General Francisco Villa carrying his favorite sidearm — a Colt Bisley manufactured in 1912, with mother-of-pearl grips.
“(Francisco) Villa had the reputation of being one of Mexico’s greatest gunfighters. ‘For Villa, the gun was more important than eating or sleeping,’ a subordinate wrote about him. ‘It was a part of his person indispensable to him wherever he was, even at social occasions, and one can say that it was only very rarely that he did not have a gun ready to be drawn or placed in his gunbelt.’”
— Friedrich Katz, “The Life and Times of Pancho Villa”
The Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920 has tripped my trigger ever since I read enraptured Clifford Irving’s wonderful novel Tom Mix and Pancho Villa. That’s a long time now. For reasons that I’ll reveal when the time is right, the Mex Rev and particularly the career of Pancho Villa have been pushed to the forefront in the land of the Frontier Partisans lately.
Dark as this history is, I revel in it. You want a “game of thrones”? You’ll never find one more deadly than the Mexican Revolution. Ol’ George RR Martin couldn’t be any crueler to his characters than the real-deal Revolution was to its principals. Every one of the major leaders of the Revolution died violently, mostly shot to pieces in ambush or assassination.
Every. Damn. One.
And for me there is just no more fascinating period than that time right around the Great War, when the old frontier still existed, yet was rolling like a runaway train right into the modern era. The material culture just pleases me — I love the weapons and equipment, the clothing people wore, the planes, trains and automobiles. The music — from border corridos to Ragtime, early jazz and the beginnings of the blues.
So much was happening. PJ Pretorius was poaching back the value of his confiscated African farm from the Germans at the same time Pancho Villa was crossing the Rio Grande to overthrow the Usurper Victoriano Huerta. And China was convulsing in revolution, too.
You get the idea, so I’ll get to the point of this post: Pancho Villa’s guns.
Villa’s primary sidearm — the one that was “part of his person” — was a Bisley Colt. The Bisley was a target variant of the famous Colt Peacemaker, named for the Bisley shooting sports complex in England. Back in those great days, shooting championships were major sporting events. Sigh.
Anyway, The Bisley was introduced in 1894. Villa’s revolver was manufactured in 1912, in caliber .44-40. The handle dropped straight down as befits a target-shooting piece, unlike the plough handle of the Peacemaker, and it had a low-slung and broad hammer. The pistol came with hard rubber grips. Villa’s revolver was customized with fancy mother-of-pearl grips. It rests in the unbelievable Autry collection, which is worth seeing if you can get to the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. When I lived in SoCal, I haunted that place.
Pancho Villa’s .44-40 Bisley Colt, part of the magnificent Autry National Center Collection.
Found a picture of Villa shooting the Bisley in a book titled “The Face of Pancho Villa”
Villa seems to have carried several different rifles during his career. The famous shot with his sombrero’d and bandolier-festooned crew from early in the Revolution shows him with what is most likely a 1910 Mauser carbine. These carbines were ubiquitous in the Revolution and were short enough to be handy from horseback, a definite asset for Villa’s cavalry strike force.
Villa and his merry band are heavily armed with what appear to be 1910 Mauser carbines, a Mauser rifle and a Winchester.
The 1910 Mexican Mauser — field decorated by Pancho’s hombres.
Other early shots show a lever-action rifle in Villa’s saddle scabbard. It’s impossible to tell what model it is. I’m inclined to think it was a Winchester 1894 in .30-30 caliber, which was kind of the AK-47 of the revolution. It was so widely used that a corrido was written about it: “Carabina .30-30.” (Watch Los Lobos perform it on Austin City Limits).
A shot from early in the Mexican Revolution showing what looks like a Winchester lever action rifle — probably an 1894 in .30-30 — in Villa’s saddle scabbard.
