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It would be a disgrace to cover the subject matter of long range sixgunning without mentioning The Grand Old Man, Elmer Keith. Keith was the pioneer of the sport. Without his contributions to bullet and cartridge design, the world of sixguns would have surely progressed, but the pace and quality of said progression would have been undoubtedly crippled.

This past weekend I spent time with a great group of friends. We did some deer hunting, a lot of visiting, and some really serious gun trading. What more could you ask? So, what I’m about to tell you may sound like bragging. Okay...it is bragging. But what I will tell you later ought to make up for it just a little bit.

There are times when packing a full-size handgun just isn’t feasible. This is where the convenience of the pocket gun comes into play. A gun small enough to be carried discreetly in a pocket holster, yet large enough to shoot accurately. We’ll talk a bit about real-world accuracy with these guns in a minute.

Pretty quick, Hayes hit a high trail that headed towards Chinati Peak. I figured he was planning to get lost in that broken canyon country north of the peak. He made quite a race of it but my old dun gelding was desert raised and we held our own. Just about the time we were going to catch up to him, Devil pulled his horse to a sliding stop and spun uphill, off the trail. As he did, I snapped a shot at him with my carbine and knocked him out of the saddle.

It was a package of modifications, with the cutaway feature already being somewhat commonplace. The cutaway remains, however, the most notable and controversial of the alterations, and has inspired a safer—and surprisingly durable—version of the speed-oriented modification. It may have another name, but I’ve always called it the “Half Fitz.” 

Over sixty years ago a cowboy from Idaho began writing about his use of heavy bullets in single action revolvers. It has taken nearly that long for the idea to become generally accepted among the shooting public and the ammunition manufacturers. And truth be told, there are many who still have not gotten the message. At least now there are some ammunition companies who regularly produce heavy bullet loads for the big-bore sixguns. 

Some years ago, Ed Martin, cow boss for the Shannon Estate Ranches, and I were taking a bit of a noon rest in the ranch’s Elk Horn pasture. My attention was drawn to a pretty good sized rock over on the side of a hill, about 175 to 200 yards away. Naturally, that got me to thinking about long-range shooting with a handgun.

I have some scoped handguns chambered in rifle cartridges that are occasionally hauled to the field, and I suspect any notoriety I might have in the writing world, albeit minor, is associated with revolvers. I don’t mind this, as it is largely true that I do like and use them. However, in my beating heart rests a soft spot for fine rifles of blued steel and figured walnut, as well as a deep interest for the iconic lever action rifle. One of my all-time favorite rifles is the

When it comes to shooting, nothing fits the hand, or points more perfectly than single action sixguns. Single actions are safe too, so long as you heed the age-old adage of load one, skip one, load four, cock the hammer, then slowly let it down so the hammer rests on an empty chamber. If your single action has a transfer bar safety, like Ruger New Model Blackhawks, you’re good to go with six rounds. 

The mornings are turning cooler out here in the Big Bend country. This time of year, everything starts to take on a golden hue as we slowly edge our way into fall. The fluttering green leaves of the cottonwood trees will soon transform to brilliant gold before they are scattered by the wild west Texas winds as the northers blow in. The mule deer bucks will shed the velvet covering of their forked antlers and the elk and aoudad hunting are currently in full swing. Ah yes, it’s

As a group, outdoorsmen in general and hunters in specific tend to be decorative in their remembrances of how much fun they had. A hunter’s home decor typically involves pictures, sculptures and especially taxidermy that celebrate past experiences. However, occasionally a well executed shoulder mount of a game animal is no more effective at stimulating a memory than a relatively anonymous artifact such as a rock, or in my case, a spearhead.

His name was Henry McCarty. His favorite alias was William Bonney. We knew him as Billy the Kid. Beyond that, just about everything you knew, or thought you knew, about him is not true or are claims made without supporting facts. Here are a few things to consider about one of the West’s most famous outlaws.

I have little doubt most readers of this post have heard of Charlie Pirtle. He was well known in the revolver competition communities of days gone by, and a winner of who knows how many shooting awards during his time on the U.S. Border Patrol Pistol Team. One of the best man trackers I have had the fortune of ever being around, well known lawman, outstanding Dutch oven cook, dedicated hunter, outdoorsman and true gentleman. In short, Charlie was one of the most influential f

I expect a lot of us can relate to starting our adult lives with meager earnings. The first year or two that my wife, Jill, and I were married we didn’t have a lot of extra money. Jill was going to college, and we had a brand-new baby girl. Her grandmother watched the baby during the day so Jill could drive seventy-four miles each way to attend the University of Texas Pharmacy School in Austin.

Make no mistake about it, good single actions deserve good gun leather. By the way, anyone who would carry a classic single action in a kydex holster clearly has loose morals, does strange things to innocent furry creatures, probably has outstanding warrants, and votes Democrat.

Not just any old metal plate, but a target located 1760 yards in front of the raised shooting platform supporting the bench on which sat an MG Arms Behemoth chambered in 50 BMG, with incredibly accurate Hornady 750-grain A-Max Match ammunition sitting nearby. For those not in the know, 1760 yards equals one mile, or as I like to say as a college football fan, “Imagine 15 football fields stacked end-to-end, and then imagine hitting a target at the end of that row of fields.” Y

Rare is the revolver that doesn’t need a little tweaking to better suit our wants and needs. We’ll save the full-on customs for another day. Today, let’s talk a little about some essential work and small custom features that turn an okay gun into a mighty nice piece of artillery that hits where we’re aiming.

His name was Arvo Ojala, pronounced O-Ja-La, with a J. He was known as the fast gun coach of the stars needing help handling sixguns to realistically portray themselves as authentic gunslingers. Believe me, they all needed help. Arvo was considered an excellent teacher, stating he could teach anyone how to fast-draw and handle guns professionally within a two-week span.

John Wesley Hardin was born in Bonham, Texas, in 1853. He grew up during the War of Northern Aggression and the subsequent Reconstruction era. For whatever reason, Texas was not hit very hard by the actual war; not a single major battle was fought in the state. However, Reconstruction hit Texas with both feet...with the boots and spurs still on.