THE FAMED MARKSMAN AND WESTERN SHOWMAN TAUGHT GUN-HANDLING SKILLS TO HOLLYWOOD STARS SUCH AS ROBERT DUVALL AND JAMES ARNESS
By Hector Cantú
Joe Bowman was more than a legendary fast-draw, sharpshooter and Hollywood consultant. He was also an extraordinary master craftsman and gunsmith. He made boots and belts and worked with the Ruger factory for decades to help them redesign their guns.
Most, though, remember Bowman as a gun-show and rodeo regular, a cowboy who dazzled audiences with fancy gunplay and sharpshooting with pistols and rifles. The Los Angeles Times reported he could blast an aspirin to powder at 30 paces and split a playing card edgewise at 20. “I’ve seen fast, I’ve seen faster. I’ve seen fastest, and then I’ve seen Joe Bowman,” actor James Drury told the newspaper. “He was incredible.”
Joe Bowman with Robert Duvall. Bowman helped the actor research his role for the miniseries ‘Lonesome Dove.’
Bowman with customer and friend Sammy Davis Jr. in 1969
Born in 1925 and raised in Houston, Bowman served with distinction in World War II, earning three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. More than a performer, he was a living link to Western heritage, promoting the values of precision, respect and tradition through his craft. Until his passing in 2009, at the age of 84, he remained a beloved ambassador of Old West culture and was posthumously honored by the Texas Heroes Hall of Honor.
After the war, Bowman started the Bowman and DeGeorge Boot Shop in Houston. His finely detailed skills attracted the attention of stars such as Roy Rogers, who ordered a pair of boots with gold toes and heels, and red roses on the side. Sammy Davis Jr. purchased several of his custom fast-draw holsters.
This pair of Ruger New Vaquero single-action revolvers, complete with holster rig and carrying case, make up one of the standout lots in the Bowman collection, the first installment of which will be available in Heritage’s Arms & Armor Signature® Auction on June 9, 2025.
With his gun-handling skills, Bowman was soon consulting on Hollywood film sets, working with actors such as James Arness, Patrick Swayze and Danny Glover. When actor Robert Duvall was working on the now classic 1989 television miniseries Lonesome Dove, Duvall contacted the Texas Rangers for research on his role. They sent him to Bowman.
On June 9, 2025, firearms and memorabilia from the famed marksman long known as “The Straight Shooter” and “The Master of Triggernometry” will serve as a centerpiece collection in Heritage Auctions’ Arms & Armor Signature® Auction.
Lot of two ‘Joe Bowman’-inscribed Ruger Vaquero model commemorative Former Texas Rangers Foundation single-action revolvers
“Joe Bowman was a guardian of Western frontier culture,” says Jason Watson, Consignment Director of Arms & Armor at Heritage. “This auction gives collectors of Americana and Western heritage a unique opportunity to own items from the personal collection of a true American hero.”
Among the highlights in Bowman’s collection is a pair of engraved and personalized Ruger New Vaquero single-action revolvers with a hand-tooled leather holster rig. Profusely engraved in a barbed-wire pattern, with “Joe Bowman” engraved in cursive on the backstraps, the guns come with their original personalized metal carrying case. There’s also an exceptional lot of two consecutively serialized and cased Ruger Vaquero model commemorative Former Texas Rangers Foundation single-action revolvers and a custom engraved and inscribed pair of Sturm Ruger Old Army model single-action revolvers with a personalized leather holster.
“Bowman collaborated with Ruger engineers to refine their revolver designs,” Watson says. “His modifications to earlier Ruger Blackhawks even inspired the creation of the Vaquero line. He was also an ambassador for the brand, frequently appearing at industry events where he would show off his legendary fast-draw and trick-shooting skills.”
A custom engraved Colt third-generation single-action Army revolver from Bowman’s extensive collection
Other auction standouts include a custom engraved Colt single-action Army revolver manufactured in 1905 and featuring a “Joe Bowman”-inscribed backstrap, as well as an elaborately custom scroll engraved Colt third-generation single-action Army revolver Bowman purchased at a charity fundraiser in 2000. Manufactured in 1979, the revolver is contained in a felt-lined wooden display case and features numerous gilt accents.
Bowman’s collection goes beyond firearms, however, including pieces such as handmade Ruger-themed cowboy boots, a first-place shooting trophy from a 1961 competition in Houston and a bronze sculpture of the sharpshooter created by noted Texas sculptor Edd Hayes. There’s also a one-of-a-kind piece Bowman made himself: an American Indian head he created on a metal sheet with bullets he fired. The sheet comes with two panels featuring signatures by some of the most famous stars of classic Western television and film, including George Montgomery, Roy Rogers, the original Lone Ranger Clayton Moore, Chuck Connors of The Rifleman and many more.
This hand-shot art panel by Bowman measures 18 inches by 24 inches and is accompanied by two other metal panels signed by some of the biggest names in Western TV and film history.
In a 2016 interview, Bowman’s son Mark, who passed away last year, reflected on his father’s character: “He taught movie stars, but even more important was his level of patriotism and love for his country,” Mark said. “I believe my dad was a true living embodiment of the character of John Wayne. He was almost a man born out of time. He wanted that to come through in everything he did.”
“Joe Bowman led an extraordinary life,” Watson adds. “He was a decorated war hero, a patriot, a historian, a celebrated marksman and a Western artisan.”
HECTOR CANTÚ is the former editor of Intelligent Collector.