Different horse, different rifle. This one has a crescent butt. Maybe a Winchester 1892? (UPDATE: Eagle-eye John Maddox Roberts points out that the Model 92 fired pistol-caliber rounds, while Pancho’s bandoliers hold rifle cartridges. So the rifle is probably a .30-30. Further internet sleuthing turns up Model 94s with crescent butts. I had thought the 94s all had the shallow semi-crescent butt shown in the other pic. Don’t know enough about the various Winchester models of the day.)
No question on this one. That’s a Winchester 1895.
In a group shot with his Dorados (Golden Ones — Pancho’s personal guard and elite cavalry shock force) Villa seems to be holding a half-stock rifle, probably some kind of sporting Mauser.
You have to look closely at Villa (arrow) to discern that he is carrying a half-stock sporting Mauser.
Bear in mind that the Villistas, at the height of the Division del Norte’s powers, traveled by train. Villa had his own car, so he could have packed along any number of rifles. I’ve never seen or heard of any evidence that he ever used a shotgun.
Villa was known to be highly skilled with his firearms and he practiced regularly. Even during his three peaceful years of retirement at a hacienda in Durango, he was never without a pistol holstered on his hip and a rifle in his hand or on his saddle. Pancho lived by the gun, and on July 20, 1923, he died by the gun, rubbed out in a hail of bullets in what was almost certainly a politically motivated hit. His last act as he drove his Dodge motorcar into an ambush and the bullets from multiple rifles tore into him was to reach for his constant companion — that 1912 Bisley Colt.
Live by the gun, die by the gun. Villa was gunned down in an ambush on the streets of Parral in 1923. That’s his secretary Manuel Trillo hanging out of the Dodge. Villa is slumped in the driver’s seat (see arrow). Villa was at the wheel when the guns opened up. He died reaching for his Bisley Colt.
Pat_H says
Great entry!
The Punitive Expedition and the Mexican Revolution have long fascinated me as well. Indeed, I’m theoretically writing a novel on the topic, but at very slow motion.
JimC says
Keep plugging’ away Pat. It’s a damn hard thing to do, so hats off to you.
sylva j bungay says
Be sure to include Gen. Patton and how his experience helped him become a better soldier. NOT sure , but this is where Patton thought of mounting machine guns to vehicles. He was just a spark of what he was to become in those days. Lived mm stayed in the Sonoran desert for a while from nogales , tucson , to cibuta to cananea. many older ranchers still carried the mousers. I love how history passes one baton to the next then to the next and so on. And finish that novel. Hope to see it on the big screen if that is your wish.
jeremiah g rhodes says
In college I was required to write a report on things that happened during the month and year either of my parents were born. I chose February 1915. Our class almost wrecked the newspaper file of the University. I discovered that Villa had ordered 1,000 Model 1895 Winchester rifles and 1,000,000 rounds of 30-06 ammo. The order was put on a freighter at Long Beach CA and steamed off into the sunset and eventually docked at Mazatlan. Since then I have searched for one of those rifles in vain. Somewhere around here I have the serial numbers. I had a good friend in the antique business that went all over northern Mexico gathering “antiques” helping me, No Luck.
Paul McNamee says
Seeing as how he was part of the troops chasing Villa, one wonders if Villa’s revolver led Patton to say, “Only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whore house would carry a pearl-handled revolver” when his ivory handles were mistaken for pearl.
I know that is a line from the movie, PATTON. I don’t know if that is exactly, historically what was said.
JimC says
I think Patton actually did say that to reporters. Have to agree with the man — ivory all the way.
