Guns of the Old West Summer 2021

It’s the most famous Western cinema cliché; the hero saves the day and rides off into the sunset. It works because it is a flawless ending to a story, the Old West version of, “…and they all lived happily ever after.” None of the articles in this issue end that way—even my lengthy piece on the Winchester Model 1912, which is yet to ride off into the sunset after 109 years—but some things do come to an end eventually. One of those things is the classic Colt Peacemaker, which might not be the same gun in the minds of Colt enthusiasts now that ›eská zbrojovka Group (CZ) has signed on as the new owner of Colt. This ends a 175-year tradition of the Colt’s Patent Fire-Arms Mfg. Co. being an…

I have been involved with Guns Of The Old West for more than 22 years as of this writing. I have seen writers come and go; some were missed and others were a blessing to bid farewell. Senior Contributing Editor Dennis Adler is always a pleasure to work with. Some might not know this, but Dennis was the editorial director at Car Collector magazine. He has also authored more than 34 books that should find their way to any Old West aficionado’s coffee table. With his background and knowledge, he made an exceedingly awesome contributor to Guns Of The Old West. Of course, we didn’t know any of this when we were first introduced. Some 16 years ago, Harry Kane, the previous editor of Guns Of The Old West, received a…

Looking at the history of the Winchester Model 1912, one has to take into account the times in which these remarkably advanced shotguns arrived. The majority of Americans still lived in rural areas. Most people rarely ventured outside their local townships, and even fewer out of state or across the country. The automobile was just becoming an accepted means of personal transportation, displacing the horse and buggy. The nation had finally emerged from settling the American frontier, with Arizona and New Mexico being granted statehood in 1912. For most people, the ownership of a shotgun, and its principal uses—self-defense and hunting—had changed little since the 1880s. It was into this environment that Winchester brought forth the finest shotgun of the new 20th century. The Model 1912 had evolved from the Winchester Model…

Not only did Winchester offer an extensive list of Model 1912 variations, but within those variations was also a wide choice of barrel lengths. Following are the options Winchester made available. 12 GAUGE: Plain barrels—26-, 28-, 30- and 32-inch—were first listed in 1914. Matted barrels—on special order only—were first listed in 1914. Solid raised matted 26-, 28-, 30- and 32-inch rib barrels were first listed in 1914. And 30-inch ventilated rib barrels were first listed in 1919. 16 GAUGE: Plain barrel, 26-inch was first listed in 1914, and a 28-inch first listed about 1927. A 30-inch was authorized on November 24, 1930. Matted barrels—special order only—were first listed in 1914. Solid raised matted 26-inch rib barrels were first listed in 1914, and 28-inch about 1927. A 30-inch was authorized on November 24,…

Cowboy Fast Draw (CFD) is where the action is at in handgun competition today. But 20 years ago it was but a dream of founder Brad Hemmah. Brad founded CFD when he created the Cowboy Fast Draw Association as a limited liability company (LLC) in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 2002. At the time, Brad was the manager of the First Gold Hotel and Casino (now First Gold Gaming Resort) in Deadwood. The place is so named because the first discovery of gold in what became Deadwood was just across the street from the hotel. Brad had hosted—and First Gold sponsored—the World Fast Draw Association (WFDA) World Blank Elimination Championship for a decade. During that time, many changes to the WFDA rules of competition had changed the sport to where Brad was…

THE fifth day of October in the year 1892 saw the end to the thievery that had been doled out by a group of outlaws known as the Dalton Gang. The lawless band—consisting of three Dalton brothers, Bob, Grat and Emmett, along with Bill Power and Dick Broadwell—rode into Coffeyville, Kansas, that fall morning, intent on robbing two banks simultaneously. What they didn’t count on was the local citizenry taking up arms to quell their illicit plundering. Once the devilry was discovered, the townspeople grabbed weaponry from two hardware stores that sold guns and ammunition. When all was said and done, all the outlaws were dead, except Emmett Dalton. He had more than 20 pieces of lead in him, but somehow survived and spent the next decade and a half of…