| QUESTIONS |
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ANSWERS |
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| I have
a pair of Range Rider cap guns and a double leather holster. The holster is in
very good condition and the cap guns do not close/fire. Can you tell me
anything about them? Year made? Who manufactured by? Rough Value? Are they
worth repairing? Thanks for any information you can provide. E-mail:
jrp_la@yahoo.com |
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Anybody??? |
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| I
recently purchased a box of cap guns at a local auction. In this box was a
yellow hot rod car with the number 99 pull toy. I wondered why a pull toy would
be in this lot of cap gun items. Once I got it home and inspected it better, I
realized that it was in fact a cap gun. Has anyone ever seen one of these or
possibly tell me anything about it? Enclosed are a couple of pictures. Any help
would be greatly appreciated. |
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Anybody???
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| I could
not afford to collect cap guns, therefore I started collecting caps for the
guns. I have quite a few different makes and boxes of those. Over 120 different
types. Can anyone tell me when Nichols started making the Stallion Round
caps? |
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I would think that the Stallion Round Caps
began in 1950. Anybody else have an idea? |
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| I have
Hubley Cap Gun that was single shot and fired a lead projectile. It was only
manufactured for a short time—probably removed from production because of
danger. I would like to know more about it and approximate worth. |
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Has anybody heard of this one? |
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| I have
a cast iron cap gun which was my fathers. It is approximately 60-65 years old.
It has the name CAPTAIN on the barrel and on the grip, on both sides is a
plastic piece with an eagle on it. I am looking for any information including
the value of it. You may contact me at:
krisbodette@frontiernet.net |
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Can anybody help him? |
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| I have
a blue double hammer cap gun, which has Captain Cutlass on it and Lone Star
Product, and in England. I was wanting to know how old it is and the value of
the toy. Thank You, Butch. E-mail: tbearg@yahoo.com |
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Can anybody help him? |
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| MC
asks, " What would a pair of Stallion.45 Mark II's in almost new condition be
worth?" |
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Let's have some "sight-unseen" generalized
answers!!! |
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| James
of Canada asks: I am attempting to research a very old cap gun which I happened
to find in the museum I work for. It is dated 1879, is of cast iron, and has
two figures atop its barrel one of which kicks the other when the
trigger is pulled. It also has the phrase “the Chinese must go”
written along the right side of its handle. What I really need to find out is
who manufactured / distributed it and whether they had anything to do with the
Workingman’s Party of California (which was flourishing at the same date
and used the identical slogan). |
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There is one for sale on eBay. Go to eBay and
type "The Chinese Must Go" (include quotes) and it will come up...at least for
the next two days!!
Note from Mike: I found it and sure enough, it was
like described. |
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| I read
where some one mentioned a gun called 'LiL Scout. I guess I never heard on that
one. What was it? Are there any pics of it? |
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Does anyone know? |
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| I have
an old die-cast fire truck made by Nichols. It says it was made in
Jacksonville, Texas. How can I tell what year this was made?
Thanks. |
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Does anyone know? |
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| Was
there a Tonto cap gun, holster and knife set made ? If so, Who made it and
when? |
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Tim Says: See Rudy D'Angelo's Television's
Cowboys Gunfighters & Cap Pistols, page 139. Set made by
Esquire. |
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| I have
an old derringer, stamped Kusan Nashville Tenn. Model 212. What happened to
this company? I cannot find any information on Kusan Inc. |
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Kusan bought out Nichols Industries and
slowly over the next few years phased out the Nichols name and changed most of
the guns. In many cases, gone were the screws and hello rivets. Gone were names
like Spit-Fire and hello nothing or "Lil' Scout." Then Kusan went broke and
sold out. —MN |
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| Derek
asks, "How does a cap gun work?" |
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Hey guys, I can handle this one. Besides the
obvious, there is a good article on Wikipedia, the famous online encyclopedia
at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_gun. I think you
will enjoy the article there. —MN |
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| John C:
I have a Wild Bill Hickok gun and holster set that I played with in the 50's. I
have no idea of its value nor whether or not it is worth my selling it. It is a
gold coloured pistol with amber coloured plastic on the grip. The cylinder does
not rotate when fired and it takes rolls of caps. The holster is black and
brown with 2 red stones on it. The felt on the back of the holster and belt is
in good shape. Overall I would consider its condition to be quite good. I
wouldn't even know how much to ask for it. Does anyone have a rough idea. I can
provide pictures when required. |
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If anybody has a clue about this one, please
write in and I'll forward it on. —MN |
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| I just
acquired a Lone Star "Hip- Gun" which is a virtual carbon copy of the Nichols
Spitfire. When you compare the two side by side, with the exception of lat head
screws in the Spitfire, and phillips screws in the Hip-Gun, as well as no
decorations along the side of the end of the barrel, the two are identical.
