BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST

Buffalo Bill used a smoothbore version of the 1873 Winchester in his Wild West, a traveling extravaganza begun as the Old Glory Blowout in Columbus, Nebraska in 1883. For the next three decades he took the stories and experiences of the American West across the country and to Europe. The performances featured American Indians like Sitting Bull, cowboys riding bucking horses, a Deadwood stagecoach, trick riding and sharp shooting.

Little Sure Shot

Annie Oakley was one of Cody’s stars, demonstrating superb marksmanship with many firearms including the Winchester 1873 .44-40 caliber factory-made, smooth bore rifle Buffalo Bill gave her and a smoothbore Model 1892 that is now a part of the collection at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The 1892 Winchester smoothbore is a small and light-weight lever action repeater designed by John Browning. It was manufactured by Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1892 to the present.