Not all lawmen wanted to walk the streets of their city looking like a living invitation to a firefight as they were adorned with a pair of Colts around their waists. Some preferred a certain level of subtlety and an implicit respect for office and laws. Usually, that was put into practice by carrying–in a small holster at the waist or in front in a pants pocket–a Winchester lever-action rifle, or if pistols were involved, a short-barreled Colt .45 with no extractor.
Both methods of carrying weapons, along with shoulder holsters, in the late 1890s and early 20th century saw small, but powerful, weapons at hand, but not too prominently. It is interesting that in many towns of the Old West carrying guns overtly was forbidden and concealed carry strictly prohibited, although enforcement of such ordinances was mostly sketchy, except in towns where the local law had the name Earp or Masterson attached to it.
Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan preferred long-barreled Colts and S&Ws, both for when they were on duty and for self-defense; those barrels also came in handy for them against buffalo thieves, drunkards and those who had ignored the sign posted at the city limits, “Prohibition of bearing arms within the city limits.” Enforcing it cost federal marshal Ed Masterson his life in April 1878.
Other lawmen, including Bat Masterson, preferred Peacemakers with a shorter barrel, which Colt first began making available in 1875. The short-barreled revolver actually originated with Samuel Colt’s early Paterson models made in New York in the 1830s to early 1840s, and again in the 1860s also at Patent Fire-Arms Mfg. Co. of Colt in Hartford, Connecticut, where a special version of the .36-caliber Police model was built in limited quantities (no more than 50 examples) with a 2-inch barrel.
These rare little pocket pistols from the Colt house were “inspired” by field modifications made to the Model 1851 Navy and Model 1860 Army during and immediately after the Civil War. Radically modified six-shooters with their 2 to 4 inch cut barrels and discarded loading carriages were not so rare, and Colt took note of this and put it into practice with its special Police models and the even rarer Trapper 36 caliber model of the 1862 Police with a 3-1/2 inch barrel.
But all of these were cap-and-ball revolvers, the first short-barreled pistol with cartridges of respectable caliber produced by Colt came in the early 1870s, when Richards-Mason’s .38 caliber rimfire and centerfire conversions were built using the castles of older Police models, Navy Caliber Pocket models, and 1849 models. The shortest barrel length made available was 3-1/2 inches, and almost all of these models had no extractor.
The larger caliber conversions of the Colts were all made with 7-1/2- and 8-inch barrels, but that does not mean there were no guns with shorter barrels around. As with the old Secession War percussion weapons, gunsmiths were more than eager to set aside a dollar to get a shorter barrel and crown themuzzle-loader (muzzle) with a .44-caliber conversion.
Famous El Paso (Texas) lawman Dallas Stoudenmire specifically carried a converted Richard-Mason 1860 Army .44-caliber with the extractor removed and the barrel shortened to 2-7/8 inches.
When Colt introduced its Model 1873 Single Action Army benchmark, the standard barrel length was 7-1/2 inches. So when exactly did the Peacemaker model Sheriff come into being?
Cane options
Until then a Peacemaker was a Peacemaker for the castle type until the introduction of the Bisley model in 1894. In 1873, the selling price for the Colt “New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol” was $20 with a 7-1/2-inch barrel. When it came to choosing caliber and barrel length, Connecticut gunmakers were willing to listen to customer preferences once the U.S. Army had its own stock of SAA revolvers.
This was the situation around 1875. As noted by author and historian R.L. Wilson in The Book of Colt Firearms, the first short-barreled Peacemakers were made that same year with a choice of 4-3/4 and 5-1/2 inches in length. A year later, at the American Centennial Exposition held at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia, Colt introduced its own longer-barreled SAA models with a 16-inch rifle-like barrel and a detachable skeleton shoulder stock.
This would become the Buntline Special, made famous by Ned Buntline’s novels, and supposedly supported by the presentation of Colt long-barreled revolvers to famous frontiersmen such as Wyatt Earp, Bill Tilghman, and other frontier officers whose exploits filled the legendary pages of Buntline’s books. Distant from the Buntline was the weapon that was actually carried by so many lawmen described in the narrative, the Sheriff model, which was first produced in 1882 with a 2-1/2-inch barrel.
It was not until 1888 that Colt began offering a full line of short-barreled revolvers, all of which would be known as “sheriff’s” models because of their distinctive shortened barrels and the absence of a (cartridge) extractor.