Luis reyes says
I hope your not trying to disrespect the great general Doroteo “panco villa” Arango patton was not worthy to comment on such a man was not to his level Patton was an order follower with no morals!!! The general aka Pancho Villa listened too no one worked of morals and humanity
moises segovia says
Patton was a great General, but Also a Pompous, Arrogant SOB ! VILLA TALKED THE TALK AND WALKED THE WALK
sylva b. says
Patton was a great man and accomplished what he had to in his time. As an American I appreciate that. But to compare patton with villa is like to compare a chef to a cook. Villa was the law.. where as Patton had to follow orders and unceremoniously got spanked by his superiors who needed him but knew he was a loose cannon at times ( needed like in battle of the bulge to only mention one). Not trying to appease anyone one side. but both historical actors and both played their part. Patton was just starting out his life when he crossed paths with Villas soldiers. mmm I can see there is no end to this post. so i will mercifully end it. Hats off to both and to all of us who keep them alive in History.
moises segovia says
VILLA WASN’T A PIMP FROM NEW ORLEANS, HE WAS THE REAL DEAL!! HE COULD PUT WHATEVER ON HIS PISTOLS !!
Antonio Perales del Hierro says
My Great-aunt Luz Corral Fierro, General Francisco Villa’s widow and rightful heir to his property, explained to me that her husband was not running from Pershing’s troops, and so what we often read to have been a “chase” never occured. General Villa had been wounded in a fire-fight with Constitutionalists, could not ride, could not fight, and was re-couperating in a cave not far from Ciudad Chihuahua. The Hacienda de Canutillo, complete with large chapel, to which later General Villa was ‘amnistied’ happened to have been founded by our antecedent Lope del Hierro de Cereceda ( actually the Hierro-Olarte family), in 1794.
Ramona DeLaCruz says
Do you know who all rode with him apparently my father’s great grandfather or great great grandfather rode with him and he was shot in the leg
john maddox roberts says
Jim,
The 1892 Winchester shot pistol-caliber rounds, and the bandoliers Pancho is wearing hold rifle cartridges. Of course, Pancho might have borrowed the bandoliers from a companero for the picture. For that matter, the horse and its gear may not be his.
Concerning the pearl grips: in the Autry museum and in the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody, WY, there are several guns known to have been carried by noted lawmen and outlaws that sport pearl grips. Apparently in the 19th century there was no prejudice against pearl grips and they remained popular in Latin America. I think the bad reputation came from cheap, imported pistols that were tarted up with nickle plating and pearl grips to make them more attractive: “cheap and gaudy” pimp guns.
Right after I got out of the army I bought a Bisley, converted to .357 by Christie Gun Works, that had genuine ivory grips. Alas, I sold it when I needed to raise money. Now, those grips alone would probably bring ten times as much as I paid for the gun.
JimC says
Good catch — as usual. Looks like .30-30 ammo in the bandoliers. Wish I knew more about the multitude of Winchester Models. The differences can be subtle. Sad story about the Bisley. I’ve sold a couple of rifles that I’d like to have back. That hole in the wallet can steer a man wrong.
Brent Wilburn says
That #9 photo of Villa with the Winchester in the scabbard is a Model 1894 Sporting Rifle. Winchester 1892, 1894, and 1895 rifles shared the same crescent buttplates while carbines had the semi-crescent shaped. What gives it away is the lever loop. The 1894 had a squared off corner on the lever loop which you can see in the top right of the loop just behind the trigger. This was so the top of the lever could engage with a safety block that prevented the rifle from being fired when the lever wasn’t fully pressed against the lower tang. The Winchester 1892 didn’t have this feature and the loop behind the trigger is more rounded without that little square block to engage the safety. Yes, and the long cartridges in his bandolier…definitely the size and shape for the Model 1894. Those are great photos btw! Really enjoyed those, some of which I’d never seen before.
JimC says
Outstanding. Thank you.
Tom_D says
JimC, Thanks for a great article! As a history buff with a small revolver collection I had to throw in my 2 cents regarding pearl verses ivory stocks.
john maddox roberts was right about there being no prejudice against pearl grips, quite the opposite. They were always more expensive and were valued more than ivory by those who could afford them. As such, I doubt they were used on cheap imported pistols, more likely they sported cheap gaudy imitations. I suspect their bad rap was mostly acquired only after the 1970 film, Patton was released.
