While many of the American frontier’s most famous arms are well known today, few have had the distinction of becoming a working classic for as long...
The Dalton Death Rifle?
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Phil Spangenberger
Wild Bill Says “Muzzle Up”
During the Percussion Era of the mid-19th century, savvy six-gunners like James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok understood the problems inherent with open...
Patróns of the West
El Patrón is an appropriate name for Benelli USA’s Uberti 1873 Cattleman single-action revolver. In English definitions of the Spanish term you’ll...
Colt’s Equalizers
“God created men; Col. Colt made them equal.” So goes the oft-repeated quote about Col. Samuel Colt and his legendary firearms. Yet Col. Colt made...
The Mini “Buffalo Gun”
When most people think of the Sharps rifle, it’s a good bet they probably think “Buffalo Gun.” The “Old Reliable” Sharps single-shot rifle was...
The Peacemaker’s Clone
America was preparing to enter her 100th anniversary of independence, the nation’s firearms industry was a veritable beehive of activity. To fulfill...
One Heap Good Gun
Best known as the “Yellowboy,” an affectionate moniker frontier Indians gave the repeater due to its shiny brass receiver, the Model 1866 was...
Got a Spare?
The debate over whether frontiersmen carried spare loaded cylinders for their revolvers, during the era of percussion revolvers and into the age of...
Hardin’s Deadly Tools
We’ve long held a fascination for the gunmen of the Wild West, and firearms enthusiasts have been especially interested in the hardware used by...
The Deadly Dozen
“Oh, it’s old Arizona again, It’s old Arizona again; With its greasers and bad, bad men,They don’t do the Boston dipBut they shoot you from the...
Ugly Ducklings, No More
Because of their unusual looks, Merwin, Hulbert & Co. firearms have been considered the “ugly ducklings” of frontier six-shooters. For years,...
Six-Guns Blaze in Smokewood, Nevada
As the sun reaches high in the baking Nevada sky, two steely-eyed gunmen slowly walk toward each other in the dusty street. Each man’s cold stare...