Initially two lengths were available, 3-1/2 and 4 inches. Subsequently, the available lengths ranged from the very rare 2 inches, to 2-1/2, 3, 3-1/4, 3-1/2, and 4 inches, to the more common 3 and 4 inches. The latter two became the basis for both Colt’s second- and third-generation Sheriff models with 3-inch barrels, and for the current Sheriff models of F.lli Pietta with slightly longer barrels, of 3-1/2 inches , a very good compromise between the 3- and 4-inch models.
The Sheriff model did not appear within the Colt Single Action line until 1882, and thereafter was a simple example of a gun with a 2-1/2-inch barrel. It took another six years for Colt to make it available in more length varieties, including those that became the most common, 3- and 4-inch lengths. Pietta models are 3-1/2 inches (depending on how the barrel is measured). The first third-generation Colt SAA nickel had a 3-inch barrel. Colt has always measured barrel length from the front of the castle, not from the leading edge where the barrel meets the castle.
Pietta also offers a 3-1/2-inch Sheriff model with a full-length extractor, for those who would prefer not to deal with single actions without an extractor.
A Sheriff’s model was likely kept under a store counter near the cash register, hidden in the back of a saloon owner’s apron in case he could not reach the rifle kept under the bar counter, or concealed in the inside coat pocket of a law enforcement or outlaw representative.
The idea behind the Sheriff model was to bring down the assailant by firing at close quarters and to quickly defuse a confrontation by deterring an individual from further action or, if necessary, taking him down the moment he stood up. These were rarely stand-alone firefights, but rather the result of the culmination of events that had taken place within moments and concluded just as quickly. Reloading the weapon was not actually considered part of the equation, hence the absence of the extractor.
This made the weapon easier to carry and somewhat lighter. But it also made it much more difficult to reload!
It was likely that, after firing, the cartridges would expand enough that simply opening the loading slide, holding up the weapon, and rotating the drum would not displace them.
This would have been the task of the extractor, but without it it was necessary to use whatever came by hand. Those who carried Sheriff models often packed a small metal bar or key in their pocket to insert and push into the front of the drum chambers and eject the empty cartridge shells. It was more time wasted than time spent using an extractor, but cleaning out the fired cartridges from a Colt Single Action and reloading one chamber at a time was a really quick job, regardless of the length of the barrel.
This was the S&W’s main advantage over the Colts because of the New Model Number 3 topbreak, which was sold with shorter barrels, from 3-1/2, 4 up to 5 inches.
The Schofield variation was also made available with a shorter, 5-inch barrel, famously carried by – among others – railroad agents from Wells Fargo & Co.
The weapon
Although compared here for authenticity with an early Colt SAA third-generation Sheriff model, Pietta’s version with a ½-inch longer barrel is a surprisingly well-balanced revolver and is sold with an extraordinary factory-made trigger that reaches just 2 pounds 7.0 ounces and an equally light hammer that takes a paltry 4 pounds 1.7 ounces.
On most single-action models the hammer shot averages 6 pounds or better, the third-generation Colt model exceeds both with its standard factory-made action. The action made by Pietta is substantially lighter than most SA weapons on the market today and better than some that have been prepared. On a practical level, this six-shooter is very fast to draw, cock, and fire.
The Sheriff Great Western II Deluxe model is the last one put on the market by F.lli Pietta and features a 3-1/2-inch barrel with no injector, with the majority of the polished stainless steel firearm covered with vine leaf engraving on a Latin cross background, intricate diamond patterns on both sides of the castle at barrel height, and sunbursts behind the drum grooves and on the locking pin in the style of the period.
While not a hand-engraved gun like those sold by Pietta and made by Dassa Engravings, the limited edition Great Western II features Pietta’s new deep laser engraving technique that gives remarkable depth and detail.
This process engraves deep into the metal as an engraver would, using a traditional chisel and hammer, producing a surface that can be felt by touch and sight. This is accentuated by the use of an excellent cross background pattern used to set up the work. This technique can also be used to create detailed elements such as intricate engravings on the GWII screw head, a treatment usually reserved by period engravers for their best work.
The latest version of Pietta’s Sheriff model includes deep laser engraving, a first for the company, offering the depth and detail of a hand-engraved weapon at a fraction of the cost.
This level of hand engraving today typically requires well over $1,000, so to buy the complete weapon retailing for $800 makes it a bargain. A standard burnished Sheriff model from Pietta sells for $550, if in polished stainless steel it needs $100 more, so the deep laser engraving is an exceptional bargain. The Deluxe Limited Edition Sheriff model is sold with white Micarta grips, factory-prepared action, and as both Colt .45 caliber and .357 Magnum. The exclusive Sheriff Great Western II Deluxe model is available from E.M.F. Co.
