American ‘Gangster Gats’: Illicit Automatic Conversions of the Winchester Model 07 Self-loading Rifle in the 1930s

Abstract

In the 1930s, one or several ‘gangland armourers’ converted Winchester Model 07 semi-automatic rifles into automatic carbines or sub-machine guns. The former used the original .351 Winchester cartridge, extended box magazines, and commercial compensators; whilst the latter made use of the 9 × 19 mm Parabellum cartridge, modified Luger T.M.08 drum magazines, and commercial sound suppressors. These converted automatic firearms were seized from several gangs and individual armed robbers in the United States throughout the decade. The author illuminates the history of these unusual gangland weapons by tracing the technical aspects of the conversions, their origins, and their criminal use and seizure by law enforcement agencies.