Frank Hamer Book Promo

[jim c 351]

Here's one for Frank Hamer fans. Jim C http://gunsmagazine.com/texas-ranger-frank-hamer/

Edited January 25, 2017 by jim c 351

[OCM]

From what I've gleaned over the years about Frank Hamer, he was a "not to screw with" guy. Old school law. The Chuck Yeager of the law enforcement world. Sure he had a Rem 8, but don't know for sure if he needed it, with holding a Colt Monitor at Barrow, being the last in line.

Also had a Colt Super 38, and holstered " old Lucky" .... Barrow was not getting away this time with Hamer in attendance. No way in hell.

This is a good read, Jim, thanks....

 

OCM

[darrylta]

As you can tell, I've been a Hamer fan for many years. I've had this book for a while, it is an easy read

with lots of detail. Sandy, your right Frank was indeed "a not to screw around with guy" :-)

The only way to escape his wrath would be to pull a Cassidy & Sundance move...get the hell out of the country.

Darryl

[OCM]

We did a timed research on the ambush. Used my 1934 Ford ( same car as Barrow had) , measured the distance and aprox elevation at the death site. Then reenacted the ambush about 3-4 times. That, and my hands on research of the original death car, came to a conclusion that Hamer apparently came around the car firing bursts into it with a Colt Monitor. There are 3-4 entry holes, in the top of the car, directly into the passenger side top. Photo evidence shows she had ( among many others ) a direct hit into her right cheek, exiting the left side of her mouth.

My call on this has been that they both were already way dead, and Hamer was going to absolutely make sure of that. No doubt.

One slug came directly thru the rear of the car, thru the middle of the passenger side- Also about 4 more directly into the rear window and into the car. This was all documented by me , with photographs,when I was allowed to personally view it.

There's a lot of stories on the ambush, who did what, who fired what. This was part of my research on the death scene.

Hamer never liked to be interviewed about this, another day at the office. That's why he was there, take the dysfunctional couple out.

 

OCM

[darrylta]

Sandy,

I've always thought a Monitor was used in the BC ambush, why wouldn't Hamer afford himself the

extra fire power if he had it in his arsenal?

There is a lot of people that are adamant that his Monitor was not used based on gun photos taken at the

ambush site. It's a shame that Hamer was such a private person, it may be that he was wary of making it public

that he had used Hoover's weapon of mass destruction on the hapless despots, as in not a "fair fight".

I guess we will never know for sure?

Darryl

[OCM]

I agree. I don't argue the Monitor fact anymore , spent a lot of travel time, money and energy on these outlaw subjects. Could be wrong sometimes, but probably right, most of the time, only to be solved with a Time Machine now. The 30s bad guys & gals always bring out the open discussions.

Photos taken at the ambush site- LOL. They should of all lined up with there guns, in front of the death car like an African Safari .

 

Barrow had to be stopped, all there was to it. Thompsons proved to not stop him. You don't bring a knife to a gun fight with Clyde Barrow.

 

Bring in the full auto, 20 round military, BARS, Monitors.................. and Frank Hamer.

 

No way in hell Barrow was going to be taken alive. As Marie Barrow told me, " only thing wrong with Bonnie, she fell in love with my brother "

 

OCM

[Gio]

On the advise from the above post I ordered the book from Amozon. I had read a little about Frank Hamer but not much about his past.

 

I started reading the book Wednesday afternoon and finished this afternoon. I could not put the book down. To me it didn't have a dull point in the whole book.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave me a lot of insite of early life in Texas.

 

Thanks for posting Jim.

 

Frank

[jim c 351]

BAR vs Thompson vs Remington 8.

Why wouldn't Frank use a BAR????

Sadly I'm not nearly as fast a reader as Frank (Gio) but one fact stuck in my mind.

Hamer apparently didn't care much for the full auto feature of the TSMG. Felt it was a danger to bystanders. Since Hamer could hit targets thrown in the air with a rifle he didn't feel handicapped with a semi auto rifle.

Maybe Gio , who finished the book, can shed light on Hamers opinion of the BAR.

Jim C

[Gio]

Jim C. ,

 

The book didn't address any more than what you brought out on why Hamer didn't like the FA guns. As you stated he was such a great shot he didn't need one. The FBI and local police that did have them didn't bother to aim just sprayed their subject and hoped it hit something. Hamer felt the FBI were just a bunch of lawyers that at that time weren't real proficient lawmen.

 

If I was as good a shot as Hamer with a rifle and his gun Lucky I would probably feel the same way.

 

Frank

[OCM]

In an isolated case, Clyde & Bonnie, the Thompson was ineffective against the 34 Ford at the Sowers ambush ( Pre Gibsland ambush ) , Clyde just drove away with bullets not penetrating the car. Lesson learned.

At the Ambush death site, 2 BARS and Hamer with a Monitor and Super 38. Bullets went right thru the 34 Ford Fordor, bodies included, which were the only spectators. Hamer totally had the weaponry figured out. If you didn't kill Clyde, he was going to nail you.

I've shot both a car and a bullet proof vest with a Super 38, a Thompson and a Winchester 351. ( didn't have my BAR that day ) . Winchester 351 and super 38 went thru, Thompson not. Fun day anyway.

 

OCM

[jim c 351]

Sandy.

The fact that a 30-06 has more penetrating power than a 45 is not in question.

The issue is,- if Frank didn't like the FA feature of the TSMG would he have liked the FA feature of the BAR.

Apparently you are convinced Frank used a BAR Monitor and not a Remington M8 . Where did this info come from?

Jim C

[OCM]

That's always been in question. My take from studying this personally, not that I'm correct, since there are Many, many versions .

 

First of all, he borrowed the Monitor from the Shreveport FBI for this particular job of ridding the public of Bonnie & Clyde. I don't recall where the two BARs came from forgot.

My personal study of the car ( I spent about an hour and a half with it ) somebody fired a large caliber pattern around the car, starting from the rear quarter panel, straight thru the rear and continuing over the passenger side, at a slight downward angle ending over Bonnie's door top. These appeared to be 4- 5-6 shot bursts best we could physically count . We came up close to 20 rounds fired or so. From what I recall, Hamer was the last in line too, car would of rolled past him to his left.

 

As far as quoting sources, don't- can't do that anymore these days as I plain don't remember after 40 years or so, and sold my crime library to the museum many years ago. A couple of the Bonnie & Clyde books have me quoted on this event, but I guess that really doesn't mean anything either.

 

Another thing, the famous Texas Ranger Museum in Waco Texas, has this Colt Monitor on display as the one Frank Hamer used to kill Bonnie & Clyde. You can find pictures of it on a easy search. I had befriended the Curator of the museum there and we had some nice conversations about that, he's now the Curator of the historical museum in Kokomo, IN.

 

This is my standard response these days to these questions about Hamer & others. I don't get a lot of this like we used to, part of history is fading away. Bottom line I just basically have forgot a lot of this stuff and where it came from, an issue of to many birthday candles.

 

So, that's my take on it Jim.

[jim c 351]

Sandy,

The first two thoughts that came to mind.

Doesn't the Texas Ranger museum also have a Remington 81 Police rifle they claim was used. A rifle made in 1948-50.

and second, if Frank was running around the rear of the car, firing a 30-06 into the car, was he not endangering Ted Hinton who was assigned to fire a BAR into the front of the car???

Jim C

[OCM]

I don't know what do you think happened ? Always like to hear different versions.

[OCM]

Classic Hamer quote about the death of Clyde & Bonnie : ( May, 1934) " We just shot the Devil out of them, that's all. That's all there was to it " .