The single best and most economical arm for hunting and defense in the Wild West was the double-barreled shotgun. At the sign of...
King of the Scatterguns
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Phil Spangenberger
A True Westerner Indeed
Phil Spangenberger 1940-2024 Last September 26, 2024, True West’s beloved Firearms Editor, Phil Spangenberger, died suddenly during a heart...
Legends of the Fall
We lost some heavyweights last year, and we loved them all. Looking back on 2024, it is no exaggeration to say our history world took some major...
Ride Cowboy, Ride!
On September 26, 2024, True West’s 2022 True Westerner of the Year and beloved Firearms Editor Phil Spangenberger died suddenly during a heart...
Ride Cowboy, Ride!
On September 26, 2024, True West’s 2022 True Westerner of the Year and beloved Firearms Editor Phil Spangenberger died suddenly during a heart...
Western Cavalry Training
True West’s Firearms Editor Phil Spangenberger was asked to share with us 10 significant photos of the Old West. His nine other photos and...
Best of the West 2022: True Westerner of the Year
Riding - and Writing - for the Brand! Phil Spangenberger If you have ever spoken to Phil Spangenberger about the Old West, historical firearms,...
Mr. Authenticity
Many fans of Westerns, especially the True West maniacs, are guilty of picking them apart for the anachronisms all too often found in such...
Old West Reproductions — the Devil is in the Detail
Among the very best companies offering replicas of mid-to late-19th-century assorted cowboy gear is Old West Reproductions, Inc., in Florence,...
A Real Western Colt in the Reel West
It’s a firearms collector’s dream to find a gun that is well documented to have been owned or used by someone famous, or was involved in a...
A Texas Dance For Johnny Reb
Of all of the Confederate-made revolvers, perhaps none stirs the imagination like those six-shooters manufactured by the J.H. Dance Bros. of Texas....
U.S. Cavalry’s First Bolt-Action Carbine
The more ammunition you give a soldier, the more he’ll use!” Despite their continued post-war use of the seven-shot Spencer repeater, this was the...