Posted May 24, 2019 8:30 am by Comments

By Chris Eger

Capable emptying a 20-round magazine of .30-06 rounds in under three seconds when cyclic, the Colt Monitor could bring it when needed. (Photo: Springfield Armory National Historic Site, courtesy of Alex MacKenzie, curator)
With the 85th anniversary this week of the last time Bonnie and Clyde went for a quiet country drive, we give you the elusive yet famous Colt Monitor.
Essentially a commercial variant of the World War I-era M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle made with a few tweaks by Colt, the R80 Monitor Automatic Machine Rifle was pitched for use by police, security and prison guards. However, as it was introduced in 1931, prior to the National Firearms Act, it initially could be sold over the counter and via mail order.
In The Highwaymen, a recent Netflix film starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as the real-life former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault on their quest to stop the notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde, Costner/Hamer is shown early in the movie picking up a Colt Monitor at a local gun shop, no stamps required. He also grabs a Smith & Wesson M1917, Remington Model 11, 1903 Springfield, Thompson SMG, and other assorted goodies.

While past Bonnie & Clyde films have focused

Source: Guns.com

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