Action & AdventureWesternFamily1958–1963ABC

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!

Best episode
S4E21 Two Ounces of Tin
8.8250 votes
Worst episode
S5E25 Which Way'd They Go?
6.2202 votes
Top season
Season 1
8.2avg
Binge time
3d 12h
168 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons5

All12345

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Rifleman Season 4 Episode 21 - Two Ounces of Tin
    8.8/10(250 votes)

    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(325 votes)

    S1:E16

    When Frank Blandon, a man with only one good arm, wanders onto the ranch, Lucas gives him a job. This leads to major complications later.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Cyril Hume

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  3. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 5 - Death Never Rides Alone
    8.7/10(215 votes)

    S5:E5

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

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 33 - Death Trap
    8.7/10(197 votes)

    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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  5. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 1 - The Sharpshooter
    8.6/10(549 votes)

    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(364 votes)

    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 3 Episode 31 - Stopover
    8.5/10(228 votes)

    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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  8. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 19 - Face of Yesterday
    8.5/10(210 votes)

    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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  9. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 26 - The Deadly Wait
    8.5/10(204 votes)

    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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  10. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 2 - Woman From Hog Ridge
    8.5/10(190 votes)

    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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  11. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 21 - The Wyoming Story (2)
    8.5/10(180 votes)

    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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  12. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 9 - The Sister
    8.4/10(269 votes)

    S1:E9

    Rebecca Snipe is returning to North Fork after a long visit away. Before her stage leaves, she overhears 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 becomes smitten with her and gets it in his head to play matchmaker between her and his pa.

    Director:Montgomery Pittman
    Writer:Montgomery Pittman

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  13. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 8 - The Safe Guard
    8.4/10(256 votes)

    S1:E8

    Floyd Doniger comes to North Fork, looking to start a new life. He's got a steady job as the guard at the new bank and he's entertaining ideas of settling down on a spread of his own. Also arriving in North Fork are three men who followed the bank's new safe, figuring any town needing a safe like that must have money to put into it.

    Director:Joseph H. Lewis
    Writer:David Swift

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  14. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 12 - Young Englishman
    8.4/10(245 votes)

    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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  15. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 26 - The Vision
    8.4/10(239 votes)

    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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  16. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 21 - The Indian
    8.4/10(230 votes)

    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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  17. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 9 - The Most Amazing Man
    8.4/10(211 votes)

    S5:E9

    Fast-draw artist Wade Randall is less than anxious to display his prowess.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Rifleman Season 1 Episode 33 - The Money Gun
    8.4/10(210 votes)

    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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  19. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 18 - The Visitors
    8.4/10(207 votes)

    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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  20. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 22 - Heller
    8.4/10(207 votes)

    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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  21. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 22 - Closer than a Brother
    8.4/10(185 votes)

    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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  22. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 20 - The Wyoming Story (1)
    8.4/10(182 votes)

    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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  23. The Rifleman Season 2 Episode 25 - The Deserter
    8.4/10(180 votes)

    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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  24. The Rifleman Season 5 Episode 24 - Old Man Running (aka The Wanted Man)
    8.4/10(176 votes)

    S5:E24

    Lucas, who blames his wife's death on his father-in-law, refuses to help the old man elude gunmen.

    Director:Arthur H. Nadel
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Rifleman Season 3 Episode 9 - Dead Cold Cash
    8.4/10(173 votes)

    S3:E9

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

    Director:Unknown
    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 from 250 votes. Written and directed by Unknown, it aired on February 19, 1962. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Sheridan Story".

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