Bat Masterson rev. and holster?
Watching the old series, I was wondering what bbl lenght the Colt was, and where to get a crossdraw rig like portrayed in the series?
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You mean the 1959 TV series starring Gene Barry as Bat Masterson? 
I never saw the program, but it looks like his "regular" gun was an ordinary Colt single action army with a shortened barrel to be flush with the ejector rod. Its probably about 4", though someone else can chime in with the exact measurement. (Edit, it appears to be 4.75"; the "standard" gun has a 5.5" barrel)
The "real life" Masterson used many different Colts, but supposedly he did actually like the ones with the slightly shortened barrel. This picture is supposed to be one of his actual guns:
Most of the "cowboy" holster makers offer some variant of a cross-draw holster, and in fact, many of them even call it a "Masterson" holster:
http://www.thelastbestwest.com/graphics/2008/Leather/BigPics/1000_masterson-2008.jpg
http://westboundleather.com/products/holsters/slimjimbatmasterson.htm
http://www.kirkpatrickleather.com/m_western_crossdraw_holsters.htm0 -
Maintained in the Colt archives is a letter dated July 30, 1885 from Masterson written on the stationery of the Opera House Saloon, Dodge City, Kansas, ordering a new revolver.
"Please send me one of your nickel-plated short .45 Calibre revolvers, it is for my own use, and for that reason I would like to have a little Extra pains taken with it. I am willing to pay Extra for Extra work. Make it very Easy on trigger and have the front sight a little higher and thicker than the ordinary pistol of this kind, put on a gutta percha handle and send it as soon as possible. Have the barrel about the same length as the Ejector rod is. Truly Yours, W.B. Masterson."
The actual revolver:0 -
quote:Originally posted by Spider7115
Maintained in the Colt archives is a letter dated July 30, 1885 from Masterson written on the stationery of the Opera House Saloon, Dodge City, Kansas, ordering a new revolver.
"Please send me one of your nickel-plated short .45 Calibre revolvers, it is for my own use, and for that reason I would like to have a little Extra pains taken with it. I am willing to pay Extra for Extra work. Make it very Easy on trigger and have the front sight a little higher and thicker than the ordinary pistol of this kind, put on a gutta percha handle and send it as soon as possible. Have the barrel about the same length as the Ejector rod is. Truly Yours, W.B. Masterson."
The actual revolver:
Nice. Worth mentioning that "gutta percha" refers to a sort of latex rubber available in the 19th century.
So Masterson wanted a high visibility front sight, a shortened "compact" barrel, and rubberized (ie grippy/recoil-absorbing) grips.
Sounds pretty "tactical" for the 19th century! [;)]
Also later in his life, Masterson was known to buy guns cheaply at pawnshops, then sell them to suckers claiming they were the guns he used for his famous (though largely exaggerated or entirely fictionalized) exploits.
Getting back to the question about barrel length, I can't speak to what the actor used in the TV program, but the stock 4-3/4" Colt Single action army has an ejector that is flush (or nearly so) with the front of the barrel. So that's the probable barrel length of the real world gun. Here's a nice example:0 -
Below is a pic of my 43/4in Colt (1906 vintage). The photos that 'ol Bean and Spidey provide look the same in barrel length.
Conclusion: B/M's guns were shorter barrel length, but I'd assume the 'standard' 43/4in length.
Wasn't the shorter barrel length introduced some years after production started? I'll bet B/M saw one, and wanted one like it.
And, just for S & Giggles, the top SAA (with the dogtag attached) didn't exist prior to 1897. Joe0 -
Gutta percha is a hard rubber, not soft at all. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
You mean the 1959 TV series starring Gene Barry as Bat Masterson?
I never saw the program, but it looks like his "regular" gun was an ordinary Colt single action army with a shortened barrel to be flush with the ejector rod. Its probably about 4", though someone else can chime in with the exact measurement. (Edit, it appears to be 4.75"; the "standard" gun has a 5.5" barrel)
The "real life" Masterson used many different Colts, but supposedly he did actually like the ones with the slightly shortened barrel. This picture is supposed to be one of his actual guns:
Most of the "cowboy" holster makers offer some variant of a cross-draw holster, and in fact, many of them even call it a "Masterson" holster:
http://www.thelastbestwest.com/graphics/2008/Leather/BigPics/1000_masterson-2008.jpg
http://westboundleather.com/products/holsters/slimjimbatmasterson.htm
http://www.kirkpatrickleather.com/m_western_crossdraw_holsters.htm
That's my take too. The Texas Ranger Museum in Waco used to have a nickeled one with his name engraved on the backstrap. It was also a short barreled one.0 -
Masterson is documented to have owned a number of Colts; primarily in the 30,000 to 73,000 serial number range. He is confirmed to have ordered and owned both 4 3/4 and 7 1/2 inch barrel Single Actions. There is also one letter he sent to Colt that requested a "5 inch barrel or about 1/2 inch longer than the End of Ejecting rod". For expediency sake Colt probably filled that order with a 4 3/4 inch barrel gun.
The Masterson documented 7 1/2 inch barrel Single Action was serial number 53684, it was nickel plated, and factory inscribed "W.B. Masterson" on the backstrap. It was sold to Simmons Hardware, St. Louis, MO and shipped to Wright Beverly & Co., Dodge City, KS.
The rig I prefer is the Doc Holiday rig sold by El Paso Saddlery. It is a low ride shoulder holster.0
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