Got a very nice note from Joel Engesser at Rock Island Auction Co. Seems some of the historians at this premier auction house for historic firearms have taken to reading Frontier Partisans and listening to the podcast, since we share a love for storied frontier firearms.
He passed along a recent post that hits right in the intersection of three Frontier Partisan passions: firearms, folklore and music. Check out What is the gun in Big Iron?
That’s Big Iron as in the Marty Robbins gunfighter ballad:
Since the release of ‘Big Iron’ more than six decades ago, fans have speculated about the exact type of gun referenced in the song’s title, and now the internet has given the topic new life. As we’ll see, however, the identity of the big iron gun is more of a mystery than one might imagine.
From Rock Island Auction Co. “Exceptional Remington Model 1875 SAA revolver in .44-40 W.C.F. attributed to Country Music Artist ‘Pancake Pete’ Newman of the Sleepy Hollow Gang, a contemporary to Marty Robbins. Available this May.”
Engesser explores a sidetrail that winds among an array of Western firearms that are candidates for Big Iron status — all of which have been or will be on Rock Island’s block. Delightful stuff, and it pleases me mightily to make these connections.
Note: Some 30-odd years ago, my brother and I tormented a young man of our acquaintance who had gotten some lip piercing done and was packing some serious hardware. We sang about the “stranger with the Big Iron on his lip… Big Iron on his liiiiiiiiiiipppppp…”
Give Colter Wall’s version a spin:
John M Roberts says
Stephen Hinter’s novel “I, Sniper” uses “Big Iron” as a theme throughout.
Paul Williams says
That Colter Wall version is a great cover. Love this type of music, and love the tapestry of inspiration that went into some of these classic country ballads.
Joe says
Thanks so much for the excellent mention and write-up. (“Big Iron on his lip” had me chuckling, and I will almost certainly borrow that joke one day to greet a pierced friend or family member, and may break into song while doing it!)
Beverly+Rampey says
C. Wall has a good voice and a real grasp of the flow of that song – but in singing along, it works better with Marty.
Ugly Hombe says
“Andy Anderson told me this personal”
“I should mention before posting about the title of the song “Big Iron” who Andy Anderson was for those not familiar with the fast draw holster makers back then, the top three were Alfonso Pineda, Andy Anderson and Arvo Ojala
Andy liked to hunt deer with a handgun so he had a .44 rifle barrel cut to nine inches and fit to his Colt. Then he added some longer 1860 army back straps and trigger straps to it that he modified to be even a little longer [he had big hands]. Then took them to a foundry and had three sets cast to fit the Colt.
Then he called me and asked me to make 3 sets of one piece maple grips for them, one set for him, one set for Walt Ivy, the third set went to James Drury. It was back in the ’50’s I don’t remember exact what year this was.
Marty Robbins and Thell Reed were making some western movies here in Arizona to play down in the “bible belt” and came into Andy’s California shop to order some special holsters for the stunt men to wear without metal liners in them to match the fast draw rigs that the stars they were doubling for wore, so they could take falls wearing them without bruising their hips when landing on the holster.
Andy’s gun was hanging on the north wall of his shop in the custom rig he made for it- Marty Robbins asked him, what is that gun hanging on the wall? Andy answered him and said “that’s my big iron”.
Now you know where the title for the song came from.”
Jim Martin,
Jim Martin is a master Colt Single Action Army gun smith and shootist. He is the “Hattori Hanzo” of the old Colt- Lives on a ranch outside of Kingman. Imo- He knows more about the old thumb buster than William Mason. Jim is well known to SAA fans as the man to see if you want your Colt to sing. Jim was taught by his mentor Bob Howard, who was a Montana cowboy rancher and old school western gun smith. Mr. Howard was a good friend of Elmer Keith, he was William S. Hart’s shooting instructor, Howard maintained Harts’s Colt’s and was the caretaker of his gun collection. Jim was also a Hollywood gun coach and won many practical shooting and fast draw championships in the early days of the sport. He was a contemporary of Jack Weaver, Ray Chapman, Eldon Carl, and other pioneers of the sport.
“The rest of the Story”- Big Iron.
U/H
JimC says
Wonderful.
Ugly Hombre says
Ugly Hombre needs one more cup of coffee. lol
Rav says
Social Distortion’s Mike Ness does an excellent “Big Iron” on one of his solo albums. Well worth the listen.
JimC says
Yes!