Buster Scruggs' Uberti 1873 Cattleman revolver under the hammer!
The Uberti 1873 Cattleman revolver used in the iconic movie 'The ballad of Buster Scruggs' will be auctioned off by the Rock Island Auction Company in May
Buster Scruggs' Uberti 1873 Cattleman revolver under the hammer!
Directed in 2018 by legendary filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and currently available worldwide on Netflix, "The ballad of Buster Scruggs" is an iconic western comedy composed of six surreal episodes set in the post-Civil War American frontier.
One of the best western movies of the past decade, named as one of the top ten movies for 2018 by the National Board of Review, and nominated for three Academy Awards, the movie takes its name from what is probably the best of its six parts – aptly dubbed "The ballad of Buster Scruggs" – starring Tim Blake Nelson as an eccentric and lethal gunslinger clad in white and armed with a full nickel-plated variant of the Colt 1873 Single Action Army revolver.
The gun used by actor Tim Blake Nelson was, in reality, a modern Uberti 1873 Cattleman .45 Colt reproduction, with a 5.5" barrel and a hardwood grip, imported in the US by Taylor's & Co. and rented to Pan Shot Productions LLC. in two samples, one of which was used on set while the second was kept as a spare.
Uberti 1873 Cattleman revolver, serial number UC2199, as used in the movie 'The ballad of Buster Scruggs' – right side
Uberti 1873 Cattleman revolver, serial number UC2199, as used in the movie 'The ballad of Buster Scruggs' – left side
Eight years after the release of the movie, Buster Scruggs' revolver – the real one – is up for sale: the Rock Island Auction Company will auction off the sample actually used on set by Tim Blake Nelson. Perfectly functional, and not permanently converted to fire blanks, it features a slightly ground-down ejector rod and some scattered light handling marks, as well as a lightly frosted bore with some light spotting/streaking and crisp rifling.
The revolver can be traced back to the production of the movie by the attached documentation – an invoice from Hollywood armorer Joey Dillon listing this revolver by serial number (UC2199) as rented to the production of the movie, and a production sheet for the movie detailing the filming day of 24 July 2017, where Joey Dillon is listed as "gunslinging advisor" under the additional crew.
The revolver itself shows the standard markings and features of the Uberti Model 1873 Cattleman line and features a bright, lightly polished finish overall. Also included is a production used Buster Scruggs "wanted" poster – one of only a few of these prints that were used for the movie – that comes autographed by both Joel and Ethan Coen, as well as Tim Blake Nelson.
The lucky connoisseurs who can appreciate the value of this unique gun can see it at the Rock Island Auction Company Texas HQ, in the city of Bedford, where it will be one of the key features of the May 2026 premiere firearms auction.
Estimated price ranges between $8,500 and $14,000.