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Wild Boys
Wild Boys was a short-lived Australian series about bushranging in colonial Australia. It was cancelled for good reason, but the armoury of the show is quite respectable.
The following weapons were used in the television series Wild Boys:
Pistols
Allen Thurber Pepperbox
Early in the show, Jack uses a Allen & Thurber Pepperbox alongside his Tower pistol.
Colt 1860 Army
Daniel has a Colt 1860 Army with a short barrel in the opening sequence of episode 1. Captain Gunpowder also shows the boys an 1860 in his collection at the hut. To have a Colt in 1860s Australia usually meant to have a Navy.
Whitney Revolver
The Whitney makes an appearance first as Hogan's revolver. During a police ambush he drops it and it falls into posession of the superintendent Francis, who returns it to Hogan later, before shooting him dead outside the hotel. The Whitney would easilly be mistaken for a Remington at a distance. Note the smaller overall size and "Colt-style" ball-rammer. The Whitney revolver was issued to the South Australia police for a period. The one used in the series is probably an original.
Tranter third model
Superintendent Francis uses a Tranter third model with a double trigger.
The Colt 1851 Navy appears throughout the series as a "generic" police arm. The brass-coloured frame is probably not correct for an issued revolver as the police in colonial Australia would most likely be using Colts made in London, which were all-steel framed.
Remington 1858
Captain Gunpowder (undoubtedly a reference to the other "captains" of bushranging history) gives the trio a Remington 1858 among some other firearms when they visit his hut.
Tower Percussion Pistol
Charlie the tracker carries what appears to be a Tower Percussion Pistol with a belt hook. The lack of standardisation and multitude of manufacturers makes it difficult to identify the origin. "Bushie" the old man who steals the boys' horses points what appears to be the same pistol at the boys.
Colt 1862 Police
During the home invasion in episode 3, Conrad has what looks like a Colt 1862 Police revolver.
LeMat Revolver
Captain has his LeMat Revolver (which up until this point hadn't been seen) confiscated by police in episode 3. Another strange pick for an Australian setting.
Boxlock pistol
These were relatively cheap, single shot percussion pistols for personal defense at close range. There were many makers but a large volume of affordable ones in Australia would have come out of Belgium.
Colt Walker
Another repro Colt, this variant would have been relatively rare in this period and location.
Rifles
Hawken
Captain sticks the boys up with a Hawken Rifle when they appear at his hut. This is probably not accurate as the Hawken was never popular in colonial Australia, usually rather the Enfield or, for the more discerning shooter, the Whitworth.
Sharps Carbine
Captain demonstrates a Sharps Carbine in "54 calibre" to the boys in the hut. The Sharps didn't have a strong following in Australia (but rather the Snider conversions in Victoria, Alex Henry rifle in NSW, and a few Braendlin-Albini in South Australia) Furthermore, the Sharps was not available in "54 Calibre." Common parlance at this time would most likely have referred to projectile measurements in "bore." 54 bore was a common projectile weight in Australia and the British Empire for revolvers at the time, and is equal to about 442/100ths. Certainly no police force in Australia was ever equipped with the Sharps. The bandit Joey Butler also has a Sharps in addition to his Whitney revolver.
Pattern 1853 Enfield
Captain also has in his armoury, what would have been the more common Enfield Pattern 1853. He names it in "fifty-seven calibre" which, like his description of the Sharps, sounds awkward for the era.