Even the engraved design on the rest of the rifle is the same as the Spitfire.
The "Lone Star" name is engraved on one side of the barrell as well as "Made In
England" engraved on the other. |
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I suspect that this Lone Star model was a
"late comer." I don't know of any agreement with Lone Star. Do any of you?
—Mike Nichols |
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| I saw a
box that went with a TexTan version of the Stallion 45. It reads TexTan of
Yoakum on the box. Can anyone give me more information on that version of the
Stallion 45 Pistol? Thanks !! |
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When Nichols Industries first got started
(and even in the later days) they sold some of their guns to major
distributors. In the case of Tex Tan of Yoakum, Texas, there was a lot of
reciprocity, since Tex Tan also made a lot of holsters. (see this website's
home page) In the case of Tex Tan, they bought our guns and used their boxes.
And now? Very valuable boxes! The guns in this case were the notched Stallion
45s. I'm not sure if they ever put the next version, which didn't have the
notches into the Tex Tan box. You tell me! —Mike Nichols
There is a 2 pc
box for the notched cylinder 45 and also a 1 pc box for the later chrome 45.
There is also a box for the Silver Mustang that says TexTan of Yoakum on it. I
can verify all of these. I have a 2 pc box and a Silver Mustang box, My friend
Rich has a 1 pc box. —Jamie Linford |
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| I
notice there is a Stallion 45 MK-II, is there a Stallion 45 MK-I ? |
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Actually the original Stallion 45 was NEVER
called a "Mark One," but sometimes you hear people refer to it by that name
just in order to distinguish it from the Jacksonville version, which has been
called "The King Of The Die-Cast Guns." In the family, we might just refer to
it as the Pasadena Stallion 45. —MN |
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| Where
was the original Pasadena Nichols plant? |
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It was located on present day Jensen Drive in
Pasadena, Texas, but Richey Street now runs through what was part of the
original property. —MN |
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| How do
you tell a real G-45 from a fake? |
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Many Stallion 45 MK-IIs have been gold
plated, so look out for frauds. The gold plating on the originals was quite
thin, to avoid Excise Taxes, but this obviously isn't a perfect clue. Usually
you must check up on who has owned the gun recently. —MN |
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| How
many variations were there on the Stallion 45? |
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| And Here's
Jamie Linford's
Answer |
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| 1.) |
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Pasadena 45 with notched cylinder in nickel
finish |
| 2.) |
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Pasadena 45 without notches in nickel
finish |
| 3.) |
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Pasadena 45 without notches in chrome
finish |
| 4.) |
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45 MK-II in chrome finish came with 3
different grips
a.) Smooth black
b.) Pearlesent
white
c.) Black Stag |
| 5.) |
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Notch it Blue 45 with walnut wood
grips |
| 6.) |
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Blue 45 MK II with Plastic simulated walnut
grips |
| 7.) |
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Gold G-45 MK-II with blue pearlesent
grips |
| 8.) |
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Olive drab MK-II (probably Kusan
era) |
| 9.) |
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Kusan 45 MK-II that accepts bullets, grips
are translucent with the Circle N molded right into the grip. Flash Chrome
finish. |
| 10.) |
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Kusan 45 that has the dummy bullets in the
cylinder. Same grips as #9. Flash chrome finish. |
| 11.) |
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Kusan 45 in Gray painted finish. I have seen
this gun with White Pearlesent and Brown plastic simulated walnut
grips |
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| Why
isn't the Klondike included in the "Cap Guns" list? |
|
The list of guns on the menu for this website
is basically the list of Cap Guns that is in the inside cover of Uncle Talley's
book "A Brief History of Nichols Industries, Inc. and ITS TOY GUNS." There were
several guns, including the Klondike that weren't mentioned, but I am sticking
to the list in order to help promote that wonderful little book.
—MN |
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| Where
can I get parts for Nichols Cap Guns? |
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Go see the Cap Gun Dealers on the "Dealers
Page" in this website. Also, Bob Terry sells some on our Products
Page. |
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| Why
don't kids play with Cap Guns anymore? |
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??? Well, it's all a progression of
"Political Correctness" that is assaulting America whereby people blame the
Object (in our case, the toy) rather than the individual, to whom nobody wants
to impart personal responsibility anymore. It's easier to blame guns than to be
judgmental against people OR PARENTS. And isn't it better that the kids play
with video games sitting in front of a TV (you know, games where you murder and
dismember everybody you don't like) than it would be for them to go outside and
use their imaginations? —MN |
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| Where
can I find Nichols Cap Guns and other Toy Guns? |
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Well, first see the Dealers on our Dealers
Page, then check out garage sales, estate sales, ask your friends (especially
older "kids" who might have an attic), and online auctions like Ebay and the
others. —MN |
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| Will I
make more money investing in Cap Guns as a business or things like Mutual
Funds? |
|
Actually I have seen Cap Guns sustain better
gains than stocks. And they are not as risky. The better examples seem to hold
their value better also. —MN |
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| How do
I send a good photo that I think might be listed on this site? |
|
The best way is to take a digital picture of
the Cap Gun in 640 x 480 resolution as a ".jpg" and send it as an attachment.
