357magster
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Frank Buck: Bring 'em Back Alive!
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okiegtrider
Member
Not old enough to remember him, but his name is pretty familiar around these parts because of the zoo named for him in Gainesville,TX. (Buck's birthplace) It's a popular attraction in the area.
Gainesville, TX - Official Website - Zoo, Frank Buck Zoo
Gainesville, TX - Official Website - Zoo, Frank Buck Zoo
da gimp
Member
neat correspondence between S&W & Mr. Buck. If he couldn't expect to get one any quicker than that... few outside law enforcement circles could.
This is great stuff!!! The kind of letters that resonate, like the Patton order. Thanks for sharing with us. I hope someone can add to the story.
Best Regards, Les
Best Regards, Les
ParadiseRoad
Member
Now that is just plain cool! Surely, it must be a transitional magnum. Wonder where it is now?
Watchdog
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I remember reading a book about Frank Buck in our church library...he had passed away several years previously.
It looks as if he received his .357 revolver only about four years before he passed away in 1950. He was only about 66-years-old when he died.
I'm another one who'd love to know where the gun is now.
It looks as if he received his .357 revolver only about four years before he passed away in 1950. He was only about 66-years-old when he died.
I'm another one who'd love to know where the gun is now.
Here's another piece of the puzzle:
Best Regards, Les
Best Regards, Les
okiegtrider
Member
Found this 2014 Houston newspaper article, an interview with Buck's daughter Barbara. She was 82 at the time. Maybe she's still around and knows what became of daddy's magnum?
Frank 'Bring-'em-back-alive' Buck lived life to the fullest - Houston Chronicle
Frank 'Bring-'em-back-alive' Buck lived life to the fullest - Houston Chronicle
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ParadiseRoad
Member
Here's another piece of the puzzle:
Best Regards, Les
...almost sounds like they refinished a used one for him since they weren't back in production yet...maybe there are two...this one...and a new one later...
ancient-one
US Veteran
Yes, I remember him.
A very interesting gun... The correspondence makes it sound like Buck was ordering what we call today a prewar registered magnum. (Any bbl length he wanted ; his reference to "attaching the forms.")
But the last prewar registered magnum was produced circa 1939, and the last non-registered prewar .357 magnum (and the only wartime production magnum) was produced in 1942.
The first postwar magnum, known as a "transitional magnum," was produced December 5, 1946. (The above info is from SCSW 3rd edition, pp. 133-135.)
The correspondence is from early 1946, and the gun in question, per the correspondence, was deliverd in May of 1946.
What was it and where is it?!
A very unique magnum. Collectors will love this mystery.
But the last prewar registered magnum was produced circa 1939, and the last non-registered prewar .357 magnum (and the only wartime production magnum) was produced in 1942.
The first postwar magnum, known as a "transitional magnum," was produced December 5, 1946. (The above info is from SCSW 3rd edition, pp. 133-135.)
The correspondence is from early 1946, and the gun in question, per the correspondence, was deliverd in May of 1946.
What was it and where is it?!
A very unique magnum. Collectors will love this mystery.
Watchdog
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I think it's entirely possible that someone has it...collector or otherwise...and doesn't know the gun's history and simply isn't aware of what they have.
He had/has a daughter named Barbara, but I haven't found any information on her yet, other than this mention of her on Facebook from 2012.
Ah, to long for the days when you could plan a trip around the world for both you and your favorite sidearm...
Texas Star
US Veteran
Read higher in the thread. There's a link to a newspaper article about her.
Has anyone else seen a movie ad showing Buck holding either a .38-44HD or a .44 Miltary?
I read, Bring 'Em Back Alive", but don't recall him mentioning his revolvers in detail.
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I read anything I could find by Frank Buck when I was a kid. Jim Corbett as well. I finally got to visit Borneo and see orangutans swinging through the trees many years later. Not at all surprised by his taste in revolvers.
Thanks for a great thread.
Regards,
turnerriver
Thanks for a great thread.
Regards,
turnerriver
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I remember Mr. Buck's stories. A far better role model than what pass for heroes these days.
I read Bring 'em Back Alive when I was a boy. We used to visit the marvelous San Diego Zoo quite often. At that time there were still animals in that zoo that had been captured and delivered by Buck & company.
This stuff about his magnum is fascinating! Thanks to all of you who posted bits of it.
This stuff about his magnum is fascinating! Thanks to all of you who posted bits of it.
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shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
So do I, Graydon, very well, although I'm a few years younger than you are.
Interesting character, bit of a legend.
I believe a lot of boys wanted to be Buck.
Texas Star
US Veteran
Wonder if he was any relation to the Buck knife family?