Skin of gun
To facilitate both concealment, at least by 1880 standards, and quick draw, I used a Slim Jim “Aces & Eights” holster designed by John Bianchi Frontier Gunleather. As per rumors, these shorter holsters are what Wild Bill Hickok actually wore “under” his own belt when carrying his Model 1851 Navy revolvers.
Deep laser engraving can be used for intricate detailing, such as for the engraved screw heads, the delicate diamond pattern on the side of the castle, and sunbursts behind the drum grooves and on the locking pin.
I tried this combination with the “Aces & Eights” rig and it works, but from the photos it is difficult to prove that Pistoleros Price had actually cut the holsters below the waistband. Hickok was also famous for carrying his pistols in full-length holsters over his waistband, and also strapped over his coat; so there has been much speculation about how he carried his pistols on different occasions.
Photographers of the time portrayed him with and without holsters, but almost always with two weapons on his belt.
The lack of the extractor could mean that empty cartridges could not be removed from the drum as they expanded. In earlier times, a skeleton key or a brass rod tied to a string worked. If one had the time, and the drum was removed from the weapon, the shaft could be used to get the cartridges out.
For the test of Pietta’s Sheriff model, the Bianchi rig was worn high-waisted in a double-extraction style to position the weapons close to the hands and thus make it easier to draw to aim at the target. It was easy to cover the weapons with my coat, and as quickly as they were on the side, load up that little smokewagon and go to work.
Shooting test
Being a big fan of firearms (thanks to the Ten-X blanks used during location photography), I decided to take it a step closer to a real test, shooting the GWII with a Colt Ten-X .45-caliber 165-grain hollow-base, flat-tip Colt Ten-X at a distance of 21 feet. All shots were fired as fast as possible from a fighting stance for the initial texts, and, for pinpoint accuracy, the aimed shots were made using a modern Weaver stance and a two-handed grip.
Firing at a full-length Law Enforcement Silhouette B-27 and firing single shots (in about 0.4 seconds on average), three out of five shots hit ring 8, between 1 and 3 o’clock, one ended up in the right shoulder, and the last one at the base of ring 7. Although there had been no particularly thorough weapon work on my part, in an actual gunfight in the Old West I might have overpowered my opponent if I had been quicker in drawing my weapon.
Aiming, timed fire shots at a distance of 21 feet scored five, at an impressive 1.125 inches, and all in the 10 o’clock ring at 3 o’clock. The average speed of the Pietta with Ten-X ammunition was 487 fps (feet per second). Interestingly, there was no problem with the used cartridges, they simply fell out of the chambers the very moment I flipped the revolver over and rotated the drum. In case of need, I had available a brass rod attached to a lanyard.
At a distance of 21 feet, with 5 shots the 10 ring was filled at 3 o’clock measuring 1.125 inches. The remaining five shots (in rings 7 and 8) were the result of a rapid sequence of draws from the Aces & Eights holster and shots fired as soon as the gun was in position to hit the target.
Drawing and firing this new Sheriff model from Pietta is as perfect as it sounds, and going back to the circles of frontiersmen like Earp, Masterson, Tilghman, and Hickok when the average gunfighter, sober or not sober, just wanted to empty the magazine of his own gun in your direction, then having it with you would be your greatest hope.
This new Great Western II has inherited his name.
[1] Barrel length measurements taken from theforcing cone to themuzzle saw 3 inches on the Colt, 3-1/2 inches on the Pietta. Barrel measurements when taken from the castle to the muzzle was typically shorter by ½ inch, while barrel lengths could be 2-1/2 and 3 inches, respectively, when measured this way.
[2] Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas, 1996 Krause Publications.
Specifications
Pietta Brothers’ Sheriff Model
Caliber: 45
Action: single
Barrel: 3-1/2 inches
Maximum overall length: 9-1/16 inches
Weight: 33 ounces (empty)
Handles: White Micarta
Distinguishing marks: Front, steel sighting blade; back, recess on top of castle
Finish: polished stainless steel with deeply laser-engraved vine leaf pattern
Capacity: 6 shots
Price: $800
For more information visit pietta.com or emf-company.com; call 800-430-1310. Holsters courtesy of John Bianchi Frontier Gunleather, 877-877-4704; frontiergunleather.com.
