The BEST episodes of The Rifleman season 5

Every episode of The Rifleman season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Rifleman season 5!

Widower Lucas McCain can fire a round with his specially modified Winchester in three-tenths of a second. Added to his high moral code and resolve enable him to help Marshal Micah Torrance maintain order in town while raising his son, Mark, on a ranch near North Fork, New Mexico.

Last Updated: 8/29/2026Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended

5.94

31 votes

#1 - The Most Amazing Man

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/1962

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

Directors: Arthur H. Nadel

5.87

31 votes

#2 - Quiet Night, Deadly Night

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/1962

Townspeople brace for the worst when a new girl arrives with symptoms of smallpox.

Directors: Arnold Laven

Writer: Arthur Browne Jr.

5.87

31 votes

#3 - Mark's Rifle

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/1962

Sharpshooter Marty Blair tries to persuade Lucas to buy Mark a rifle.

Directors: Arnold Laven

Writer: Oliver Crawford

5.87

31 votes

#4 - The Anvil Chorus

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1962

A blacksmith-turned-deputy sets the stage for trouble when he demands that all townspeople turn in their weapons.

Directors: Arnold Laven

Writer: Arthur Browne Jr.

5.87

31 votes

#5 - Incident at Line Shack Six

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/7/1963

A railroad gang boss frames an Apache.

Directors: Arnold Nadel

Writer: Calvin Clements

5.87

31 votes

#6 - Suspicion

Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/14/1963

A peddler is implicated in a series of murders.

Directors: Joseph H. Lewis

Writer: Jay Simms

5.87

31 votes

#7 - The Sixteenth Cousin

Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/28/1963

A Japanese nobleman seeks revenge when his servant is insulted.

Directors: Arthur H. Nadel

5.87

30 votes

#8 - Conflict

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/24/1962

Lucas's self-confidence begins to slip away when he misses an easy shot.

Directors: Arnold Nadel

Writer: Ed Adamson

5.87

30 votes

#9 - The Sidewinder

Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/21/1963

Gridley Mau is gunning for Lucas, who killed his father during an attempted robbery.

Directors: Joseph H. Lewis

Writer: Robert Lewin

5.87

30 votes

#10 - Gun Shy

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1962

Mark blames himself for a friend's accidental death.

Directors: Arthur H. Nadel

Writer: Cyril Hume

5.87

30 votes

#11 - The Assailants

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/1962

An assassination plot unfolds as four gunmen disguised as cavalrymen enter North Fork. Their target: Sen. Jim Borden. Their weapon: a Gatling gun.

Directors: Arthur H. Nadel

Writer: Herman Groves

5.87

30 votes

#12 - Death Never Rides Alone

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/1962

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

Directors: Joseph H. Lewis

Writer: David P. Harmon

5.87

30 votes

#13 - Lou Mallory

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/15/1962

Red-headed Lou Mallory arrives in North Fork and soon arouses the townpeople's suspicions.

Directors: Arnold Laven

5.87

30 votes

#14 - Waste (2)

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/1962

Conclusion. After Alphonso's wife gives birth, the bandits holding Marshal Torrance relax their guard, enabling Lucas and Mark to rescue the old man.

Directors: Joseph H. Lewis

Writer: Robert Culp

5.87

30 votes

#15 - Waste (1)

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/1962

Marshal Torrance is heading home from a cattle sale with Lucas and Mark when the old lawman mysteriously disappears. They trace him to a nearby Mexican ghost town. (Part 1 of 2)

Directors: Joseph H. Lewis

Writer: Robert Culp