Colt that killed The Kid could fetch $4.3m at auction

The Colt revolver with which Billy the Kid was killed in 1881 is expected to fetch up to US$3 million (NZ$4.3m) when it comes up for sale in Los Angeles next month. Sheriff Pat Garrett drew the gun at a ranch in New Mexico, shooting the feared gunfighter in what became one of the foundation stories of the American West. The auction house Bonhams described it as a ‘‘treasure of early western history’’ and expects bids to surpass the US$2m paid for George Washington’s saddle pistols in 2002. After the shooting the Colt was lent by Garrett for an exhibition at a saloon in El Paso. It was bought by a Texan who sold it on to Jim and Theresa Earle in 1983, becoming part of a collection of historic firearms.