About the series, The Rifleman starring Chuck Connors as Lucas McCain

The Rifleman television series ran from September 30, 1958 to July 1,1963 for a total of 168 episodes..

The Rifleman was the saga of Lucas McCain, a homesteader in the Old West struggling to make a living off his ranch and make a man out of his motherless son, Mark. Chuck Connors, a former professional baseball player, won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lucas, and young Johnny Crawford was also started on a successful career by this series.

The setting was the town of North Fork, New Mexico, whose marshal seemed incapable of handling any of the numerous desperadoes who infested the series (as they did all western series) without the help of Lucas. Helpful too, was the trick rifle that Lucas always carried, a modified Winchester with a large ring which cocked as he drew. Supposedly, he could fire off his first round in three-tenths of a second, which certainly helped in a showdown.