Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2022 i Guns of the Old West

As this is being written, controversy is still swirling regarding the shooting that occurred on October 21, 2021, on the set of the Western-themed motion picture Rust . Tragically, the film’s cinematographer was killed and a director wounded when the lead actor and producer fired a live round of ammunition out of what was described as a “cold gun.” Right now, the big question seems to be why was live ammunition on the set to begin with? I’m not here to assess blame; there’s plenty of finger pointing going on right now. I just think we all need to reflect on the safety aspects involved in this occurrence. What leaped out at me was two violations of primary gun safety rules. The first is all guns are loaded all of…

The history and lore of the Old West has an abundance of thrilling gun battles, but few are as important as the Hayfield and Wagon Box fights. Fought under similar circumstances on consecutive days but about 90 miles apart, both battles were part of Chief Red Cloud’s War. Together or alone, they mark the beginning of the end of American Indian military supremacy on the Western plains. To allow for more detail, we’ll just consider the better documented Wagon Box engagement, which was fought in present day Wyoming. Red Cloud’s War As chronicled by Cyrus Townsend Brady in his 1904 book Indian Fights and Fighters, it began on the morning of August 2, 1867, six miles west of perpetually menaced Fort Philip Kearny—an outpost ostensibly guarding the Bozeman Trail to…

If you’ve never tried Cowboy Action Shooting, you don’t know what you’re missing. The targets are generally large and typically close. The stages are fast and fun. And then there’s the people—a finer posse you’d be hard-pressed to find, bespangled in period regalia and accouterments, appearing to have stepped out of the past. And what a time! After a day or two of dressing the part, toting six-guns and dragging longarms around in a custom gun cart while blasting bank robbers and claim jumpers to Perdition, you won’t be able to wait for the next showdown. But wait, guns and gear and carts and clothes, all purchased at once, are expensive right? Not necessarily. Frontier Firearms Yes, you need guns—four of them to be exact. Two handguns, one rifle and…

Upon William Winchester’s death, his widow, Sarah Winchester, inherited a great fortune of nearly $20 million ($536 million in today’s money). However, with great money came a great obsession, and that was the continued construction of her Winchester mansion located in San Jose, California. The most widely accepted reason why she would not stop adding onto her home was that she believed that she was cursed by all the victims of the Winchester rifles over the years, and that building a larger structure would protect her from the spirits. Since her death in 1922, the house has been a very popular tourist attraction. It’s funhouse-like features include stairs that lead to nowhere, sudden drops and long winding corridors.…

“ That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard!” These words were reportedly once spoken by Samuel Colt during a discussion about double-action revolvers. Sam Colt thought the double-action handguns like the “pepper boxes,” Remington-Rider and the then new Pettengill were fragile toys next to his new powerful and accurate 1860 Army and 1861 Navy revolvers, both adopted by the military. The Civil War was raging, and these were the kinds of pistols that would help the North win; not some short-barrel gun with which one couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. No, not as long as he was alive! Sadly, however, Col. Samuel Colt passed away on January 10, 1862, possibly from pneumonia, and things began to change if ever so slowly. The double-action Remington-Rider .36-caliber percussion revolver…

It’s important to know that Mike Harvey works closely with overseas manufacturers on the design of any product that will carry the Cimarron name. It started when Harvey wanted an authentic Hawken rifle. He ordered blueprints and built his own. By the late 1970s, Harvey was selling muzzleloaders in his Houston, Texas, shop named Bigfoot, a nod to 19th Century Texas Ranger William A.A. “Bigfoot” Wallace. Eventually, Harvey became the sole U.S. distributor for Allen Firearms, which imported Uberti guns from Italy. In 1984, Harvey bought Allen Firearms and changed the name to Cimarron Firearms. In 1993, he moved the company to Fredericksburg, Texas. Early on, Uberti’s guns weren’t the authentic replicas Harvey really wanted. Their single-action revolver, for instance, was designed solely from photos of a Colt Model P…

