I don't know if or how many of you guys have been to this museum but it is the best display of S&W guns that I have ever seen. If you've been, you already know. If you haven't, put it on your list. Tons of historical firearms from every manufacturer and an absolutely awesome "gun library" in the basement. Here's a few of the dozens of pics I have from there. Enjoy.

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I have been there. I recommend allowing a full day for the Buffalo Bill Center. Even then, you will feel rushed trying to take in the Buffalo Bill museum, the native american museum and the firearms museum. I could spend an entire day just taking in the firearms. Fantastic collection!

These pics do no justice to the actual displays. Great place for a firearm junkie.

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My wife and I spent a week in the area to visit Yellowstone on vacation, I knew it was there but had no idea how much there was to see, and yes I definitely felt rushed as we only had half a day there before we moved on into the park area. I will make more time for the museum next time. The art was great also, I forgot to mention all of the Fredrick Remington art there. Can't wait to go back.

I was there a couple of years ago and I agree, one could easily spend a full day just looking at the firearms.

The Buffalo Bill Museum is a must for all of you serious gunners. Plan on all day because it is truly overwhelming.

In addition to the firearms museum, I recommend the Whitney Western Art Museum. The Frederick Remington and Harry Jackson statues are amazing.

Love the display of the Paladin gun and stuff, and Matt Dillon's revolver. Just look at those stags on Dillon's gun! Wow.

I forgot the Lone Ranger, Ben Cartright and Cooper's High Noon gun. Notice the stone in the horse's eye on Paladin's "skin". Included one of the several Remington art works on display. I may be going back sooner than planned.

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Also, in the American Art section there, is a rather extensive display of artist Charley Russell's work. Truly exceptional and outstanding. The Winchester collection will bring tears! I haven't been there in years but will remedy that soon. Thanks for reminding us firearm afficienado's of a wonderful place to see some of the best of the American culture!

While in Cody be sure to hit the Chief Joseph Highway. One of my top ten roads to ride and, as the song says, I have been everywhere including riding through Canada on my way to Alaska.

Breakfast at the bar in the Irma Hotel is a great experience, too.

We were there back in the late 70's, and it looks to have really changed since I was there. It was excellent then, but looks much better now. I don't know if this was the Chief Joseph highway, but we took a two lane road diagonally from Rapid City to Cody. It wound around up over a 9800 ft pass, that had just been opened from the snow (This was mid June and Sheridan was still closed I was told). Coming down the far side of this range was one of the most beautiful drives I believe I have ever seen. Lots of green, a pristine stream that seemed to follow the road for miles. Just glorious, (if you ignored the sand based run-a-way car pull-offs around all those steep curves, and be sure to have a full tank of gas as there were no filling stations around. I luckily saw a very small sign just below a sign for a Lodge, "Gas". If I ever go back I may try and go this same way, but be driving a car getting a little better mileage than the 400CI Gran Prix I had then.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I haven't been to the Museum of the West ( formerly Buffalo Bill) in years and I live here in Wyoming. I'll have to make another trip to Cody. Probably will be a lot less crowded than when we visited in the middle of summer. Never saw so many Asian tourists & Nikon cameras in my life!

The first time I visited the Cody Museum, I too fell in love with the place! Guns galore...YOW! Became a member & lettered all my Marlins & Winchesters. Don't know about now, but back then you could walk around town in Western clothing & wearing loaded six guns. That was amazing to me, since I was living/working in Kalif. at the time. Did the annual gun show, bought a Smith New Model 3 & a Marlin 1889. Carried them into the Irma, put the Smith on the table, the Marlin leaning against the wall, & had my obligatory Buffalo steak. Great Frontier Town set up at the edge of Cody was also well worth visiting. Ahhh, the good ol' days!

Hank M.

Love Cody and the Center. We try to spend several days there every year. There is always something new and interesting. We are members of the Center and receive regular updates of what is going on. Fall, after school starts is our favorite time.
Bob and Jean Ray

It's been two years since my wife and have been, and it's one vacation we always talk about. That is the best place we have been so far. If you enjoy wildlife watching,stunning scenery, and history this is as good as it gets. We must have hit it just right as there were not many tourists as I had feared,based on pictures of bumper to bumper traffic. Only the buff's held us up on occasion, and few bear hot spots. I am being reminded about some of the reasons we were so enthralled with the whole area. The Irma, Chief Joseph highway, downtown area, Grand Teton Mtns, Jackson Hole ,the East Entrance to the Park that inspired Roosevelt and Yellowstone itself. A week just is not enough, especially since I want to venture north of the park into Montana, as well the area east of Grand Teton area. Google Earth is a curse.

