Gun Digest 2011. Dan Shideler

      Don Maguire’s three relic pistols pictured and described in the March, 1917 issue of Outdoor Life. From top: Sharps 44-caliber single-shot breechloading percusssion pistol; 58-caliber Remington rolling block pistol; Walsh Firearms Co. five-chambered, 10-shot revolver. The loads were superimposed in each chamber. The right hammer fired the front charge through a tube in the cylinder wall. The left hammer fired the rear load. Needless to say, the Walsh never really caught on.

      The second was a particularly well preserved specimen of a Remington 58-caliber rolling block pistol that Mr. Maquire had acquired at a sale of government surplus items. Maquire told how this model was issued to cavalrymen who discovered that it was just the thing for “riding close to buffalo.” Galloping alongside a bison and shooting it from atop a fast mount was considered to be grand sport for a horse soldier stationed on the range.

      The third rarity was a dual-hammered Walsh ten-shot revolver of 1859 vintage. The inventor of this gimmick must have had visions of superseding the Colt sixshooter. There were a few bugs in the design and the gun wasn’t a success, although a few made their way into the holsters of Confederate troopers during the Civil War. Maquire’s example was retrieved on the battlefield of Corrinth in October of ‘62, from the person of a Rebel captain who, as war trophy seekers have remarked throughout history, “no longer had a need for it.”

      Dr. B.J. Ochsner was one of the great surgeons of the West and one of its most devoted handgun cranks. His pistol collection was profiled in the December 1916 issue of Outdoor Life. There were pistols of all descriptions, from French duelers to the ultra-modern Luger. Included were two scarce Pope-barreled handguns, a Smith and Wesson .38 and a Stevens. The high point of the collection to the Old West buffs certainly, was the brace of Colt Navies, presented by a former superintendent of the Mesa Verde National Park, and were known to have killed several men on the frontier. A. H. Hardy, Peters exhibition shooter and author of the piece, failed to mention whether the dead men were good guys or bad guys.

      Correspondent Don Wiggins showed up in 1914 with a primitive-looking North and Savage revolving rifle of 1852 vintage that was a genuine Indian weapon. Harry Bennet, the rifle’s proud owner in 1914, had secured it from the Hood River Indians 10 years previously. The buck who sold it to him passed along that his father had carried the gun while fighting under Chief Joseph. A number of brass tacks, about fifty, ornamented the stock in typical red man fashion. Hood River legend had it that each tack represented the scalp of a white man.

      As the metallic cartridge came into common usage in the late 1870s, the percussion system was effectively obsoleted. The cartridge revolvers replaced the cap and balls, and some of their owners neglected their old sixshooters, allowing them to decay like a pair of old shoes. Sometimes the old guns were simply discarded and considered good riddance. It was maintained that the old system was an untrustworthy and dangerous one, and there was some risk associated in shooting them. In an improperly managed cap and ball, wayward sparks at discharge would jump from cylinder to cylinder, detonating some or all of the chambers with a single pull of the trigger. If the Colt revolving rifle was said to have been particularly bad in this respect, the Remington percussion revolver was the worst offender. Modern black powder enthusiasts are aware of this threat, and take steps to prevent an occurrence. It could be that the tough frontier sorts didn’t put much stock in the danger, and tended to dismiss the phenomena as rumor – until it happened to them.

      An eyewitness account which appeared in the February 4, 1905 issue of Forest and Stream gave some credence to the hearsay. Shortly after the Civil War, there was a small military encampment just north of new Orleans. A dozen soldiers, including our correspondent Cabio Blanco, took the afternoon off for a bit of pistol practice. When it came his turn to fire, a young trumpeter shooting one of the infernal Remingtons had three or four cylinders go off simultaneously. With a still stinging hand, the boy flung the gun into the canal where it doubtlessly still remains. (He wound up compensating Uncle Sam for the government issue pistol; $13 was deducted from his pay.)

      Mr. E.C. Phillips of Trinidad, Colorado, wrote in the December, 1912 issue of Outers Book that he had one of the personal weapons of famous scout and frontiersman Kit Carson. This was an over/under double-barreled percussion rifle. There were two hammers, one on either side of the arm. Evidently, Carson saw the merit in having the extra shot at his command. Carlos Gove of Denver made the rifle entirely by hand for Carson in 1858. Reportedly, Gove made two such rifles. The other was for noted scout and Indian fighter Tom Tobin. Tobin, incidentally, is reported to have captured the infamous Esponisa band of outlaws for the price on their heads. Tobin camped with the gang, and while they slept, killed them and cut off their heads. He then gathered the heads in a gunny sack and carried the grisly baggage to the authorities and claimed the rewards.

      Phillips pointed out that the Carson rifle was a choice and rare specimen, and marked a step forward in the development of firearms. Also noted was the fact that the rifle was for sale. One has to wonder if the Carson story was not a scheme to enhance the price tag.

      F.J. Carnes burst into the gun department of the period Field and Stream magazine and expounded on the subject of Colt revolvers. Although the Arms and Ammunition column editor Bob Nichols may not have approved of intruders in his magazine space, he allowed Carnes some ink to clarify a few inaccuracies. Responding to some misinformation spread through previous statements made in the column regarding the earliest of Colt revolvers, Carnes very ably proceeded to set a lot of people straight. Along with the text, Carnes published a photo of his Patterson Colt, as well as a Walker model Dragoon from his own collection. The latter was a well-worn example, with the company number of “D” co. 189. For the sole benefit of the reader, we must presume, Carnes appraised his rare Colt, assigning to it a value of $500. Nickols opined that the topic was an interesting one, and perhaps a bit more devotion to the old guns might induce folks to rummage through their attics and turn up more scarce Colts.

      With old guns under such discussion during this period, the public’s fascination and interest in the outlaw and other notable gunmen of the frontier grew exponentially, which sparked a fairly widespread side discussion on gunslinger topics. This seems to have peaked in the early 1920s. “Could the Bad Men of the West Really Shoot?” and “The Truth About Wild Bill” were among the juicy titles.

      The bad man was the seldom seen but perpetually perceived image of the Wild Frontier. His willingness to use the gun and his alleged proficiency with it were a big part of the mystique. Most of us are able to relate to an attraction to and a fixation with the outlaw, though we may not be able to put our fingers on the reasons. Each of us as youngsters played cowboys and Indians. I can’t recall any of my boyhood chums volunteering to be the village dolt that groomed horses at the livery. Not one wanted to clerk at the dry goods store or perform coolie labor with the railroad gang. All of them wanted to be the good guy or the bad guy (depending). We all wanted to be the players who got to carry and shoot the guns.

      Many gray-haired eyewitnesses, and some who would have liked to be so regarded, took up a pen and offered first hand accounts of their acquaintances, friendships, chance meetings, or narrow escapes with one of the West’s celebrated desperados. Some of this must simply be taken with a grain or two of salt, but a percentage of the narratives are certainly to be considered reliable. Sifting fact from fiction is impossible. Nevertheless, this material makes mighty interesting reading.

      A description of one person’s relationship with Calamity Jane, as a good example, appeared in a Hunter-Trader-Trapper magazine in 1925. Regrettably, there is no mention of her guns.