver and an excellent weapon. The FBI carried theirs loaded with .38 Special +P rounds.
S&W Model 459
Three agents carried the S&W 459 9mm pistol, which was pretty modern for 1986. These were double-stack, steel-framed SA/DA pistols, packing 14 rounds of 9mm. The FBI issued roughly 800 of these guns. It’s worth noting the single agent who fired the most rounds in the fight carried a 459 and fired over 20 rounds. The 459 is a very desirable weapon and is the perfect representation of the S&W 3rd Generation guns.
S&W Model 19
Agent McNeil carried the Model 19, which was similar to the Model 13 but featured adjustable sights and a full-length ejector rod underlug. It housed six shots of .357 Magnum. The Model 19 is a great representation of a medium-frame .357 Magnum fighting revolver. It’s still fairly popular and a part of the Smith & Wesson classic series as well.
S&W Model 686
Agent Mireles carried a Smith & Wesson Model 686 as his personal weapon. This was a six-shot revolver that used the larger L frame to create a bigger, heavier revolver. Bigger and heavier was often better when it came to .357 Magnums. It’s easy to control with low recoil and nice big grips. This gun was used to kill both robbers at the end of the fight.
S&W Model 36
Agent Hanlon carried the .38 Special Model 36 as a backup weapon and fired all five rounds after losing his duty revolver in the collision that preceded the gunfight. This was the classic Chief’s Special revolver. It’s the type of gun you see attached to ankles as a “just-in-case” gun.
S&W Model 60
Agent Risner carried a Model 60 as a backup revolver. The Model 60 is the stainless steel version of the Model 36. He fired a single round from his backup gun.
Long guns
Remington 870
The Remington 870 is a classic pump action shotgun that is still a popular choice among law enforcement. Two agents had Remington 870s in their cars. One was stuck in a vehicle, and the second was wielded by Edward Mireles. Agent Mireles was wounded in his left arm but still engaged with his Remington 870, wounding one of the bank robbers. Working a pump action shotgun with one hand is difficult, and it’s evident by the fact that Mireles landed only one pellet on one target.
Matix and Platt
Matix and Platt were both Army veterans who served as MPs. Neither had a criminal record before deciding to become vicious and violent killers and bank robbers. A switch seemed to flip and they went down with a ruthless fight.
Handguns
Both Matix and Platt carried .357 Magnum revolvers.
Dan Wesson Revolver
Matix carried a .357 Magnum Dan Wesson revolver, but it is unclear which specific model was used. The Dan Wesson revolvers were six-shot .357 Magnum guns and quite modern for the time. Matix never fired the revolver, but Platt did retrieve it near the end of the fight and fired three rounds.
S&W 586
The 586 and 686 are identical outside of the finish. The 586 is a large, L-frame revolver that chambered the .357 Magnum cartridge. Platt fired three rounds from this gun before being shot in the arm and dropping the revolver.
Long Guns
Both Platt and Matix carried long guns in the fight.
S&W Model 3000 Shotgun
The S&W Model 3000 was a simple pump action shotgun produced for a short period. It was a fine shotgun, but not as popular as the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Reportedly, this was a short model of the 3000, likely a riot gun variant or sawn off by the crooks. Matix fired one round of No.6 birdshot that struck Agent Manauzzi. (Agent Manauzzi lived.)
Ruger Mini 14
Platt carried a Mini 14 with a folding stock. Platt used the rifle very effectively when fighting around the vehicles. The .223 Remington rounds punching through cars and glass much better than any pistol round could. He fired 42 rounds and killed two FBI agents with his rifle.
While the rifle did give Platt an advantage, he was also shot five times and continued to fight even as his lungs filled with blood. Platt was a monster, at best.
The FBI Today
These days, the patrol rifle dominates high-risk law enforcement, and I’m willing to bet $10 that if the FBI was going after bank robbers today, they’d carry AR-15s. The standard sidearm is now the Glock 19 in 9mm. Modern 9mm defensive loads are much better than they were in 1986, so it’s not like agents are undergunned. The FBI learned a lot that day, and we haven’t seen anything like the 86 Miami shootout since.
