If you are a fan of the Old West—and I figure you are—you’re probably familiar with lawmen like James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok, Bartholomew “Bat” Masterson and Wyatt Earp. You might even have heard of Pat Garrett, Heck Thomas, or Bill Tilghman. Then there are famous Texas Ranger Captains such
If any group of lawmen in history is worthy of the moniker “gunfighters,” it’s the legendary Texas Rangers. Doug Dukes is a native Texan, and retired career Austin police officer turned full-time historian. He spent years analyzing thousands of historical records held at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and
In his book “American Knives: The First History and Collector’s Guide,” author Harold L. Peterson put it best when he wrote, “In the history of American arms, three weapons stand out above all the rest: the Kentucky rifle, the Colt revolver and the Bowie knife.” Peterson went on to say, “Each
Many firearms on store shelves today are painted, and for many people, that suits them, but I prefer a nice, blued finish. I’m not partial to just one; matte or shiny finish both have a place. How a firearm is blued isn’t alchemy. It’s just simple chemistry. All it takes
The 1851 Navy was the second best-selling revolver from Colt. Outsold only by Colt’s 1849 Pocket Pistol, it is arguably the most recognized cap-and-ball sixgun in the world. If ever a gun were to be considered a classic, certainly the 1851 Navy Colt would rate near the top of anyone’s
Shooters today have a wide variety of long-range rifles at their fingertips. There is something for everyone, from super high-end custom builds to off-the-shelf rifles. Most modern rifles effortlessly hit targets at 1000 yards. While many see this as an evolution in technology, there is a gun that predates these
