August, 1915...Victoriano Huerta had been booted out as president of Mexico and it seems that some of his opponents had a particular adobe wall all picked out for him to stand in front of. Huerta did the smart thing and fled to the United States along with his favorite general, Pascual Orozco.

by Shane Jahn There was a time I’d have said, “heck no, no way, it ain’t happening!” To me, scoping a revolver was akin to mounting a telescope on a Winchester Model ’92 carbine. It just isn’t proper! Heck, it might even be against the law! Then, I surpassed or entered, depending on whose definition you follow, the realm of middle age. Now I can see (pun intended) the value of an optic. I’m still set enough in my ways that I do not prefer optics on my revolvers or lever-acti

If you wander along in the Southwest, from El Paso all the way to Yuma, Arizona, you are liable to come across one of Pancho Villa’s guns for sale—all Colt Bisleys, of course. You’ll likely find one in El Paso, maybe another in Albuquerque, and certainly several in the Tucson/Phoenix area. And you’ll find several at every gun show worthy of its name throughout the area. All I can tell you is that Ol’ Pancho must have owned and carried about one third of the Bisley Colts that

In 1929, Elmer Keith wrote of a sixgun he called No. 5—a Colt SAA built into a state-of-the-art revolver. He also called it The Last Word. It stands even today among the finest in existence. In 1955, Keith wrote “Sixguns.” This is a must-read for students of the sixgun.

George Brakefield was a Texas Ranger in North Texas when I was working as a police detective. He was a gun guy and an all-around good guy, so we spent a lot of time together, working cases, arresting bad guys, and talking guns. This is one of the stories that he told me about his early days in the Texas Rangers.

Another rifle I’ve always connected to Mr. Wootters is the Ruger No. 1 in 45-70 Government he used to collect the Nhamaruza Leopard in 1972 while hunting in Mozambique. From the first time I saw a photo of Wootters kneeling by the beautiful spotted cat with the No. 1 in his hand, I wanted one. I wanted one so bad that I bought three!

With Mrs. Wootters’ blessing, we’re bringing selected works of John Wootters together in a new Gun Tales book. Now you can have John Wootters back in your hands—and help make sure his work stays there for the next generation.

In my view, the caliber of the usin’ gun ought to begin with the number “4.” It ought to be loaded with at least a 200 grain bullet, and that bullet ought to be driven at 900-1000 feet-per-second. This gives one the choice of a .41 Special, .44 Special, or .45 Colt. And there’s no point in arguing about which one of these is best; a crook or critter properly punctured with any of these won’t be able to tell the difference.

Rob is aware of my background in gunsmithing. He knows I enjoy bringing the best out from my sixguns. But I am not sure he wasn’t pulling my leg when he presented me with a Single Six that was about as beat up as it could be. Like, professionally beat up. This thing not only had scars, scratches, and scrapes, the main frame was a tiny bit warped.

Jim starts off with a comical gunfight story about Texas Ranger Charlie Miller. Shane talks John Wootters and how he pioneered whitetail deer hunting. More about grip frames and how to pick one that doesn't bust your knuckle. Their favorite carry and hunting ammo. Things that Jim and Shane disagree on. Opinions on 9mm 1911 guns.

Now to the part that seems to draw attention. The brass grip frame. Ronnie Wells’ RW Grip Frames does everything from building laser-accurate custom revolvers to manufacturing sights, hammers, triggers, and yes, grip frames. Hundreds of variations of grip frames as a matter of fact.

While most of my friends are accomplished pranksters, my friend Jeff Quinn was certainly the most creative of us all. He has crossed the river, but I am going to tell you how I am going to remember him. While Jeff and I were sure enough friends, we mostly spent our time together picking on each other. Sometimes it just got out of hand….

The 308 Winchester has been the parent case for a lot of good rounds since its inception in 1952, including the 243 Winchester, 260 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington, 338 Federal, and 358 Winchester. There isn’t much a true hunter can’t bag with this assortment of cartridges pushing good bullets designed for penetration. We’ve used the 308 Winchester and 7mm-08 Remington to hunt a variety of critters at home in Texas and in South Africa.

Officer Bill McLennan, now a detective, was appointed as an official member of the committee while I acted in an advisory capacity only, without a vote. As longtime fans of Elmer Keith, we adhered to his advocacy of large caliber heavy bullets at moderate velocity for man-stopping purposes.

This gun was a .45 Colt SAA that was fully scroll engraved. It had a silver finish and a beautiful, cream-colored set of smooth ivory stocks on it. Besides that, the barrel and ejector-rod housing had been shortened to 4 inches and it had a dovetailed front sight.

Of course, I had the 44 Magnum I call “The Hammer” with me. Doc clobbered a fantastic buck at 104 yards with it. Doc Barranti and Nick Rukavina did have 44 Specials. Shane Jahn was carrying a 41. I know...I will do my best to help him. At least it was a very beautiful 41…

Whenever Jim, Shane, and I get together for evening coffee, the conversation often meanders back to how we can make Gun Tales a better place. How can we put our great Gun Tales family members first? How do we make newcomers feel more welcome? How can we get to know everyone better? How can we deliver that same anticipation that you used to have while waiting for the next issue of your favorite gun magazine?

One way we can shoot more for less is by utilizing firearms chambered in 22 LR that are similar to the centerfire guns we are hunting with. A variety of twenty-twos can be had in a multitude of configurations to mimic our big guns. Bolt action rifles, lever actions, pumps, semi-autos, single shots—they are all out there. Same goes for the handgun hunter and that’s what we’re focusing on today.

It may seem laughable to call the venerable 45 ACP a forgotten cartridge, yet in the realm of single action revolvers it remains almost totally eclipsed by the mighty 45 Colt. Tradition and nostalgia play a large part in this, to be sure, and there’s simply no denying that the larger case is capable of much greater performance, especially in the larger-framed guns like the Ruger Blackhawk.

“Beware the man with one gun...he probably knows how to use it.” We’ve all seen and heard that quote all of our lives. And I’d be willing to bet good money that there’s not a single member of the GUN TALES family that falls into that category.