As a Wyo native I've been there several times, and at the risk of some bias, I think it is THE best museum of any type I've been to. At least it is my favorite! I even went there on my honeymoon back in '88!

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Brad

Have lived in Cody for the past 35 years - the museum is amazing.

wyo-man

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Live free or die

The Winchester rifle collection is amazing.
When we were last there the wife and I only
had half a day to spend.
Next trip it will be a full day in Cody.
They also have Rodeos every weekend in Cody thru
the summer if i recall correctly. We went to one
on a saturday night. Lots we did not get to see in
town last time. I will go back.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

I believe the majority of the S&W's on display at Cody were a donation by the family of a deceased S&W Collector Association member. I can not remember the name of the individual however.

B. Mower

I was there in 2012. There are several museums there: a natural history museum which takes you level by level from low to the mountains with the various flora and fauna. A Native American museum. A Western art museum. The William Cody museum. The firearms museum. The firearms museum is a reference collection and you can pull drawers out with, say a bunch of Winchester '73s. Just mind boggling. One funny thing, there was a display of Winchester pump rifles and I saw that they had mixed them up and mismarked a couple of them. And I am not the expert! One other thing: There was a movie playing over and over in the Cody museum which showed some old film of the Wild West Show. I tried to buy a copy but not for sale at the gift shop. I did see it recently on Youtube (just put in Buffalo Bill) and it was great. My only regret was that I did not take a picture of Gale Storm's revolver she used in the "Annie Oakley" show. The revolver was, if I recall, a Colt Police Positive which had a tube soldered on below the barrel to make it look like a '73 Colt for use in her small hands. Great museum.

A recently deceased friend of mine was on the Board of the firearms museum. He said they had more guns that were not on display than were displayed.

I lost my photos in a computer crash a year ago. From memory, some items that stood out to me:

- Teddy R's Winchester '95 in Win .405.

- Paladin's revolver and holster.

- A case full of gold inlaid Winchester 21s. Just one would have been spectacular.

- A Winchester made 1911 circa WWI. Stirred up a ****storm when I posted it on 1911forum. Screams of denial.

I've been there five times over the past 45 years and highly recommend it. I think it was during my first trip in 1970 when I saw a bracelet made of small bones in a glass display case. It was said to have been given to a Montana rancher by an Indian in exchange for food one winter around the turn of the century. The rancher asked what the bones were, and the Indian replied "Custer men...trigger fingers." I asked one of the guides what had happened to this on a recent visit and was told that he had heard about it, but it had been removed because the museum had a policy against displaying human remains.

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Peter #2091

John K. Jerome was the name on a majority of the S&W guns as well as the Olin Corp. Open in Windows media or similar will allow you to zoom and read the cards. Here is the Roosevelt gun mentioned above as well as a custom made for Zane Grey.

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The revolvers are very nice specimens but I believe the two on the left are incorrectly identified as ".38-40" S&W Target Revolvers and are more likely .38-44.

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Mike Maher #283

I was there in June of this year (2015) and I also noticed several revolvers in the S&W collection that were mislabeled.
Those couple mistakes can not take away from what this museum offers, from the guns to the artwork. I can't wait to get back.

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Regards
Ray S&WCA #2810

The rodeos are every night through the summer.
Cheyenne only have them during Cheyenne Frontier Days (9 days in mid July)
wyo-man

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Live free or die

They have extensive American Indian art and crafts on display as well, including Red Cloud's scalp shirt. He wore it to Washington DC when meeting with government representatives after the conclusion of the Powder River War that led to the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868. The scalp shirt he wore in Washington was Red Cloud's way of reminding the white man that as far as he was concerned, should peace fail, war was always an option.

What a place. I'd like to go back with the knowledge that I have now to more of what to look for. Last time I didn't even know what a 'hand ejector' was.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Give yourself a lot of time. I spent the better part of a day there and did not get out of the gun display area. I'm sure there are other great parts of the museum I just did not have time.

On my first trip to Cody and the museum, I learned by seeing the actual deerskin suit that Buffalo Bill wore in his Wild West Show that he wasn't a very big man. I will bet that he wasn't more than 5'4" to 5'6" tall and built very lean. ........ I also found a mistake in the JMB exhibit where they had labeled a prototype rifle as the original for the M 92...... It wasn't and I knew it immediately. They had the original in the same exhibit, but was totally mis-labeled. I filled out one of their 'gotcha' cards and left. They graciously let me know a few months later that they had corrected their error. ...........

That whole museum is a national treasure of American History and the contribution of firearm designers and their products to the development of what became the USA. .......

I have been there three times and am looking forward to my fourth visit. ....