| Coach gun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Shotgun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Various law enforcement agenciesStagecoach Companies |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1858[1] |
| Manufacturer | Various |
| Produced | 1858–present |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 39 in. (991mm) |
| Barrel length | 18 in. (457mm) |
| Caliber | 10 and12-gauge |
| Action | Break-action |
| Sights | Bead |
Acoach gun is adouble-barreled shotgun, generally with side-by-side barrels 18 to 24 inches (460 to 610 mm) long. It was called a "cut-down shotgun" and a "messenger's gun" from the use of suchshotguns onstagecoaches byshotgun messengers in the AmericanWild West. The name "coach gun" was coined by modern term gun-collectors.
The terms "cut-down shotgun" or "messenger's gun" were coined in the 1860s whenWells Fargo & Co. assigned messengers armed with shotguns, called "shotgun messengers", to guard its express consignments on express overland vehicles inCalifornia.[2] The phraseriding shotgun was not coined until 1919.[3]
There was no single manufacturer for the traditional messenger's gun, as it was a generic term describing a class of shotguns offered in a variety of barrel lengths from 18 to 24 inches (460 to 610 mm) (versus 28 to 36 inches (710 to 910 mm) forbird hunting guns), either by the factory or from owners and gunsmiths cutting down the barrels.[4]
These shotguns featured external hammers and were manufactured primarily byRemington Arms,Ithaca,Colt's Manufacturing Company, Parker, L.C. Smith, and several Belgian makers. Contrary to myth, Wells Fargo shotguns were not purchased by local agents; prior to 1900 they were purchased from San Francisco gun dealers because Wells Fargo's headquarters were located in San Francisco. From 1908 to 1918 all Wells Fargo shotguns were made by Ithaca.[4][5]
According to one account,Doc Holliday used a 10 gauge Wm. Moore & Co.[6] coach gun to shootTom McLaury point-blank in the chest with buckshot during theGunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on Wednesday, October 26, 1881.[7] They stood in such close proximity that the town mortician was able to cover McLaury's wound with one hand.[8]Wyatt Earp also used both barrels of a10 gauge coach gun to killFrank Stilwell at a Tucson, Arizona rail yard and to kill"Curly" Bill Brocius point-blank the next year during theshootout at Iron Springs.[9] However, according to another account, both men usedGreeners.[10]
Modern coach guns are manufactured by ER Amantino (sold asStoeger) (Brazil),IZH/Baikal (Russia) (which is now being distributed by Remington under the name Spartan Gunworks), Huglu Armsco (Turkey), Khan (Turkey), Diamond (Turkey), and a variety of Chinese companies for US distribution throughCentury International Arms andInterstate Armscorp.[11]
Modern coach guns are commonly encountered inCowboy Action Shooting competitions, among collections ofWestern guns, as home-defense weapons, and even as "scrub guns" forhuntinggrouse,woodcock,rabbit,hare, and/orwild pig in scrub, bush or marshlands, where the 24"+ barrels of a traditionalshotgun would prove unwieldy.[2][5] The modern coach gun can be had in a variety of configurations suitable for both Cowboy Action Shooting competition and hunting.[12][13]
Coach guns are similar tosawn-off shotguns but differ in that coach guns manufactured after 1898 are offered as new with 18" barrels and 26" overall length and meet legal requirements for civilian possession in the United States. Australia and New Zealand have slightly different laws for length, with NZ requiring a minimum overall length of 30" (anything shorter is considered a pistol) with no minimum barrel length and Australia requiring an 18" barrel and a 30" overall length. In the United Kingdom, however, shotguns must have a minimum barrel length of 24" to be eligible for ownership on aShotgun Certificate, and shotguns with barrels under this length (which includes Coach guns) must be obtained on the more stringentFirearms Certificate. Some modern coach guns feature internal hammers as opposed to the traditional external hammers.[5]
It is because of this gun and its usage that the term "riding shotgun" came to be. Typically, a cut-down shotgun would be carried by the messenger sitting next to thestagecoach driver, ready to use the gun to ward off bandits. Today, in American and Canadian English, the term "riding shotgun" refers to the person sitting in the front passenger seat of an automobile.