POTD: Frank Hamer’s Engraved Colt – The Texas Ranger’s “Old Lucky”
Sam.S 03.19.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This factory engraved Colt Single Action Army revolver carries one of the most compelling ownership histories found in American firearms collecting – documented as belonging to legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, the lawman who led the posse that killed Bonnie and Clyde. Manufactured in 1893, this SAA was shipped on February 10, 1894, to W.B. Walker & Company in Austin, Texas. The factory letter confirms this as a special order single gun shipment in .44-40 WCF caliber with a 5½ inch barrel, nickel finish, pearl grips, and factory engraving – a combination representing only about 15% of all factory engraved Colts.
According to a 1981 affidavit from Hamer’s son, Frank Jr., this revolver was carried by his father from approximately 1903 to 1911 during his service in the Big Bend region. Frank Jr. noted that the revolver was modified for “slip hammer” shooting (fanning technique) for rapid fire, though Hamer eventually abandoned this method in favor of more deliberate marksmanship. The affidavit also documents a fascinating incident where Hamer, having emptied his revolver during a street fight, used this very gun as a club to defeat a knife-wielding opponent outside the Del Norte Hotel. The hard rubber grips that were broken during this incident are included with the revolver. This isn’t to be confused with the more widely known “Old Lucky” that Hamer carried during the Bonnie and Clyde ambush in 1934. Both revolvers were part of the renowned Raymond Brown collection of Texas artifacts sold at auction in 1986.
“Frank Hamer’s Factory Engraved Colt Single Action Army Revolver.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4090/1116/frank-hamers-factory-engraved-colt-single-action-army-revolver. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
