Jesse James pistol
- Thread starter southernboy
- Start date
southernboy
Inactive
I'm guessing that this pistol is not well known : ) I'm sure though that with the wealth of knowledge on here somebody will know.
The picture provided looks like a Colt Walker, with no modifications for cartridge.
Edit: The Walker has a flat part of the trigger guard and this one has a round trigger guard
Edit +1: I cannot find a pistol with that exact bbl setup and screw setup, but I am still trying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image
re50.jpg
Edit: The Walker has a flat part of the trigger guard and this one has a round trigger guard
Edit +1: I cannot find a pistol with that exact bbl setup and screw setup, but I am still trying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image
re50.jpg
Last edited:
Jim Watson
New member
Does not match anything I have ever seen or anything illustrated in Flayderman.
I am wondering if it is a real gun or a dummy in a display. What does the plaque say? I cannot get it to were I can read it.
I am wondering if it is a real gun or a dummy in a display. What does the plaque say? I cannot get it to were I can read it.
Buck Conner
New member
Look at CW Southern revolvers, you'll have a better chance of finding one that's similiar. The South built and imported some revolvers that look somewhat like the picture you have shown.
Raider2000
New member
I would say that the pistol is a fake.
(1) the screw hole for the rammer assembly looks entirely too high.
(2) there is a screw twords the front of the frame that should not be there.
(3) I've seen fake pistols like this one with the groves coming from the nipple area & also no bolt stop cuts in the cylinder.
(4) the wedge doesn't look right.
(1) the screw hole for the rammer assembly looks entirely too high.
(2) there is a screw twords the front of the frame that should not be there.
(3) I've seen fake pistols like this one with the groves coming from the nipple area & also no bolt stop cuts in the cylinder.
(4) the wedge doesn't look right.
Double Naught Spy
New member
I am fairly certain that isn't James' pistol either. What you have is some sort of pistol, maybe a non-real gun as noted, in a display that appears to be a small-time museum display. The placard makes no claims as to the ownership or use of the pistol, money, playing cards, etc. So you have a display that is thematic, but not authentic - a filler display.
Whatever it is I don't think it was intended to have a ram. Also the barrel doesn't look like it mates to the frame very well in the pic and the trigger is crude as hell. The long slots could function as a cylinder stop, no problem with that but I can't remember ever seeing one made that way.
Buck Conner
New member
Hawg Haggen: Most Southern guns were built on Colt navy patterns and almost all were .36.
I have had several Southern revolvers and some are .36 cal. but many are larger cal. and not all of Colt design. Of the 400 antique gun collection we sold in 1995 there where a dozen plus Southern CW revolvers. To see a few of that collection go to http://hrd7.tripod.com/collect/connershortarms.htm
Johan Steele wrote:
The LeMat wasn't terribly popular because it was quite heavy (4 lbs compared to 2.5 on average for most others revolvers) and a touch uncomfortable to fire apparently. THe CS govt didn't care for them because they were quite expensive and only about 1500 made it to North America & into CS service and of those only about 400 saw service prior to 64.
Caleb Huse, the CS purchasing agent in Europe thought they were too expensive at $30 a piece. All in all Huse preffered to purchase Kerr revolvers which IIRC he managed to buy about 6000. And about 3,800 Colt (captured arms) approx. 2,200 Colt copies made by the CS and add the 1400 or so Spiller & Rurr's, 1000 or so Adams and another additional 10-15000 revolvers in arsenals & captured from Union garrisons at the begining of the War and you can see the CS was desperately short of pistols for their Cav. Only about 1/4 of CS Cav were armed w/ pistols, another half w/ 2 & 3 band rifles, carbines or shotguns and perhaps as many as 25% carried only sabres, in particular in the East under Hampton. The CS Cav made due w/ what they had... and by God they gave good service.
It's important to realize that many CS Cav Regiments were wholly armed w/ pistols, or sabres or rifles but rarely armed as US Cav were suposed to be w/all three. Though even many US Cav units were short of arms w/ some issued only sabres.
I have had several Southern revolvers and some are .36 cal. but many are larger cal. and not all of Colt design. Of the 400 antique gun collection we sold in 1995 there where a dozen plus Southern CW revolvers. To see a few of that collection go to http://hrd7.tripod.com/collect/connershortarms.htm
Johan Steele wrote:
The LeMat wasn't terribly popular because it was quite heavy (4 lbs compared to 2.5 on average for most others revolvers) and a touch uncomfortable to fire apparently. THe CS govt didn't care for them because they were quite expensive and only about 1500 made it to North America & into CS service and of those only about 400 saw service prior to 64.
Caleb Huse, the CS purchasing agent in Europe thought they were too expensive at $30 a piece. All in all Huse preffered to purchase Kerr revolvers which IIRC he managed to buy about 6000. And about 3,800 Colt (captured arms) approx. 2,200 Colt copies made by the CS and add the 1400 or so Spiller & Rurr's, 1000 or so Adams and another additional 10-15000 revolvers in arsenals & captured from Union garrisons at the begining of the War and you can see the CS was desperately short of pistols for their Cav. Only about 1/4 of CS Cav were armed w/ pistols, another half w/ 2 & 3 band rifles, carbines or shotguns and perhaps as many as 25% carried only sabres, in particular in the East under Hampton. The CS Cav made due w/ what they had... and by God they gave good service.
It's important to realize that many CS Cav Regiments were wholly armed w/ pistols, or sabres or rifles but rarely armed as US Cav were suposed to be w/all three. Though even many US Cav units were short of arms w/ some issued only sabres.
Gaucho Gringo
New member
According to what I have read over the years on the subject Jesse's mother had a nice cottage industry of selling his guns. She sold quite a few of them.
Jim Watson
New member
Not much of a retirement plan for gunfighters, you gotta pay the bills somehow.
Gaucho Gringo, I’m with you. I read a story written by a well known historian of Jesse and at the time (Early 80’s) he had come up with 240+ “Authentic” Jesse James pistols that were purchased from his poor starving mother….
There were several that she sold in her later years that were not manufactured before Jessie died.
Good for her
That is NOT a real gun.
There were several that she sold in her later years that were not manufactured before Jessie died.
Good for her
That is NOT a real gun.
Mark Milton
Moderator
During the war, Frank James carried a Remington. Jesse probably carried a Colt or Colt copy or copies.
The southern forces carried all sorts of Colt Clones made by small shops all over the south. Spiller and Burr, Griswold and Gunnison, etc...
After the war, Jesse carried a Colt peacemaker and a S&W Schofield. He was wearing the Scofield, I beleive when he was shot. Frank James had upgraded to the 1875 model Remington when he turned himself in.
Frank was a Remington man and admitted it.
The James boys rode with Quantrill's raiders, I seem to recall, and the LeMat was popular with some of them, as was the Walker Colt. Some of Quantrill's boys would carry four revolvers on their persons and two more mounted on holsters on their saddles.
The southern forces carried all sorts of Colt Clones made by small shops all over the south. Spiller and Burr, Griswold and Gunnison, etc...
After the war, Jesse carried a Colt peacemaker and a S&W Schofield. He was wearing the Scofield, I beleive when he was shot. Frank James had upgraded to the 1875 model Remington when he turned himself in.
Frank was a Remington man and admitted it.
The James boys rode with Quantrill's raiders, I seem to recall, and the LeMat was popular with some of them, as was the Walker Colt. Some of Quantrill's boys would carry four revolvers on their persons and two more mounted on holsters on their saddles.
madcratebuilder
New member
Yup!