Considering purchasing a mare's lwg like the one Steve McQueen carried in Wanted: Dead or Alie but I've heard it said this type of rifle was a waste of money b/c it wasn't accurate. Just curious if anyone here wouls buy a rifle such as this or pass.
The rifle may be accurate..., how well you can shoot it may be another matter, due to the shortened stock.
It was one of a series of "gimmick guns" used for TV westerns.
Josh Randall (McQueen) had a mare's leg in .45-70, which was complete balderdash, as with that length of barrel and ammo tube, it might hold two cartridges in the tube with one in the chamber, giving three shots, as the spring in the tube needs room to compress too... but McQueen would often fire more than three shots... Note in the publicity photo there are no sights on his rifle.... OH you might also look at .44 mag, but use .44 Special or even perhaps .44 Russian would work?
I doubt you could find one made in .32-20, but that might give the authentic firepower that the gimmick gun should have...
So although he would buy .45-70 cartridges and wear them..., he was probably shooting .45 Colt blanks which were and are popular in Hollywood. Probably better to use one in .45 Colt, and then load it with .45 Schofield to get the most rounds, but you still might have trouble getting more than six shots before a reload. In that case a standard Colt Army with 7.5 " barrel would work the same, OR you could go for the long barreled Peacemaker carried by Hugh O'Brian in
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp...
Another "gimmick gun" was the LeMatt revolver built for the series, and used by
Johnny Ringo played by Don Durant, and the not so odd shotgun carried by
Johnny Yuma in
The Rebel, played by Nick Adams...
Last but not least would be the Over/Under .32 Winchester Special / !2 Gauge rifle-shotgun carried by
Shotgun Slade, the private detective in the Old West, played by Scott Brady
LD