The tools presented in GLW and Homesteader
There are not many weapons specified in either “The Great
Liquor War” or “Homesteader: Finding Sharon”. First, I’ll take a look at those
mentioned specifically and then move on to those that would be probable.
Hank James and most of those he dealt with carried the Colt
Single Action Army also called the “New Army”, the “Peacemaker”, the “Frontier
Single Six” and a host of other names derived from the depths of some super
salesman’s imagination. It was designed for the US Army which called for a 7 ½”
barrel and chambered for .45 Government. This was quickly followed by .44-40
which allowed the user to have one cartridge for both his Colt and his
Winchester Model 1873. During its first production cycle of 68 years, the “Peacemaker”
was available in a total of 27 calibers and in almost any barrel length
imaginable including perhaps a half dozen with 12” barrels for Edward Judson,
Jr. who wrote dime novels under the name Ned Buntline. True West Magazine
contributors have done extensive research and found that a few of these
“Buntline Specials” actually did exist. Several more have been made for TV
and Hollywood productions.
As a personal note, I have never seen or handled a Colt
Buntline Special but I have fired a few rounds from a S&W Model 29 in .44
Magnum with a 10 5/8” barrel and I found the long barrel to be awkward though
it did help to keep the barrel down during recoil. I have also put several
hundred rounds through a similar weapon with a 6” barrel and found it much
easier to handle and return to target and accuracy was not diminished, at least
up to a hundred yards. For myself I don’t think the “Buntline Special” would be
worth the bother.
In “The Making of Jake McTavish” I have included a
“Sheriff’s Special” or “Storekeeper’s Model” which did not have an ejector
housing (no room) and came with a 4” barrel although 2 ½” and 4 ½” were also
made. Also mentioned in the “Jake” story is the Colt .36 Navy and since this
was long after percussion weapons it would probably be the 1861 model.
Below, the Colt SAA (This is a second generation model
meaning it was made for smokeless powder. Popularity forced Colt to make them
again.)
A Colt Navy .36, 1861
A Colt SAA Sheriff's Model.
The British Columbia Provincial Police were not issued weapons until many years after the time depicted in these two novels but most (after about 1875) carried the Colt “New Army” although some preferred the S&W .44 American or the Remington Model 1875 Single Action Army. Some carried one of the many .38 calibers available at the time in both single action and (after the BCP Police had already been around for 25 years) double action revolvers. Since they often bought them out of their own money what was chosen could be almost anything. Prior to 1875 and during the era of black powder and the percussion cap the most popular personal weapon for the police officer was the .36 Navy Colt. Yes, the “Peacemaker” or “New Frontier” Colt was first manufactured in 1872 but the first created went to the US Army and it’s doubtful that any civilians – or the BC Provincial Police – received any before 1874 or ‘75
There were many other options. The
Paterson Colt was first released in 1838, there were models manufactured by
Manhattan, Ethan-Allen, a vast number of makers who were bought and absorbed by
the brands we recognize today or simply disappeared for a variety of reasons.
Smith & Wesson made cartridge revolvers in .22 rimfire in 1858 and released the first large bore in 1870. It was designated the S&W Model No.3 First Model Single Action and was available in .44 American and .44 Henry Rimfire.
Here is a S&W Model #3 in .44 American and underneath it
a Remington 1875 Army in nickel
The North
West Mounted Police who also feature prominently in “GLW” where first issued
the Snider-Enfield .577 carbine and a .455 Adams revolver. However,
by the time of this story they had changed to the Winchester Model 1876
military carbine in .45-70 and the Colt Single Action Army.
Near the climax of The Great Liquor War, Hank’s friend Harry Gilmore saves Hank
with a shot from his “.50 Springfield”. From 1794 until 1968 many rifle
models manufactured at the Springfield, Massachusetts Armory were
referred to as “Springfields” but with the caliber specified it probably would
be a .50 trap-door single shot US Army rifle Model 1873 made in the Springfield
Armory starting in 1873. Designed for the US Army (with carbines for the
Cavalry) many made their way into civilian hands.
Probably the longest production run for a “Springfield” would be the M1 Garand
(4.5 million copies) (.30-06 produced from 1936 to ‘57) and the last would, I
think, be the M14 in the NATO 7.62mm (.308 produced 1959 – ’64 and upgraded
variations still made).
At the end of the GLW Hank collects a set of Remington 1875 Single Actions with
a nickel finish. (pictured above under S&W .44 American) In the early 1870s Remington lost out to Colt in the US Army
contract (a year late) but they did manage to attain contracts for other
government orders including one for the US Ministry of the Interior who issued
nickel plated Remington revolvers to many of the tribal police forces. These
were first issued in .44 Remington Centerfire and later in .44-40.
My last release, “The Making of Jake McTavish” (There have been 3 more released since I originally wrote and posted this) takes place in 1898 and by this time the bolt action rifle was becoming popular and available in new calibers. It was also at this time that smokeless powder was introduced. Another weapon that I introduce in this story is the Remington Double Deringer which was chambered for .41 rimfire short, about 150,000 made between 1866 and 1935.
During the years depicted, the mid 1880s, there would have been a variety of
weapons available in both British Columbia and over the mountains in the North
West Territories and many where the same weapons found south of the 49th parallel
and most other places in the world. Most of those living in the area, aboriginal,
European, rural or urban fed themselves from the available wild-life even though the beef and pork industries were well established in BC by 1870 and a few years later they were trying to sell livestock. Victoria and New Westminster were actual towns so
many people there would rely on others to supply their meat but most became
familiar with aspects of preparing their own food. Some weapons where more
popular than others, whether through availability, price or access to
ammunition but any rifle that one may have heard of could be found somewhere in
the west.
Avocation could also have influence on what a person might want for a weapon. Trappers for example would want something of a small caliber to dispatch their “catch” both quickly and humanly without excessive damage to the pelt and therefore often chose something like a .22. If they could afford it (or thought they could) they might have a .22 revolver for trapping and a rifle in a much larger caliber for bringing down meat. I’ve heard and read stories where a trapper decided to back away from one of his traps and let “Mr. Bear” or “Mr. Wolf” clean it out since all he had on his hip was a .22 pistol.
As pictured in “Homesteader” many of those working the wild cattle and horses
of the time would want a pistol with a fairly large bore. An 800 lb. cow or
steer can charge a man very quickly and it takes something with serious impact
to slow him or her down. If you are being dragged through the brush by one foot
hung up in a stirrup you don’t want that to go on very long. (I can personally
attest to that!) Grizzly bears, timber wolves and coyotes can also view a 50
lb. calf as a very tasty morsel and although these species have been taken with
small calibers it is probably best not to count on it.
#1800s, #BC
Provincial Police, #British
Columbia, #North
West Mounted Police, #North
West Territories