On the down side they chip easily, but if you pick up both at the same room temperature, one feels very cool, the other very warm. Although I like ivory too especially after it ages, I much prefer the coolness of pearl. Btw, I understand abalone shells large enough to make grips are very rare these days…
JimC says
Thanks for stopping by the campfire Tom. Appreciate the insights. What era(s) does your collection cover?
Tom_D says
Hi Jim,
I have a Colt SAA with ivory grips in the first barrel length and caliber, 7.5″ & .45 Colt, that came out in 1873. But mine is a 2nd generation that shipped in the early 60’s.
And like john maddox Roberts, I have a Bisley that shipped in 1909, that was refinished and rechambered to .38 Special by a previous owner.
My next oldest revolver is a S&W Military & Police that shipped in 1949 with awesome pearl grips, 🙂 …
Gary Engels says
The cartridges in the bandoleer appear to be 38-55. The original 94 winchester offering.
Craig McDonald says
“That hole in the wallet can steer a man wrong.”
A song title or short story/novel’s opening line waiting to happen.
JimC says
An arrowhead, as they say in songwriter school…
John says
He truly did live & die by the gun, but in between, he managed to have enough affairs that, when he was assassinated, no less than six women claimed to be his widow.
Just saying…
John C
JimC says
Well, as you say, he did live by the gun.
JimC says
What would Waylon say about this?
Ladies love Outlaws
Like babies love stray dogs
Ladies touch babies like a banker touches gold
Outlaws touch ladies somewhere deep down in their souls…
sly. says
I am new here and hard to walk away from great posts. There is a great song (about villa ) called Caballo Prieto Azabache by antonio aguilar. ( sorry if my spanish is not perfect). But i know enough that his song makes me cry a little. it is about a man and his horse. they get caught by villas men and because he had a gun he was considered a combatant. villa said. you have one wish before you get shot. and i’m keeping your horse for being pretty and obedient. I want to die on my horse. the horse knew and once on.. the horse took off to save his friend. He jumped over the firing squad and wall . villa said. get them and bring back my horse. the horse had been shot ( think talks about the mauser rifle ) but kept running to save his friend. Villa was touched by the love man and horse had and just rode away . giving him the life his horse died for. Might have gotten something wrong. but the relevance is that Villa was also seen as man of honour. youtube the song. my gift to you.
moises segovia says
25+ to be correct!
john maddox roberts says
I’ve seen many photos from la Revolucion showing rebels carrying the Winchester 1895, an unusual variant that had a box magazine in front of the trigger instead of a tubular magazine beneath the barrel like most Winchesters. The ’95 was chambered for high-powered military rounds. Most fired the .30-.40 Krag – the US military round of the time. Later ones fired the .30-06. This rifle was Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite for his African safari. Anyway, I think it’s almost impossible to tell one of those Winchesters from the stock sticking out of a saddle holster. They were all pretty much the same from the breech back.
Oscar Case says
Enjoyed the post. Movies and stories keep Villa alive for the world. There are some fine musicians south of the border like the guitar and accordion player of Los Lobos.
JimC says
Yes, Viva Villa! still rings a hundred years down the line…
Cannoneer No. 4 says
Pat: Read Not of War Only, also Glendon Swarthout’s They Came to Cordura and <The Tin Lizzie Troop before you finish your book. There exist bound volumes of hard copy Cavalry Journals in some larger libraries and nearly every issue from 1916-1937 had at least one article about Mexico. Soak up all you can find about Emil Holmdahl. That’s who Lee Marvin was trying to be in The Professionals. The onset of puberty coincided with a newly discovered fascination for Claudia Cardenale’s cleavage, and I have been a sucker for La Revolución Mexicana ever since.
Hierro Vaquero says
Your blog, muy bien!
