FALL 2019
courageousactofhisownlegend.The
Shootistwasa mostfittingfilmforJohn
Waynetocloseouthiscareer,ashealso
hadcancerandpassedintohisownlegend
onJune11,1979.
EMF Company recently released The
Shootist, a Pietta-made Single Action
Army reproduction, to pay tribute to the
original Great Western sixguns usedby
John Wayne in his final motion picture.
Several years before Wayne was cast in
the role of J.B. Books, Great Western
Arms (GWA) presented him with a pair
of single-action revolvers. When the
time came to begin production of The
Shootist, The Duke decided that these fine
six-shooters suited the
character of Books. Wayne
carriedtheseengraved
revolversthroughoutthe
movieandusedthemto
dispatchhisadversariesin
thefinalgunbattle.
I firstlaideyesonThe
Shootistrevolveratthe
2019 SHOTShow,and
EMFhonchoDebbieSims
waskindenoughto send
mea testsample.Itcamewitha small
bottleofSlip 2000 gunlube,owner’smanu-
alsproducedby PiettaandEMF, andother
literature. I took the sixgun out of itsplastic
bag and wiped off the protective oil. My
next action was to get a good grip and pull
back on the hammer. I was pleased to hear
that four-click sound going back to full-
cock that you hear from authentic Colts
and first-class replicas.
As expected, The Shootist has a lustrous
blued finish with laser engraving all over,
covering about 85-percent of the gun’s exte-
rior. The areas that aren’t engraved are well
polished. The American-scroll-style engrav-
ing is large and bold, and it’s hard to believe
that the process is accomplished withan
automated laser engraving system. On the
backstrap, there’s a small space where a
name or initials can be added. Besides the
finish and engraving, the next thing to catch
your eye is the one-piece Ultra Ivory grip,
which provides a beautiful contrast. It’s
smooth and may yellow a bit with age. The
grip on my sample gun was stark white.
The frame is based on those used for first-
generation Colts produced after 1896, which
had a spring-loaded catch to secure the cylin-
der base pin. This replaced the screw-secured
base pin of earlier Colt SAA revolvers.
The barrel is the 4¾-inch length pre-
ferred by many gunfighters, including
Bat Masterson and J.B. Books. This barrel
length just seems to provide a perfect bal-
anceandquickpointingwhenmated with
the “plow-handle” grip shape. My sample
gun came chambered in .45 Colt, though a
.357 Magnum version is also available.
As with the original Colt, the firing pin
is mounted in the hammer face, and there
is no internal safety, so
wise gunfighters leave the
chamber under the ham-
mer empty. The hammer
spur is checkered for good
thumb purchase, and the
trigger is narrow, with a
slight curve. The trigger on
my gun had a pull weight
of about 5 pounds and was
crisp with no take-up or
creep and very little over-
THE SHOOTIST
EMF Great Western II Shootist
Caliber: .45 Colt
Barrel: 4¾ inches
SPECIFICATIONS
36 GUNS OF THE OLD WEST
The Shootist proved its worth at a Single Action Shooting Society match in southern Indiana.
My test sample was
felt good in hand,
ran reliably and
proved capable
.
