Developed near the end of WW1, the M1918Browning Automatic Riflewas quickly adopted by the US Military and became a signature weapon for American infantry in WW2 and beyond. In 1874, Kittredge started marketing the Colt Single Action Army to the civilian market as The Peacemaker. The nickname was far more appealing than official designations for the gun like New Model Army Metallic Cartridge Revolving Pistol, 45-caliber centerfire Colt Single Action Army, M1873, or The Model P. The Peacemaker nickname played to the sentiment that an armed society was a polite society and the mere presence of the Colt revolver would dissuade any troublemakers from picking a fight they might not survive. In an effort to produce a cheaper and lighter alternative to the Thompson,inventorGeorge Hyde developed a firearm that was stamped, riveted, and welded, taking on a crude, tube gun shape. A soldiers firelock. 17. Bone. Its informal gun name stems from the figure 8 shape made by the cocking lever and trigger guard. The term brown simply meant drab, ordinary, and plain beyond just the subjects color, as seen in the colloquial for the Brown Bill polearm, a farming tool often fielded by lowly infantry conscripts. It could easily be debated that the 1873 lever-action Winchester rifle is the most famous rifle of the Old West. 2022 Chipotle Publishing | All Rights Reserved. Hawk. Other times they stem from fear or detraction. Its lack of trigger disconnector allowed this combat shotgun to be slam fired as well, the act of holding the trigger while working the slide, repeatedly firing, ejecting a spent shell, and chambering a new shell. Tommy was also a well-known term for British soldiers, and this connection might have proliferated the guns nickname after the British airborne adopted the Thompson Model M1A1 variant in the early years of WW2. The Pig humped, sailed, and soared through Vietnam, Operation Just Cause, and the Persian Gulf War and continues to see service in specialized roles today. Widely dubbed The Lemon Squeezer, the Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless, or Smith & Wesson New Departure revolver, earned its nickname from the grip safety on its backstrap which required a firm squeeze to operate, much like everyone's favorite citrus juicing tool. Shadow. To name a few, there's the sawed-off Winchester 1887, High Standard Model K-1200 Riot Standard shotgun, the Remington 870 shotgun, M79 & MM1 grenade launchers, and the Colt Series 70/Detonics 1911 Hybrid with which he delivers the famous line, "Hasta la vista, baby.". Slang gun names can be derived from a weapon's appearance, its sound when it fires, a defining attribute, its impact on the battlefield, or sometimes as a clever play on the firearm's official designation. Finger guns (Happy Gilmore) Nothing says "I'm definitely unarmed" like a pair of finger guns. The Yellow Boy, one of the most memorable and catchy gun names from the Old West era. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. Annie Oakley's early life in Ohio was troubled. How is the first name not listed under wonder nines the Browning Hi-power. The term gunslinger is a modern, 20th-century invention, often used in cinema or other media to refer to men in the American Old West who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun. The PPSh-41 was comparatively easy to produce, and a copy of the gun called the Type 50 was later adopted by Chinese and North Korean troops. Ma Deuce clearly plays on the M and 2 in the M2 designation, much like how the HU1 Helicopter was dubbed the Huey. Its not hard to imagine the formal Model or Mod in Model 2 being shortened to Ma, a possible reference to the weapons other favored nickname, The Mother of All Machine Guns. Deuce has long been a slang for two in English, from the nickname of a second child to the gaming terms used for the two side of a dice and the number two card in each suit in a 52-card deck. The Royal Armouries is fortunate . With the outbreak of WW1, the invading Germans faced fierce resistance from the Belgian Army and their limited but strategically deployed Lewis guns. In 1785, English author Francis Grose published an index of informal words titled 'Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue' and his entry for the Bess reads, "'Brown Bess. 1. Famed frontiersmen like Daniel Boone,Simon Kenton, and Michael Stoner relied on the rifle during their long hunts and during the eventual settlement of the Kentucky wilderness, where the rifle gained both its nickname and its legend. By Jared Keller | Updated Feb 8,. Heres a colloquial gun name almost everyone knows thanks to films likeWinchester 73and other popular Western movies, shows, and novels. Tom Cruise had this name in his first hit movie Top Gun. This is often the case with legendary guns, the sight of which is usually more than enough to chill the blood. Did we include your favorite gun nickname? Uptown Riders. 1873 Winchester Rifle. : Great American Fun at the 2018 Big Sandy Machine Gun Shoot in Wikieup, AZ. Enter the Staple Gun moniker, or Combat Staple Gun, a nickname that originates from the squeeze-cocking lever on the P7 pistol grip that somewhat resembles older staple gun triggers. The Right Arm of the Free World, another candidate on the list of cool gun names and an appropriate sobriquet for NATOs most prolific rifle during the Cold War. The combat shotguns of yesteryear, the coach gun derives its slang gun name from its role guarding wagons and stagecoaches against the highwaymen who plagued the lonely roads of 18th and 19th century Europe and America. In an effort to narrow our list, well try to avoid overly broad-brush terms like smoke wagon and boomstick, as well as artillery slang like Stovepipe, Thumper, and Screaming Mimi, and instead keep our focus on firearms. Once we heard that soundBurp! The Civil War saw the development of numerous breach loading carbines, including the unique-looking Gwyn & Campbell. The snake gun marketing term worked, and the campaign is an example of a gun manufacturer's catchy nickname taking hold with the collecting public. The grapevine nickname