I can not get enough of La Revolución Mexicana! Perhaps you would enjoy this documentry about the Revolucion,”The Storm That Swept Mexico”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWcgOcvgV0
A lot of good information and footage that includes, Mr. Villa and Mr. Zapata! More post about La Revolucion, por favor!
-Hierro Vaquero
JimC says
Thanks for stopping by Señor Vaquero. You can count on more. And yes, the doc is a good one.
brian says
Cool post, cool blog. Just found it today. Just saw a doc last night on Netflix about Pancho. Done in spanish with subs, by some obviously noteable Villa historians. Got me fishing. Again cool post. Two flics that got me all stirred up for the border era; The Wild Bunch and The Professionals…
JimC says
Thanks, Brian. WB and the Pros are great movies.
Tex says
A favorite rifle on the boarder during the Mexican revolution was a special order Winchester Model 1894 rifle with 20″ octagonal barrel. Collectors call them “Border” rifles. Popular in Mexico and the Southwest. The Winchester M 1895 Carbine was also a popular rifle that fired the current US Government Round. Beginning with the .30 Army (30/40 Krag), .30 cal. Model of 1903 and finally the .30 cal. Model of 1906 (30/06) Carried by the Texas Rangers during the Texas border wars. Winchester’s first semi-automatic rifle the M-1905 and later the M-1907 made their introduction and were quite popular as well. Read John Reed’s “Insurgent Mexico” to get a real taste of the revolution from someone on the ground in El Paso and Northern Mexico.
https://archive.org/details/insurgentmexico00reedgoog
JimC says
Good stuff, Tex. Love your url — “deadly nostalgia” is a big part of my deal. That M-1895 was quite a rifle. The Russians bought a bunch of ’em for military use. Full stock.
Bill Edwards says
I acquired a rifle about 5 years ago at an auction.. Nothing unusual. Then I noticed scratches on it, got a magnifying glass, and made out this: ” captured from P villa Columbus NM 1915 by Patch Logan”. It’s a Remington Rolling Block 7mm. With SPRR engraved on the receiver.
I did a little research but gave up.
Any thoughts?
JimC says
Holy smokes! What a find.
The Remington Rolling Block was ubiquitous in Mexico — the Rurales used ’em at the turn of the century. It would have been a second-tier rifle for Revolutionary forces, but very common. Maybe John Maddox Roberts knows more?
JimC says
BTW, Villa was severely wounded during the Punitive Expedition by a round from a Remington, during a firefight with Federales. It may have been friendly fire from a Villista conscript. The bullet entered the rear of his leg and exited his shin, causing a horrifically painful wound.
JimC says
Pix?
Bill Edwards says
I forgot 8 post d this. Ill get some pics and post them up.
Bill
Sanchez says
I just discovered your blog and its really pretty cool. I’ve always been fascinated with this particular point in history especially after hearing some stories from my father about the particular part of Mexico that he came from, which is also in Durango where Pancho Villa was also from!
I wish i knew more about the revolution from my families point of view living through it. I just have a few stories here and there. When my great grandmother was young, Pancho Villa would show up to her village for a party, and all of the young girl’s were excited for the chance to dance with, “El General”. They would also lie to the Federales, pretend they were on their side, but really they were just lying and they called them “Pelones” and “Changos” baldies (because the soldiers had their hair cut short) and monkeys for whatever reason.
There were also two old Dorados that lived in the same village that my dad grew up in- one of them was this old man named Emilio. According to my dad he looked like a Native American and he used to make clothing out of hide and he used to make furniture too. The other one was named Jose Maria who’s family was pretty poor, but they supported themselves by killing for money. One of the stories that my dad told me about him is that Jose Maria once walked into a wedding, killed the groom with a knife, wiped the blood of the knife with the bride’s veil and walked away. Real or not the fact that there were stories about the guy like that says something about him.
