The Gunslingers played in 2004 as a charter member of the Intense Football League when they were known as the Lubbock Lone Stars, receiving some criticism locally as it was felt that the phrase Lone Star should not be pluralized.
Besides that, they ended their inaugural year at 9-7 and won over the Odessa Roughnecks in the Semifinals, yet lost to the Amarillo Dusters in Intense Bowl I.
Some of the original members of the Lone Stars include QB George Godsey and WR Anton Paige.
The original voice of the team's radio play-by-play and the head of its public relations was Greg Rankin.
Later in 2006, in a move that essentially spelled the end for the Gunslingers, the rights to play indoor football in the Coliseum were sold to Texas af2 Holdings, LLC, who also manages the Laredo Lobos, Texas Copperheads, and the Corpus Christi Sharks.