1791  Suspecting the bad spirit was still in them, and that they were only gone a short distance to drink the rum, we prepared for an attack, loading twenty eight north-west guns and a brace of pistols, and sat down by the fire expecting their return to compleat the design my fortunate arrival had hitherto prevented.
1956  Insofar as I have been able to determine, the name "North West gun" first came into use among traders in western Canada and the United States about the year 1800.