Coach gun

Coach gun
Type	Shotgun
Place of origin	United States  Australia
Service history
Used by	Various law enforcement agencies Stagecoach Companies
Production history
Designed	1850s
Manufacturer	Various
Produced	1850s-Present
Specifications
Length	39 in. (995mm)
Barrel length	18 in. (450mm)
Caliber	12-gauge
Action	Break-action
Sights	Bead

A coach gun is a double-barrel shotgun, generally with barrels approximately 18" in length placed side by side (SxS). The name comes from the use of such shotguns on stagecoaches by shotgun messengers in the American Wild West and during the Colonial period of Australia.

History

The term "Coach gun" was coined in 1858 when Wells, Fargo & Co. began regular stagecoach service from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco, California and issued shotguns to its drivers for defense along the perilous 2,800 mile route.^[1] There was no single manufacturer for the traditional coach gun, as it was a generic term describing a class of shotguns offered in a variety of barrel lengths from 12 to 20 inches, either by the factory or from owners and gunsmiths cutting down the barrels.^[2] These shotguns featured external hammers and were manufactured by Remington Arms, Ithaca, Meriden, Buckley, Burgess, Colt's Manufacturing Company, Hunter Arms, Husqvarna, Lefever, Parker, Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company, Savage-Stevens, Villegia, and Westly Richards to name a few.^[2][3] Modern coach guns are manufactured by Stoeger (Brazil), Boito (Brazil), Baikal (Russia) (which is now being distributed by Remington under the name Spartan Gunworks), Huglu Armsco (Turkey), Khan (Turkey). Diamond (Turkey), Rossi (Brazil), and a variety of Chinese companies for US distribution through Century International Arms and Interstate Armscorp.^[4]

Modern coach guns are commonly encountered in Cowboy action shooting competitions, among collections of Western guns, as home-defense weapons, and even as "scrub guns" for hunting grouse, woodcock, rabbit, hare, and/or wild pig in scrub, bush or marshlands, where the 24"+ barrels of a traditional shotgun would prove unwieldy.^[1][3] The modern coach gun can be had in a variety of configurations suitable for both Cowboy Action Shooting competition and hunting.^[5][6]

Doc Holliday used a 10 gauge coach gun to shoot Tom McLaury point-blank in the chest with buckshot during the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on Wednesday, October 26, 1881. They stood in such close proximity that the town mortician was able to cover McLaury's wound with one hand. Wyatt Earp also used both barrels of a 10 gauge coach gun to kill "Curly" Bill Brocius point-blank the next year. Brocius's body was nearly severed at the mid-section.

Coach guns are similar to sawn-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 USA, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, however, shotguns must have a minimum barrel length of 24" to be eligible for ownership on a Shotgun Certificate, and shotguns with barrels under this length (which includes Coach guns) must be obtained on the more stringent Firearms Certificate. Some modern coach guns feature internal hammers as opposed to the traditional external hammers.^[3]

See also

• Lupara

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Spencer (2004-06-01). "Revival Of The Coach Gun". Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1277346.html?page=1. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Wilson, RL (1992). The Peacemakers: Arms and Adventure in the American West. New York: NAL. pp. 121, 197, 244. ISBN 978-0785818922. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Gardner, Jim (2003-01-01). "Just like grandpas EAA hammer double: a darn good traditional hammer-gun fit for all manner of uses". Guns Magazine. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_49/ai_94765146. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
4. ^ Jones, Spencer (2004-06-01). "Revival Of The Coach Gun". Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1277346.html?page=3. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
5. ^ Taffin, John (2001-01-01). "Long Guns Of Cowboy Action Shooting". Guns Magazine Annual. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_2001_Annual/ai_63922926/pg_4. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
6. ^ Kohn, Abigail (2001-05-01). "Their aim is true: Taking stock of America's gun culture". Reason Foundation. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1568/is_1_33/ai_81827986. Retrieved 2007-03-18.