The Guns of Tombstone (1993): Every Weapon Identified

Few films put period firearms on screen with as much love as Tombstone. The 1993 Western is a working museum of Old-West iron: nickel Colts, top-break Smith & Wessons, and short double-barrel shotguns, all handled by actors who clearly did their homework. Here is every major gun in Tombstone, who carried it, and the modern reproduction you can buy and shoot today.

Wyatt Earp’s Colt Single Action Army & Buntline Special

Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp carries the most famous revolver ever made, the Colt Single Action Army, and for the showdowns he wields the long-barreled Buntline Special, its extended barrel giving him extra reach and menace. The Colt “Peacemaker” is the gun that armed lawmen and outlaws alike, and it is still the heart of cowboy action shooting. You cannot buy an 1881 original for shooting money, but faithful Uberti and Cimarron reproductions run beautifully and cost a fraction. Browse modern single actions in our best revolvers guide.

The Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 (Schofield)

Several characters carry the Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3, the top-break revolver often called the Schofield. Instead of loading one round at a time through a gate like the Colt, the No. 3 breaks open at the hinge and ejects all six empties at once, so it reloads far faster. It was the choice of men who valued speed, and Taylor’s & Company still imports excellent Uberti Schofield reproductions today.

The Colt Lightning

The Colt Model 1877 “Lightning” appears as a slim, elegant double-action revolver, a more refined sidearm for the gambler-gentleman set that Doc Holliday runs with. The original’s delicate lockwork made it finicky, but the design’s fast double-action fire was ahead of its time. Modern Uberti Lightning reproductions capture the look without the fragility.

The Coach Gun (Double-Barreled Shotgun)

When the Earps and Doc walk to the O.K. Corral, the short double-barreled shotgun does a lot of the talking. These stubby “coach guns,” named for the stagecoach guards who carried them, were the ultimate close-range equalizer: point, pull, and end the argument. The modern Stoeger Coach Gun is a direct, affordable descendant that cowboy action shooters run to this day.

The Winchester Model 1873

The lever-action long gun of the film is the Winchester Model 1873, “The Gun That Won the West.” Its tubular magazine and fast lever let a single rider lay down serious fire, and it paired with the Colt because both could share pistol-caliber ammunition. Winchester, Uberti, and Henry all build modern versions; see our best lever-action rifles guide.

A Working Museum of the Old West

The rest of the armory is just as authentic: the Remington 1875 revolver, the Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog pocket gun, and the Colt 1878 double-action all make appearances. What makes Tombstone special is that nearly every gun on screen is a real, correct period design, and nearly all of them are still made in faithful reproduction. If the film gave you the itch, start with our revolvers and lever-action guides, then read up on cowboy action shooting, where people run these exact guns in real competition.