<P> The rifle may have appeared in every episode, but it was not always fired; some plots did not require violent solutions (for example, one involving Mark's rigid new teacher). McCain attempts to solve as many problems as possible without resorting to shooting, yet still manages to kill 120 villains over the show's five - year run . It is notable that McCain almost never carried a pistol . </P> <P> The rifle was an anachronism, as the show was set 12 years before John Browning designed any such rifle . </P> <P> The rifle used on the set of The Rifleman, an 1892 Winchester caliber . 44 - 40 carbine with a standard 20 - inch barrel, appeared with two different types of lever . The backwards, round - D - style loop was used in the early episodes . Sometimes the rifle McCain uses has a saddle ring (the purpose of this ring is to allow the rider to tie the gun with a lanyard, to secure it in the scabbard). The lever style later changed to a flatter lever (instead of the large loop) with no saddle ring . </P> <P> McCain fires 12 shots from his rifle during the opening credits: seven shots in the first close - up and five more as the camera switches to another view . The blank cartridges are shorter than standard cartridges, so the magazine will hold more of the blanks . The soundtrack contained a dubbed 13th shot, to allow the firing to end with a section of the theme music . The rifle was chambered for the . 44 / 40 W.C.F. (Winchester Center Fire) cartridge, which was used in both revolvers and rifles . He could supposedly fire off his first round in three - tenths of a second, which certainly helped in a showdown . </P>

What caliber of rifle did the rifleman use