The engraver was Carl Courts of Long Beach. The one piece ivory is likely elephant, just stained, from what I saw of the guns is OKC. My photo through the glass like every one else is below. Wayne liked the Catalin colored grips. It looked to me like his GW engraved guns had the ivory artificially colored. As Ron Howard said in the movie, "antique ivory". The pair of guns are a full blued finish.

Engraved Presentation Guns | Great Western Arms Collector

I liked them enough to make up my own pair of blued guns

 

Thanks for the information, Cozmo. I noted in reading your attachment that the original pair gifted to Wayne were stolen. That statement made me look at the guns in the picture where Mr. Wilson initially presented them and it looked to me like they had 5 1/2 inch barrels, whereas the guns given in replacement were 4 3/4. Am I seeing things? In any event, the pair that you show inspired by the Wayne GW’s are very pleasant to the eye and welcome to anyone’s collection. I note the case colored hammers on your revolvers-did they perhaps start out as Rodeos?
Speaking of Rodeos, I read an older post that someone was trying to determine dates of purchase/serial numbers so as to determine when USFA single actions were made with all US parts. I have a modified Rodeo that is all US manufacture; (serial D8xx) with an email from the company giving me the month and year it was made. If that would be helpful, I can post it (if I can grab my granddaughter for a few minutes to show me how to send photos)
Finally, as a new member, the information and knowledge so helpfully provided by you and all other members of the Forum makes visiting it so
pleasant. Thanks.

 

Yes the original JW production guns were 5.5". The movie guns were 4 3/4". Wayne actually had at least three of the 4 3/4" guns, may be 4. Take a look at in museum in OKC next time you are there. I know there are at least three of the guns in the JW section of the museum with the same engraving pattern and ivory from GW.

Good eye on the Rodeos. Those are LH production guns. Thank you for the compliment. Rodeos are a great base gun for an engraving project. I've used them for a few projects. Sounds like may be you have done the same?




FWIW generally fully USA made guns, were not in the D Series Rodeos. The D series was the last of the parts guns. Subtle changes for sure. Typically Ds were 2003 production. Curious what year production your D is?

 

The OKC Museum is awesome.

 

In “Sixguns By Keith” there’s a picture of John Wayne posing with a pair of engraved/ivory Great Westerns with 5 1/2” barrels and I always wondered which guns they were since his “Shootist” pair were shorter. Now I know he had more than two given to him.

 

The actual case the 4 3/4" guns are in now original held 5.5" guns. Pretty obvious when you see the presentation case on display in OKC that the guns don't fit and there were 5.5" guns in there originally..

 

I was just at the Cowboy Hall of Fame last week and saw them.

 

Who would steal from John Wayne ? Sad to think about .