National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

We were in Oklahoma last week and it was awesome. It was an opportunity to visit with a wonderful friend and see the sights. And folks, Oklahoma has them. One of our stops was the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. It’s an amazing place with a collection of Native American artifacts, rodeo trophies, art, sculpture, firearms, and more. The guns on display were impressive, and one of the firearms that caught my attention was John Wayne’s Weatherby.

John Wayne’s Weatherby, chambered in the mighty .300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge, on display in Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

I’ve always admired John Wayne, and I love Weatherby rifles. This particular rifle was of interest for several reasons, not the least of which was John Wayne’s connection to Weatherby. I remembered seeing John Wayne in Weatherby ads decades ago, and I knew he appeared in at least one of the magnificent Weatherby full color catalogs. I found the photo I remembered in my vintage Weatherby catalogs, but it didn’t show Mr. Wayne with this rifle. Then I did a search on “John Wayne’s Weatherby” hoping to find a photo showing him holding the rifle you see in the photo above, but I did not find it. Wayne appeared in several photos and advertisements, though, like the one you see here:

An early ad showing John Wayne with a Weatherby rifle. It’s not the rifle I saw in Oklahoma City.

The Weatherby in the Oklahoma City National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was interesting from several perspectives beyond the fact that it belonged to John Wayne. Take a look:

This is very early Weatherby, built on a Mauser action. Weatherby used Mauser and other actions before he designed his proprietary Mark V action. Note the dark finish on this rifle.

Optional extrended checkering with a fleur de lis, skip line pattern. Note the scratches and dings; this rifle was not a safe queen. John Wayne rode this one hard!

Extra-cost fancier-than-stock checkering on the fore end. Some of the dark finish is worn away near the rosewood fore end tip. Did Wayne pay Weatherby to have a darker finish applied, did the rifle darken from too much oil over the years, or ???

A shot of the Mauser action and an early proprietary Weatherby four-power telescopic sight. Note that the windage and elevation turrets are in line on top of the scope, rather than today’s practice of placing elevation on the top and windage on the right of the scope barrel.

An ivory or maple stock inlay, darkened along with the rest of the stock. The inlay was almost certainly done in Weatherby’s custom rifle shop.

So there you have it: John Wayne’s Weatherby at the Oklahoma City National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. We enjoyed our time there, and I’ll add more photos from the Museum in subsequent blogs. If you’re in the area, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is a spot you won’t want to miss.

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