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Great Western Arms Co 22

marcus396
Great Western Arms Co, 22 cal 6 shot single action, co worker had this and I was glad to take it off his hands. Not much info I can find about it, no mfg dates just approx 1950's-60's, Original Box? no end label, purchasers guarantee registration ( aka warranty card ), Great Western Arms CO Miner Street Los Angeles 2, California, frame is a purple tint, blue cylinder, bbl , sn 14xxx, cylinder etched with last 3 digits on sn, took grips off sn's match, anyone know functions and fires flawless. Is anyone familiar with history of this company? year of make? Value? thank you for responding.
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr19/marcus396/003-3.jpg
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr19/marcus396/004-1.jpg
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr19/marcus396/002-4.jpg
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr19/marcus396/001-2.jpg

from Great Western Arms collector site
http://www.greatwesternarmscollector.com/GWbanner.jpg

thanks for responses, EDIT, yes I had it checked out inspected and cleaned by my gunsmith friend. Cylinder retention pin would not come out, here there was a slight burr, emery took care of that, nice crisp lock up , took it outside fired 6 rds at coffee can 20' , 1st miss , then next 5 hits, no quality issues or flaws found.

EDIT, thanks for the reference material, time to do some reading,
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Grasshopper
    Some of the center fire were used in western movies in the day,,I has a 22 atomic,? I believe,,,Costly start up,,and bad management,,I read ---great piece of history,,wish I would have kept my original.
    Checked blue book info,,10 years with management changes -There is a few people out there that would like to have your pistol
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  • rufe-snow
    They were only in business for a short time. Circa mid 50's/early 60's.

    When Colt brought out the 2nd generation SAA. It caused Great Westerns demise. With both Ruger and Colt making SA's, they couldn't compete.

    Got to be careful with Great Westerns. After they folded, their parts were sold to anybody who wanted them. Mail order, no paperwork required. This was before the Gun Control Act of 1968. Because of this quite a number of Great Westerns, were put together by shade tree gunsmiths in their garages.

    Have yours checked for timing and lockup, by a qualified gunsmith.
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by Grasshopper
    Some of the center fire were used in western movies in the day,,I has a 22 atomic,? I believe,,,Costly start up,,and bad management,,I read ---great piece of history,,wish I would have kept my original.
    Checked blue book info,,10 years with management changes -There is a few people out there that would like to have your pistol



    Their .357 SA, was the Atomic. I remember the adds from the magazines. When I was in grammar school. I wanted one bad. Anything with a name like Atomic. Had to be the baddest gun going.

    The name was just a marketing ploy as far as I know, now. Fired standard .357 and .38 ammo. Don't believe they made special ammo for it.
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  • nmyers
    There was a company named Hy Hunter that sold similar cheaply made guns around the same time period, & located in the same area of California. I believe their guns, & Great Western's, were made in West Germany. Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet yet, so there's really little information known about companies from that era.

    In those days, you could order a gun directly from the company by signing a statement that you were at least 21 years old & not a felon, & it would be shipped to your door.

    It may be your photos, but the purple tint & smoothed barrel markings make it appear that yours has been refinished. No idea of the value, but I would expect it to sell for less than a Colt Scout.

    Neal
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by nmyers
    There was a company named Hy Hunter that sold similar cheaply made guns around the same time period, & located in the same area of California. I believe their guns, & Great Western's, were made in West Germany. Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet yet, so there's really little information known about companies from that era.

    In those days, you could order a gun directly from the company by signing a statement that you were at least 21 years old & not a felon, & it would be shipped to your door.

    It may be your photos, but the purple tint & smoothed barrel markings make it appear that yours has been refinished. No idea of the value, but I would expect it to sell for less than a Colt Scout.

    Neal


    Due to U.S. import law. All commercially manufactured products, that are imported and sold in the U.S. Have to be marked with their country of origin. This is about the best way to determine if a firearm has been made in the U.S.

    The only exceptions that I am aware of, is if a gun was bought overseas by a private party. And was brought back into the U.S. as personal property. When I was in the service many years ago. It was possible to buy European made guns. Through the various military rod and gun clubs. At that time as far as I know, there was no requirement for the guns. To be marked with their country of origin.
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  • Hawk Carse
    There is some information on the www.
    Yours was made in 1956 according to the chart at
    http://www.greatwesternarmscollector.com/

    More at
    http://www.greatwesternfirearms.com/history/
    and there is a Wiki.

    Matt Dillon carried a GW, recognizable by its plastic "stag" grips.

    They made a few in .22 Hornet.
    The .357 Atomic was .357 Magnum brass loaded with a 158 grain semiwadcutter and 16 grains of Hercules 2400; a grain over the usual maximum .357 Magnum load. I don't know who loaded such ammo for GW.

    EMF is kind of a corporate descendant of GW, selling an imported SAA as the Great Western II. But the original ones were made in USA.
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  • dcs shooters
    quote:Originally posted by marcus396
    Great Western Arms Co, 22 cal 6 shot single action, co worker had this and I was glad to take it off his hands. Not much info I can find about it, no mfg dates just approx 1950's-60's, Original Box? no end label, purchasers guarantee registration ( aka warranty card ), Great Western Arms CO Miner Street Los Angeles 2, California, frame is a purple tint, blue cylinder, bbl , sn 14xxx, cylinder etched with last 3 digits on sn, took grips off sn's match, anyone know functions and fires flawless. Is anyone familiar with history of this company? year of make? Value? thank you for responding.
    003-3.jpg

    004-1.jpg

    002-4.jpg

    001-2.jpg

    from Great Western Arms collector site
    http://www.greatwesternarmscollector.com/GWbanner.jpg

    thanks for responses, EDIT, yes I had it checked out inspected and cleaned by my gunsmith friend. Cylinder retention pin would not come out, here there was a slight burr, emery took care of that, nice crisp lock up , took it outside fired 6 rds at coffee can 20' , 1st miss , then next 5 hits, no quality issues or flaws found.

    EDIT, thanks for the reference material, time to do some reading,


    This might help [;)][:)]
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  • Spider7115
    John Wayne used GW revolvers in "The Shootist". Here's some more history of the company:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Western_Arms_Company
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  • dcs shooters
    quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by nmyers
    There was a company named Hy Hunter that sold similar cheaply made guns around the same time period, & located in the same area of California. I believe their guns, & Great Western's, were made in West Germany. Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet yet, so there's really little information known about companies from that era.

    In those days, you could order a gun directly from the company by signing a statement that you were at least 21 years old & not a felon, & it would be shipped to your door.

    It may be your photos, but the purple tint & smoothed barrel markings make it appear that yours has been refinished. No idea of the value, but I would expect it to sell for less than a Colt Scout.

    Neal


    Due to U.S. import law. All commercially manufactured products, that are imported and sold in the U.S. Have to be marked with their country of origin. This is about the best way to determine if a firearm has been made in the U.S.

    The only exceptions that I am aware of, is if a gun was bought overseas by a private party. And was brought back into the U.S. as personal property. When I was in the service many years ago. It was possible to buy European made guns. Through the various military rod and gun clubs. At that time as far as I know, there was no requirement for the guns. To be marked with their country of origin.


    About '65-6 I bought a Sauer 357 SSA from a 20yr old that bought it in Germany and wasn't old enough to own it.
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  • Grasshopper
    Ahh yes,the 357 Atomic,thanks for the clarification rufe-,don't know why, but it was one I regret selling,,had an auro about it..And I still believe there is a following, albeit small that collect these interesting items,,,imo,,of course.
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