In the world of movie making, duplication of important props, such as the firearms of principle characters, is a common practice. This is done so...
Winchester ’73 —Take Two
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Phil Spangenberger
Frontier Army’s First Pick
Many think of the Schofield as the first of the frontier army’s top-break revolvers. In reality, the model was nothing more than an improved version...
GUNS OF THE WILD WEST
While the subject matter of this work is fascinating and the photography is top-notch, I was somewhat disappointed in this 160-page book. The author...
Bisley Bops the Bull’s-Eye
The sleek-looking Colt Bisley revolver traces its beginnings to the closing decades of the 19th century, when the sport of target shooting was...
The Gipper’s Boots and Saddles
Sportscaster Ronald Reagan signed onto a whole new game when the 24 year old joined the 14th Cavalry (stationed in Des Moines, Iowa), which coaxed...
Appearances Deceive
In John Wayne’s last film, The Shootist, he uses a pair of blued and fully engraved single-action revolvers fitted with ivory stocks. A beautiful...
Out-pumped
By the early 1880s, Colt was the undisputed leader in the handgun field. Wishing to capture some of the rifle market, however, Colt acquired the...
Hollywood’s “5-in-1” Movie Blank
A “5-in-1” is a blank cartridge, originally designed in the early days of motion pictures, for use in a number of similar, but differently chambered...
Saddle Pals
Western fans know that every movie cowboy worth his hide had a trusty, four-legged saddle pal to help him tame the “reel West.” Roy Rogers rode...
Shoulder Holsters
While we often think of the shoulder holster as a product of the gangster era of the 1920-30s, the rig was actually a creation of the gun toters of...
The ’92 Reel West Winchester
Although the 1873 Winchester is often called “the gun that won the West,” no one can deny that it was the 1892 Model that became “the gun that won...
Boots and Saddles
Although the Civil War was primarily fought east of the Mississippi River, a number of battles did take place in the West. This is also true of...