Herter's Big...
Readers in my age group likely remember when the Herter’s Company had a thriving mail order sporting goods business, selling everything from firearms and...
212
Engineering...
Nighthawk Custom’s collaboration with the German makers of the astounding Korth revolver series has helped serve to rewrite expectations on what a...
127
The Goldilocks...
I might have saved a lot of time and money if I’d kept Goldilocks in mind on my journey to becoming a shooter and collector. A lot of my collection...
102
Charter Arms...
During my high school years as I started reading the likes of Elmer Keith and then a little later Bob Hagel and John Lachuk I also acquired a deep interest...
52
Sixgun Savvy:...
Armscor’s newest line-up of .22 LR, .22 Mag., .357 and 9mm revolvers reflect the business experience Czech industry shows off.
131
Chasing A Stalker
Ever since I laid eyes on a Mag-na-port Stalker — you know, the Holy Grail for handgun hunters, designed by the most famous handgun hunter, Larry Kelly...
96
Freedom Arms...
Our own John Taffin coined the “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” moniker, and he’s been on the trail of one ever since. And I have to say, he’s right about...
490
Peacemaker...
Eddie Janis of Peacemaker Specialist, has long been known for producing exquisitely tuned Colt Single Actions as well as beautiful restorations. Eddie...
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The Sixguns Of...
I first met Hamilton in the mid-1980s when he was just getting started. At a Shootist Holiday I experienced two of his first custom sixguns. They were not...
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Sixgunner: The...
Hamilton is as responsible as anyone for bringing custom revolvers to a high art form. In fact many of his creations would be right at home in an art museum.
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The First...
In 1814 we took a little trip along with Col. Jackson down the mighty Mississipp”; so sang Johnny Horton in his hit recording of “The Battle of New...
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Magnum Force
Why would anybody want one of those massive, large-bore Smith & Wesson handguns? The things are as big as hubcaps and as heavy as mortar rounds. They are...
258
The S&W Fighting 500
I should receive very few arguments about using “enough gun” about this little test. Is it “too much gun?” I’d imagine your perspective on the...
132
Big Bore Snubbies
The concept of bigbore, snub-nosed revolvers isn’t new. In fact it’s just about as old as revolvers themselves.
201
Ruger’s Super...
Ruger has added to their growing family of modestly priced Wranglers for .22 long rifle shooters by adding the new Super Wrangler.
125
Keith’s Crown...
I recently shared my favorite .45 caliber bullet molds from Lee Precision. My intention was to illustrate how low-priced molds can produce excellent,...
189
Taurus Raging...
The Taurus Raging Hunter in .460 delivers what the old adage describes as: “The rich man’s demand for quality and economy — and the poor man’s need...
176
Rimless Revolvers
Without a doubt, some of the most popular and longest-lasting handgun cartridges developed have been with semi-auto pistols in mind. Primarily, I’m...
45
The .45 Colt Sucks!
Unless your purpose is to load with black powder or to fulfill a sense of nostalgia, no one with any sense would pick the .45 Colt over the .45 ACP for a...
94
Wild, Wild West...
Taylor’s and Company has built a well-deserved reputation for offering top-quality Western-themed firearms at reasonable prices. Their guns are the...
97
Wonderful...
I don’t have much use for adjustable sights on a handgun. Now that’s not the same as saying adjustable handgun sights don’t have much use.
83
A Janis Royal Flush
This is not a 1911. This is not a plastic pistol, a hi-cap anything or even a cutting-edge marvel.
224
Only One Gun?
If I had to pick the one bestest, most favoritist handgun ever, it would be that big bore sixgun I have had the longest
383
Trigger-Meister...
He’s the best revolver shooter in the world, arguably the best who has ever lived. And he’s generous about sharing his knowledge.
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An American Icon
In 1873 no one involved in the development of Colt’s new “Strap Pistol” or members of the U.S. Army who tested it could have possibly dreamed this...
185
Long Range Work
There may be a time when you’re called upon to fight at long range. Keeping this in mind, I took a cross-section of commonly carried handguns and shot...
40
Barbecued Snake
Every bit the classic “barbecue gun,” that sixgun is still stuck in my mind three decades later, which includes a large chunk of time during which Colt...
125
Make It “Just...
“Fit” is key for the efficient use of a firearm; it’s much more important than people realize. The pistol’s dimensions and shape must match your...
139
Sentimental Shooters
As a whole, sixgunners are a sentimental bunch. Some of the younger set sometimes call us old school, old fashioned, Fudds, fuddy duds — or worse. But...
105
QPRs Switch-Gun...
The Chameleon includes interchangeable cylinders and easily removable and replaceable barrels, which allow the shooter to switch calibers in just a few minutes.
221
Who needs an...
A single action revolver gives up exactly nothing to an autoloading pistol for the first five rounds.
91
Tyler Gun...
For those having the sense of preferring single-action sixshooters, Tyler Gun Works has something for you … but you better hurry!
212
The Legacy Lives On
Elmer Keith may be gone, however the legacy of the No. 5 SAA lives on. Gary Reeder reached back in time to offer a thoroughly modern No. 5 Improved.
