Bob Ford's S&W

[Hickok]

History states that Bob Ford used a S&W Model No. 3 to murder Jesse James. I have found references that say the caliber was .44, but was the revolver in .44 American or .44 Russian. James was said to have owned a S&W Schofield in 45 caliber.

[Scibaer]

i dont know how'd you confirm that.
i'm not real sure how popular the .44 Russian was either, but its an interesting question

[Dee]

There is at least one photo I have seen recently that I of Bob Ford allegedly holding the revolver he used to shoot Jesse James. It is a single action Colt. And the mystery goes on.

[Scibaer]

i think we can agree that the old west was portrayed on the silver screen and TV alot differently then it really was lived.
i  take the position that some of those old west pictures did the same thing.
 my dad has a picture of the james gang all sitting together with guns out and all 'duded' up.
 he actually found it in a old book, the pic is a metal 'feeling' material bonded to a card board backing
 the local museum he contacted to see if it was real, has offered him a pretty big sum of money for it.
its a neat pic, but  i doubt that the james gang ever dressed like that, or carried the amount of weapons they have in this pic.
 another thing that comes to mind, i wonder just  how readily available .44 russian ammo would have been at the time ?

[Hickok]

After doing some searches, I found several references to a "nickel-plated S&W No.3 in .44 caliber that was said to be the gun Bob Ford used to murder Jesse James" being auctioned off for $380,000. I have also seen the picture of Bob Ford holding the Colt SAA he said he used to murder Jesse James. Bob Ford seems to have sold many different revolvers "he used to kill Jesse" with over the years to gain money.

The S&W No. 3 and the Schofield seems to be a well known and familiar weapon to Jesse James from articles that I have read. Could Bob Ford have used one? Hard to prove.

[Scibaer]

the only way to know for sure, is to ask Ford i guess, but it sounds like whatever gun he has in his posession at the time would be the one he used, lol 
typical for old west stories , no ? 
 

[SHOOTALL]

You all know ya can't trust a back shooter !

[Dee]

I have noticed after 60 years of reading history, that when "history says", it really depends on whose writing thehistory. An example is Tom Horn. Many historians site calibers ranging in the 45-60 class, and various Winchesters. The truth of the matter is he when made his famous rustler cleanup, he was using a fairly new Model 94 Winchester rifle in 30WCF, know today as the 3030.
Scibaer is pretty much right when he said only Bob Ford knew, and he currently isn't available for interviews. Hell! Jesse James probably didn't even know, and he was there too.

[mrbigtexan]

i just read an article this evening that Hardin carried a s&w #3 in 44 russian. its in the most recent guns and ammo i beleive. 44 russian apparently was fairly common.

[Spirithawk]

I'd say the controversy of what gun he used is easily explained. Being the firearm that allegedly killed Jesse James made a  handgun mighty valuable. I was once told that Bob had the habit of buying inexpensive handguns and then reselling them to "Greenhorns" as the one he suposedly used thus making himself quite a profit. Knowing what I do of Bob Ford I don't doubt that to be true. Also, the pic of him holding the Colt, don't help matters. I realy doubt that Bob even owned a Colt at the time of Jesse's alleged death. Seems to me I once saw another pic of Bob holding the supposed gun used and, if memory serves, it was a model Russian.

[Duke0313]

i just read an article this evening that Hardin carried a s&w #3 in 44 russian. its in the most recent guns and ammo i beleive. 44 russian apparently was fairly common.

"The .44 Russian chambering became a hit in the domestic market as well, gaining a reputation as the first American revolver cartridge offering inherent accuracy. In time it set many records, eventually becoming known as an established target round, enabling skilled shooters to achieve 3-inch (76 mm) groups at 50 yards (46 m); notable for the time and still impressive today."---Venturino, M. "American legends: those fantastic .44s!" American Handgunner, Sept-Oct, 2005.