S*W*W*AT (SPECIAL WESTERN WEAPONS AND TACTICS)

[cmvgor]

This thread may be a rarity, in that it is finite in subject matter. The Golden Age did come to an end, and before that it seemingly used up all possible weapeons gimmicks.

I must correct one mistake that I made. I previously stated that none of
the many Wyatt Earp movies had ever used the Buntline Special. I have
found a contradiction on the IMDb site of Tombstone. The notes to
that production mention that, following the murder of his brother, Earp goes to his room and takes a long-barreled pistol out of a fancy case. He uses it in the vengeance sequences that follow. No one ever refers to it
or says the word "Buntline". The notes indicate that the persons involved
in the production were not sure that the Buntline Special ever existed.

I remember a few one-episode plots with emphasis on a special weapon.
The name "Shotgun Gibbs" keeps coming back. An 'Earp' episode? A
'Rifleman' episode? John Anderson? Arthur Honeycutt? Somebody like
that. I remember a shootout in the stockyard, with whole planks blowing
off the fence, and someone complaining that the other side seemed to have a canon.

At any rate, the fad ran itself out, and its been fun recalling it.