batt .44
 

Does anybody have a picture of a batt or bat .44 handgun used in the 1800s by gunfighters and or lawmen

Re: batt .44
 

Here is a pic of the Colt model 1873, SA army/calvary .44 revolver.

Re: batt .44
 

There were many handgun makers during the time of the cattle drives and "wild" west. Most built some sort of .44 caliber, either chambered for someone elses or their own proprietory cartridge.

The "big three" were Colt, Remington and Smith & Wesson - in that order. But these were by no means the only ones.

The "batt" or "bat .44" is probably a nickname given to one of these manufacturer's models.

Re: batt .44
 

Do you mean the BAT Masterson pistol ?

i forget who made it, but remember they where trying to get sales by using the influence of a few well known crime fighters of the wild west period there was a Wyatt Earp version by the same maker

the Masterson version was a standard pistol but with a slightly shorter barrel from memory, supposedly Marshal Masterson stated the shorter barrel gave him a edge in a draw, so the gun maker made some with a shorter barrel

its referenced in "Gun's that won the west" a book detailing the history of firearms of the time

i loaned someone my copy and aint seen it since ...

it had a ad for one while the Marshall was still alive , he made a joke in public about it and was quoted

cheers

just found this online

i think mtnboomer is spot on

Re: batt .44
 

It might be possible that he is asking about a LeMat. Not enough info, too many chances to get it wrong.

Re: batt .44
 

One revolver often associated with "Bat" Masterson is the so-called "Buntline Special", but those guns have a longer (12") barrel than normal, not a shorter one. The maker, of course, was Colt. (While the story seems mostly fiction, Colt did in recent years, make several models using the "Buntline Special" name, but that was long after the time of the Wild West.)

That story is so confused and seems to be mostly made up, though, and no Western historian takes it seriously. For an interesting discussion, check:

http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1976/76_2_shillingberg.htm

Jim

Re: batt .44
 

The "Buntline Special" was a firearm carried by a ficticious dime-novel character named Ned Buntline. The author of the Buntline novels (can't recall his name at the moment) was an easterner that was a big fan of Wyatt Earp and Batt Masterson.

The author had Colt build some of these 12" barreled revolvers to his specs, two of which he personally presented to Earp and Masterson. These hog-legs had an engraved brass plate on the grips stating who it was from, what it was and who it was presented to.

The story goes that Earp carried his on his left hip and used it primarily for his favorite tactic of pistol-whipping folks as the long barrel make the gun a perfect club. Masterson, on the other hand, never liked the overly long barrel and soon had it cut back to a standard length.

Re: batt .44
 

Are you refering to the 'Bat .44' from the old Marty Robins song?