bat 44

dcara · 11-15-2005, 04:59 AM

I have a passing interest in old west sidearms. I heard a refererane to a BAT 44 a while back and have not been able to find out anything about it. Has anyone heard of this sidearm before. I guess its possible they mispronounced, or I misheard the name. Maybe it was BRET 44

cas · 11-15-2005, 06:47 AM

"his hand was already positioned,
his feet wide apart on the floor.
I hadn't noticed but there on his hip
was a short barreled bass 44".

I have always assumed they meant "bad"... but what do I know.

Another theory I've heard had to do with the Sam Bass gang.

Bass is also the name of a (couple) English gun manufacturer.

I like my idea best. Marty made a goof.

dcara · 11-15-2005, 07:35 AM

You caught the exact reference in Marty's song "Mr. Shorty" where I heard it. What great lyricks in that song though. I'm sure you know there are other lyricks in that song that makes the reference.

"But the little man's hand was like lightining, the Bat 44 was the same. The 44 spoke and it sent lead and smoke, with 17 inches of flame"

another

"The little man stood there a moment in silence, then holstered the Bat 44. It's always this way, so I never stay, and slowly he walked out the door."

And my favorite lyrick (no reference though)

'In the room was a terrible silence, as the big one stepped out on the floor. All drinking stopped, and the tick of the clock, said death would wait 10 seconds more."

Thanks for the insight.

[/b][/i]

Snake45 · 11-15-2005, 08:32 AM

Several different lyrics websites say it's Bass 44, not Bat.

Googled several different ways, nothing gunnish turns up on Bass 44 except these lyrics. A mystery!

BluesBear · 11-16-2005, 10:53 AM

Years Ago™, I asked Marty about this.

He said "If I sang about Herwin & Hulbert nobody'd know what I was talking about and it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue anyway. Besides I don't want to appear to be advertising any one particular brand over another.
And anyway, you don't think for one minute Columbia's gonna let me get away with singing about a 'Bad A$$ .44' do you?

I never knew if he was pulling my leg with that answer or not. With him it was hard to tell.
But it made perfect sense to me.

It seems that Marty had always liked the long sleek look of the long barreled Merwin & Hulbert revolvers. And since most of them were nickled plated they looked even sleeker.

I must admit I admire them myself but I prefer the rarer blued ones.
Now if I only had the $2500 to buy that extremely fine blued one in Portland.

gunslinger2020 · 01-03-2017, 12:26 PM

I believe the batt 44 that Mr. Robbins was referring to was made by J.D.Batt,a little known gun maker.i have a revolver made by him but in 32 colt cal.

surefoot · 07-05-2018, 12:22 PM

Hate to mess with another man's lyrics, but I always assumed it was just a case of my not being able to hear right, and after searching all over the web for "Bass 44", and coming up empty, I decided that the only thing that made any sense at all was "Brass 44," as I am aware that there were such animals. Been covering the song for so long now if I try to change I'll end up confusing myself and screwing it up entirely.

Love that song, btw -- it was the "Lead and smoke and seventeen inches of flame..." that really grabbed me!

Briley · 11-29-2020, 06:40 PM

I picked up an old Marty Robbins album and when I heard the song Mr. Shorty, I noted right away the lyric "...a short barreled Bass 44" and so, having never heard of a Bass revolver, I did some research that led me here (GunHub). This is where I think the reference to the Bass 44 comes from: Sam Bass was a rather notorious outlaw in the 1870's or 1880's. Sam favored the Merwin & Hulbert revolver, which came in several forms including a short barreled model. Could the reference be to a Merwin & Hulbert short barreled revolver, which as noted in a previous post was a gun with which Marty was familiar, and with "Bass" referring to Sam Bass? Marty was pretty familiar with all the cowboy stuff and the Old West so that makes sense to me. Too bad that we will probably never know for sure.

bearcat6 · 11-30-2020, 08:37 AM

Another dead thread resurfaces.

dfariswheel · 11-30-2020, 04:09 PM

Dead or not, I'll throw this in........

There was a former Texas Ranger named Bass Outlaw.
He had "issues" with drinking and anger and was discharged from the Rangers.
He was drunk one day, tried to shoot with the Rangers and was killed.

He was known to carry a highly modified Colt when in town.
It had the barrel cut off very short, the trigger removed so it could be slip-fired, and had the front of the trigger guard cut off so the rear could be used as a finger brace.
It was also fitted with a larger diameter, longer base pin.

csmkersh · 11-30-2020, 07:54 PM

Before it gets locked:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...z-lamar-outlaw

Basil "Baz" Outlaw was another Texas wannabe outlaw. Selman, then a constable, solved the problem.