Even after the revolution ended Durango still had this Wild West feel to it, my dad told me that people still carried handguns usually a Colt.38 or a .32 or maybe a .22, the ones with more money to spare would buy a .45, and Mausers were still pretty popular as well. There were still shootouts, and even blood fueds, and stories that I think would’ve made some great movies, so it’s no surprise that John Wayne bought a ranch there and filmed some movies there too.
JimC says
Great stuff Sanchez. Thanks for stopping by the campfire. Return often.
MARK Tanner says
My grandfather “Chico” Jones farmed around Ciudad Juarez and reportedly met and traded with Pancho Villa!
JimC says
Welcome to the campfire Mark.
joe says
one of the stories that i heard of Pancho Villas affair in Columbus, NM was due to being sold faulty ammunition prior to his battle in Celaya, that was not meant for battlefield conditions. Ammunition was in short supply on both sides as WWI was under way and unscrupulous US vendors sold him ammunitions that when used in the battle, failed to meet the conditions on the battlefield. Because of this, Pancho Villa went to Columbus, NM to make an unauthorized withdrawal from the bank that was used to conduct the purchase and killed the Americans that sold him the failed ammunition, which also caused a large loss of life of his troops. JJ Pershing was then sent to Mexico to find him, which he did, but when he went into the town to capture him, he found that he was surrounded by Pancho Villa troops. According to accounts, Pershing escaped with his life by dressing up as a female and escaped through the Mexican line in that manner. This according to stories told to me by folks that lived thru some of the events during the Mexican War.
Wesley says
I have bartered and traded a guy for a poncho villa Bowie knife it’s ok but it wasn’t taken care of by people anyhow it hasbponcho villa etched on one side bold letters and around the name it has double line square around it now the other side has a man sitting close to cactus that’s close to the handle it also has 3 or 4 birds and a few like 3 or 4 little plants and a sun all living things on knife appears that person is watching the sun go down and the birds appear to be flying off towards the sun going and on both end it has a half circle on it just wondering if I actually have one of the rare ones or a knock off help lol
Roger says
I contend that the rifle/carbine that inspired the corrido “Carabina 30-30” was the Marlin 1893, not the Winchester 94. Most writers seem to think the only lever actions were Winchesters. Not so. Many in the harsh conditions of the southwest thought the closed-top, side ejecting Marlins were superior to the open top Winchesters.
Check out the magazine article “¡Viva la 30-30!” in the 2017 annual edition of GUNS magazine’s Surplus, Vintage & Classic Firearms for more details.
JimC says
Excellent! Thanks for the lead.
manuel sereno says
This is more bull shit from the white man . This is called genocide, land grabbing ! Mexicans are Native Americans . INDIANS .
Dutch says
Most Mexicans are mestizos. Mixed blood, mostly white, “some” Native American ancestry. The political class is mostly white folklore. They all treat the “Indians” of Mexico badly.
Wayne Sarf says
What does your post have to do with the subject?
The idea of “Mexican” equaling “Indian” naturally ignores a good many things with regard to the population and history of Mexico.
tarcon says
Mother of Pearl (or nacre) is pretty tough and neither rare nor all that expensive. I would say it is suitable for daily carry or heavy range use. Ivory on the other hand is both rare, expensive and subject to shrink cracking. Probably best saved for special occasions.
JimC says
Thanks for stopping by the campfire Tarcon. Excellent points, all.
Bill Edwards says
Looking for some help.
I bought a gun at an auction about 7 years ago, a Remington Rolling Block. It has a badge: SPRR on the stock.
It seems to have been cut down a bit….
After a couple of years, I noticed something was carved into the stock, hardly readable. It says “Captured from P Villa, Columbia NM by Patch Logan”
I’ve been on several sites looking around, but have no idea if it’s authentic. It’s my theory that it was used on a RR by a guard of some kind. The train was robbed by P Villa and he escaped to Mexico
It was captured from P villa by Patch Logan.
Any thoughts?
