Overview

More than a few of the actual guns once in the hands of the heroes and villains of America's Old West still exist, housed in a dozen museums across the country - from the Model 1866 .44-40 that Chief Joseph famously surrendered to General Miles (now on display in the National Museum of the American Indian) to Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Model 1851 revolvers; from Buffalo Bill's .50 caliber breechloading needlegun nicknamed 'Lucrezia Borgia' (the last pieces of which are housed in his eponymous museum in Cody) to John Wesley Hardin's 1860 model .44 SA revolvers. This is a vivid portrait of famous Western characters, paired with the guns they used to make themselves famous or, as the case may be, infamous. It is a must for anyone interested in the history and lore of the Wild West, gun hobbyists, and tourists seeking a museum experience with a difference.

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9780762745081

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Reviews

As Hal Herring says in his Preface, America was a nation born yelling, and in a cloud of black powder smoke. We have always been addicted to mayhem (albeit from a safe distance), and the most fascinating mayhem of all was that waged in the Old West. This is the story of 12 guns of that time and the famous and infamous people who used them, and if you can start Chapter One and put the book down before you reach at least Chapter Six, see a doctor. Great stuff from someone who is both a historian and a masterful storyteller.--Dave Petzal, Deputy Editor, Field & Stream

Author Information

Hal Herring is a contributing editor at Field and Stream. His fiction, journalism, and essays have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the Economist. He lives in Augusta, Montana.

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