Growing up in the ’50’s and ’60’s, like many of you of “a certain age”, I spent a lot of time (probably too much) watching the old classic cowboy action TV shows and movies.
We all had our heroes and favorites, from Roy Rogers to “the Rifleman”, Bat Masterson to Gunsmoke, Lash la Rue, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Cisco the Kid, and many more including the greatest cowboy of them all, John Wayne.
Even now on weekends you will often find me relaxing in front of the TV watching the old classics in black and white or grainy color, cheering on the good guys while a full orchestra accompanies them as they ride full tilt across the desert, never losing their hats, and their six-guns never running out of bullets.
Of course when I was just a young dude, I didn’t pay too much attention to the types of guns used by the good guys, just as long as their aim was true and they went “bang” when the trigger was pulled. But now I am older, wiser, rounder and like you, interested in guns and what makes them tick, I thought it would be interesting to learn about the guns used in these old shows and if there was anything special about them.
That being said, a couple of weeks ago I was wondering exactly what model rifle Chuck Connors used in The Rifleman. I came across a website called “The Rifleman’s Rifle” (www.riflemansrifle.com) run by a gentleman and Rifleman fan named Mike DiMuzio. Mike has obviously spent a lot of time researching the rifles used in the TV series, so I decided to contact him and talk about it.
We spoke on the phone that same day and Mike told me that he was actually apprenticed to the gunsmith that built some rifles and did other gunsmithing for Chuck Connors in the years after the show ended. That man’s name was Moe Hunt, who sadly died at the early age of only 55 in 2005. Mike went on to tell me about his love for the show, and the various gunsmithing modifications that were made to the rifles (1892 Winchester SRCs in .44-40 caliber) so that “Lucas McCain” could fire as quickly as he did and then give a final spin of the rifle to reload, all the time never losing that steely look in his eye.
There were mainly three modifications made to the rifles: Firstly the lever was changed to a quite large ring style (later changed to a more flattened lever) so it could be spun out to the front or to the side to cock the gun. Secondly, because the gun is a top-eject model, while it was being spun upside down the bullets would fall out the top, so a special spring loaded plunger was added to the breech to hold the rounds (blanks of course) in the gun.
Thirdly and most interestingly, an adjustable set screw was added to the lever that pressed against the trigger and fired the gun as soon as the lever was closed. That allowed Chuck Connors to be able to shoot extremely rapidly–all he had to do was work the lever and not touch the trigger. As you can imagine, the timing of the screw so that it trips the trigger just as the bolt closes needs to be perfect. Clever huh?
Of course, that makes the rifle extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands. Mike makes and sells replica guns that have this function, but only to people he knows he can trust to handle them safely.
Take a good look at Mike’s website and the replica rifles he builds. I know it will be interesting to you as a gunsmith or gun “tinkerer” and bring back some great childhood memories as well.
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