Great Western Revolvers
A pair of classics
I’m not sure what it means, but I turned 70 the same year GUNS turned 70. How’s that again? I know … I know … but I’m in good company. As we all here at FMG take a look back, I thought it’d be fun to indulge in a light-hearted look at the decades we’ve all lived through. We hope you have a great caper reading this issue and I promise you’ll love the old ads!
But first, to help paint a picture of how we all got where we are today, just a tiny bit of history is in order. That sort of thing helps to put things in the proper perspective about why and how we do the things we do today; how the industry, the guns and the all-important human elements have all changed through the years. We’re truly the sum of all the parts of our lives and I know I speak for everyone here when I say we’re proud to continue to be a part of that — for 70 years now!
The original cover guns, serial numbers GW183 and GW184,
were chambered in .45 Colt and wore 4 ¾" barrels.
In the Beginning …
George von Rosen started a small company in 1938 called Publishers’ Development Corporation. It wasn’t a magazine, but a business helping existing magazines with mailing lists, renewals and promotions. But von Rosen — GVR, as he was known — soon had the magazine bug bite for the firearms industry and in early 1955 started a business-to-business magazine called Shooting Goods Dealer geared toward the shooting industry. It later became today’s popular Shooting Industry Magazine, known throughout the outdoors industry.
But the real magic occurred when GVR realized the high level of interest in guns among his consumer magazine readers. Magazines like Argosy and others would sometimes publish a gun article and readers would invariably respond wanting more. At that time, there wasn’t a dedicated newsstand gun magazine in existence. GVR soon solved this problem by launching GUNS Magazine in January 1955, the world’s first consumer magazine all about guns. It was available on newsstands and by subscription. GVR’s experience helping other magazines paid off in launching GUNS. Other publishers paid close attention and GUNS was followed over the years by other magazines catering to shooters.
Following the market, staffers at PDC (also known as Firearms Marketing Group, FMG, now) and GUNS Magazine noticed a real interest in handguns. From hunting and collecting to target shooting, competition, surplus and more, readers made it clear they wanted to read about handguns of all sorts. Even though nay-sayers in the industry said it’d never fly, PDC launched American Handgunner in Sept/Oct 1976 and it was a huge success from the first issue. Both GUNS and American Handgunner have continued to lead the way, showcasing what’s new, classics, hunting, target shooting, collecting, personal defense, shotguns, rifles and you name it. We’ve become known for high quality writing and terrific photos, thanks to a string of memorable photographers who have graced our pages.
In 1978, PDC pulled up stakes, moved from Skokie, IL to San Diego, CA and found a home there. GUNS is still based in the San Diego area, although in today’s business world, staffers are located around the country.
Great Western 70th Gear List
Holsters: Mernickle Fully Carved High-Performance System
Ammo: Black Hills .45 Colt 250-grain RNFP
Knife: Rough Rider Classic Cinnamon Bone Stag
It’s hard to tell from Rob Jones’ exquisite pictures but Great Western
frames were actually plum-purple on the frames and ejector rods.
Past Issues
To look through the pages of GUNS Magazine over the decades is to look at the history of our shooting culture and indeed, of America. If you go to www.gunsmagazine.com and scroll all the way down to the bottom, you’ll see a link for “GUNS Classic Issues.” There, for absolutely free, you’ll find high-quality PDFs of every single issue of GUNS from the iconic issue number one to 1972’s line-up. If you haven’t taken advantage of this, do not pass Go but get right on it. Trust me when I say it’s a huge rabbit hole and you won’t be able to stop. You’ll soon find yourself saying, “Oh gosh, I remember those ads!” and “Hey, I had one of those when I was a kid!”
From the first issue, GUNS grabbed the stars and kept them. Sorry to name-drop, but I have to! This reads like a Who’s Who of the shooting world, from the old days to the now. Keep in mind this is only a partial list. If many of the names sound familiar, it’s because they laid the groundwork for today’s industry. I do wonder though, what they’d have thought of the term “influencer” tossed about these days. These guys lived the life, hunted the hunt, invented the techniques we use today, developed the loads, cartridges and helped drive the industry with their writing.
Repeat after me — Elmer Keith, J.B. Wood, Charles Askins, Skeeter Skelton, Jeff Cooper, Col. Rex Applegate, Maj. George Nonte, Mas Ayoob, Jim Carmichel, Clair Reese, James Triggs (James did those marvelous detailed paintings of guns, often showcased as covers), E.B. Mann and even Grits Gresham! I could go on and on and if you’ve got a bit of grey in your mustache, you’d nod your head at seeing each name. We truly do stand on the shoulders of some greats.
But let’s not forget some of the icons gracing our pages in the past few years. How about John Taffin, Dave Anderson, J.D. Jones, Mark Hampton, Mike “Duke” Venturino, Jeff “Tank” Hoover, Will Dabbs, Holt Bodinson, Frank Jardim, Dave Workman, Payton Miller, Pat Covert, Wayne van Zwoll — shall I go on?
Today?
GUNS and Handgunner broke new ground in the late 1980s, finding Ichiro Nagata and his genius behind the lens. It changed the way guns were photographed and left competitors scrambling to keep up. GVR’s son, Tom von Rosen, took over when GVR retired and led the company through both challenging and good times. The single thing remaining clearly in my mind about Tom (or TVR as we all called him) was his unfailing dedication to our readers. They came first, and our content, customer service and even the quality of the paper the magazines were printed on, were all of paramount importance to him. In spite of the fact TVR passed away some years ago, his mantra continues and during meetings invariably someone will say, “Is this good for our readers?”
Do take a few minutes and read the article on the two original Great Western revolvers appearing on the first cover of Guns in 1955 linked here. John Taffin took them and had them restored and tuned to perfection, then shot them for a feature article. It was great to see them come to life once again and are proof our magazine’s roots run deep.
I like to call those two guns a bit of living history.
According to Elmer Keith, the Great Western Single Action he reviewed
was “… very poorly timed, fitted, and showed a total lack of final inspection.”
But later he wrote, “We are happy to report Great Western has really gotten on the ball.”
The Future?
We’ll keep it up, I assure you. With so many new guns constantly being introduced, new calibers, accessories, optics, loading supplies, new technologies, hunting opportunities and so much more seeing the light of day, we’ll keep up with the crush for you. A key thing to remember about our magazines and digital content is each article, each video, each online post is discussed, vetted and edited by one or more of the team here at FMG. No man is an island and it’s teamwork that keeps us enthused and excited about what the next issue will bring.
We hope you continue to feel the same way!
