TV Series; "Wanted, Dead or Alive"

[Greenleaf]

Anyone recall the "Wanted, Dead or Alive" series. Sep. 1958 through 1961?



My question is the rifle Steve McQueen carried.



The Documentary says it's a 1892 Winchester sawed-off shotgun



The TV show mentioned it's a . 030 cal (during the first or second episode)



The shell casings Steve wears in the gun belt are looking a lot like 45/70 or . 358 Weatherby Magnum. This is, no doubt, for a "hollywood illision" effect. He wouldn't want to be seen carrying 25/20 shell casing in his gun belt :-laf They'd make fun of him. Tell him to stick his tongue on the flag pole



Anyone know what the rifle is? Looks like a sawed-off 1892 30/30 to me.



S

 

[tugboatphil]

Scott,



You have WAY too much free time!! :-laf

 

[NIsaacs]

If it is a lever action, it is probably a Winchester Model "94" 30/30. Back in the late 50's & early 60's I was lucky to have a battery radio w/a good battery, much less a tv, so I guess I can't help ya. However I do know bout' the flag pole thing, first hand





"NICK"

 

[SGibson]

I can't believe I'm answering this but it was supposedly a . 30-40,BTW Lucas McCain carried a . 44-40 and if Shane called you a "lowdown yankee liar" you wouldn't even have time to wire Paladin. Now does this get me a discount on some pump work?

 

[Mike Ellis]

It was indeed an 1892 Winchester, he carried . 45-70 shells on his belt loops but the rifle was supposedly a . 44-40. Do you remember its name? He called it the "Mare's Laig"



It actually came up for sale a few years back and spawned a lot of discussion in the gun groups, I remembered it when I read your post and went back and found the relevant messages from summer of 1998:

Additional info: it was a Winchester model 1892, serial number 130985.

The actual gun used in the TV series was put up for sale on 3/23/98.

Details and a very small photo can be seen at

http://www1.aksi.net/~aagun/maj.html

I don't know if it has been sold yet.

You are absolutely right. The gun, a movie prop by definition of Calif

Dangerous Weapons law, is a cut down 92, serial number dates it in the

early 20's, and is for sale in the Rancho Cordova Guns And ammo, Rancho

Cordova Calif, together with the original holster rig, with the 45-70

bullet loops. Entire rig with rifle is priced at $2200.





I played around with it yesterday, pretty neat piece, but probably not

accurate with the 10 or so inch barrel.

Alas I have not yet seen this famous rifle, but I have seen a bunch of other movie/TV firearms. The three best museums for such that I have found to date are the NRA Museum in Alexandria, the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody WY, and the Gene Autry museum in LA. At the NRA museum they had the Quigley rifle, at the Buffalo Bill museum they had the rifle from Jimmy Stewart's "Winchester 73". Amazingly enough the film guys did a LOT of research on that picture to get the real "One of a Thousand" rifle, the display includes some brass discs that were shot by the movie's trick-shooting marksman, believe it was Herb Parsons. He actually performed the unbelievable stunts that were shown in the movie.



They also had the revolvers carried by Paladin, Hoss Cartwright, Marshall Dillon, etc. "Have Gun Will Travel" has been my favorite TV show since I was a kid, I was so excited to get to see the real Paladin revolver that my son thought I was gonna have a stroke . Turns out the little chess knight on the holster has a ruby eye... classy rig. I stood there for a long time pondering how neatly that display case would fit in the back of my truck :-laf :-laf



They also have the firearms of many of our historic figures, Doc Holliday, John Wesley Hardin, Wyatt Earp, etc.

 

[Carlsummers]

Now I would really love to see the firearms of Doc Holliday... . I always liked him.....

 

[Greenleaf]

I recall the Mares Leg thing. Only because it's mentioned in the documentery.



I loved the "Shane" comment BTW. I think you git 10. 00 off your next pump mod for that Shane said that Wilson was fast.



-S