John Wesley Hardin's Colt Revolver

by
posted on August 11, 2009
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
2009811141612-hardin_f.jpg

Son of a Methodist preacher, John Wesley Hardin was only 15 years old when he first had a price placed on his head. Before he went to prison, upwards of 40 men had fallen to his guns, including one he shot through a hotel wall for snoring. Like many on the outlaw trail in the percussion era, Hardin usually carried more than one Colt revolver, as reloading a cap-and-ball handgun under fire was not a quick or easily completed task.

While becoming adept at handling his Colts, Hardin is said to have befriended and backed down Wild Bill Hickok, then marshal of Abilene, Kan., by demonstrating a quick reversing twist of his six-guns when asked to hand them over. But his days of dodging the law were numbered, and a 17-year stint in prison, ended by a pardon from the governor, seemed to have made John Wesley Hardin a changed man. After passing the bar, he began practicing law as an attorney in Gonzales, Texas, and later El Paso. Yet drawn back into his old ways, on Aug. 19, 1895, while drinking and playing dice with his back to the saloon door, Hardin fell to .45 slugs fired by John Selman, an officer he had argued with earlier over the arrest of his prostitute girlfriend.

This Colt revolver carried by Hardin is one of many historic firearms on loan to the National Firearms Museum for the special exhibition, Guns West, opening in May 2008.

Latest

SIG P211 01
SIG P211 01

New For 2025: SIG Sauer P211-GTO

SIG Sauer introduced its first hybrid-frame, 2011-style pistol at its 2025 NEXT product launch event, and the P211-GTO blends features from the M1911 with design elements from the P320.

Sellmark Breaks Ground On “Verdexium” Project

In an effort to reduce reliance on international supply chains and bolster domestic manufacturing, Sellmark Corp.—parent company of the Sightmark, Pulsar, Inforce, Kopfjäger, Firefield, BulletSafe and Dark 30 brands—has broken ground on a new manufacturing complex in Mansfield, Texas, that it calls a “transformative force for American-led growth and innovation.”

Gun Of The Week: Heritage Manufacturing 92

American Rifleman staff are on the range with one of the most iconic lever-actions ever created, except this one has a bit of a plot twist—it is a model made overseas and imported by Heritage Manufacturing.

The Armed Citizen® July 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Victory In The Air: One Smith & Wesson Victory Revolver's Story

A primary source investigation into the service history of a Smith & Wesson Victory revolver used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Firearm Industry Responds To Aid Texas Flood Victims

Only a few days after the tragedy struck, two of the firearm industry’s foremost companies were raising funds for the victims and organizations dedicated to providing support through devastating floods in Texas.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.