Pancho Villa’s Guns

Pancho Villa is commonly held as one of Mexico’s fiercest fighters. However, unlike the Colt army revolvers preferred by many “shootists” at the time, Villa was rarely without his Bisley model single action Colt. The Bisley, named for the famous firing range in Bisley, England, was introduced in 1894 as a target pistol. The wide hammer spur, long grip, and wide trigger were ideal for self defense and quick shooting. No doubt all of this appealed to Villa, but his real reason for using it was his chronic arthritis. The easy to use Bisley was the ideal gun for an arthritic revolutionary like José Doroteo Arango Arámbula better known as Pancho Villa.