GREAT WESTERN ARMS COMPANY
Previous manufacturer located in Los Angeles, CA circa 1954-1964.
Most firearms enthusiasts are more or less familiar with Great Western Arms Co., an enterprise initially organized in Los Angeles through the efforts of Hy Hunter and established by three partners; Dr. Hassam, a prominent surgeon, Dan Reeves, owner of the L.A. Rams, and Dan Fortmann. Bill Wilson, a former production engineer at North American Aviation, served as president.
Wilson established his shop in a tin covered building on Minor Street in Southgate, CA and staffed it with a small group of employees, some taken from Weatherby. As time went by, as many as fifty workers were busy producing guns.
Hy Hunter's American Weapons Corp. in Burbank was chosen by the partners to be the exclusive distributor. Hunter so aggressively marketed the Frontier Six Shooter that his name became synonymous with Great Western and many believed that he was the owner of the company.
With Bob Green as financial officer and Bill Hensley as plant superintendent, machining of parts to manufacture exact copies of the original Colt Model P began in early 1954. Fitting, de-burring, polishing, finishing and assembly began slowly in the spring, with initial production and sales generated by notoriety of the proprietary .357 Atomic cartridge.
Great Western Arms Co. operated for approximately ten years, during which time they were reorganized by at least five different owners. Even though the company was well funded with $250,000 initially, it was never stable, lacking in manufacturing expertise and management skills. But the employees made up for it with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to accommodate their customers.
Appearing in early Great Western brochures and catalogues were spokesmen John Wayne and Audie Murphy. Exhibition shooters Dee Woolem and Sam Toole represented the company with their fast draw talents.
The Great Western revolver line-up offered a well-rounded variety of models with sub-variants. A good selection of barrel lengths, finishes, decoration and calibers were available. They offered interchangeable auxiliary cylinders and a variety of other special and innovative accessories.
The author would like to thank Mr. John Dougan for providing information and values for this section.
Manufacturer Specific Product Categories
* DERRINGERS
GREAT WESTERN DERRINGER Get Current Values
- .38 S&W or .38 S&W Spl. cal. (not interchangeable). Basically an improved version of the Remington Double Derringer frame.
* REVOLVERS: SINGLE ACTION
*
DEPUTY MODEL Get Current Values
- .22 LR, .38 Spl., or .357 Mag. cal., 4 in. barrel, deluxe blue finish, walnut grips.
*
ENGRAVED MODEL Get Current Values
*
FAST DRAW MODEL Get Current Values
- solid brass backstrap and triggerguard, 4 3/4 in. barrel, blue finish, plastic faux stag grips.
*
FRONTIER SIX SHOOTER Get Current Values
- chambered for .22 LR/WMR and a variety of centerfire calibers, 4 3/4, 5 1/2, 7 1/2, or 12 in. barrel, plastic faux stag (standard), walnut, stag, pearl, or ivory grips, cyanide case colored, blue, chrome, or nickel plated finish, Christy Gun Works firing pin mounted in recoil shield.
*
KIT GUNS Get Current Values
*
SHERIFF'S MODEL Get Current Values
- .45 LC cal., nickel, blue, cyanide case colored finish, plastic faux stag grips standard.
*
TARGET MODEL Get Current Values
- most .22 LR cal., blue or case colored finish.
* ADDITIONAL HISTORY
Examination and survey of approximately four hundred Great Western revolvers and derringers revealed the following.
- A small quantity of smooth bore guns were shipped.
- Single-actions with a through the frame firing pin hole and a full radius to the front of the cylinder frame have Colt frames. Many of the earliest revolvers were made with the Colt cylinder frame; serial numbers 73, 95, 111, 245, 332, 348, and 367.
- Serial number GW5543 is roll marked on the side of the cylinder frame "GREAT WESTERN LOS ANGELES".
- Occasionally an example will be found that has a letter T stamped on the cylinder frame. Assembler Toni Rimerez hand stamped the guns that she assembled until she was instructed to stop.
- Some revolvers feature chrome lined barrels.
- Standard finishes were cyanide case colored, blued, chrome, nickel, silver, gold, bead blasted, and blued.
- A specially fabricated Great Western revolver was built to be used by Don Knotts in the Disney production, The Shakiest Gun in the West, it was designed to fall apart upon cocking.
* THE MYTHS OF GREAT WESTERN ARMS COMPANY
Very often, either one or two of the prevailing misconceptions will be raised at the mention of Great Western Arms Co., depending upon the respondents' knowledge of firearms. One is that Hy Hunter was the founder and owner of Great Western. The second myth is Great Western revolvers and derringers were manufactured in Italy, Spain, or Germany.
Hy Hunter, arms dealer to the stars, aggressively promoted Great Western through his American Weapons Corp., retail store, and his catalog. Hunter publicized the Frontier Six Shooter to a degree that his name became a synonym for Great Western. In the beginning Hunter served in the capacity as sole West Coast distributor and was never an equity partner or corporately involved with any of the four companies that bore the Great Western marquee. Further, the back page of the 1956 GW Arms Sales Company, Inc. catalogue makes the following statement.
Note: Great Western Arms Company is the manufacturer, GW Arms Sales Co. is the distributor and there are no agreements expressed or implied between these companies and Hy Hunter, American Weapons and/or Crown International of Burbank, California, and these companies have not been purchasers of Great Western products since about the middle of 1955.
Eventually, in the early 1960s, Hunter imported and marketed a line of lower quality European made single-action revolvers and derringers, which were roll-marked with his name. Hy Hunter marked guns are relatively scarce today and there is not much collector interest in his single-action revolvers or derringers.
Secondly, no Great Western components were fabricated offshore. Castings, barrels, and other parts were provided by outside contractors. An exception can be the stag, pearl and ivory grip panels traditionally produced overseas and imported by grip distributors. Final fitting, polishing, finishing, and assembly were accomplished in-house. All Great Western facilities and correspondent shops were located in and around Los Angeles, Burbank, and Long Beach, which were the West Coast equivalent to Bridgeport and New Haven.
During WW II, Southern California developed the same capabilities for manufacturing as New England and was the greatest producer of war material on the Pacific Rim.
Following is an annual production schedule. At this juncture, it is an educated guess based on surviving documents, letters, and invoices, and should be used as a general guide only.
1953...................................GW1 - GW150
1954..............................GW150 - GW4500
1955...........................GW4500 - GW11000
1956.........................GW11000 - GW11500
1957....................................11500 - 15000
1958....................................15000 - 17000
1959.....................................17000 - 18500
1960..........................................18500 - 20500
1961..........................GW20500 - GW21500
1963..........................GW21500 - GW22000
Regrettably, from a collector perspective, interest in the Great Western guns has remained an esoteric subject, however, at the time of this writing, a dedicated following seems to be rallying. Along with other short lived modern manufacturers, Great Western Arms Co. should some day be afforded the same status as obscure pre-Victorian makers now enjoy.