By Caleb McClain
Few men in history get the distinction of being universally known by only their last name—Patton, Stalin, Jefferson, Hitler, Trump. Fewer still get this distinction while never having been a military or political leader—Lindburgh, Picasso, Mozart, Rockefeller. This select club of heroes, villains, leaders, tyrants, and pioneers in their respective fields need no introduction, and the mere fact that we know them individually amongst the thousands of others who share their surname bears witness to the magnitude of greatness or infamy they achieved. Among this group, few were able to strike fear into the hearts of millions like the one we simply know as Capone.
Long before he was ever the boss of the Chicago Outfit or declared Public Enemy Number One, Alphonse “Al” Capone was always packing heat. And it makes sense—I’m sure it took a lot of firepower to control the rackets and bootlegging of a large portion of America. While many guns are claimed to have been associated with Scarface, there are still a few out there we are sure of.
The Sweetheart
While Capone’s official love was his wife Mae, he had only one Sweetheart. What he called his Sweetheart was his favorite sidearm, a Colt 1911 that he claimed saved his life on multiple occasions.
This isn’t your Fudd grandfather’s basic Llama 1911. Manufactured in 1912, the .45 ACP pistol has a three-digit serial number, making it collectible enough as-is. It had aftermarket stag horn grips that have been excellently patinaed with years of constant use (and perhaps a little blood), and the slide has been engraved with ornate scrolling that is still sharp a century later.
The Sweetheart passed from Capone to his wife, then to his son, then his grandchildren. The family finally put it to auction in 2021 where it sold for $1.04 million. After a failed auction attempt in 2024, it was gifted to the Mob Museum in Las Vegas where it remains on public display.
The Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless
Capone loved his Sweetheart, but it’s not always practical to conceal a full-sized 1911—contrary to what the guy who works behind the local gun counter thinks. For a more discreet EDC, Capone would often switch over to a Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless in .380 ACP. Unlike the Sweetheart, the Pocket Hammerless was a simple gun, without the custom frills that made the Sweetheart so elegant. Still, it remained in remarkable condition.
Following the same provenance as the Sweetheart, it was only expected to fetch around $30-40k at auction. I’m sure it was an exciting surprise for the Capone family when the auctioneer slammed his gavel and announced that it sold for $242k to a private collector where it presumably remains to this day. Similar Colt 1908s have been attributed to Capone, insinuating that he was never too far away from one of these.
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Tommy Guns
It wouldn’t be a list of Capone’s guns without talking about the Chicago typewriter. Unfortunately, there is not a single Thompson Submachine gun that we can reliably trace directly to Capone’s ownership, but that’s not to say that that none directly associated with him exist.
If you’ve never heard of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, you’re probably living under a rock. The CliffsNotes version is that Capone’s enforcers dressed as cops in 1929, lined up members of the rival North Side Gang against the wall of a warehouse, then tore them to pieces with Tommy guns in an act of violence that made headlines across the nation. The men got away, but law enforcement knew who was behind it.
Ten months later, a well-known hoodlum named Fred Burke was driving drunk in Michigan and hit another car. An officer intervened, and Burke shot him before fleeing. Unbeknownst to Burke, the patrolman identified him as the shooter before dying a few hours later. Police swarmed Burke’s house, and the raid nabbed $310K in stolen bonds and plenty of weapons, among which was two Thompson submachine guns. Ballistic testing, a groundbreaking forensic art at the time, confirmed they were the same guns used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and at least 20 more killings. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department has held onto those guns ever since.
More Than a Smile
Unfortunately, the annuls of time have probably lost a countless number of firearms owned by Scarface and his enforcers during his reign of terror. Capone is often quoted as saying, “You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.” I’d say he did it well with a smile and an arsenal.
