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Cody Firearm Museum


Skid Roper

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Father in law lives in Red Lodge, MT, so Cody, WY is on the way for us, but never had stopped at the Buffalo Bill Center for the West....Until this trip.

 

Here is a brief slideshow of photos I took at the Cody Firearm Museum portion of the Center:

 

http://s216.photobucket.com/user/brettslusser/slideshow/Cody%20Firearms%20Museum

 

We only had time for the firearm portion of the program, which is only 1/5 of the museum, and had to hurry a bit at the end of that; I guess my two sons under the age of 2 aren't quite as interested as dear old dad...Yet. :)

 

I only took pictures of 20-25% (maybe) of the displays, a few are a bit blurry based on low lighting/new camera/phone/trying to keep the boys happy.

 

This is touted as the largest (and assumedly best) display of historical weapons in the world.

 

I figure a number of you fellers have been here and enjoyed this as much if not more than me, but if you haven't and you happen to be in Cody with nothing to do for a few hours days weeks, it is well worth the price of admission.

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There is an RV park just up the street from the Cody Historical Ctr. Well worth your time to spend a couple days there. If you are near Denver, I also recommend visiting Buffalo Bill's gravesite and the museum there.

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Cody is the numero uno for our game....take a day if you have it ...really...the best ...Jim

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Yes, we stop on Lookout Mtn and visit Bill from time to time. A very nice museum up there too.

 

Sadly we were just passing through Cody on the way to grandpa's house and I convinced Mrs. Roper this would be a good spot to stop and stretch our legs. Took me two hours to stretch 'em, and could've stayed MUCH longer, but the two little Ropers weren't having any more of it.

 

Good thing is it's always on the way to grandpa's house, so I believe we'll stop a little more often now, unless we go through Billings to get there, but then we can stop in Buffalo and visit the Johnson County War museum or pretend we're Walt Longmire for a bit.

 

I've found people that make jokes about Wyoming have most likely not ever been. One of my favorite places.

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seems they have changed the display since my visit 15 years ago!

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First time I went to see the firearms museum and spent most of the day there. Went back a second day and spent time in the rest of the museum. it is incredibly well done and worth the trip.

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Truly a world class museum. Some call it "The Smithsonian of the West". If you are within a days drive, go check it out. I spent hours just looking at the guns. Briefly checked out the rest of the museum. Easily could have spent 2 days there. Cody is a neat town, we want to go back sometime and spend more time there. If you go, stay at the Irma.

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We've been there 3 times. Back in the mid-80's we took the standard family vacation, wife, two sons, van and all. All the required attractions, Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Custers Battle Field and .. the Mesuem in Cody. Spent a whole day there. Then twenty years later we repeated the same program but this time with our two granddaughters. So much had changed and added, it was still jaw dropping amazement. Then a couple of years ago Mary insisted we go back. We didn't go to all the big parks but hit some small towns. And the main attraction was the Buffalo Bill museum in Cody. I think Mary could spend every day there.

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Unfortunately for me, each time I've visited the museum, Mrs. Lose or another person with no interest in the museums has been with me. I could have spent days there but NO they're bored and all the time that I got was just a few hours, not nearly enough. When I go up to shoot bison in September my youngest son and I are going to drive to Cody and spend a couple of days there and I'm really looking forward to it.

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I took an extended vacation in 2005 and figured I'd stop in at the museum for a couple hours... I spent 3 nights camped on the reservoir west of town and took 2 1/2 days to tour all five wings and both floors of the museum. Loved that rotary drum percussion cannon in the basement level! Walking through the firearms wing, I would think, "I wonder if they've ever seen a _________?" Then, in another corner or two, I'd come to a display case with five or six of them in every variation they were made in during the 18 months they were in production. :blink:

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I almost blew it off a few years ago, but they had the Colt traveling display there as well. The wife needed a knee replacement but when she saw the look in my eye she said, I'll be right here in this chair when you get done. Take your time!

 

Now I need to go back and look for that rotory drum percussion cannon. Well, that is unless J-Bar shows up with one at the next shoot.

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I can't imagine anyone being bored there. I can understand maybe not as interested in one section or another but if you can't find a great deal of stuff that you find interesting, then there is something wrong with you.

You don't know Mrs. Lose.

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Unfortunately for me, each time I've visited the museum, Mrs. Lose or another person with no interest in the museums has been with me. I could have spent days there but NO they're bored and all the time that I got was just a few hours, not nearly enough. When I go up to shoot bison in September my youngest son and I are going to drive to Cody and spend a couple of days there and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Three days wasn't enough for me and Schoolmarm, but we only had eight days vacation and there's only so much time when you're riding motorcycles and you must return 1,500 miles in order to keep your job!!

 

The Remington revolver display was there while I was visiting. I spent half a day on that alone!!

 

Another great firearms museum is the J.M. Davis Museum in Clermont, OK! You can spend a couple of days there and catch the Will Rodgers Museum as well! Right on Rt. 66

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I almost blew it off a few years ago, but they had the Colt traveling display there as well. The wife needed a knee replacement but when she saw the look in my eye she said, I'll be right here in this chair when you get done. Take your time!

 

Now I need to go back and look for that rotory drum percussion cannon. Well, that is unless J-Bar shows up with one at the next shoot.

TuftsCannon_zpsdaa505c7.jpg

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Been there twice & each time took two days to see it all. Are tickets still good for two days? Last time we were there they had just aquired Buffalo Bill's boyhood home in Iowa and rebuilt it om the grounds of the Historical Center.

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I have had to drive by the Cody several times due to other commitments. This year we have a trip planned to include the Cody and many areas of Montana that we missed in 2007.

 

I can recommend the Gene Autry museum in Studio City, California which boasts a huge firearms collection and a great selection of B-western memorabilia. Spent most of the day there and will go back again the next time I am in the area. Lots of stuff to see.

 

Olen

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My grandpa was an avid antique collector and lover of all things old west. Just going to his house was like visiting a small museum. When I was in junior high he took me and my cousins through Yellowstone and then to the Cody museum. The next year he took us to the Rosebud and Custer battlefields. My grandpa put up with a lot from a bunch of young boys to share his passion with us. His efforts weren't in vain, as I share his old west passion. Great great memories. A wonderful man I still miss every day.

 

If you go and can swing it, take a youngster with you. Our histories needs to be passed down and preserved by the future generations. Plus you will build family memories that can warm the heart for a lifetime.

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When we took the granddaughters through the museum, we rested up at Plains Indian Museum. In front of us was a teepee. I was explaining to Brooke the features to the teepee and how it was such an advantage to the plains indians. I explained it could be put up in a couple of minutes and broken down for transport in an equally short time - by the women. The shape was an advantage to remain standing in high winds. How the sides can be rolled up to let in sun or not, etc. She was impressed. She commented, "They didn't suck lead pipe." A few weeks after returning home I noted that they had found some poles and old sheets and improvised their own teepee.

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