Ever try Dillinger "Whippet" carry?

That's the way the Secret Service carried their UZI's back in the 70's. Don't know what they do these days. Of course it required an overcoat of some type, so summer carry didn't work.

Bonus points for having pass-through pockets in the overcoat, so your hand can be on the gun.
I recall reading that one method was to hang the short shotgun by a ring at the balance point, so it would naturally swing muzzle forward

Dr.Rob said:

Secret service used a Desantis rig. The uzi was secured on a swivel under the arm but could be unsnapped.

I understood whippet was a bonnie and clyde term, Dillinger never used a BAR that I can think of. The Barrow gang modified a lot of weapons.

I suspect whippet might have been a generic bank robber term for a sawed off repeating shotgun

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Dr. Rob has it. I believe Dillinger was a Thompson and 1911 man. He even had a guy in San Antonio build a 1911 machine pistol.

The whippet was popularized by B&C. No, I haven’t tried it with an AR pistol. I just don’t have a coat that would be suitable for it, due to prevailing climate where I live.

I saw some Secret Service guys with overcoats on once. On a tin rooftop. In Texas. In July. True story.

Sovblocgunfan said:

Dr. Rob has it. I believe Dillinger was a Thompson and 1911 man. He even had a guy in San Antonio build a 1911 machine pistol.

The whippet was popularized by B&C. No, I haven’t tried it with an AR pistol. I just don’t have a coat that would be suitable for it, due to prevailing climate where I live.

I saw some Secret Service guys with overcoats on once. On a tin rooftop. In Texas. In July. True story.

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More info from IMFDB's page for Public Enemies:

The real Dillinger and Nelson each owned a rather unique firearm at one point, a Colt Government Model chambered in .38 Super (which would pierce body armor when the .45 ACP round wouldn't) which was specially modified by gunsmith Hyman Lebman (also referred as Hyman S. Lehman) to fire full auto, loaded with an extended magazine, was fitted with a Thompson's fore-grip and a Thompson's Cutts compensator to turn it into a miniaturized "machine pistol". In the film Dillinger is sadly never seen using it, and it is only wielded by Nelson, who uses it during the Little Bohemia shootout to fire out of the windows and later when shooting Agent Carter Baum (Rory Cochrane). The Colt "machine pistol" used in the film was a Colt Government Model originally chambered in .38 Super that was converted to 9mm to fire blanks. Note before the the Colt Mark IV Series 70 Government Models, Colt 38 Supers were not classified or marked as "Government Models". Since they aren't that common in the film industry it's easier to list them under Government Model.



Dillinger's actual machine pistol.

One of the few photos of Clyde Barrow's Whippet gun is one of the photos of Buck Barrow.., you can see the Whippet attachment in this photo on the shotgun in front of the car..



What is neat is if Buck Barrow did not set so low to the ground the whippet attachment would not be visible. In the same photo shoot you can see Clyde Barrow kneeling in front of the car. But the the photographer centered the shot cutting out the Whippet attachment.

If I was a bank robber and expected frequent run-ins with the law and other armed individuals with armored vests I might consider such a method of carry. Other than being interesting a whip-it has absolutely no actual value to me. Trying to conceal an AR15 pistol makes no sense to me. I would MUCH rather have 16 rounds of 10mm in a much more concealable and maneuverable hand gun.

You know to the OPs point on how the wippet was used. Because the designer never filed for any patents or even kept a decent design notebook we really have to back engineer this.. As far as I know there is no documents about it or its use.

So 2 schools of thought.. The Whippet as a Lanyard. the gun was always attached to the carrier. You can see the attachment which held the gun.. the strap was not very long and would cause the shooter to hold the shotgun in a very awkward manner to fire it.. The pistol grip of the stock would be right up there in the old armpit area..

Another thought The whippet as a breakaway holster. What if the leather strap was held by a metal snap that allowed the user to pull the shotgun free when it was desired..

I am leaning more to the later then the 1st.

Nice photo of the guns recovered in 1933 that John Dillinger had..



Neat article about them

https://shootingdiceblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/gangster-gats-dillinger-nelson-gang/


But I think at least one is missing..

Rembrandt said:

it works best for the Rambo shooter who blazes from the hip. Not very practical if you're wanting to use sights. One of those things that appears to work better in the cinema than real life.

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It is possible to be accurate with hip firing. Takes more practice then most are willing to. I have been hip firing since I was 11-12 started with bb guns worked my way up. Haven't practiced like that in years. Ranges dont allow that sort of thing. Well the ones I go to dont.

The idea is not far off from the single point sling.

I do find the specialized tools of that era interesting. Its not different from all the custom charging handles, holsters, etc of today.

Except those guys used them and their $ meant a lot more.