_scaled_45_30.jpg "June Events 2010")
Firearms
One Heap Good Gun
- Published May 15, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Best known as the “Yellowboy,” an affectionate moniker frontier Indians gave the repeater due to its shiny brass receiver, the Model 1866 was produced by Winchester until 1898. In its 32 years of production, more than 170,000 of these .44 rimfire, lever-action rifles left the factory, with many shipped to the West to play their part in settling that untamed region.
One Heap Good Gun
- Published April 25, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Best known as the “Yellowboy,” an affectionate moniker frontier Indians gave the repeater due to its shiny brass receiver, the Model 1866 was produced by Winchester until 1898. In its 32 years of production, more than 170,000 of these .44 rimfire, lever-action rifles left the factory, with many shipped to the West to play their part in settling that untamed region. A number of these went south of the border to be used by both sides during Mexico’s 1860s fight against the French.
Winchester first called this model the “Improved Henry.” Its most notable enhancement over the Model 1860 Henry included: the receiver-mounted, King’s patented, spring-tempered loading gate, the wooden fore-stock and the under barrel closed magazine tube that was open only at the rear, where it entered the receiver (the Henry’s tube was open its entire length, thus subjecting it to dirt and debris). The rifle updated to its Model 1866 name after the introduction of its successor, the iron-framed 1873 model.
The Model 1866 also has the distinction of being the first rifle to bear the Winchester name. The rifle was fitted with a 24-inch octagonal barrel, which held 16 cartridges (with one in the chamber), while the 20-inch barreled carbine held 13 rounds.
Despite its relatively low-powered loading of a 200-grain lead bullet, backed by around 26-28 grains of blackpowder, the Yellowboy remained a favorite throughout the Old West era and consistently proved to be a trusty companion to Westerners. As testimony to the esteem of the Model 1866, they were put to work in the hands of outdoorsmen of all breeds, including military officers, cowboys, Indians and several Union Pacific Railroad special agents. Perhaps most notably, the rifle served as the principal arm for the two expeditions that explored the Colorado River region in 1869 and 1871.
Frontiersman William E. Webb recalled that his ’66 carbine “weighed but seven and one-half pounds,” and “…could be fired rapidly 12 times without replenishing the magazine….” He further recalled that he “often held it out with one hand like a pistol and fired.”
If any Winchester truly deserves the title of the “Gun that Won the West,” it would be the Model 1866. It was not by accident that in 1973—long before anyone ever heard of cowboy action shooting—the late Val Forgett introduced the first metallic cartridge lever gun replicas, with one of them being the Model 1866 “Yellowboy,” chambered for the smokeless .44-40 centerfire (.44 WCF).
Since those early years in the age of replicas, the ’66 model has continued to hold its own as a favorite with cowboy action shooters, cowboy mounted rifle shooters and Old West gun buffs alike. As the old-time Plains Indians said, “Yellowboy, one heap good gun!”
Phil Spangenberger writes for Guns & Ammo, appears on the History Channel and other documentary networks, produces Wild West shows, is a Hollywood gun coach and character actor, and is True West’s Firearms Editor.
Guns with True Grit
- Published April 26, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
If not for replica firearms, we’d still be watching movies where the actors shoot it out with 1892 Winchesters and 1873 Colt revolvers—regardless of the time period of the film!
Sauerkraut Scout
- Published April 16, 2012
- Written by Mark Boardman
Karl May was a man of many parts, to say the least. Part Zane Grey, part P.T. Barnum, part Soapy Smith, part Walter Mitty, part Nietzsche, part Billy Graham and just maybe part madman.
Now Playing: Hollywood Guns
- Published March 29, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
“Why, by God girl, that’s a Colt’s Dragoon,” uttered by none other than John Wayne in 1969's True Grit.
Got a Spare?
- Published April 16, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
The debate over whether frontiersmen carried spare loaded cylinders for their revolvers, during the era of percussion revolvers and into the age of early metallic cartridge six-guns, continues to rage on.
Cutting Through the Smoke
- Published February 22, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning!”
Buffalo Bill’s Saddle Pards
- Published April 13, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody had a number of guns and horses throughout his colorful career. However, he always held one rifle and horse in especially high esteem.
A Giant of a Gun
- Published January 11, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Teddy Roosevelt packed one of his 1876 Winchesters through a true Wild West adventure.
Hardin's Deadly Tools
- Published March 13, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
We’ve long held a fascination for the gunmen of the Wild West, and firearms enthusiasts have been especially interested in the hardware used by them.
A New-Old Needle Gun
- Published November 09, 2010
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
A long slender firing pin inspired the nickname “needle gun” for a custom, sporterized Springfield trapdoor rifle that was a popular single shot on the buffalo ranges.
The Deadly Dozen
- Published January 09, 2012
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
“Oh, it’s old Arizona again,
C.M. Russell's Illustrated Colt
- Published October 06, 2010
- Written by R.B. Pickering
For Charlie Russell’s funeral on October 27, 1926, a pistol and rig, along with his chaps, were draped over Dexter, the cowboy artist’s favorite horse.
Ugly Ducklings, No More
- Published November 08, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Because of their unusual looks, Merwin, Hulbert & Co. firearms have been considered the “ugly ducklings” of frontier six-shooters.
Uberti's Wild West
- Published October 06, 2010
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Benelli USA wanted the characters, location and props in its latest Uberti ads, online catalog and videos to have an authentic Old West look and feel that would not only fit its frontier replica firearms, but also create an exciting atmosphere of Western outdoors adventure.
Six-Guns Blaze in Smokewood, Nevada
- Published October 04, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
As the sun reaches high in the baking Nevada sky, two steely-eyed gunmen slowly walk toward each other in the dusty street.
Colt's Wyatt Earp Tribute
- Published August 31, 2010
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
“Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave, courageous and bold. Long live his fame and long live his glory, and long may his story be told.”
A Bandido’s California Colt
- Published July 28, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
With drawn six-guns, Tiburcio Vasquez rode rampant across early California to become one of the Golden State’s most colorful desperados.
A Cowboy Classic is Created
- Published July 27, 2010
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
Did you know that the world’s best-known “cowboy six-shooter,” the 1873 Colt Single Action Army (SAA), started its career as a military sidearm, designed primarily for the U.S. Cavalry?
Scattergun Sidekicks Reunite
- Published May 24, 2011
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
As the stagecoach gently rumbled through the soft dirt, I cradled my sawed-off scattergun, ready for trouble.
Stay on Target When Collecting Gun Shots
- Published June 29, 2010
- Written by Phil Spangenberger
How many times have you looked at an antique photo and thought, “If this old photo could only talk?” Well, they do, in a way.
