The Mare's Leg, Explained: Half Rifle, Half Revolver, Legally a Pistol

Every so often the firearms world produces something that exists mostly because it's magnificent, and the accountants have to work out a justification later. The Mare's Leg — a lever-action rifle cut down to a twelve-inch barrel and a sawed-off stub of stock — is the patron saint of the category. It was invented for television, became a cult object, and now lives on as one of the most grin-inducing things you can legally buy over a standard counter.

Where It Comes From

The configuration was created in the late 1950s for the western series Wanted: Dead or Alive, whose bounty-hunter hero carried a chopped Winchester in an oversized leg holster. The studio armorers built something with real presence: a rifle's action and cartridge in a package that rode on the hip. Audiences never forgot it, and decades later manufacturers began building the configuration from the factory.

The Legal Part (The Interesting Part)

Here's the trick that makes the modern Mare's Leg possible: because it is manufactured from the start as a pistol — it has never had a shoulder stock and never had a 16-inch barrel — federal law classifies it as a handgun, not a short-barreled rifle. No NFA tax stamp, no special federal paperwork beyond a normal handgun purchase. The critical corollary: you cannot legally build one by cutting down an existing rifle — that creates an unregistered short-barreled rifle and a federal felony. Factory-built only, and as with any firearm, state law adds its own layer — check yours.

What It's Actually Good For

Honesty first: the Mare's Leg is not the most practical firearm on this site. There's no stock, the sight radius is short, and the lever throw takes technique from the hip or a two-handed hold. And yet — in .22 LR it's a genuinely delightful plinker, cheap to feed, easy for the whole range line to fall in love with, and a surprisingly capable small-game and trail companion in a scabbard or pack. Larger calibers exist for those committed to the bit. Mostly, it's the gun that makes everyone at the range walk over and ask about it.

The One to Get

Henry's .22 LR Mare's Leg is the accessible entry: ten rounds in the tube, walnut furniture, and rimfire running costs that let you actually enjoy the thing rather than ration it.

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