There’s no doubt that the history of the Old West is inundated with famous and infamous individuals.
All of these characters possessed notable and charismatic personalities and significant accomplishments. But did you know that in some instances what they carried, specifically their firearms, were equally as prominent?
These trusted companions that rode alongside our well-known personalities were also part of the history that their owners carved out. Whether for the good or the bad, those guns were there.
Below are just a few such weapons that were in action centuries ago, but their distinctions still live on today.
1. Lucretia Borgia, Nobility Of The Plains
The name, Lucretia Borgia, may not immediately identify this gun’s owner. But being clued in to the fact that Lucretia Borgia did her part to fell thousands of buffalo, then it may become more obvious.
Buffalo Bill was indeed her owner. By Bill’s own estimates, he killed over four thousand buffalo, though modern estimates cut that amount to a little more than half of his boast. Without a doubt “Old Lucretia” contributed highly to this accomplishment. Once, in a single day, Buffalo Bill held a competition with William Comstock to see how could fell the most buffalo. With the help of “Old Lucretia,” Bill killed a staggering 65 buffalo all by himself.
2. Annie Oakley’s Smith & Wesson Model 3
Annie Oakley is well-known as one of the Old West’s greatest sharpshooters. She was also a prominent star in Buffalo Bill’s famous wild west shows. At only 15 years old, Oakley won a shooting contest dominated by trained experts. Among the competitors she beat to take first place was one Frank E. Butler. Oakley and Butler eventually married and subsequently joined Buffalo Bills traveling show. Oakley used a variety of Smith & Wesson revolvers. However, her preferred stunt-shooting firearm was the Smith & Wesson Model 3. She used her Model 3 to perform incredible feats of marksmanship (markswomanship?) including shooting the lit ash from a cigar off her husband’s mouth. Oakley also routinely shot holes through playing cards. Her brace of revolvers can be found on display in various museums across the country.
3. Crockett’s Betsy
There are many versions of “Betsy” that deserve recognition. I’m talking about Davy Crockett’s rifles, of course. Crockett was a famous frontiersman and best known for helping to defend the Alamo in Texas during the 1800s.
Naming it after his favorite sister, his “first” Betsy was a rifle Crockett bought at age 17. The original Betsy was a .48 caliber flintlock rifle. He paid a handsome price for that rifle, with an amount that was roughly equal to three months’ pay.
Crockett enjoyed the name to such an extent that he continually named all his rifles “Betsy.” Among the other Betsies, Crockett had a .40 caliber flintlock gifted to him by the Tennessee State Assembly. He had another given to him by the Whig Party Pennsylvania. This version is currently in the possession of Crockett’s descendants.
4. George Armstrong Custer’s Colts
There’s no argument thatGeorge Armstrong Custer was a controversial figure in the Old West. His life was full of controversial decisions made on and off the battlefield. Historians continue to study him even to the present day.
Custer’s weapon of choice was a .36 caliber Colt Model 1861. His particular revolver wore elephant ivory grips and had gold and silver plating with deep rich engravings. Custer actually owned and carried a pair of these distinct revolvers throughout his lifetime.
Historical reports allege that they were gifted to him after being promoted to general at the young age of twenty-three. However, this cannot be confirmed due to the dedication plates being worn to the point of being unreadable.
Custer famously fought his final battle in 1876 at the Battle of Little Big Horn where he and his troops were vastly outnumbered against the superior combined force of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.
5. Billy The Kid’s Storm-Dispensing Thunderer
The “Thunderer” was Billy the Kid’s preferred firearm according to most reports–a Colt Model 1877 to be specific. Colt manufactured the Model 1877 from January 1877 until 1909. During its heyday, this revolver was frequently used by both lawmen and outlaws such as John Wesley Hardin and Doc Holiday. As mentioned, one of the most famous outlaws from the Old West, Billy the Kid, had the “Thunderer” always nearby during his escapades. In fact, upon his death at the hands of Pat Garrett in 1881, his trusted “Thunderer” was found on his dead body.
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