Your first "cowboy" gun

[Two-Step]

In the truest since, I have only ever owned 1 "cowboy" gun, an 1851 Colt revolver (replica). Several of the others I have owned are "cowboy type" but wouldn't qualify for cowboy action shooting, unless you count my Ruger Black Hawk .44 magnum.

As it stands, I am presently considering various 6-shooters and such and was wondering what others may have bought as their first "cowboy" gun.

[Becky Coffield]

My dad gave me a set of little six shooters on my birthday...had holsters and gunbelt too. My mother had a fit that all I wanted to do was to play with those little guns and wear my gunbelt. She took them away from me.

Oh. Maybe you didn't have this kind in mind. I will say that as an adult (and I use that term loosely) the first gun I ever bought was a Reuger .44 magnum, long barrel, stainless gun. I was thinking it would be good for bear if I ever ran into one...whatever.

[Wolfgang]

I had a double barreled cap pistol as one of my first toys when I was very, very little.

Then an Ithical "saddle gun" for my 16th birthday. Looked like a lever action Winchester but was smaller and single shot .22

Then a few years back was looking to get a "real" cowboy gun . . . found on gunbroker a brass frame '58 Remington by Pietta. And was HOOKED with the first shot I fired of real "black powder".

See it . . . with a few others I've aquired since . . . at the bottom of the page at:
www.drburkholter.com/cf6.html

[Santee]

At age 12, I saved money and bought one of those replica "non-firing" ones so I could practice the fast draw!
My first real shooter was a Uberti Cattleman in .45LC, a mere 12 years later.

[Mike D.]

My mom bought me a Ruger Single Six back in 1973 I think. (Yes, I am old.) When the new transfer bar ones came out. Have had some Colts and clones since then, but really like the Rugers. A Montado is my favorite right now, and I even use it for a carry gun sometimes.

[Chris Lampe]

My first "Cowboy" gun was a Cimarron Firearms 1873 Winchester carbine replica in .44-40. That was quickly followed by a Cimarron Colt SAA replica, also in .44-40. I had considered going with a .357 so I could shoot cheaper .38 special ammo but realized that if I'm buying a gun for historical reasons it should be in an historically accurate caliber.

[Michael]

I had a six shooter with a holster as a kid. The belt buckle had a derringer in it. When you had to stick-em-up you could puff out your belly and the derringer would fly out and "shoot" the gent in front of you. My belly today would allow for much easier action. Real gun, 36 cal. Colt Navy.

[Two-Step]

My grandfather (rest his soul), had a Hawes Western Marshal .22/.22 magnum revolver, with nickel plate and synthetic stag grips. I love that little pistol and it always brings back good memories.

[Stan H]

My first "cowboy" gun did not come around for a nmber of years after I started shooting. (22 rifle and 410 shotgun at 8 years old)

It was a Ruger Bearcat 22, brand new in 1958 I was turnin' 16 then, but that little revolver fit my hand just fine. It also fit in a saddle bag real well. At the ranch where I was working that summer, by boss allowed me to carry his Model 94 30-30 in a saddle boot, but I had to give it back to him when I moved on. The next year, I got my own '94 and have owned one every since.

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

I got my first 'cowboy' gun when I was 9, which was before most of the posters on this forum were born. My dad was moving some trash off a neighbor-lady's place when he found a rusted-up, gripless Colt 1851 Navy. He soaked it in kerosene for about a week until I could cock & snap it. Then he scraped most of the rust off with steel wool, painted it with aluminum paint, made a couple of grip scales out of applebox wood & painted them white, & gave it to me. I had a silver-plated, pearl-handled cowboy pistol! I was the envy of every kid around--so much so that my 'silver-plated, pearl-handled cowboy pistol' was stolen 3 times. I never recovered it after the 3rd theft.

I've loved single-actions ever since. I currently own 'several.' I also like lever guns & single-shots, particularly since I shoot off my left shoulder. I've owned a Savage '99 & a Winchester'94, but my current lever-gun is a '95 Winchester in .30-40. It has some historical significance. The Winchester '95 in .30-40--& later in .30-03--was the first repeating rifle issued by the State of Texas to the Rangers.

I also have a replica Sharps in .45-70 that I'm hoping, someday soon, to have bored out to take .45x3½, & an original Remington Rolling Block in .43 Spanish I'd like to get rid of if I can get enough for it. I also shoot muzzle-loaders & own one of the few Eastern long rifles with a left-handed lock. I did have a Remington rabbit-ear 12-ga double made in 1899 until it was stolen out of my daughter's house about a year ago, along with my dad's old S&W M&P .38, my grandson's 7mm Mag Remington 700, & my daughter's laptop.

[knuckles Mcdaniel]

nice set of pistols

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

After my Navy was stolen the 3rd time I had a Stallion .45. It had 'cartridges.' You got 6 2-piece ctg-looking things. You took the back part off--it looked like a rimfire ctg--put a cap on the insert, which was supposed to look like a slug tho it completely filled the case, & when you fired smoke came out the barrel. It was DA only, of course, & you were at a definite disadvantage, since guys with Hubley Texans or Texan Jr.s had a 50-shot roll of caps before they had to reload, but you got in 6 & then had to clear the thing, disassemble the 'bullets,' put new caps in, & reload.

[C. F. 'Charley' Eckhardt]

Incidentally, in the early '60s--the War Between the States centennial period--the same people who made the Stallion pistols made a semi-replica of the Colt 1860 Army. It, too, was DA only & had a loading gate & the same 'ctgs,' but it was open-topped & had the lines of the '60 Colt. As I recall, it was plumb purty! The pistol itself was chrome, while the hammer, trigger, cylinder, & gate were 'gold.' Of course, the grips were white plastic made to look like ivory.

Along about the same time, the Mattel Co.--the 'Barbie & Ken' folks--put out pistols & a semi-replica of a Remington Rolling Block carbine that actually shot 'bullets!' The 'ctg case' had a spring in it. You pushed the plastic 'bullet' into the 'ctg case' until it clicked, stuck a 'Greenie stick'um cap,' which was louder than the regular roll caps, to the back of the ctg, loaded thru the gate, & when you fired the 'bullet' came out with considerable velocity--enough to make a fair dent in a cardboard box 3 ft away. Those things were discontinued after a year or so because they were 'dangerous.'