364
For Want Of A...
My on-again/off-again quest for a “Cavalry Colt” is over now, but it was sure fun during the nigh-on 40 years it lasted.
109
Model 83 .500...
This is a Potently Powerful Package. It can be Pleasurable or Painful, it comes at a Premium Price, and it’s even Purty. It’s the latest candidate for...
209
Colt's 1851...
Power notwithstanding, Colt Walkers and Dragoons were much too large, heavy, and cumbersome to be carried in a holster on the belt, so eventually, Colt went...
172
Old West CCW
Frontiersmen and Indian Scouts likely carried, and of course Texas Rangers and all sorts of other lawmen certainly carried handguns openly. Pocket pistols...
120
Thunder Ranch...
This juxtaposition of old-school sixgun thinking, with up-to-date technology and design ideas has virtually given us a new category of arm — the Modern...
270
Hunting With Sixguns
October was made for hunting and the day was perfect. The oppressive heat of summer had given way to frozen mornings and warm afternoons, while the green...
392
Sixguns More Or...
All sixguns are revolvers. Yet all revolvers are not sixguns, nor have they ever been. Smith & Wesson's Model 619 and 620.
53
Revolver Know How
The trigger on your revolver is difficult to press, requiring more force than it should to complete the firing cycle. But, only on two or three of the...
43
Ruger’s...
In 2015, thumb-busters had a bodacious year with Ruger finally releasing a long awaited 5-shot, single-action Bisley.
168
Old West .44s
While the .44 Winchester Centerfire (.44 WCF aka .44-40) most certainly was the ultimate .44 handgun cartridge of the Old West, it was far from being the...
87
Real Vs. Repro
It sold initially for $17.50. Today, with limited wear, an early Colt Single Action Army might fetch $90,000. These prices should catch the eye of any...
43
Old West Pistol...
Old West cartridges gave plenty of impact and penetration on the receiving end.
53
Just A .44...
With all the choices we have for defensive handguns today, some might feel this was a waste of time, money, effort and a good sixgun. For those who...
337
The Sixguns Of...
In those early years Linebaugh built custom five-shot .45s on both Ruger and Abilene/Seville frames. Because of the grip frame designs then available felt...
493
Tomorrow's...
I find black powder revolvers to be practically irresistible. My dad and I used to shoot his Italian-made reproduction Model Army 1860 revolver in the...
72
The U.S....
The Colt SAA revolver only served officially for the U.S. Cavalry between 1873 and 1892, which begs the question of what other handguns served American...
16
In Defense Of...
We could take the effort to talk about the viability of revolvers as defensive firearms — but I’m not going to. Let’s leave it at “Lots of good work...
136
Sixgun Savvy
Some day, whether you like it or not, you may be required to know how to shoot a revolver. A battlefield pickup or your buddy’s, either way you need to...
69
Ruger’s Super...
Ruger has added to their growing family of modestly priced Wranglers for .22 long rifle shooters by adding the new Super Wrangler.
125
Unicorn Hunting
There’s something just a wee bit mystical about the Colt Single Action Army. Nothing about the gun looks particularly ergonomic.
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The Taurus 856...
It isn’t often that I look at a newly-released gun and say, “huh — that’s how I would have done it.” This made the Executive a pleasant surprise...
61
The Sixguns Of...
The first sixgun John Gallagher ever built for me was several years ago and it’s my Big Little Sixgun — actually a big sixgun shooting a small...
398
Wooden Wonders
Look again. These are both fully functional guns, a Colt Single Action Army and an 1851 Navy.
36
Rehashing Elmer...
When picking up the No. 5, the first thing noticed is the deceptive lightness of the gun. You’d think it’s going to be heavier, but due to the balance...
348
Is Newer Better?
The 1950s began with the introduction of Smith & Wesson’s 1950 Target Model in .44 Special and .45 ACP and ended in 1959 with the advent of Ruger’s...
147
Picking Just One...
The gun I’d want would need to fill several niches to be useful. It would have to be concealable for self-preservation, while needing to be powerful...
248
Blowed-Up Guns
Brothers and sisters believe me, when a handgun blows up in your hands it will ring your chimes! That doesn’t necessarily mean it will physically hurt you.
81
Freedom Arms
Had Dick Casull listened to the “experts” of the time the .454 Casull would never have arrived.
227
A Hairdo Handgun...
All guns have a story to tell, some are just more interesting than others. When we were kids, nothing was better than seeing those long, heavy, rectangular...
149
Jack Weaver The...
In 1959, along came a man who held his pistol with both hands, hit what he aimed at, and did it faster than anyone else. His name was Jack Weaver, and as...
65
Thirty Eights
There has been a passel of .38s since the first metallic cartridge one was introduced in the early 1870s. There have been puny ones and snorty ones;
36
Ruger's 50th...
Ruger, which had started in 1949 with a 9-shot .22 semiauto, offered a .22 Single-Six in 1953, and then in 1955 upgraded the Single-Six to an...
235
The Sixgunner...
As we look back at sixgun history we can see a decades-long race between Colt and S&W to be the “firstest with the mostest.”
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