The classic image of the Old West is filled with revolvers hanging from gun belts, rifles carried across saddles, and shotguns resting behind saloon counters. Reality was considerably more complicated. During the late 19th century, several frontier towns and states enacted laws restricting the carrying of firearms in public. Importantly, these rules did not always make the firearms themselves illegal to own. In many cases, the restriction applied specifically to carrying them within town limits, at public gatherings, or without an accepted exception.
1. Colt 1851 Navy Revolver
The Colt 1851 Navy was one of the most recognizable percussion revolvers of the frontier, with a .36 caliber bore and a six-shot cylinder. Yet a traveler could not simply assume that its popularity made it lawful. Abilene, Kansas, prohibited carrying a pistol or revolver inside town from May 20, 1870, while Arkansas adopted a 1875 law covering pistols of any kind. Tombstone later went further, banning firearms of every description. So the same Colt that was ordinary equipment on the trail could become contraband once its owner entered a regulated town.
2. Colt 1860 Army Revolver
Colt’s 1860 Army revolver delivered .44 caliber firepower and six shots, making it a formidable frontier sidearm. Its military reputation did not create a legal exemption in many towns. Abilene’s 1870 ordinance covered pistols, revolvers and guns, meaning an 1860 Army carried on the person was within its wording. Tombstone’s 1881 Ordinance No. 9 also covered every description of firearm. The key point is that the law usually targeted the act of carrying, not ownership. A resident could possess a gun yet still be required to leave it at home or in a lawful place of deposit.
3. Remington New Model Army
The Remington New Model Army, a .44 caliber revolver used by the U.S. military during the Civil War, remained common in civilian hands after the Civil War. Military heritage, however, did not guarantee a right to carry it. Arkansas’s 1875 statute prohibited carrying any pistol, while Abilene’s ordinance expressly covered revolvers. Texas’s 1871 law also restricted pistols carried on or about the person unless exceptions applied. A veteran could therefore own a surplus Remington yet face a fine, forfeiture, or other penalty for wearing it where local law prohibited carry.
4. Smith & Wesson No. 3
Smith & Wesson’s No. 3 was a large-frame cartridge revolver, introduced in 1870 and produced in several military and frontier versions. Its metallic cartridges made it modern by frontier standards, but local ordinances often cared little about the ignition system or ammunition type. Abilene’s ban covered pistols and revolvers broadly, while Tombstone’s 1881 rule included all firearms. A No. 3 could therefore be lawful property yet unlawful to carry in the wrong town. The distinction between possession and public carry is crucial when judging Old West gun laws.
5. Winchester Model 1873
The Winchester Model 1873 became a symbol of frontier life, chambered in popular centerfire cartridges and offered in several barrel and stock configurations. A rifle was not automatically exempt because it was a long gun. Tombstone’s 1881 ordinance stated that firearms of every description were included, while Abilene’s 1870 rule covered guns and muskets. Those broad words could reach rifles as well as handguns. A rancher entering a regulated cattle town might legally own his Winchester but still have to store it before moving around town, depending on the local ordinance.
6. Sharps 1874 Rifle
The Sharps 1874 rifle was famous for long-range accuracy and appeared in hunting, buffalo shooting, and sporting roles across the West. Its size made it less convenient to conceal, but that did not necessarily make it lawful to carry through a town. Tombstone’s 1881 ordinance did not distinguish between rifles and revolvers; it covered firearms of every description. Abilene likewise used the broad term gun in its 1870 prohibition. By 1881, a Sharps owner entering Tombstone could face a local carry restriction even though the rifle itself was an ordinary commercial firearm.
7. Double-Barrel Shotgun
A plain double-barrel shotgun could be just as legally troublesome as a famous revolver. Shotguns served hunters, travelers, and guards, but frontier ordinances often regulated firearms by category, not brand or action. Tombstone’s 1881 Ordinance No. 9 included every description of firearm, and Texas’s 1870 law specifically referred to firearms while restricting them in listed public gatherings. These rules challenge the Hollywood image of everyone walking around armed. A shotgun might be lawful to own or transport with baggage, yet unlawful to carry on the person in a town or public setting.