was less commonly applied to the Gwyn & Campbell Type II carbine, which saw service with numerousUnion Cavalry units. This design resembled both the look and motion of a trap door panel when the user opened the rifle to load a new cartridge, giving the gun its now legendary name. Among Oakley's guns were a Winchester Model 1873, a Lancaster shotgun, a Winchester Model 92, a Stevens Tip-Up Rifle, a Hambrusch shotgun, and Remington Model 1912. The sentiment behind the now-famous saying was grounded in the frontier era, as the Winchester 1873 rifle was a lightweight, reliable gun that was affordable to most settlers at a time when the Old West was filled with a danger for every treasure and opportunity. In 1785, English author Francis Grose published an index of informal words titled 'Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue' and his entry for the Bess reads, "'Brown Bess. Called the most feared German gun on the WW2 battlefield, Hitlers Buzzsaw was an upgrade from the already devastating MG-34. Some slang gun names are as simple as they sound. This made them easier to conceal and faster to draw, both ideal characteristics for lawmen, gamblers, thieves, and anyone interested in close-quarters self-defense. Ma Deuce clearly plays on the M and 2 in the M2 designation, much like how the HU1 Helicopter was dubbed the Huey. Its not hard to imagine the formal Model or Mod in Model 2 being shortened to Ma, a possible reference to the weapons other favored nickname, The Mother of All Machine Guns. Deuce has long been a slang for two in English, from the nickname of a second child to the gaming terms used for the two side of a dice and the number two card in each suit in a 52-card deck. As far as gun nicknames go, The Pig covers a lot of ground. Several famous movie actors such as Josh Brolin share this name. Did we miss the DA Colt 1877 Lightning (and less so, the Thunderer and Rainmaker)? So each of the firearms in this list is not only a significant gun of the American West, but each belonged to some of the most famous and infamous frontiersmen (and women), soldiers, and icons who forged the frontier both in myth and realitya West we nostalgically remember . The Grease Gun is an example of a gun nickname becoming more commonly known than its official designation. Sometimes a gun nickname is a term of endearment. Slang gun names can be derived from a weapons appearance, its sound when firing, a defining attribute, its impact on the battlefield, or sometimes as a clever play on the firearms official designation. It meant the Chinese were there. The Brown Bess nickname appears to be derived from the slang Bess, which was an 18th-century reference to women of ill repute. It meant the Chinese were there. These traits made the Winchester Model 1897 ideal for the ferocious close-in fighting common to the Great War, earning the gun its Trench Sweeper nickname. Group Capt. Developed near the end of WW1, the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle was quickly adopted by the US Military and became a signature weapon for American infantry in WW2 and beyond. Nine-Tenths. Patented in 1856, this Savage & North black powder revolver is as distinct as it is rare. Subscribe to the weekly Rock Island Auction newsletter to receive new gun blogs and gun videos each week on the firearms mentioned above, as well as some of those that didnt make our list such as the M16 Mattel Toy, the Colt Snake Gun family, the Ghost Gun, and the Volcanic pistol, an official designation just as memorable as some of the colorful nicknames mentioned above. The Yellow Boy, one of the most memorable and catchy gun names from the Old West era. The single-shot capping breechloading rifles and carbines manufactured by Westley Richards were dubbed the Monkey Tail by the Boers in South Africa, a gun nickname that came from the lift up lever that was hinged to the rear of the barrel used to open and close the breech, thought to resemble a simians tail. This denotation was applied to the Brown Bess musket in the same way. Rory. Tommy Gun, the weapons most famous name, is a blue-collar shorthand for Thompson. Here are our selections for the most famous gun nicknames, presented in alphabetical order. The Air Force has a heavy bomber, the B1, called 'Bone' because when you look at 'B-one,' it looks like 'bone' when spelled out. Mauser eventually embraced the popular nickname and even used it in official promotion campaigns in the Western market. Leigh. At that speed, individual gunshots are replaced with a steady, disturbing roar, earning the MG42 a terrifying reputation. One of Colts biggest distributors, Benjamin Kittredge, came up with monikers such as Frontier Six Shooter for Colt SAA variants chambered in.44-40, the nicknamesLightning,Thunderer, and Rainmaker for the Model 1877 revolvers, and Omnipotent for the Model 1878 in .45 Colt. Remington Model 1100. One of Colts biggest distributors, Benjamin Kittredge, came up with monikers such as Frontier Six Shooter for Colt SAA variants chambered in .44-40, the nicknames Lightning,Thunderer, and Rainmaker for the Model 1877 revolvers, and Omnipotent for the Model 1878 in .45 Colt. Colt M1911 aka "Old Slab Sides". Famous Gun Nicknames - How Many of These Did You Know? This famous gun nickname generally refers to any revolver with a three-inch or shorter barrel length. The Broomhandle C96 pistols unique silhouette has made it a favorite of Hollywood over the decades, featured onscreen in period dramas like Peaky Blinders and serving as the basis for Han Solos DL-44 Heavy Blaster, perhaps the preeminent Star Wars gun. However they originated, the most memorable gun nicknames include an element of truth and help cement a weapons legacy. Group Capt. This was. The Whitworth Patent single-shot capping breechloading rifles and carbines manufactured by Westley Richards were dubbed the Monkey Tail by the Boers in South Africa, a gun nickname that came from the lift up lever that was hinged to the rear of the barrel used to open and close the breech, thought to resemble a simians tail. The Thompson submachine gun had lots of nicknames.