Clean Shots

The most successful gunfighters in the Old West were firm believers in maintaining their firearms.

As the story goes, handsome, homicidal John Wesley Hardin took a break from his notorious rampages and was cleaning his six-gun in his hotel room one day when a bullet he had accidentally left in the chamber went off, killing the person staying in the room next door. Oops.

Today’s shootists are a bit more careful. Whether they’re cowboy action shooters, cowboy mounted shooters, hunters or Wild West show performers and re-enactors, they all keep their hardware in working order to be successful in their respective endeavors.

In the past, finding replacement parts for today’s replica guns has often been a difficult endeavor, but VTI Replica Gun Parts offers the parts you need to keep your six-guns and longarms blazing away. VTI supplies shooters with virtually every part imaginable (excluding gun frames) for modern-made replica firearms.

While most importers stock a selection of gun parts for their products, and some local dealers may stock certain components for replica arms, VTI?is pretty much the only central “warehouse” of replica gun parts.

The folks at VTI don’t sell any finished guns. The parts replacement facility is the largest and most exclusive source of Uberti parts, along with an extensive selection of Pietta and Pedersoli parts, and Armi San Marcos gun components. VTI is also an official Colt distributor and stocks parts for all of Colt’s cowboy guns like the famed Model P “Peacemaker” and the Colt “Cowboy” Single Action Army revolvers. Ruger fans will be delighted to know that VTI also carries parts for the Ruger Vaquero series (including the Bisleys), Blackhawk models and the Old Army percussion revolvers. Some of the replica parts can also be utilized in original arms, depending on the make and model.

VTI has such an extensive inventory of cowboy gun parts that most orders can be shipped within 24 hours. In the event that they don’t have the part you need in stock, they will phone you when the part does arrive to confirm your order. So regardless of whether you need a replacement cylinder for a Uberti 1873 Colt SAA clone or one of their lever-action rifles, a bolt pin for their 1875 Schofield repro, a firing pin for a Pedersoli Quigley (1874 Sharps) Sporting Rifle or a trigger screw for a Pietta 1858 Stainless Remington revolver, chances are VTI will have it or can get it.

I have used VTI’s service and can attest to the quality and integrity of the company. They are constantly adding new parts to their line, so I am confident they will be able to help you find replacement parts for your replica guns (visit vtigunparts.com or call 860-435-8068). Just make sure your gun is unloaded, before you clean it!

By the way, Hardin wrote in his autobiography that he intentionally shot through the partition and killed cattleman Charles Couger at the American Hotel in Abilene, Kansas, in 1871. The guy was snoring too loud. How dare he!

Given his homicidal tendencies, that story is a bit more believable than the folklore-and he would certainly know better the accounts of his own life. But maybe there’s a part of us that would like to believe even Hardin had his calm moments, gently and patiently cleaning his gun, for once, not aimed to hurt anyone.

Worth a Fortune?

Ever wonder what that replica six-gun or rifle is worth, how many were produced and when?

The Blue Book of Modern Black Powder Arms (fifth edition) is where you’ll find the most up-to-date information on today’s replica guns.

Listing several hundred muzzleloading firearms of all descriptions, alphabetically by company, the book offers details on values, production quantities and dates (when available), and other important specifications on each model.