Publication:The Gaston Gazette; Date:Sep 16, 2007; Section:Life; Page Number:1E
BY JENNIFER KELLAR ERWIN jerwin@gastongazette.com

Mike DiMuzio knows what it means to “shoot straight from the hip.”

DiMuzio is a leading expert on the legendary TV Western series, “The Rifleman,” and builds replicas of the unusual rifle used on the program. The Kings Mountain resident also is the only performer in the world who is able to do the rapid-fire rifle stunts made famous by Chuck Connors in the classic show.
“The Rifleman” is an endearing story about a father and son set in the 1800s in North Fork, New Mexico. Connors played main character Lucas McCain, the chiseled, rugged, law-abiding rifleman who was a single father to his son, Mark. The two encountered riff-raff and fought the bad guys until goodness prevailed.

While the storylines were pure and the father-son relationship was one to behold, it was Connor’s rifle that became DiMuzio’s passion.

“The rifle is a symbol of what embodies the character of Lucas McCain: strength, justice, wisdom and righteousness,” DiMuzio said. “At that time, there were a lot of Westerns on TV, but no one was doing anything on rifles — just pistols. There was a company in California that made the 1892 Winchester trick rifle that was used on the show. It was fascinating to watch.”

Over the years, DiMuzio honed his shooting skills and purchased his first rifle from Moe Hunt, the man who made the last three “Rifleman” rifles used by Chuck Connors on the show.

As a young boy, he remembers watching the show on TV with his father. DiMuzio, originally from Massachusetts, was placed in foster care when he was 4½ years old and longed for a male role model who could be a positive influence in his life.

He found it in Lucas McCain.

“I missed a relationship with my father,” he said. “And with that show it taught me that men can be tough but tender, humble but wise — all the virtues of true manhood. Male role models these days are a far cry from that.”

Each rifle holds 11 rounds, and DiMuzio can fire all of them in less than 4 seconds. He shoots at targets and balloons, and he’s traveled to Tennessee, Georgia and California to show off his skills. DiMuzio also custom makes rifles to reflect the “Rifleman’s” rifles made from 1892 to 1941, working the wood and aging the metal with great preci- sion.
“I can make it look like it’s 100 years old,” he said, “but the bullets feed like butter when I get through with it.”

One of DiMuzio’s rifles would probably fetch $3,500, he said. He also gets about five requests a week from visitors to his Web site, riflemansrifle.com, from fans seeking tips on how to hone their own rifle-modification skills. He gets frequent requests from SASS, the Single Action Shooting Society, and also has been contacted by a couple of script writers for input on bringing “The Rifleman” to the silver screen.

With the resurgence of Westerns in Hollywood — specifically, “3:10 to Yuma” and soon-to-be released “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” and with rumors swirling of director Jerry Bruckheimer remaking “The Lone Ranger” — DiMuzio hopes that someone will latch on to a movie script.

“I’d love to be a part of it somehow,” Dimuzio said, “even if just because of my history of involvement with the show. Men like the show for two reasons: because they’d like to have a father like Lucas McCain or they’d like to be like Lucas McCain.”

And women?

“Because they’d like to have a man like Lucas McCain,” he said.

In his “real” life, DiMuzio enjoys a successful sales career. And while he doesn’t consider himself a master shooter, the hobby of making and firing rifles is certainly his passion.

“I’m not a cowboy, I’m not into cowboy culture and I can’t line dance,” DiMuzio said with a chuckle. “If you consider yourself a tough guy, you’re inviting trouble and will probably find out you’re not as tough as you think you are.”

You can reach Jennifer Kellar Erwin at (704) 869-1840.