As a child, I was practically raised by Western movies. My dad loved them. I can repeat the film “Tombstone” line by line, and the conversation Josey Wales has with Ten Bears still gives me chills. Recently, my dad stopped watching the news because it simply made him mad, and now rewatches those old Westerns instead. I know my way around the fictional world of six guns. Part of that world will always be outlaws. The outlaws of the Old West have always fascinated us, and we’ve most certainly romanticized them and their lives.
Today, we’ll discuss a few famous outlaws and the guns they carried. An American outlaw often makes their living by the gun, and it’s certainly the way their lives often end. Let’s look at these gunslingers and their guns of choice. Keep in mind, though, that several of these fellas used a wide variety of different guns throughout their outlaw careers, but these seemed to be the favorites.
Jesse James – S&W Scholfield .45 S&W
Jesse James was the son of a minister, but you’d never know by the way he lived and died. Born in Missouri, Jesse James fought in the American Civil War as a Confederate Bushwacker, a violent guerilla group. After the war, Jesse James had a lust for blood and went on to become an outlaw who robbed banks, trains, and stagecoaches. And much like Robin Hood, James became a folk hero among the poor for his daring actions.
A name alliteration helps as well. In reality, Jesse James was a brutal thug who was never a Robin Hood-type character. He killed many for the love of money. His gun of choice varied over time, and his wife made it difficult by selling several guns that were “verified” to be of Jesse James’ personal collection, including guns not produced until after James’ death.
The only gun that was proven to be his is a Smith and Wesson Scholfield in .45 S&W. This was a big, full-sized, single-action, top-break revolver, which was modern for the era, and the top-break design did allow for a faster reload. However, it’s still fairly slow and was unlikely a factor in him using the gun. The .45 S&W cartridge was a capable round that competed with the .45 Colt in this era.
Frank James – Remington Model 1875
Jesse James is well known, but what about his brother, Frank James? We don’t hear much about him, even though he robbed several banks. I told you, alliteration matters. Frank James was the older brother of Jesse James, and unlike Jesse, he lived to the ripe old age of 72. Frank James was also a bushwhacker who fought in the American Civil War.
He was famously very intelligent and supposedly a voracious reader who dreamed of being a teacher when he was a young man. Frank James never became much of a teacher, and he joined Jesse and the rest of the James-Younger gang on their rip-roaring time of robbery and murder. He turned himself in but was acquitted of his charges. After that, he lived a fairly quiet life.
During his life of robbery, this outlaw famously preferred Remington revolvers. This includes the Remington 1858 New Army, but the revolver he used most often was the Remington Model 1875 in .44-40 Winchester Centerfire. He was quoted as saying, “The Remington is the hardest and the surest shooting pistol made.”
Billy the Kid – Winchester 1873 Rifle
Billy the Kid was an outlaw, Regulator, and gunslinger. He was young, brash, and well-known for his violent streak. He famously fought with the Regulators in the Lincoln County War of 1878, and that’s where he caught his first murder charge, though it was not his first known murder. He was well known for escaping custody constantly, and he’d kill to do it.
Billy the Kid, real name Henry McCarty, lived a short but violent life. His mother died when he was 14, and seven violent years later, he followed her to the grave. He robbed, stole, and killed as needed. By most accounts, he was smart and capable of excellent planning, and if he had remained under the tutelage of John Henry Tunstall, his life could have been radically different.
Unlike most western outlaws who were famous for their love of pistols, Billy seemed to prefer the Winchester 1873 rifle. He cherished the rifle after stealing it during his escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse. The Winchester rifle is credited with taming the West, but when in the wrong hands, it did the exact opposite.
John Wesley Hardin – Colt 1877 .41 Colt
John Wesley Hardin doesn’t get talked about much. He wasn’t famous for robbing banks or being a charming rogue. Instead, he was just a cold-blooded killer. It’s suspected he’s killed between 27 and 42 men. For the heck of it. Much like Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin was the son of a Minister from a very prominent family. Why he broke bad is likely always going to be a mystery.
He was only 14 when he killed his first man. Shortly after, he faced off with three Union soldiers and killed all three of them. That started a long life of violence and brutality. He did encounter Wild Bill Hickok when Hickok was a US Marshal, and the two seemingly have respect for each other.
Hardin was a killer through and through, and his gun of choice was the Colt M1877 pistol. The pistol used by Hardin was a .41 Long Colt design, and this particular variant was called the Thunderer. It was a double-action pistol, which was rare for the era. The M1877 was a bit delicate but also seemingly a capable option for the modern outlaw.
Deacon Jim Miller – Double Barrel Shotgun
Jim Miller, aka Deacon Jim Miller, aka Killin’ Jim, aka Killer Miller, was exactly that: a killer. Jim Miller was a gunfighter who fancied himself a deacon. He was an odd character who acted as a hired killer but didn’t tolerate cursing or drinking. In an odd twist of fate, he worked for John Wesley Hardin’s cousin on a ranch at some point.
Miller even served as a Ranger for a short period of time. He later became a professional assassin, charging $150 per assassination. At one point, he was cornered and shot several times, and when the fight was over, it was revealed he wore a steel plate under his jacket, which had saved his life. He was a character, to say the least.
His weapon of choice was often a double-barrel shotgun. The maker is long lost, and there were tons of cheap imported European designs coming in at this time. Miller would often ambush his opponents with the shotgun and end the fight before it really began. Shotguns are brutal, close-range weapons and worked well for these ambush-style tactics. Miller was later hung from a livery stable, ending his role as an assassin.
Butch Cassidy – Colt Single-Action Army in .45 Colt
Robert Leroy Parker, best known as Butch Cassidy, was the original member of the Wild Bunch. He rode hard, robbing banks and trains with his gang of pistoleros and outlaws. For more than a decade, he raised hell, robbed banks, and led his gang across the American West.
Butch Cassidy faced a life of constant pursuit, and it wore on him and his gang. They were pursued across the country by Marshals, state law enforcement, and forces like the Pinkertons. The gang fell apart under pressure, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid eventually fled to Bolivia, where they met their final fate.
Butch Cassidy’s weapon of choice was the Colt Single Action Army in .45 Colt. The SAA was the Glock 19 of the era, and every man on this list likely used or saw one at some point. It was the choice of lawmen, criminals, soldiers, and more. While it was pricey, it was very well-known for its reliability and durability. In the hands of a man who lived a life of violence, it only made sense.
Outlaws til the End
Outlaws rarely get to live to old age. Frank James is one of the few exceptions. Men can be outlaws til the end because the end usually comes pretty quickly for them. Their legacies are something to learn from, not to emulate. The little intricacies of their lives, like their weapons of choice, often tell their own tale, and hopefully, we’ve given you some insight there.
