Gun Installation, Trials & Tribulations

Good News! New guns are on display. The Colt Single Action Army that belonged to Lone Ranger actor John Hart, as well as Tom Knapp’s BRNO ZKM 611 Rifle, and CZ 912 and 712 shotguns have been installed.

Yesterday, the Cody Firearms and Center staff worked diligently  to install several exciting acquisitions from our collection. Since the Center was not open to the public, the installation process was behind closed doors…until now!

We always try to be as organized and prepared as possible when the installation day draws nigh, but we often have to add adaptability to our list of skills. As I have stated in other blogs, there is a long process involved in getting our firearms ready for display.

First, we have to get the gun approved , numbered, and sometimes conserved. We then write labels that Registration and Education must approve before being sent to our Graphics Department. Our fantastic mount maker then must build the mounts for the firearms. Even with all that preparation, there is always room for a few obstacles on the day of installation. Obstacles—or perhaps an opportunity to see how flexible we really are.

Now I may be making this sound more dramatic than it actually was, but we did run into a few snafus. When installing the Tom Knapp firearms we realized our ambitions were restricted only by limited space. It took several eyes and a few outside perspectives to slightly alter our original display concept to make the firearms fit in the space. However, we were able to adapt to make them fit harmoniously with Knapp’s Benellis that were already in place.

The case chosen for the Lone Ranger Gun, however, involved a team of five. Because of the heightened security with our firearms cases, it takes several people to open the cases. Two removed the plexiglass while the mount maker, curator, and I stood on hand to move the firearms currently on display to make room for the incoming gun. Since it is so difficult to open these cases, we also take these opportunities to do a little spring cleaning.

After all the effort from a large number of people, however, we are happy to present these firearms for the public.

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