The Real Bob Ford/Jese James gun?

Texas Star · Jun 3, 2009

I have a thread in Antiques, asking about the gun used by Bob Ford to kill Jesse James. Some have said that it's a S&W .44 or .45. In a Wikipedia post, he is shown with a nickled Colt SAA, which he said was the gun. (See my Antiques topic for a photo link.)

An S&W supposedly sold for a high price recently, and was warranted to be the actual gun used.

Because this is of general historical interest and more members will see it here, I'm posting this in the Forum.

I think S&W once had a poster that showed Ford shooting James in the back and illustrated a New Model No 3 .44 Russian.

Who KNOWS what?

Thanks,

T-Star

morsecode · Jun 3, 2009

On page 83 of the original Time-Life "The Old West" series, volume - The Gunfighters, there is a full page photo of Bob Ford taken soon after the event, and he his holding a black pearl handled .44 revolver with what looks like a 7 1/2" barrel. This is a carefully posed studio shot - Ford is well dressed and groomed to the nines, and the caption indicates Jesse had given the gun to Ford as a gift.

There is no other mention of the six shooter, except that Ford himself was killed in Colorado ten years later.

I've wondered what happened to it myself over the years, and I'd rank it up there with Alvin York's missing 1911 (serial number 254648) on the intrigue scale.

feralmerril · Jun 3, 2009

Not the gun in question, but I once seen a colt navy that was taken off cole younger at oshkosh wisconsin a few days before the gangs tried to rob the bank in northfield minnesota. In the flap of the holster was burnt to C. Younger from Maj Quantrill. It was in the oshkosh muesume at oshkosh wisconsin while I grew up there. It was donated by the daughter of the police chief. They had ran him out of town for vagrantcy. I belive the group came north by train with their horses. After northfield the cops found the engraveing in the holster.
I went home about 10 years ago and the gun wasnt displayed. I asked the honcho in charge where it was, they had murals now and a fraction of the guns they used to. He seemed a non gun type, just shrugged his shoulders and said it must be in storage. A older woman overheard me and said I remember that gun. She dug up a picture post card of it out of old gift shop stock. The muesume partialy burned about 15 years ago, so who knows what happened! I did goggle it, and found a old referance to it, but it seems almost unknown to other buffs.

Chipmunk6 · Jun 3, 2009

<span class="ev_code_BLUE">Howy folks,</span>
<span class="ev_code_BLUE">In the 'Summer 2009' copy of "Guns of the Old West", Dennis Adler says Bob Ford's pistol was a nickle plated S&W New Model No.3 in .44-40. The blurb under the photo says it's from the William I. Koch collection. I just picked up the magazine yesterday.</span>

Chipmunk6

morsecode · Jun 3, 2009

The photo I alluded to earlier may not be all that reliable. It seems that Ford made a living of sorts by posing with 'the gun' that killed Jesse James for a number of years after the event. The actual gun most likely had gone out of Ford's possession early on.

Though according to Joseph Rosa's, Guns of the American West, a sworn affidavit by Robert Ford indicated that he used a single action .45 Colt Peacemaker, SN 50432.

So we are back to square one

The Real Bob Ford/Jese James gun?

Texas Star

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morsecode

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feralmerril

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Chipmunk6

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morsecode

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