The Peacemaker And Its Rivals

This is the life story of the revered single action Colt—the first cartridge revolver adopted by the US Army and a favorite of frontiersmen and cowboys. Widely used from the Cheyenne War to the Battle of Britain, the Colt, or the Peacemaker as it was originally called in the trade, had many rivals, but it was a leader among weapons of its kind. John E. Parsons, an expert firearms historian, extensively researches the metallic cartridge revolver, giving readers a rare and remarkably insightful glimpse into the evolution, use, accuracy, importation, and availability of the gun. Full of facts but easily readable, The Peacemaker and Its Rivals includes chapters on: • Antecedent revolvers • Multiball cartridges • Adoption of the Model “P” • Serial numbers and sales • Variations and target types • Patents and pirates • Volume of productions by calibers Parsons extensively compares and contrasts the Peacemaker to the Schofield Smith & Wesson and the Remington and other rivals and illustrates its significance in American history. With original photographs of many rare revolvers and guns, this is a must-have for firearms enthusiasts. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

"The revolver as a factor in the development of America has never received serious consideration, either from the historian or the literary man. The former has neglected it entirely, while the latter has neither understood it nor its true place in our national life. Too frequently he has used it as his chief stock in trade in portraying certain striking types of American men-the Texas Ranger, the cowboy, or the bad man on horseback. The sensational story-writers, the moving pictures, and even worthier literary men, are loath to abandon this original idea." (Walter Prescott Webb, University of Texas) These words were written in 1927, since which time the topic has received more adequate attention, though mainly from collectors and shooters of arms. Books written primarily by or for them have thoroughly catalogued the various kinds of American pistols and revolvers, including the Colt, but the significance of these weapons in the context of their times remains an inviting study. Make by make and model by model, this analysis is going forward as new sources of information are discovered or become available. It is the purpose of this book to detail the life story of only one model of revolver, the single action Colt. Rivals and ramifications extending over a century are involved in the telling. For a collector there is ever the temptation to write in catalog form, and I cannot claim to have avoided it altogether. Even an historian or professional writer might find the material too factual for literary treatment. My own endeavor has been where possible to relate each arm described to its setting, and in this way to bring out its import in history.

Beginning with Native American primitive weaponry, The Peacemakers presents a comprehensive panorama from Lewis and Clark and their historic expedition, through subsequent trailblazing explorers, traders and mountain men, to the Army, the gold and silver miners, gunfighters, gamblers, outlaws, frontier madams and their soiled doves, to peace officers, cowboys and ranchers, as well as sodbusters, shopkeepers and the agents of Wells Fargo, hunters and gentlemen-sportsmen, Wild West showmen and women, to the Western stars of stage, screen, radio, and television. A final chapter provides insights and revelations on collecting arms and related treasures of the frontier. Designed as a companion volume to the bestselling Winchester: An American Legend and Colt: An American Legend, The Peacemakers matches those award-winning books with a fresh and breathtaking look at the extraordinary variety of Western arms. In stark contrast to the primitive Native American weapons of the time, the mechanical marvels of the time changed the course of history. These weapons were created by Colt, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Remington, Marlin, Sharps, Henry Deringer, Hawken, the U.S. armories and subcontractors, and small-shop private gunmakers. This book also includes other weapons of the era, like the ubiquitous Bowie knife, and more-many elegantly embellished knives including some by Tiffany & Co. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Introduces some of the gunfighting legends of the West, both criminals and law officials, and attempts to explore the realism of accounts of their feats

His contemporaries called him Wild Bill, and newspapermen and others made him a legend in his own time. Among western characters only General George Armstrong Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody are as readily recognized by the general public. In writing this biography, Joseph G. Rosa has expressed the hope that "Hickok emerges as a man and not a legend." For this comprehensive revision of his earlier biography of Wild Bill the author was allowed to work from newly available materials in the possession of the Hickok family. He also discovered new material pertaining to Wild Bill’s Civil War exploits and his service as a marshal and found the pardon file of his murderer, John McCall. Additional, rare photographs of Wild Bill are published here for the first time. The results of Rosa’s additional research make this second edition the best biography of Wild Bill likely to be written for years to come.