What was so special about Lucas McCains gun? Seemed like just a typical lever action but every villain made a big deal about it.

He was just that good with it.

"The Rifleman's" Winchester had an enlarged hand hold on the lever. This allow T.R. to twirl the rifle in his hand. Evidently outlaws were terrified of rifle twirling. His gun was also equipped with a "fire-on-closing" stud on the lever, which tripped the trigger when the lever closed. This allowed T.R. to "fan" the rifle firing rounds as fast as he could work the lever, almost always shooting from the hip. That's about as close as he could get to semi-automatic. And bad guys were freighted of that too.

I remember watching that show with my dad, and him commenting that the fool wasn't going to hit anything shooting like that.

But I do wonder if even back then, television was responsible for some of the foolish things folks believe about firearms today.

Most likely shooting a 45 colt round or a 38/40 round. With the shorter cartridge making for a faster chambering and recycling of each round. He would have had hard time cycling a 30-30 or 35 rem. round due to the longer cartridge cycling distance.

Old Lucas McCain could shoot the tips off a mounted deer antlers on the wall in a saloon like no one I have ever seen.

Bingo 38/40 blank ammunition was loaded for the movies.

How often would that type of been made during that period?


I'm plenty guilty of poor shooting techniques as a kid from watching westerns.

Go to the Rifleman website, very interesting read about the gun and Chuck Conners.

I just want a rifle that sounds like Lucas McCains. And ricochets like the spaghetti westerns.

I still watch it. My kids like it even tho black and white.

His rifle was an 1892 Winchester chambered in .44WCF (more commonly known as .44-40) but the pistol caliber action of the 92 is only about half an inch shorter than the Winchester 94 so it wouldn't be much at all if any slower to shoot a .30-30 that way.


Hollyweird had a "5-in-1 blank" they used for those old westerns. It would fit in the chamber of a .38-40 and .44-40 rifle as well as a .38-40, .44-40 and .45 Colt caliber pistols.