Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2020 i Guns of the Old West

ONLY A COLT PEACEMAKER CAN BE CALLED A PEACEMAKER, or Single Action Army, but as far back as the 1950s that hasn’t stopped other gunmakers from building single-action revolvers that look, feel, sound and shoot like a Peacemaker. Colt can only trademark the name, not the design, and that patent expired well over a century ago. In the world of shotguns, Connecticut Shotgun is one of the most highly regarded names, building models right here in the United States that rival best guns from England and the finest European shotguns. Connecticut Shotgun builds its own famous A10 Deluxe, a double-barrel with an average price of $15,000 to $20,000, and American classics like the A.H. Fox, Parker and Winchester Model 21 series (Winchester Standard Grade models through Grand American in all…

RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, Cimarron Firearms Company’s new replica Winchester Model 1892 saddle-ring carbine impressed me with its excellent fit and finish, exceptionally smooth action and crisp, 3.75-pound trigger pull. In fact, the action and trigger can’t be improved upon. Chiappa Firearms in Italy made this carbine to Cimarron specification. As you would expect, they emphasized the historical details and features associated with the Old West period. It’s configured with a 20-inch round barrel, and carbine-style buttstock and front handguard. In this respect, it represents Winchester’s factory-standard carbine. The standard Winchester metal finish was blued steel. The Cimarron has a color case-hardened finish on the buttplate, receiver, lever and barrel band. Color case hardening was a special order upgrade on an original gun. Winchester collectors know that many variations…

SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER— An individual who utilizes a variety of social media outlets using his or her influence, opinion and or preferences to sway consumer demand for an employer’s products or services. In the golden age of gun magazines, writers were the original social influencers. Someone with Skeeter Skelton’s or Elmer Keith’s clout could doom a new gun’s future with a simple, critical paragraph. But these are different times. Jordan, Askins, Cooper as well as Skelton and Keith are all gone now. While we have some very talented writers in the gun trade, today there are few that have followings like the aforementioned gents. It’s not for lack of gun enthusiasts—there are far more dedicated shooters now than there were before. But, we’re in the internet age and we have…

I’D SAY AS FANS OF THE OLD WEST, MOST READERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH ITS LEGENDARY CHARACTERS AND HAVE SEEN THE NAME NED BUNTLINE. His true name was Edward Judson and he was a popular writer and publisher specializing in dime novels. He became friends with Buffalo Bill Cody and supposedly Wyatt Earp. Earp and his biographer, Stuart Lake, claim that Buntline had Colt Patent Firearms make Single Action Army (SAA) revolvers with long barrels in .45 Colt that were presented to Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Basset and Neal Brown—all well-known peace officers. This tale has never been truly substantiated, but it’s become an Old West axiom and Colts, along with other SA sixguns with long barrels, are generally referred to as “Buntline Specials” It was very recently brought…

ON AUGUST 8, 1892, A SET OF TEN 1873 COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVERS LEFT COLT’S Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, addressed to the attention of Mr. A. E. Williams in care of Simmons Hardware Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Chambered in .45 Long Colt, all 10 revolvers had 5.5inch barrels, mother-of-pearl grips and were adorned with extensive factor y engraving. Less than two months later, on October 5, 1892, at least one of those revolvers, serial number 147307, was plucked from the dead body of Robert Rennick Dalton. He was shot down by the townspeople of Coffeyville, Kansas, during the Dalton Gang’s Coffeyville Raid. That same revolver was sold by Rock Island Auction Company for $322,000 nearly 120 year later in September 2012. That stratospheric dollar amount was due not…

THE vast majority of handguns manufactured in the 19th century were blued. Remington’s Army and Navy revolvers were blued with brass triggerguards. But there were other options for a gun’s finish if one were willing to pay extra. Silver plating was offered, and for presentation guns you could get silver plating with gold-washed (gold-plated) cylinders, hammers and loading levers. Nickel plating was available by the 1860s (Colt offered nickel plating on the 1860 Army and all later guns), still, the majority of handguns were blued. This holds true for modern-day reproductions. The great exception was presentation guns, which were always hand engraved in some fashion, either as a tribute to an individual or as a deluxe factory model. Samuel Colt was the master of using presentation guns to gain favor…

If you are into snakes but still want to keep them at a distance—especially the poisonous variety—you might be attracted to these NAA mini-revolvers offered by distributor Bill Hicks & Co. Called the Anti-Venom Snake Guns, you’ll immediately get it when you see them. There are two variations—one with a 1.625-inch barrel in .22 Magnum and one with a 1.125-inch barrel in .22 LR. Both have fixed rear sights and half-moon front sights. The Magnum Snake is fitted with boot grips giving it a square-butt profile, while the .22 LR model retains the birds-head grip outline. What grabs your attention about these two five-shot revolvers is the black, ivory and yellow snake scale pattern on the grips. These were done by Black Ice Coatings, a Utah-based company like NAA. The…

One of the biggest difficulties for beginners competing in a new sport is the start-up itself. Many of our pastimes are just plain expensive. If you yearn to become a Cowboy Action Shooter as a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS), you’re looking at a sizable investment when it comes to guns and gear. You can spend a small fortune on things like costumes, gun carts, ammunition and the firearms themselves. For a main match you need at least two six-guns, a rifle and a shotgun, and all must be what’s referred to as “SASS-legal” Some folks start with borrowed guns, then maybe used guns. And there’s always that good deal out there on a new gun with the right price point. This is where Black Aces Tactical…

It could be argued that the Western lives on even to this day, but since the late 1990s there have been fewer Westerns. That could be due to the 1999 mega-flop Wild, Wild West . The big-screen remake of the classic Weird West TV show should have been huge, but from the casting to the premise it misfired in every way possible. Who really thought rapper-turned-action-star Will Smith could fill the shoes of James T. West? And what was up with the over-the-top “steampunk” monster? About the only saving grace in this film were the small arms, but even most of those are out of place considering the film was taking place in 1869. It thus predated the Colt Single Action Army revolver (1873), the Remington 1875 revolver, Colt Thuer…