Not everything showcased at the recent Athlon Rendezvous in the Grand Tetons was cool new guns. Some of the most fascinating stuff was actually ammunition. Federal’s Hammerdown reflects the current state of the art in ammo production. Federal’s new Hammer-down ammunition is purpose-designed to run through modern lever-action hunting rifles. Hammerdown rounds hit like a 10-pound sledge while remaining safe for operation in tubular magazines. Despite the fact they are intended for use in rifles sporting century-old technology, these new Hammerdown cartridges pack truly state-of-the-art engineering. The 1892 Alaskan Takedown Rifle from Taylor’s Tactical is a weatherproof Information Age rendition of the classic 19th Century lever-action repeater that so characterized the American West. Rugged, compact, reliable and gorgeous, the 1892 Alaskan Takedown Rifle is indeed a thing of beauty. The…

There was a time, long ago, when kids had a lot less to worry about, but probably got into just as much trouble as their kids and grandkids do now. The Crossdraw Kid and his pals were always up to something, most times, just kids at play. But there were events in The Kid's life that he never told his mom. Real danger had, for the most part, never entered Crossdraw or his pal’s lives during their early childhood. World War II surrounded them every day and touched their lives in many ways, but they were just too young to fully grasp the meaning of a World War. After a while, even the ever-present blackouts, when the entire city’s lights were turned off lest the dreaded enemy bomb them, became…

Handguns are produced for different purposes such as self-defense, formal target shooting, practical shooting competition, cowboy-action shooting, hunting and just for fun. My personal just-for-fun handguns are three .22 rimfire models. These are a vintage High Standard double-action, Double-9 revolver, a three screw model Ruger Single Six SA revolver with gorgeous Turnbull color case hardened frame and a Wilson Combat stainless steel 1911-style frame with a Colt .22 caliber conversion unit permanently installed on the Wilson frame. Two of the revolvers have had the sights removed and are used for point shooting only. All three of these .22 rimfire handguns accompany me to the Highland Pistol and Rifle Club shooting range on every outing. A Nod to the Past My lifetime friend, Sundance, recently loaned me two new “fun guns”…

The proliferation of feral hogs is a big problem in the U.S. and especially so in Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cited a 2016 study that estimated the population of feral hogs in this country at 6.9 million with 2.6 million of those in Texas alone. More recent numbers suggest there might be as many as 4 to 5 million in Texas now. These hogs, which have no natural predators, destroy crops, destabilize soil and damage streams and creeks with their rooting and wallowing, over-forage areas, and deplete resources relied on by other wildlife species. Hunting them year-around in an attempt to keep their numbers in check has included special tactics, such as hunting them at night with night-vision optics and from the air by helicopter. The trouble…

ITWAS HONESTLY THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE. We were pretty much broke, and med school kept me sinfully busy. However, the kids were young, and life was pure. The children are all grown now, and I do miss them so. My son was maybe 10, and he had a little money saved up from birthdays and Christmas. I had a Ruger Single Six pistol I could live without. The Single Six was a great shooter, but with its adjustable sights and convertible cylinder it didn’t exactly look the part of the classic Western sixgun. Thusly equipped, my son and I struck out for the local gun show looking for trouble. The Colt Frontier Scout was well-used but equally well-cared for. It sat among dozens of other pre-owned handguns on…

As mentioned, Winchester rifles can fetch an incredible sum at auction. One such rifle, the Winchester 1886 Sporting model, has achieved the record of being the most expensive single gun ever to be sold at an  auction. The whopping final price was a staggering $1.3 million. This rifle not only was in prime condition, but its rich 130-year history involved it being a gift to Captain Henry Ware Lawton, who was famous for capturing the Apache leader, Geronimo. At the time, Geronimo was considered at a top priority of the U.S. Military and his capture was definitely an important milestone in U.S. history. Furthermore, the Winchester rifle sold at auction was numbered “one” in the rifle’s serial number series. That, coupled with its incredible pristine condition and name-famous history is…