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Though on the surface it doesn’t appear so, what made the gun so desirable, aside from its smooth handling and potency, was its portability. Some quarter of a million were made between 18. But on the vast American frontier, the handsome six-gun was among the most prolific cap-and-ball revolvers. Named for the Republic of Texas Navy, ironically, this gun saw little action on the high sea. But in competent hands, and there were many, there was no deadlier weapon on the American frontier. Slow on the reload and only able to be safely loaded with five rounds (unless an hombre wanted to lose a pinky toe), the gun could quickly be out of the fight and slow to reenter. On top of that, the Colt SAA packed a wallop, particularly in its most prominent chamberings.
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To the last two points, the six-gun's design allowed it to rock back in the hand upon firing, setting the shooter up to cock the hammer for his next shot. The revolver was well balanced, provided a fast rate of fire and superior ergonomics. The likes of Wyatt Earp, John Selman, John Wesley Hardin, Bat Masterson and many others all favored the Colt and for good reason. Perhaps no single gun hung off the hips of more cowboys, lawmen and outlaws than this revolver. Introduced in 1873 originally as a Cavalry revolver, the Single Action Army spread across the frontier like a prairie fire. No other gun sums up the Wild West like this Colt. 44 Henry rimfire not only proved adequate for protecting a homestead or scaring off cattle rustlers, but also bagging the odd deer. So it seems George Armstrong Custer and his men weren’t only outnumbered that late June day, they were also vastly outgunned.īeyond formal conflict, the Henry was a mainstay among many pioneers during westward expansion. The cavalry, on the other hand, was armed with single-shot Springfield Model 1873 rifles firing the now-notorious copper cartridges - known to expand and jam the breech. Some archaeological evidence points to 134 firearms in the hands of the Indians, 62 of them Henrys. But its devastating effect was perhaps best demonstrated in another heralded American battle - the Little Bighorn.Īrmed with the brass-receiver beauties, among other repeaters, Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors utterly devastated the 7th Cavalry. Though limited in use, the 1860 Henry proved itself a wicked weapon in the Civil War. Henry 1860 Photo: Rock Island Auction Company 5 became known as the “Texas Patterson” for its use by the Rangers. While the revolver came in many calibers, the. Previously in the Battle of Walker Creek and his Big Fight at Enchantment Rock, the Paterson proved its worth. This wasn’t the only time Hays prevailed against overwhelming odds due to the revolver.
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In the early 1840s fight, 50 or so Texas Rangers, led by legendary Captain John “Jack” Hays, routed a vastly superior force of Comanche, thanks in large part to their five-shot Colt Patersons. Despite their limited numbers, the Colt Patersons found their way into a number of definitive conflicts in the mid-1800s.Īmong the most storied was the Battle of Bandera Pass, which marked the turning point of the Texas-Indian wars. Patented in 1836 and produced until 1842, just a little more than 2,000 of the cap-and-ball revolvers were manufactured. While not as storied as some Colts, the first commercially successful repeating firearm, nonetheless, left its mark on the West. While there were many other firearms that left their mark on this time, these were among the most important.Ĭolt Paterson Photo: Rock Island Auction Company With that in mind, here are the 10 guns you have to know from the Old West. It was a vast arsenal of different revolvers and rifles and shotguns of every conceivable design, make and model that carved this nation from coastline to coastline.Įven if there was no single gun that won the West, there are certainly some six-shooters, repeaters and other great guns that more than pulled their share of the weight during this era. In reality, no one gun can make the claim. While the trusty ol' lever-action shooting iron more than earned its stripes in military conflicts, range wars and protecting the Back 40, it far from single-handedly tamed the vast American frontier.
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What were the guns that won the West?Ĭertainly, in popular history, the Winchester Model 1873 is given this distinction. These were the “smoke wagons,” “street howitzers” and repeaters that tamed the American West.