11-15-2005, 04:59 AM	#1
dcara Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 2	BAT 44 I have a passing interest in old west sidearms. I heard a refererane to a BAT 44 a while back and have not been able to find out anything about it. Has anyone heard of this sidearm before. I guess its possible they mispronounced, or I misheard the name. Maybe it was BRET 44

07-05-2018, 12:22 PM	#7
surefoot Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Posts: 1	Well, I sing "BRASS 44" .... Hate to mess with another man's lyrics, but I always assumed it was just a case of my not being able to hear right, and after searching all over the web for "Bass 44", and coming up empty, I decided that the only thing that made any sense at all was "Brass 44," as I am aware that there were such animals. Been covering the song for so long now if I try to change I'll end up confusing myself and screwing it up entirely. Love that song, btw -- it was the "Lead and smoke and seventeen inches of flame..." that really grabbed me!

11-29-2020, 06:40 PM	#8
Briley Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Benton City, WA Posts: 1	Marty's Bass 44... I picked up an old Marty Robbins album and when I heard the song Mr. Shorty, I noted right away the lyric "...a short barreled Bass 44" and so, having never heard of a Bass revolver, I did some research that led me here (GunHub). This is where I think the reference to the Bass 44 comes from: Sam Bass was a rather notorious outlaw in the 1870's or 1880's. Sam favored the Merwin & Hulbert revolver, which came in several forms including a short barreled model. Could the reference be to a Merwin & Hulbert short barreled revolver, which as noted in a previous post was a gun with which Marty was familiar, and with "Bass" referring to Sam Bass? Marty was pretty familiar with all the cowboy stuff and the Old West so that makes sense to me. Too bad that we will probably never know for sure.

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11-15-2005, 06:47 AM	#2
cas Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: LI, NY Posts: 628	"his hand was already positioned, his feet wide apart on the floor. I hadn't noticed but there on his hip was a short barreled bass 44". I have always assumed they meant "bad"... but what do I know. Another theory I've heard had to do with the Sam Bass gang. Bass is also the name of a (couple) English gun manufacturer. I like my idea best. Marty made a goof.

11-15-2005, 07:35 AM	#3
dcara Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 2	You caught the exact reference in Marty's song "Mr. Shorty" where I heard it. What great lyricks in that song though. I'm sure you know there are other lyricks in that song that makes the reference. "But the little man's hand was like lightining, the Bat 44 was the same. The 44 spoke and it sent lead and smoke, with 17 inches of flame" another "The little man stood there a moment in silence, then holstered the Bat 44. It's always this way, so I never stay, and slowly he walked out the door." And my favorite lyrick (no reference though) 'In the room was a terrible silence, as the big one stepped out on the floor. All drinking stopped, and the tick of the clock, said death would wait 10 seconds more." Thanks for the insight. [/b][/i]

11-15-2005, 08:32 AM	#4
Snake45 Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: "Close, but no donut!" Posts: 13,148	Several different lyrics websites say it's Bass 44, not Bat. Googled several different ways, nothing gunnish turns up on Bass 44 except these lyrics. A mystery!

11-16-2005, 10:53 AM	#5
BluesBear Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 60	Years Ago™, I asked Marty about this. He said "If I sang about Herwin & Hulbert nobody'd know what I was talking about and it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue anyway. Besides I don't want to appear to be advertising any one particular brand over another. And anyway, you don't think for one minute Columbia's gonna let me get away with singing about a 'Bad A$$ .44' do you? I never knew if he was pulling my leg with that answer or not. With him it was hard to tell. But it made perfect sense to me. It seems that Marty had always liked the long sleek look of the long barreled Merwin & Hulbert revolvers. And since most of them were nickled plated they looked even sleeker. I must admit I admire them myself but I prefer the rarer blued ones. Now if I only had the $2500 to buy that extremely fine blued one in Portland.

11-30-2020, 08:37 AM	#9
bearcat6 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,983	Another dead thread resurfaces.

11-30-2020, 04:09 PM	#10
dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,428	Dead or not, I'll throw this in........ There was a former Texas Ranger named Bass Outlaw. He had "issues" with drinking and anger and was discharged from the Rangers. He was drunk one day, tried to shoot with the Rangers and was killed. He was known to carry a highly modified Colt when in town. It had the barrel cut off very short, the trigger removed so it could be slip-fired, and had the front of the trigger guard cut off so the rear could be used as a finger brace. It was also fitted with a larger diameter, longer base pin.

11-30-2020, 07:54 PM	#11
csmkersh Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 10,793	Before it gets locked: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...z-lamar-outlaw Basil "Baz" Outlaw was another Texas wannabe outlaw. Selman, then a constable, solved the problem.