6 Gems Straight Out Of The Southwest

The Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest, located in Raton, N.M., at the NRA Whittington Center, features more than 200 guns that tell the history of the region—from the earliest Native American inhabitants through early Spanish exploration, the Civil War and the Old West. Here are just a few examples.

This Winchester Model 21 Grand American was owned and used by George Whittington—an Amarillo, Texas, attorney and oil man. He was a former NRA president and one of central figures in the founding and development of the NRA Whittington Center, which opened in 1973 as a shooting and hunting facility.

This Browning takedown .22 Auto Rifle was produced in Belgium in 1955 and was nicely engraved by Lee Griffiths with a train robbery scene on one side of the receiver and a saloon brawl on the other side. The Browning 22 semi-auto rifles are still in production today, but are now manufactured by Miroku in Japan.

The carbine and tools shown belonged to and were used by longtime New Mexico law enforcement officer Charles Frederick (Fred) Lambert. Born in 1887, Fred was the son of Henri Lambert, chef to President Lincoln during the Civil War and the owner of the famed St. James Hotel in Cimarron, N.M.

This pistol, a derivative of the Mauser Broomhandle, won the "Best Engraved Handgun" at the 2013 Firearms Engravers Guild Association Show. It is embellished with six nautical panels that seem to include the sinking of the Titanic and Lusitania, along with a whaling scene and a Viking ship.

This exquisite rifle was commissioned from Hagan and built in 1993. Highly engraved from butt plate to muzzle—featuring a mountain lion feasting on buck deer on one side and bobcat on rabbit on the other side—this Ron Smith-engraved piece won the First Annual Guns Magazine Award of Excellence in 1995.

Designed by Christopher Spencer, the 1860 Spencer carbine was a repeating 7-shot carbine that utilized a tubular magazine housed in the stock and operated by a lever. This .52-cal. carbine was immensely popular during the American Civil War and was utilized by both Union and Confederate forces.

These guns, plus many more historic treasures, can be seen at the NRA Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest located at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, N.M.