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.45 caliber

Internal diameter or bore of a gun barrel with a diameter of forty-five hundredths of an inch.

The Long Hunt: On the night of December 5, 1877,[1] Bret Maverick was trying to pry a confession of bank robbery and murder out of Rex Clark in a hotel room[2] in Prescott,[31] Arizona Territory. Clark's partner, Whitey Brandon, intervened and shot out the only lamp in the room. In the gunplay, Bret, Clark and Brandon were all firing .45s. One of Brandon's bullets, intended for Bret, hit and killed Clark. Brandon fled, but the commotion resulted in Bret being held by the sheriff for questioning. The sheriff determined that, since the bullet that killed Clark was a .45, and all the guns involved were .45s, there was no way for a jury to determine whether it was Bret or Brandon that killed Clark. Both would have to be acquitted, so the sheriff decided not to try to capture Brandon or hold Bret.[2]

Relic of Fort Tejon: In July of 1878,[1] Bret Maverick faced Carl Jimson in a gunfight. before the shooting started, Jimson asked Bret if he would wait until Donna Seely could pass out of the way. Bret agreed, and Jimson asked Donna to step out and try to talk Bret out the gunfight. As Bret stepped aside to let Donna pass, Jimson fired at him. The shot startled Donna, who turned to look back at Jimson. Jimson fired again at Bret again, but Donna's turn put her in the line of fire and she was hit in the chest and lost consciousness. The sheriff apprehended Bret and questioned him and Jimson as to what happened. Both claimed the other had shot Donna. Since Jimson was Donna's fiancé, the sheriff tended to believe Jimson would not have fired at her. Since both men were using .45s, the recovered bullet could not prove which man had shot her. If Donna didn't recover, Bret would have been tried for her murder.[3]

Frankford Arsenal Colt-Schofield .45 cartridges, 1876.