I was watching Lone Wolf McQuade…again…when I got to thinking about the Texas Rangers. Lone Wolf McQuade carried an arsenal, but what did real Texas Rangers carry? I did a quick search, and I learned, well, it’s complicated. So much so that I decided it would be an interesting article. As I dug into it, I learned the history of firearms within the Texas Rangers isn’t as simple as one would think.
Usually you can find a list of historical weapons issued to a famed police department, but the Rangers were different. Not only were they forward-thinking and generally quick to adopt new guns, but they also allowed, and seem to still allow, the carry of personal firearms from an approved list.
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As I dived deep into Texas Ranger history, I realized three things. First, this would be a more interesting article than I assumed. Second, I’m only doing handguns because long guns deserve their own article. Third, there is no way I could capture every handgun ever carried by a Ranger.
With that out of the way, here are the:
Sidearms of the Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers began life a little over 200 years ago in 1823. Since then, they’ve carried a bit of everything, so I’m dividing their guns based on timeframes more than genres or years adopted. Both tend to be a bit muddied due to the years and guns carried over the 200 years of service.
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The Early Era
The first Rangers carried a variety of muzzle-loading horse pistols. Single-shot pistols likely produced by local gunsmiths. These were common of the era, and I don’t think we could track it down to a particular issued firearm. Rangers quickly found themselves outgunned by the bow-wielding Comanche.
When Colt unveiled the repeating Colt Patterson, the Texas Navy purchased it in 1943. When the Texas Navy disbanded, the Rangers received the surplus of revolvers and became partial to the repeating firepower they offered against the Comanche.
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This led to Captains Jack Hays and Samuel Walker being fans of the guns, and Walker worked with Colt to develop the Walker Colt. This big-bore .44-caliber revolver was stout and largely considered the first practical six-shooter. The Walker Colt became the official gun of Texas.
The Walker had problems, and Colt would produce the Dragoon, a similar platform with some improvements. The Dragoon would eventually find its way to the hands of Texas Rangers. In 1860, the Colt 1860 came to be and armed the Northern Forces.
Ben McCollough, a Texas Ranger Captain, was in charge of Border Defense. He reached out to Colt and ordered 1,000 Colt 1860s, promising they wouldn’t be used against Northern Troops. Only 500 of the guns made it past Union blockades to arm the Southern border defense force.
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The Texas Rangers were seemingly always on the cutting edge of fighting handguns.
The Cartridge Era
The Civil War cemented the idea of cartridge firearms, and Texas Rangers would quickly adopt the technology. Unsurprisingly, they purchased the Colt Single Action Army. The big .45 Colt pistol was the pinnacle of fighting revolvers of the era and would become a part of the Rangers’ legacy.
In fact, famed Texas Rangers like Frank Hamer carried the Colt SAA well into the 1930s.
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The second most popular cartridge revolver for Rangers of the Era was the Schofield revolver, aka the S&W Model 3. These revolvers featured a top-break action that made reloading a bit faster than the standard Colt SAA.
Double-action revolvers would become a popular option as they rose in prominence. The S&W Triple Lock, one of the stoutest double-actions at the time, was a popular option. Frank Hamer carried one, as did Austin Hamilton.
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Ranger Manuel Gonzaulles carried a S&W 1917 revolver and became known as Lone Wolf due to his solo patrols around the Rio Grande. The Colt New Service was carried by Ranger John Wood during his time in service.
S&W Combat Magnums and Model 19s were also popular in .357 Magnum as motorized bandits became the norm.
Of course, shortly after Colt released the M1911, the Texas Rangers adopted them. Much like the Colt Patterson, the Rangers were one of the earliest police forces to adopt new technology. The M1911 quickly saw adoption by the Rangers as early as 1912.
Some Rangers would later choose to carry the .38 Super M1911. This includes Frank Hamer, who carried a .38 Super 1911 during the Bonnie and Clyde ambush. Ranger Manuel Gonzaulles would trade in his Model 19 for a pair of 1911s that had the trigger guards removed and grip safety pinned.
The Modern Era
The modern era drifts into the world of SIG quite a bit. The Rangers began issuing SIG P220 models to newly minted Rangers. Ranger Bruce Casteel owned a pair of P220S with wood grips, engravings, and of course, the Texas Ranger badge on the grips.
From the P220, they transitioned to the P226 and P229 chambering the .357 SIG. They dived into the high-pressure cartridges of the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2012, the Special Operations Group of the Texas Rangers went back to the 1911 with the SIG 1911 TACOPs.
They’d stick with SIG as they transitioned to the P320. Rangers would also be seen with the Staccato P. In 2025, the entire Texas Department of Safety transitioned to the SIG Sauer M17 with the Romeo-M17 red dot, giving them a very modern pistol.
It does seem like Texas Rangers are a little slower to adopt guns largely because there isn’t much new coming out. Pistols aren’t changing as nearly fast as they used to, so there isn’t new technology to adopt. I have no doubts that when something truly new comes out, the Texas Rangers will be quick to adopt it.
The Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are a fairly unique law enforcement unit within the state of Texas. They are small, but agile, and capable of producing results. What surprised me was that there is no Taurus PT-92. Are you telling me Walker, Texas Ranger was lying to me the entire time?
Sadly, I don’t think it would be possible to categorize every sidearm ever carried by a Ranger. The sheer freedom Rangers are given in choosing a handgun makes that tough to accomplish.
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