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The Best Episodes of The Rifleman

Every episode of The Rifleman ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Rifleman!

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The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 21 - Two Ounces of Tin
    8.8/10(232 votes)

    #1 - Two Ounces of Tin

    S4:E21

    Sammy Davis Jr. stars as Tip Corey, son of a man allegedly murdered in North Fork.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 16 - The Sheridan Story
    8.7/10(302 votes)

    #2 - The Sheridan Story

    S1:E16

    Frank Blandon, a man with only one good arm, wanders on to the ranch. Lucas gave Blandon a job to ""hire him and Mark a clear conscience"". General Sheridan and his patrol wandered by and Lucas offered to let them stay the night at the ranch. Blandon pulled a gun on General Sheridan, as it turned out Blandon was a confederate soldier, who once had General Sheridan in his gun sight during the war. Blandon hung fire, but Sheridan did not hesitate and blew out Blandon's shoulder. General Sheridan shamed Blandon out of exacting his revenge, then lifted Blandon's spirit by praising Johnny Rebs' fighting spirit. Sheridan ordered that Blandon be taken to a hospital to have his shoulder properly mended, carrying out his Commander in Chief's last order to ""Bind up the Nation's wounds.""

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Cyril Hume

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  3. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 33 - Death Trap
    8.7/10(178 votes)

    #3 - Death Trap

    S3:E33

    Lucas recognizes Dr. Simon Battle as an ex-gunslinger with whom he once traded shots.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 5 - Death Never Rides Alone
    8.7/10(194 votes)

    #4 - Death Never Rides Alone

    S5:E5

    A gunslinger rides into North Fork for a meeting with Lucas.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 1 - The Sharpshooter
    8.6/10(512 votes)

    #5 - The Sharpshooter

    S1:E1

    Lucas McCain and his son Mark arrive in North Fork, New Mexico. Looking to start a new life, they come across a ranch to their liking, which is for sale. Lucas enters a Turkey Shoot in hopes of winning the down payment for the ranch. Jim Lewis, the man who runs North Fork, has bet on Vernon, a young gun he brought in, to win. When talk of Lucas' reputation back in the Nations circulates around town, Mr. Lewis gets nervous and he makes trouble for Lucas by threatening Mark's life.

    Director:Arnold Laven
    Writer:Sam Peckinpah

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  6. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 4 - The Marshal
    8.5/10(351 votes)

    #6 - The Marshal

    S1:E4

    Micah Torrance, a once famous lawman, is introduced as a drunken derelict, who stumbles into North Fork. Micah, nursing an arm crippled in a gunfight, is hired by Lucas to help out at the ranch. Three outlaws ride into town looking for revenge against Micah. When they kill the sheriff, it's up to Lucas and Micah to protect North Fork. Micah becomes North Fork's full-time Marshal.

    Director:Sam Peckinpah
    Writer:Sam Peckinpah

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Rifleman

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  7. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 26 - The Deadly Wait
    8.5/10(194 votes)

    #7 - The Deadly Wait

    S1:E26

    Dan Nowry, released from Yuma prison, arrives in North Fork intent on getting even with Marshal Torrance,who helped send him to jail.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 33 - The Money Gun
    8.5/10(198 votes)

    #8 - The Money Gun

    S1:E33

    When his employer begins to suspect him of embezzlement, bookkeeper Asa Manning decides to hire a professional gunman to take care of the problem.

    Director:Sam Peckinpah
    Writers:Sam Peckinpah, Bruce Geller

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  9. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 19 - Face of Yesterday
    8.5/10(190 votes)

    #9 - Face of Yesterday

    S3:E19

    Lucas thinks he has seen a ghost when a young man, eerily similar to a man he killed in the Civil War, challenges him to a gunfight.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 21 - The Wyoming Story (2)
    8.5/10(163 votes)

    #10 - The Wyoming Story (2)

    S3:E21

    Mark heads for Wyoming to search for Lucas, who's on the trail of a gang illegally selling weapons to the Indians. (Part 2 of 2)

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 31 - Stopover
    8.5/10(208 votes)

    #11 - Stopover

    S3:E31

    Trouble brews at Lucas's when a whisky salesman and a gunfighter fall for the same woman.

