The Colt Paterson Revolver was the first of its kind. Read next: The Many Lives of Olive Oatman, Tattooed Captive of the West 2. In fact, Colt still produces the firearm due to continued demand from collectors. Patton famously bore an ivory-handled Peacemaker during World War II. So iconic is the Colt Single Action army that one given to President Theodore Roosevelt as a birthday present fetched $1,466,250 at auction to an anonymous buyer. Wyatt Earp, Wes Hardin, Bat Masterson, and the Texas rangers all preferred this weapon to others. The artillery version of this sidearm was used at the Battle of Little Big Horn. This six-shooter also became the weapon of choice for those living on the frontier. It was, according to The Peacemaker and Its Rivals, the first cartridge type revolver adopted by the U.S. While this wasn’t the first revolver by any stretch of the imagination, its manufacture in 1873 marked a watershed moment in firearms development. 45, some 192,000 units of the Peacemaker were produced over the course of its history. What is single action? In a single action firearm, the user manually pulls back the hammer of the gun and then fires it with the trigger. Source: Wikimedia CommonsĪnybody familiar with 1950s Westerns would be familiar with the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, A.K.A. The Peacemaker is the most well-known revolver from the Old West. While no single weapon ever truly “won the West,” these 10 firearms left a lasting impression on the West’s trajectory and history. These violent encounters, and the weapons used in them, have provided much of the mystique and legend of that time. They are also widely known for their use in shootouts, quickdraw duels, and robbery. Guns were tools used on the frontier to harvest resources, defend oneself against animals, and to conquer Native Americans. From the lonely desperado to the lawman who imposes order with the barrel of a six-shooter, guns are indelibly linked into the popular memory of the Wild West.Īlthough gun control was surprisingly prevalent and successful in the Wild West, most people indeed owned firearms. The Old West wouldn’t be the Old West without guns. No single gun won the West, but these ten firearms certainly carved a niche in its history.
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