Yellowstone is a western where almost nobody carries a single-action revolver. That’s the interesting part. It’s set in modern Montana, and the guns reflect that: a state agency service pistol, a lever gun that’s been on the ranch for decades, and whatever the militia turned up with this week.
The show gets the Livestock Agent detail right, which almost nothing else on television does. Here’s what the Duttons and the men who work for them actually carry.
How we tested: Every pick here was run through our testing methodology. Minimum round counts, accuracy and reliability protocols, the failures that disqualify a gun. If we haven't shot it, we don't recommend it.
The Kimber Custom TLE II
This is the gun of the show and hardly anyone outside Montana notices it.
The Kimber Custom TLE II is carried as the standard service pistol by the Montana Livestock Agents across the series, which is a genuinely specific bit of research. Livestock agents are real, they’re sworn peace officers, and putting a 1911 in their holsters instead of a generic polymer pistol is the kind of choice that tells you somebody on the production actually asked.
Variants matter here. Ryan carries a stainless version, agent Steve Hendon a two-tone. In “All I See is You,” John Dutton checks a two-tone Custom TLE II before his meeting with Chairman Rainwater, then uses it later in the episode on the man who set up the attack on his family. Kayce runs the two-tone as well.
If you want the platform generally, start with our Colt 1911 Government review.
John Dutton’s Winchester Model 1894
The 1894 is the ranch gun, and it’s carried by both John and Jamie Dutton. It shows up in “A Monster is Among Us” when John deals with trespassing tourists who’ve got themselves dangerously close to a bear.
That’s the correct use of a lever gun in 2026. Not a duelling piece, just a light, fast-handling rifle that lives behind the seat of a truck and comes out when something needs dealing with. The Model 1894 has been doing that job on American ranches for well over a century, and the show treats it as furniture rather than a prop, which is the highest compliment you can pay it.
More in our best lever-action rifles guide, and the Winchester 1892 review for the shorter-cartridge cousin.
The Glock 17
Glocks fill in everywhere the Kimbers don’t, across four seasons. Ranch hands, sheriff’s deputies, the occasional hired problem. It’s the honest background gun of modern America and the show doesn’t pretend otherwise.
The Ruger Blackhawk
There is a single action in the show, and it’s a Ruger Blackhawk rather than a Colt. That’s the right instinct too. A working Montana ranch in the present day is far more likely to have a Ruger in a drawer than a period Colt in a display case, because the Blackhawk is a modern gun built to be shot rather than admired.
The militia hardware
When the show escalates, it escalates into M4A1 carbines and Uzis, plus a Spike’s Tactical AR-15 that turns up in militia hands. There’s a Walther P5 in there somewhere too, which is an odd and rather good choice for a character who wants to look like he knows something.
Smith & Wesson revolvers appear as well, including a Model 638 Airweight and a Model 15. Small guns for people who aren’t looking for a fight but expect one anyway.
Frequently asked questions
What pistol do the Livestock Agents carry in Yellowstone?
The Kimber Custom TLE II, a 1911-pattern .45, shown as their standard service pistol. Stainless and two-tone variants both appear.
What rifle does John Dutton carry?
A Winchester Model 1894 lever-action, also carried by Jamie Dutton. He uses it in “A Monster is Among Us.”
Are Montana Livestock Agents real?
Yes. They’re sworn peace officers who investigate livestock theft and related crime, and the show’s decision to arm them with 1911s rather than a generic service pistol is a deliberate piece of detail.
Is Yellowstone a western in gun terms?
Only partly. The lever gun and the single action nod to the tradition, but the working hardware is modern: 1911s, Glocks and ARs. That contrast is deliberate.
Keep exploring
Part of our guns of TV legends series. For the older tradition see The Rifleman and Tombstone, or the modern lawman in Justified.
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