So many great men and infamous to choose from. Got an old blackpowder book that has a pic of Sergeant York. Wow in real life he looked nothing like Gary Cooper. He had to be a giant for the times he looks about 6'6"and 270. He is wearing just overhauls in the photo as he had just won a black powder shoot and his brothers were 2nd-4th.

The story I heard about Earp's Buntline was that he lost if in Alaska when he was a dog sled mail carrier. I once say an interesting "gun" that purported to be the wooden gun that John Dillinger used to break out of jail with, but have no idea if it was real or not. I have heard that Jessie James mother made a living selling revolvers that she claimed were Jessie's. She would buy up old guns and then make someone a "special deal" on them because they were James gag guns.. If I am not mistaken James used a model 3 S&W in 44 American.
I will say this though, Famous Guns are great- but the ones I am most interested in are the ones used by every day men or women with the wear and tear that a tool, which is what these guns were, gets from being carried and used.

Shotguns rifles and handguns were everyday items back when. I like to think of the history they have seen, The food they put on the table, The times when they were used to defend the homestead, or nail up a loose wire in the fence, these are the tools that caused our great Country to grow and become what we are today. Each one has a story, some good some bad, but the history of America was forged with the hands and tools of our forefathers. It is heritage to be proud of and to pass down to our children. The story of men who picked up the miskey and went to war. The men who ran cattle from Texas up the trail to feed a growing country. The men who went into the wilderness, not knowing what was there, when they would be home, with only their rifle to provide food, and. protection. The men who dropped everything and went to war because their country called. The real heroes of the past, everyday working joes who never though they were special. Those are the guns I treasure.

Saw it on the Show Strange inheritance . A woman's father was one of the foremost private Colt collectors. At his death his collection was supposed to be worth about 2 million. He had the last Buntline with 16" barrel made. Some said it wasn't right. Collector's daughter hired the foremost Colt expert alive to authenticate it . It had the skeleton stock with flip up sights. The only one with flip up sights. The expert said he was 150% sure it was legit. He had a lot of info on them already and knew Colt actually built 11 and Earp was given one as a gift by a writer. He went to Colt and dug in the archives and actually found a photo of the one the lady inherited . She turned down 1/2 million for it. Her dad gave $38,500 for it and searched for a correct one for 10 years . He also said they are the most faked Colt out there and so rare and come up for sale very, very rarely that folks always automatically say it's a fake. Story seemed legit to me.

My post may have been a little confusing. The one on the TV show WAS NOT claimed to be Earps , just a legit Buntline. Expert just had some sort of info and stated Earp at one time had one.