Thanks, Bill
Bill Edwards says
Hi:
I’m in the firearm business, and purchased a Remington rolling block about 10 years ago. A few years after purchasing, I noticed some scratches on the side of the stock. Incredibly, it says Captured from P Villa by Patch Logan, Columbia, NM 1915.
It seems to be cut down from original length, and has a metal badge on the stock SPRR.
Any thoughts? Thanks
JimC says
The name of the town and the date are off — the Columbus Raid tool place in 1916. So, the carving might be spurious. On the other hand, it might just be a misspelling and a wrongly-remembered date on the part of the carver. The Villistas certainly used Remington Rolling Blocks, which were the primary arm of the hated Rurales. Don’t know what the badge signifies. Wonder if it has to do with the Rurales?
Bill Edwards says
I have some pics but am unable to post.
My email is bill@triangleshootingacademy.com, if you would like to send me your email.
Thanks,
Bill
JimC says
Emailed you. Thanks for the interest.
G. W. says
I own a model ’94 30-30 with the same stock that was captured from his army as the one in the picture of PV with the white horse. “So the rifle is probably a .30-30. Further internet sleuthing turns up Model 94s with crescent butts.”
The US Govt. liquidated them in 1985 after storing them in an armory for many years.
JimC says
Now THAT’s cool…
Miles Archer says
Whatever Villa’s good points were, it’s well documented that he was a murderer and a rapist. Read what Friedrich Katz, one of the recognized authorities on this overblown bandit, has to say about his revenge on Namiquipa. That was probably the most egregious of his atrocities, but far from the only one.
Keith O Nystrom says
I have seen a picture of him holding a Savage Model 1899H Takedown.
Ronald Mann says
If you truly have one of Pancho Villas pistols, that is amazing. I have the second one that matches the one you have pictured here. We have had it authenticated and the other one, the one you have went missing from the family years ago.
Get in touch with me via my email if you are interested in discussing this.
My name is Ron,
Donald J Hay says
Great article Jim, thank you!
I am very interested in the photo with Pancho Villa in front of a railroad car along with his 75 plus “Dorado” guards. I see that this photo has his men numbered. I assume there is a list somewhere with each of these men’s names. Do you have this list of names or can you tell me how I can obtain this list?
Thanks in advance for your help
Donald J Hay
JimC says
Found one and added it to the post.
Terry Bearden says
Yesterday my Daughter sent me a picture what appears to be a colt 44. In the notes with the gun it says Grandpa was given this gun by Pancho Villa. Not sure how you would authenticate that. My daughter’s Great Great Grandpa raised horses somewhere in Chihuahua. The Mexican Fed Gov came and confiscated his property and horses. That’s when my daughter’s Great Great grandmother and sister left Mexico and moved to El Paso.
JimC says
That kind of family lore has value, even if it can’t be authenticated. The owner of the Mexican restaurant in our town told me that his family fled Mexico to the U.S. during Villa’s “dark period” post-1916 to protect the boys from conscription and the girls from rape.
margarita says
My grandfather was accused of stealing a Pancho Villa horse & strung up to be hanged, but Pancho Villa rode in and said he was innocent and had caught the real thief. He apologized & took his pistol from his holster and gave it to my grandfather. My father placed it on display at a store & it was stolen. I recall seeing & holding that pistol.
JimC says
Holy smokes! That’s some cool family heritage.
Erik says
Villa’s dorados were armed with carabine mauser 7mm
A shorter variant of the 7 mm mauser rifle
In Mexico in those years of the revolution war, the mounted units used carbines instead of rifles.
t
The reason being mounted troops a shorter carbine allowed them to move better in combat
Raul Huerta says
he pressure Villa carried—and his courage to rise above it—should never be overlooked or forgotten. His story places a responsibility on each of us to push ourselves, to not settle for what’s handed to us, but to chase something better. We owe it not only to ourselves, but to those who will come after us, to keep striving for a stronger future.
JimC says
Welcome to the campfire Raul.