Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2019 i Guns of the Old West

TODAY, YOU WOULDN’T THINK OF TIFFANY & COMPANY AS A PLACE TO PURCHASE A GUN, unless it was made out of diamonds, but there was a time when one of the finest gifts a gentleman could receive was a custom pistol purchased from the House of Tiffany in New York. The firm was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young. It was known then as Tiffany & Young. When Jabez L. Ellis joined the company, it became Tiffany, Young & Ellis, a boutique catering to New York and New England society. Jewelry wasn’t the company’s principal line at the time—in fact, fine imported silver was their stock in trade up until 1853, when Charles Tiffany took control of the company. TIDES OF WAR The new Tiffany…

In 1846, Samuel Colt met Samuel H. Walker, a young Texas Ranger who had attained national celebrity from his daring exploits in the border wars between the Republic of Texas and Mexico, and battles with Comanches alongside Ranger Captain John Coffee “Jack” Hays. The history of American firearms would change from this moment forward. A newly appointed captain of the United States Mounted Rifles (USMR) in Texas, Walker had long favored Colt’s Paterson revolvers in battle. Before the Paterson, Rangers had carried single-shot percussion pistols, which left them at a decided disadvantage when fighting Indians armed with primitive yet superior weapons. In the time that it took a Ranger to reload a pistol or musket, a Comanche warrior could accurately fire five or six arrows. Colt’s Paterson revolver changed warfare.…

Museums can often be described as places that hold “old stuff,” but that doesn’t mean a museum itself should look as old. Yet that used to describe the Cody Firearms Museum, which has been noted for housing one of the most comprehensive collection of American firearms in the world. The Cody Firearms Museum is one part of the larger Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which includes five museums and a research library devoted to the study and preservation of art and artifacts of the American West. Located in Cody, Wyoming, the other museums includes the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indians Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum and the Draper Natural History Museum. Based on the name, it would be safe to assume that the complex was founded by…

Most 19th century mining boomtowns exist now only in memory. Garnet, Montana, a genuine ghost town, is one of the few exceptions. You can visit it year-round, though you’ll need snowshoes to get there in the winter. Miraculously intact, it was founded in 1895 as Mitchell in anticipation of a boom in lode gold mining. The name was changed to Garnet in 1897. In 1972, it was donated to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which preserves and operates it as a historic site. It’s Montana’s best-preserved ghost town, with 15 original structures from the 1890s remaining, along with a handful of later ones belonging to the town’s post-boom residents, two of which can be rented for overnight stays. Some Backstory Garnet is small—about 600 feet long and 900 feet…

Western-style video games aren’t exactly new. The genre has been a staple for a long time, along with sports, racing and military simulations, for much of the history of this form of electronic entertainment. But most Westerns have been niche titles that were overshadowed by the latest Madden NFL or Call of Duty, so it says something about the quality of Red Dead Redemption 2 that it became one of the bestselling titles of 2018—and one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time. Part of it is undoubtedly the ever-changing demographics of video games. While there is a common misconception that video games are just the domain of teenage boys, the average gamer nowadays is well into their 30s. The days of quick distractions with a game…

AFTER World War II, Americans re-embraced a fascination with the Old West and its mythology. Due to a resurgence in Western film and the growing popularity of television, many products reflecting the American West became popular fixtures around the world. This passion endures today, and the 2019 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show served as a big example, with several manufacturers debuting new replicas to suit enthusiasts. Here are some of the best. Chiappa 512T While it’s not exactly a new product this year, Chiappa is proudly showcasing and selling its 512T double-barreled coach gun. This 12 gauge has 3-inch chambers as well as a checkered maple stock and forend. The barrels are blued while the receiver has a matte stainless finish. In addition to the 512T, Chiappa is offering…

The Cody Firearms Museum is just one part of the updated Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which now spreads over 7 acres. This includes the Buffalo Bill Museum, which underwent its own update in 2012. First opened in 1927 in a modest log cabin, today this part of the center offers a wide-ranging view of the life and times of Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show. It offers an intimate portrait of the man, from his successes to his failures and misfortunes. The center is also home to the Plains Indians Museum, which features stories and artifacts of the Plains Indians people. It features exhibits that highlight their culture, values and histories. It has been a part of the Center since 1979. The Draper Natural History Museum, which…

The Garnet Preservation Association is a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving Garnet, and 100-percent of the money they generate from memberships, donations and special programs is used for that purpose. They work in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management to enhance the interpretation, education and stabilization at Garnet by applying for grants for various projects, co-sponsoring interpretive activities, assisting with oral history collection and operating the gift shop and visitors’ center. Every summer, the Garnet Preservation Association organizes Garnet Day, populates the town with 10 costumed interpreters, and sets up numerous family educational and fun activities. Visitors can play cards at Kelly’s Saloon while drinking sarsaparilla. They can also churn butter, listen to lectures about town life and mining, and help the visiting sheriff check on the…

As noted by its name, Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t the first video game in the series. It is the companion piece to the 2010 hit Red Dead Redemption, and the third entry in the Red Dead series, which began with one of the first story-driven Western games, 2004’s Red Dead Revolver. Previous video games, including Gun.Smoke, were limited by the technology but still captured the general  theme of the Old West. In fact, the first Western games dated back to the 1970s, and included such basic arcade games as Western Gun, Wild Gunman, Outlaw, Sheriff and Boot Hill. Improvements in graphics technology in the 1980s allowed arcade games like Bank Panic and Badlands (the latter was also released as an early LaserDisc game) to begin to have a story.…

The Happy Trails Children’s Foundation is once again raising funds to help support abused children with its annual Silver Screen Legend raffle, and this 22nd edition is dedicated to the “Queen of the West,” Dale Evans. While playing the female lead in 28 “B” Westerns for Republic Pictures would qualify her for such a title, being married to her co-star, the “King of the Cowboys,” Roy Rogers, automatically made her the Queen. The Happy Trails Children’s Foundation carries on the work started by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. It’s a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization, and all donations are tax deductible. The Happy Trails Children’s Foundation is responsible for founding the Cooper Home and, in partnership with Trinity Youth Services, also operates two cottages with a total of 44 beds for…

If you love John Wayne— and if you don’t, you probably picked up this magazine by mistake—you’ll be drawn to Cimarron Firearms’ 1892 Cogburn Carbine. Cimarron went all the way to Chiappa Firearms in Italy to create this outstanding, high-quality example of the large-loop lever-action rifle that became part of Wayne’s image beginning with the 1939 movie Stagecoach, which made him a star. Director John Ford wanted a memorable opening shot for the movie, and he got it, with Wayne spin-cocking the Winchester Model 1892 provided by Stembridge Gun Rentals with a 15½-inch barrel and a large-loop lever. I’ve never read any historical reference to spin-cocking a lever-action rifle. And the laws of physics, limitations of finger strength and safety concerns argue against it ever having been done before with…

WHEN WE THINK OF THE GUNS OF THE OLD WEST, we tend to picture big-bore revolvers like the Colt Model 1873 Single Action Army, Smith & Wesson’s top-break sixguns and perhaps the Remington Model 1875. Nevertheless, citizens packed a myriad of small, concealable, single- and multiple-shot derringers and revolvers as well. In fact, an 1872 issue of the Rocky Mountain News, one writer noted that a gun store in Denver was “filled with pistols— revolvers, single-barrel, Derringers and others.” Regardless of the size of the firearm, a surprising number of men and women felt that going about their daily business without being armed was downright foolhardy. In the early days of the frontier, there were few laws restricting the carrying of firearms. It was generally recognized that in this wild,…