Marshal Bill Tilghman

[yahoody]

Tilghman ((July 4, 1854 – November 1, 1924) had a long law enforcement career on the American Frontier.   He died working as the Town Marshal in Cromwell Oklahoma, killed in the line of duty on 1 November 1924, shot by Wiley Lynn, a corrupt Prohibition Agent.  The Colt shown is a close copy of Helfricht's work on the presentation gun given by the citizens of Perry, OK. to Marshal Tilghman in 1893.  The man left quite a legacy.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Yes, I have heard he was well-regarded.

That's a lovely revolver.  I assume - yahoody - that you own the copy.  You are a lucky person!

[yahoody]

I do and am 

Been shooting the snot out of it.

Couple of pictures and how the gun came about here:

http://pistolsmith.blogspot.com/2014/09/generations.html

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[Steel Horse Bailey]

Wow!.  VERY nice.

I am green with envy!

[yahoody]

Wow!.  VERY nice.

I am green with envy!

Thanks very much.  Glad you like them.  Envy?  Don't be. Seriously.  If you look around nice engraving can be had at a reasonable price.  Just doubles the cost of your gun.  Colt's can be had for less than USFA guns for good reason.  Only the ivory is up there in price and now something a person has to REALLY want.

Kinda funny story from this weekend.  Been shooting the guns for a few weeks now.  But they are a decade old by the serial numbers.  Haven't been finished like this until just recently.  So I show up at out local SASS match ready and willing with the "new" guns.  Half way through the match, when everyone was by now hot and tired, first question as I am re-setting steel is "those real Colt's?"   Answer is "yes".   Next up, in a hail of quick questions from a few in my posse, "that real ivory?  Sure looks like it?"

I'm thinking "real cowboys shoot Colts...and itta be a mortal sin, damned to yee to HELL if you added plastic to a Colt's",  but I smile and bite my tongue     Next up is, "them had to cost a pretty penny!"   I'm a Scotsman so I pinch a penny till she'll bleed.....so my flippant answer...was, "they are family guns, so they were cheap".   Guns mean a lot more to me than money.  You saw some of that story/reasoning on the blog.  And in truth it really wasn't "my money" that paid for them.   That comment sucked a few more of the posse in to the unloading table to check the serial numbers.  Just how old are those black powder frames?  Markings intentionally say about 1895 to 1910 if you know what to look for.  Serial numbers say 2004.  But many/most of us old pards need readers these days to decipher serial numbers.   

Not sure what everyone went away with from the conversation...other than I really like fancy guns and can't shoot a handgun fer shit, having 5 handgun misses for the day!  My new motto is "life is too short to shoot ugly guns"  Clan mottos is "I bide me time".  Worth the 60 year wait for these blasters.  If I'd known how much I would enjoy these guns I'd have done it all 40 years ago!  The rifle I built and had engraved 25 years ago and have enjoyed every minute of owning it.

[Skeeter Lewis]

Nice rig. Who made it?

[yahoody]

Reddog Leather, Jamestown, KY.  Paul does some of the best leather work I have seen and is a true gentleman to work with.  Easy to find him on ebay.  And fast delivery even for fully custom stuff. 

a better picture of the custom rig Paul built for me.



And below the holster and carving mine was based on.  Difference?  Mine is fully leather lined, a little higher ride, a bit more hammer/grip clearance and designed to be bolted solidly to the belt.  Nuances for sure but the difference for me in use is significant.   Very fast in and out and very secure without a hammer string.  Mostly though I wanted it to look like a fancy carved traditional 1880's holster.  Paul exceeded my expectations.  Not an easy task to accomplish.  I have other projects in the works with him now and am excited to see the end results!  My bet is Tilghman would have liked this one as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360593702220?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Shotgun Franklin]

I used my Colt's while shooting SASS until I got a couple of Italians I didn't mind dragging out in the rain and dirt. I still carry a Colt on occasion. If Colt ever goes Public, we can buy enough stock to get'm to build better and to build every new SAA with the BP frame, I hope.