Clint Eastwood’s ‘Pale Rider’ Revolvers Head to Auction

Rock Island Auction Company is offering one of the most compelling pieces of Western film history ever to hit the collector’s market: three screen-used revolvers from Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider.

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For fans of Westerns, movie firearms, or 19th century wheelgun history, this is a rare chance to hold the iron that defined one of Eastwood’s most enigmatic characters.

Released in 1985, Pale Rider reintroduced audiences to the lone, mysterious gunslinger archetype just when Westerns were fading from Hollywood.

The film’s supernatural undertones, hinting that Eastwood’s “Preacher” may be a ghost, an angel, or a revenant, gave the genre a sharp turn and helped set the stage for the Western’s revival later in the decade.

Now, the revolvers carried by the Preacher on screen will cross the block in RIAC’s December 5 through 7 Premier Firearms Auction in Bedford, Texas.

The crown jewel of the trio is the hero gun, the revolver used in Clint Eastwood’s hands during close-ups. It is a Remington New Model Army, originally made between 1863 and 1865 and converted to fire metallic cartridges, exactly as seen in the film.

The revolver is documented by Stembridge Gun Rentals, Hollywood’s legendary prop house, confirming its on-screen pedigree.

Historically, the New Model Army was the second most issued Union revolver of the Civil War era and later saw widespread commercial sale and cartridge conversions.

Its solid top strap and early adoption of conversion cylinders made it a rugged and forward-thinking design, an appropriate choice for a hardened character like the Preacher.

RIAC is also offering the blank-firing Remington New Model Army used for the movie’s action sequences. This revolver delivered the film’s muzzle flash and smoke during the Preacher’s methodical showdown with LaHood’s men and Stockburn’s deputies.

Stembridge documentation indicates this revolver also appeared in Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales, giving it an even broader Hollywood legacy.

The final piece is the Remington New Model Police, the smaller revolver tucked in the Preacher’s belt throughout the film. It plays a key role in the movie’s climax.

Produced beginning in 1865, the Police model targeted the postwar commercial market, offering a lighter and more concealable option with clever engineering to skirt Rollin White’s patent on bored-through cylinders.

This revolver, serial number 6543, is documented as the screen-used finale gun.

Pale Rider marked a turning point, reminding audiences that Clint Eastwood at his best wears a hat, carries a wheelgun, and rides into danger without hesitation. Its success helped set the table for Eastwood’s later masterpiece, Unforgiven.

Collectors will have the opportunity to examine these revolvers in person during RIAC’s preview day on December 4 in Bedford, Texas, or place bids online at RockIslandAuction.com.

For anyone who loves Westerns, movie history, or finely crafted 19th century firearms, these are once-in-a-lifetime pieces, guns carried by one of cinema’s most iconic figures in one of his most mythic roles.

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