One of the earliest forms of firearms decoration was the use of metal tacks to embellish the gun stock. Such simple ornamentation can be found on...
Getting Down to Brass Tacks
read more
Phil Spangenberger
The Skinning Knife
Certainly skinning knives rated as among the most important tools in the frontiersman’s kit, yet little information is available to the enthusiast...
A Silver Screen Peacemaker Set
When it comes to silver screen legends, few are as beloved as cowboy heroes Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger. These celluloid range riders have...
John Wayne and the Peacemaker
On film, John Wayne often portrayed the Westerner of popular legend—tall in the saddle, silent, a man whose word was his bond, perhaps sometimes...
Hardin’s Hardware
Texas shootist John Wesley Hardin had a career that spanned three decades (minus 16 years in prison). Texas shootist John Wesley Hardin had a career...
Winchester ’73 —Take Two
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...
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...