Be sure to say in the e-mail what you are sending (by name and format), as that
is good manners because there are people out there just sending viruses all of
the time. Say who you are too. Also, try to include some text about the item.
People are interested in what has interested you. —MN |
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| What is
the best way to store my Cap Guns? |
|
Send them to me and I will take care of this.
But seriously, just wrap them in something that won't mar the finish, tissue.
Whatever you do, don't fire them—either dry firing or with caps. The metal
is old and if you break a trigger or something, then it is going to be
expensive to replace. Don't overtighten the grips as it is common to crack one.
Taking care of cardboard things like boxes is the most difficult. Don't stack
up your boxes like I have done! —MN |
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| What
other precautions do I need in protecting my Cap Guns? |
|
Moisture is very bad for the guns. Moisture
will slowly oxidize the zinc-similar to rust with metal. Heat makes it even
worse. It is always better to keep guns in an air conditioned space that
reduces moisture and heat. Another factor is direct sunlight. The UV in direct
sunlight will destroy the plastic grip and will also eat away at the coatings
on the guns that were produced in the latter years. I have a number of later
model guns in my display that only get indirect sunlight. They were the type
that were vacuum metalized instead of copper nickel chrome. These models (which
were in the millions) have had the clear coating turn milky white from the UV
rays. —RN |
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| Why is
there so little mention of holsters? |
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There will be when you send in photos of
authentic ones with some text. I don't know much about holsters. Besides, you
can find holsters ALSO in the "Scrapbook Section."
—MN |
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| Terry
asks: "I was born and raised in Rusk, Tx. My father worked at the Nichols plant
in the late 50's. I was metal detecting today when I retrieved a Nichols Brave
pistol. It really was a nostalgic moment. My question is this. What years were
the Brave series made? Thank you for any information." |
|
Terry, according to my Uncle Talley's book,
the Brave was introduced in 1962, along with the Rancho and the Cowpuncher.
Kusan continued making this gun for awhile after Uncle Talley sold out to them.
I'm not completely sure when the last Brave was made, but it was sometime
before 1982 I think. The Brave is listed on this website under "Other Cap
Pistols" in the "Cap Guns" section. —MN |
|
| How do you answer people who say that it is
terrible for little kids to have toy cap guns? And that toy cap guns should be
banned. |
|
| The primary problem with
today's society is that parents don't spend time with their children. The
parents are under so much pressure just to earn a living that both parents work
and have little time for their kids. There is NO SUCH THING AS "QUALITY TIME"
There is only "TIME." The times that we remember with our parents happened
(usually) during a situation when the parents never even knew that it was going
to create a lasting impression upon the child. Therefore simply the amount of
time spent with kids is important. The next thing is that you have to listen to
your kids to get them to listen to you. Most children have short attention
spans. Since their parent is the most important thing in the whole world to
them, even when the parent is talking, the child is thinking what to say to the
parent when he/she can get in a word. When your child speaks to you, Listen!
They are paying you the greatest compliment you will ever get in your life. So,
stop what you are doing and face them and listen to what they are saying. When
you have listened, then once in awhile you can speak. And when you speak, then
they will listen. During this valuable time, you can teach them Right and Wrong
(there ARE such things!) And starting them off when they are toddlers is the
time. Teach them that some things really hurt. That hurting people is bad.
Don't show them by hurting them. Teach them by example. Don't overreact! They
are kids and kids must learn. Teach them that there is a REAL DIFFERENCE
between toy guns and the real thing. In my family, guns were everywhere, but we
were taught EVERY DAY that real guns were real and toy guns were not. However,
except for games—and we were TAUGHT that games were different than real
life—we were not even to point toy guns at people. Well, some times we did
it anyway. Then we were admonished. The breakdown of society is primarily for 2
reasons: (1) parents spend almost no time with their kids and carefully
teaching them DAY BY DAY. They now expect the schools to do it all and (2)
There is virtually no such thing as personal responsibility anymore. Someone
else is always to blame. The kid does poorly, the school is at fault. My kid
couldn't possibly be at fault. It is someone else's fault. When society quits
being schizophrenic and teaches its children the REAL difference between
"imagined things" and "real life" and the Right and Wrong that go with each and
DEMANDING personal responsibility from everybody, then society will change.
Your children are a reflection of you, for there is nothing that is more
important than how you teach them values. —MN |
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