Trivia: The Rifleman's Rifle

[CT_Shooter]

Every Saturday morning the cable channel AMC has been showing several episodes of "The Rifleman". I've now got the entire series on my DVR and I started watching them from Season 1, Episode 1.

I found it interesting, given the rapid fire of the opening sequence of each show, to learn that the gun is tricked out.

In Season 1, Episode 2, "Home Ranch", a couple of thugs pay Lucas and Mark a visit at their just purchased ranch house in North Fork to threaten them on behalf of a neighboring rancher. They relieve McCain of his rifle and one of them drags him around the field by a rope behind a horse. At the end of the drag sequence, the other thug picks up McCain's rifle; when he works the action, the rifle fires automatically.

"Marty, this thing goes off all by its lonesome. I didn't pull the trigger or nuthin'. This thing has a little old fandango that trips the trigger when you slam the lever home."

...this thing goes off all by its lonesome.

Rifleman's Rifle.JPG (50.19 KiB) Viewed 1847 times

In many subsequent scenes, McCain routinely opens and closes the rifle's action without firing the gun.

[Cofisher]

Had that feature on a cap gun. Lever action. Go figure.

[RanchRoper]

Yup my Mattel Winchester did it too. Too cool for words!

[North Country Gal]

Loved that show. Chuck Connors was actually a gifted athlete. There were some episodes where he shot the gun left-handed so well that no one on the crew even noticed.

[tractortad]

Read somewhere that they used three Winchester 1892 type rifles to film "The Rifleman" - I think two were actual Winchester 1892's that shot blanks, and one was a "throw down" cheaper replica rifle (Rossi?) that was used when the script called for rough stunt use...

[Henry88]

In many subsequent scenes, McCain routinely opens and closes the rifle's action without firing the gun.

CT, I have watched every episode of the show and come to the conclusion it goes off when he wants it to go off.

BTW I thought this thread was going to be about the Model 70

[North Country Gal]

Ha! Me, too. That's the way the Model 70 was marketed for many years.

[RanchRoper]

When you're the Rifleman your rifle does what it's told or else.

[ditchparrot]

Chuck Connors was actually a gifted athlete.

Heck yeah, he was! He played for both the Dodgers and the Celtics.

[albin25]

Not all that unusual...
you can buy the piece cheap here http://02cbf42.netsolhost.com/rapidfireleveraction.html
or
make your own if you're handy

[JEBar]

Not all that unusual...
you can buy the piece cheap here http://02cbf42.netsolhost.com/rapidfireleveraction.html
or
make your own if you're handy

I'm trying to envision using one on a 45-70 ..

[BrokenolMarine]

I had one on a little 22 reproduction* as a kid. It was a flat hinged piece of steel that laid flat on the lever when folded down and was almost invisible. When you wanted to go Rifleman, you flipped it up and the forward edge locked against the lever, and the rear edge that was now UP, pulled the trigger when you closed the lever. Done being cool? Flip the little piece back down flat against the lever and you were cock and pull the trigger to shoot again.

I was the coolest kid in our group for months.
*This reproduction didn't shoot, but you did load plastic "bullets" in the side gate, and as you worked the lever it ejected them out the ejection port, and it cocked the hammer to allow you to fire caps. Working the lever in Rifleman mode shot a stream of plastic bullets out the ejection port and burned up a roll of caps.

[BrokenolMarine]

As you might guess, the cool feeding action broke after about a month, but the wood and steel rifle was cool for playing cowboys and indians for a long time.

[Catherine]

One good thing about many of these old shows is that they taught about family values, right, wrong, personal responsibility in all parts of your life, etc.

Things that should still be taught and LIVED and that GUNS are tools and objects not some evil thing.

Cate

[North Country Gal]

One good thing about many of these old shows is that they taught about family values, right, wrong, personal responsibility in all parts of your life, etc.

Things that should still be taught and LIVED and that GUNS are tools and objects not some evil thing.

Cate

Couldn't agree more. Even in its day, the Rifleman was recognized for this.

[RanchRoper]

I had one on a little 22 reproduction* as a kid. It was a flat hinged piece of steel that laid flat on the lever when folded down and was almost invisible. When you wanted to go Rifleman, you flipped it up and the forward edge locked against the lever, and the rear edge that was now UP, pulled the trigger when you closed the lever. Done being cool? Flip the little piece back down flat against the lever and you were cock and pull the trigger to shoot again.

I was the coolest kid in our group for months.
*This reproduction didn't shoot, but you did load plastic "bullets" in the side gate, and as you worked the lever it ejected them out the ejection port, and it cocked the hammer to allow you to fire caps. Working the lever in Rifleman mode shot a stream of plastic bullets out the ejection port and burned up a roll of caps.

Exactly the same as mine. It was an 1873 style carbine.

[Squatch]

In one of the episodes he actually shows a woman on a train the mod. It's an old Knurled head screw from a telegraph key drilled and tapped into the bottom of the lever. Screwed in it hits the trigger when closing. Screwed out not!

[Squatch]

If we had the internet in the '60's It would be Chuck Conner's Meme's instead of Chuck Norris.