Wild Boys

Wild Boys was a short-lived Australian period drama series about bushrangers in 1860s colonial Australia. It aired for a single season in 2011 before being cancelled due to low viewership. Regardless, it features a rather impressive selection of period weapons not often seen elsewhere. 
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= Handguns =
==Allen & Thurber Pepperbox==
Early in the show, Jack Keenan (Daniel MacPherson) uses a Allen & Thurber Pepperbox alongside his Tower Percussion Pistol. A more compact example is seen on the dealer's table, and in use later.
==Colt 1860 Army==
Daniel Sinclair (Michael Dorman) uses a Colt 1860 Army with a short barrel in the opening sequence of Episode 1. Captain Gunpowder (David Field) also shows the boys an 1860 in his collection at the hut.
==Whitney Revolver==
The Whitney Revolver makes an appearance first as Hogan's (Simon Lyndon) revolver. During a police ambush, he drops it and it falls into the possession of the superintendent Francis Fuller (Jeremy Sims), who returns it to Hogan later, before shooting him dead outside the hotel. The Whitney would easily 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 Fuller (Jeremy Sims) uses a Tranter Third Model revolver with a double trigger.
==Colt 1851 Navy==
The Colt 1851 Navy appears throughout the series widely used by police. The brass-colored 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 (David Field) (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 (Heath Bergersen) carries what appears to be a Tower Percussion Pistol with a belt hook. The lack of standardization 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 Ep. 3, Conrad Fischer (Alexander England) has appears to be a Colt 1862 Police. The revolver used in the show seems to be mocked-up with a bored-through cylinder from some other revolver, either to imitate the 1862 Police, or just to personalize Conrad's piece for characterization. From close-ups, the revolver looks a little too large for an 1862 and the frame is probably just an 1860 reproduction.
==LeMat 1861==
Captain has his LeMat Revolver (which up until this point hadn't been seen) confiscated by police in Episode 3. This revolver would be a rather rare sight in 1860s Australia.
An episode or two later, Captain has either a new LeMat or has managed to secure his old one somehow.
==Boxlock Pistol==
A Boxlock pistol is seen on a table among a spread of various other handguns. 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 reproduction Colt, a Colt Walker is seen in Episode 4, which would have been relatively rare in this period and location.
== IXL Pocket Model ==
Herman Prescott (Josef Ber) is armed with an exceptional example of a IXL Pocket Model in Episode 4. This revolver can be mistaken for a pocket Tranter, but the ball-rammer gives it away.
==Rogers & Spencer Army==
Captain Moonlite (Aaron Jeffery) carries a Rogers & Spencer Revolver in his first appearance. Like other American-produced firearms, it would not have been seen in the colonies in any great numbers.
The R&S is a solid frame design much like a Remington or Whitney - its distinguishing feature is the smooth curve on the rear of the frame, where most contemporary revolvers would be scalloped.
==Spur Trigger "Suicide Special" Revolver==
Rupert Wentworth (Charlie Garber) tries to attack Moonlite with an unknown Spur Trigger revolver in the opening of Episode 5, but suffers a chain fire and burns his arm (adopting the shooting position from the superintendent in the previous episode- perhaps someone pointed it out in production).
==Colt 1849 Pocket==
In Episode 7, a couple of Colt 1849 Pockets appear and continue to make appearances as the series goes on. They start off as Jessie West's pair, but Jack is seen using one later as well.
==Back-action pistol==
For one shot in the series, an extra is seen using a back-action single shot "travelling pistol" as they would have been known in the day. These would have been relatively common and had a multitude of makers, with very little standardization. Nock produced a bunch of them, among other English makers, and many would have also been put out by various nameless Belgian manufacturers. The back-action placed all the lockwork behind the hammer (in the pistol's case, inside the grip) instead of underneath/beside the barrel. This made for a more slender piece.
=Rifles=
==Hawken Rifle==
Captain sticks the boys up with a Hawken Rifle when they appear at his hut. The Hawken was never popular in colonial Australia, with the ubiquitous Enfield rifles and muskets being more common 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 (with the more popular breechloaders being the Snider conversions in Victoria, the 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. It is also used by colonial police, although no police force in Australia was ever equipped with the Sharps.
The bandit Joey Butler (Diarmid Heidenreich) also has a Sharps in addition to his Whitney revolver.
==Pattern 1853 Enfield==
Captain also has in his armory the much more common Enfield Pattern 1853. He describes it as a "fifty-seven calibre" which, like his description of the Sharps, sounds awkward for the era. They are also seen in the hands of colonial police in later episodes
=Shotguns=
==Percussion Shotgun==
A couple of double-barrel percussion shotguns appear in the show. It's unclear whether this is the same prop used over, or multiple. It is probably a genuine example as they are not hard to source in Australia.
Category:Television
Category:Western
Category: Australian Produced/Filmed