If the 1873 is the quintessential cowboy gun, the Schofield it the ultimate.  Taylor’s & Co. makes it possible for us to enjoy the gun you’ve seen in movies like Unforgiven, Tombstone, and 3:10 to Yuma.  The Schofield was invented by a cavalry officer as a solution for tackling the task of reloading while on horseback.  To see just how much of a leap this was for the gunfighter watch the video below.

Very cool indeed.  Today Taylor’s & Co. offers the Schofield in three calibers and three barrel lengths:

• .38 spl in 5″ or 7″
• .44-40 in 3.5″, 5″, or 7″
• .45 Colt in 3.5″, 5″, or 7″

The model I was lucky enough to get my hands on is in .45 Colt with a 7″ barrel.  Specs are below as taken directly from the product web page.

I’ll get this Schofield out to the range soon, as admitted in the video I’m childishly excited just to make six shells drop at once.  It’s been my experience that Taylor’s & Co. has some of the finest 19th century firearms around.  To see some of our coverage on other models by Taylor’s check the links below.

Smoke Wagon in .45 Colt

Cattleman in .357 Magnum

1911 in 9mm

Or if you really want to dive into the world of revolvers check out the playlist below.  I’ve found them to be fun on the range.  Single-action Army guns of the old west are a fun way to change things up and really force you to make your shots count.  The Schofield may be quicker, but reloads with an 1873 are not done quickly.

Photos by author