old-west-lawmwnt-sergeant-ira-atenWe feel fortunate to have photographs of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Dallas Stoudenmire, but, as far as we know, none of the aforementioned were captured on film while wearing their guns (true, the Dodge City photo of Earp and Masterson may include weapons, but we can’t see them).

Because of this unfortunate paucity when it comes to some of our top lawmen of the frontier West, we’re always amazed when we find images that portray lawmen armed to the teeth and ready for bear. To bring you an authentic look of what some outlaws and scoundrels saw at the other end of the barrel, we have rounded up the best photographs of lawdogs ready for the hunt and the back trail.

Here they are, in all their six-gun glory. We trust more of these armed and dangerous frontier lawmen are waiting to be discovered in someone’s photo album, but until we find them, feast your eyes on these classics.

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