After the furor of the Lincoln County War died down, Billy the Kid and some friends formed an import/export company. That is, they would export New Mexico cattle and horses to Texas and Colorado where they were sold without the benefit of a legitimate bill of sale. Then this enterprising group would gather up some loose Texas and Colorado livestock, and take them back to New Mexico. One of the stalwarts of this gang was a former Texas cowboy going by the name of Billy Wilson.

By now it shouldn’t surprise you folks to learn that I like single action revolvers. And, while I revere the classic Colt Single Action Army, my real love is the original Ruger Flat Top in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. Great guns and cartridges right there, but they are also perfect vehicles for the various custom projects that might come to mind. A good example would be my recent project of converting a Flat Top .357 to .41 Special.

My pretty cowgirl wife, Sylvia, and I were working cattle about thirty miles from town on a warm fall day when a very brief episode occurred. It involved a rope that left me missing the end of one digit from my strong-side hand. Yes, that is right—my trigger finger.