    Director:Budd Boetticher
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 9 - The Sister
    8.4/10(252 votes)

    #12 - The Sister

    S1:E9

    Rebecca Snipe is returning to North Fork after a long visit away. Before her stage left, she over hears a man saying he's going to North Fork to kill a big man with a big mouth. Upon Rebecca's arrival in North Fork, Mark is smitten with her and gets it in his head to play matchmaker between her and his pa. Thinking Lucas has intentions on their sister, the Snipe brothers come looking for Lucas to see if he measures up to their standard of being good enough for her.

    Director:Montgomery Pittman
    Writer:Montgomery Pittman

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  13. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 12 - Young Englishman
    8.4/10(232 votes)

    #13 - Young Englishman

    S1:E12

    Lucas accuses the young foreman of a neighboring ranch of rustling one of his calves.

    Director:David Swift
    Writer:Samuel A. Peeples

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  14. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 21 - The Indian
    8.4/10(218 votes)

    #14 - The Indian

    S1:E21

    U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart arrives in North Fork in search of renegade Indians suspected of the brutal killing of a Texas Ranger and his family, but the townspeople are suspicious of him when they discover that he too is an Indian.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Cyril Hume

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  15. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 18 - The Visitors
    8.4/10(193 votes)

    #15 - The Visitors

    S2:E18

    Lucas is drawn to a young widow passing through town on her way to claim an inheritance, but others who covet it are trying to kill her.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 22 - Heller
    8.4/10(193 votes)

    #16 - Heller

    S2:E22

    After foiling a girl's attempt to rob the general store, Lucas finds that she and her brother are plotting the murder of their abusive stepfather.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 25 - The Deserter
    8.4/10(165 votes)

    #17 - The Deserter

    S2:E25

    Lucas and Marshal Torrance get into trouble with the Army when they try to help a wounded young soldier who deserted.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Albert Alay

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  18. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 26 - The Vision
    8.4/10(219 votes)

    #18 - The Vision

    S2:E26

    After Mark contracts typhoid fever and has a vision of his dead mother, he no longer seems interested in getting well.

    Director:Don Medford
    Writer:Cyril Hume

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  19. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 2 - Woman From Hog Ridge
    8.4/10(172 votes)

    #19 - Woman From Hog Ridge

    S3:E2

    Lucas shoots a horse thief who turns out to be a member of the Boyle clan, and now Ma Boyle is after him.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 9 - Dead Cold Cash
    8.4/10(152 votes)

    #20 - Dead Cold Cash

    S3:E9

    The widow of a bandit killed by Lucas plots a grotesque revenge.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 20 - The Wyoming Story (1)
    8.4/10(165 votes)

    #21 - The Wyoming Story (1)

    S3:E20

    Lucas agrees to take a job as a federal undercover agent and goes to Wyoming to investigate rumors of sales of arms to renegade indians. His life is endagered by the town drunk who stumbles onto his true identity and purpose. (Part 1 of 2)

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 22 - Closer than a Brother
    8.4/10(169 votes)

    #22 - Closer than a Brother

    S3:E22

    Lucas looks for answers when recovering alcoholic Micah Torrence returns to the bottle—and turns in his badge.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Cyril Hume

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  23. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 1 - The Vaqueros
    8.4/10(172 votes)

    #23 - The Vaqueros

    S4:E1

    A bandit imprisons Lucas and Mark.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 16 - Gunfire
    8.4/10(151 votes)

    #24 - Gunfire

    S4:E16

    When an expected lawman doesn't arrive from Denver, several gunfighters arrive in North Fork and cause trouble.

    Director:Richard Donner
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 17 - The Quiet Fear
    8.4/10(154 votes)

    #25 - The Quiet Fear

    S4:E17

    Lucas's old Army pal settles in North Fork with his deaf daughter.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Two Ounces of Tin" is the best rated episode of "The Rifleman". It scored 8.8/10 based on 232 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 2/19/1962. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Sheridan Story".