Very Rare Kilgore Big Horn Cap Gun-1st Model-Polished Nickel & Dummy Hammer

This is not a real gun , this is not a replica of a real gun... This toy cannot fire real ammunition or dangerous projectiles ; it cannot be made to fire real ammunition or dangerous projectiles... This toy gun is permanently plugged with an orange blaze plug. The plug is visible in photos.

This toy gun is not a firearm as classified with U. Code Title 18, section 921 by Federal law.

For your consideration here: A rare, very hard to find 1st model Kilgore Big Horn with polished nickel finish and dummy hammer... According to Jim Schleyer's comments on page 174 of his book; "Backyard Buckaroos"... He comments that these particular 1st model Big Horns are extremely rare... I've included a photo from Schleyer's book to show the value he placed on these particular Big Horns back in the 1980s or 90s when his book was published..

The only difference between this (My) Big Horn and the one in photo number 5 are the grips... The Big Horn in my photo has dark brown grips with black swirls, My Big Horn has brown molasses style swirl grips... On page 173 of Schleyer's book you will find another Big Horn that's identical to My Big Horn, except it has the regular style hammer that will fire caps... I tried my best to get enough good photos to allow you to see as much of the Big Horn condition as possible..

This is a real beauty, a super nice example that most any collector should be proud to own and have in their collection... I can't say enough about it. Very seldom will you see me make a such big fuss over a cap gun... The finish on this Big Horn is smooth, clean and bright and shiny enough to see yourself in...

The inner frame, inside parts and cylinder are super clean and still look factory fresh, the outside finish and inside areas are rust free, plus it works exactly as designed, with trigger action engaging the hammer and advancing the cylinder on each and every pull.. The grips are solid and without breaks but when I received it they both had the usual ugly outward curl at the top... The left grip had slight separation from frame at the bottom also, and the grips wouldn't stay in place like what is typically found on these 70+ year old cap guns...

I straightened out the curled corners as much as I thought was safe to do without damaging them... The right grip now fits up pretty much flat against the frame like it should. The left grip only has a slight, maybe 1/64" to 1/32" gap at the top where it meets the frame and the bottom corner has only about 1/64 or less gap... The grips look nice and fit much better now, plus they stay in place on the frame like they should..

Obviously opinions of condition can and will vary from person to person, and I don't like to grade cap guns, never the less in my opinion, since I received this Big horn and took the time to clean it, polish it and make one repair, I have to call it's condition excellent plus conservatively speaking, to near mint liberally speaking... I think most people would agree with me... You may or may not notice some some evidence left by the factory's process of smoothing out the cast iron prior to applying the nickel finish, but this is common because even though the surface of the typical cast iron cap gun might be smooth; they have a texture that resembles the peeling on an orange or lemon.. The one major issue this Big Horn had when I bought it was a broken sight...

I considered 3-4 different options to deal with the missing sight... I don't have any good donor Kilgores at the moment with a good sight I could fit to this barrel, so at first I thought about smoothing the jagged edge of the broken sight to drill it and fit a small brass bead onto the barrel; I also considered fitting a red Kilgore Long Tom/American style sight into the barrel, but in the end I did the what I thought would be the least invasive option...

I used a small diamond wheel in my dremel tool to cut a recess straight down into the broken sight to allow me to seat and fit a homemade sight to the barrel. I shaped a sight from an extremely hard epoxy mixture and attached it into the recess with more epoxy... I painted the sight a copper color. I think it looks good and adds a little contrast to the nickel... Keep in mind the sight is pretty solid on the barrel, but if you drop the BH on a hard surface or bang the sight against something, it would likely break it off, so treat it like you would treat a baby... Keep in mind I did not damage the barrel in my repair and the bottom edge of the original sight is still down inside the barrel. If you have access to a drill press and some thin flat needle files or a small milling machine you can easily cut or break this sight off, remove the remaining old sight down inside the barrel halves and fit a good original Kilgore nickel plated sight into the original position in the barrel... Take a look at my photos, ask questions, request any additional specific photos if you need them and then decide if you would like to add this very nice-rare 1st model Kilgore Big Horn to your collection, or have it in your store for resell... I welcome and will consider any serious offer.. It's obvious the broken/replaced sight affects the value of this Big Horn to a degree, but this sight will be very easy to replace with a Kilgore nickel plated sight if you have a home workshop... Cost would be minimal even if you had to send it to a professional cap gun repair service... You can deal with the sight anytime this is a real beauty of a vintage extremely rare cap gun that you will seldom come across...

You will be sorry if you let it get away from you.. This will make a very nice addition to your collection and it is sure to enhance the appeal and value of your collection.. A very-very nice vintage cap gun... That's about it I guess...

I think I have covered everything I needed to mention. My feedback will attest to that fact. Good luck, God bless you and yours..... I know this part here is a little unconventional but I have a need to mention it anyway... A few years ago one of my loyal repeat buyers bought a highly polished nickel finish 1st model Kilgore Ranger with butterscotch grips from me... I apologize for making you all read this.. I want to assure you I really do this as a hobby and I'm not out to beat anyone... Thanks again for your interest.. If you will scroll down to the very bottom of this listing you will see addition info I included in my description. The item "Very Rare Kilgore Big Horn Cap Gun-1st Model-Polished Nickel & Dummy Hammer" is in sale since Thursday, March 09, 2017. This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Vintage & Antique Toys\Cap Guns\Cast Iron".

The seller is "littlejimandskm" and is located in Perryville, Kentucky. This item can be shipped to United States.

Brand: Kilgore Big Horn
Year: 1940 era
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Gender: Boys & Girls