There’s a time fondly remembered, by graybeards anyway, when westerns blazed across hometown silver screens and kept little boys from mischief.
A few who were there still recall Tom and Hoppy, most knew Roy, and everyone worth a dime bag of buttered popcorn trailed along with John and Clint.
Since the late seventies it seems, cowboy movies have fallen mostly on hard times. A few Hollywood efforts deserve a tip of the Stetson, among them being the reimagined Magnificent Seven, 3:10 to Yuma and the brawling brace of Young Guns.
In the minds of many, the best of the lot that turned up was Tombstone. Now, but by purest chance, it is possible to treat that ‘little boy inside’ with one heck of a toy – a faithful reproduction of the pistol Kurt Russell’s “Wyatt Earp” recovered from its resting place and then proceeded to put to good use.
Just imagine…
Displayed at the National Firearms Museum in the early 2000s as part of the “Real Guns of Reel Heroes” exhibit, this custom United States Patent Firearms SAA .45 Colt, serial 010371, has just come to market.
Key features include a 10-inch barrel, color case frame and walnut grips. Master craftsman John Ennis, who engraved the shield on Russell’s movie gun, took things from there. First, he tuned and then highly refined the action. Then, after inlaying the shield in gold (the one on the movie pistol is brass), Ennis engraved the duplicate legend, “To Wyatt Earp – Peacemaker – From the Grateful People of Dodge City, Apr. 8th, 1878.”
To make things even better, Jake Johnson of Temecula, California was commissioned to fashion an exact copy of Russell’s belt rig, and he surely delivered. The burgundy holster and belt (with hole spacing from 39-44 inches) is a perfect compliment. Both pistol and leather retain about 99 percent of their original condition.
An electronic copy of the National Firearms Museum exhibit information sheet pertaining to the pistol will be forwarded to the purchaser. The price of admission is $5,000 and shipping, but that little boy’s face will be grinning ear-to-ear. He’s worth it, ain’t he?
For information, please contact Sportsman’s Legacy at sportsmanslegacy.com or 406-212-0344.