When Tex is brought in to fight in a range war between the cowmen and the nesters, he meets his old outlaw boss Lassiter. He learns Lassiter is behind the feud when Lassiter asks him to join up with his gang. Tex refuses and instead sets out to stop the feud but no one will believe him that Lassiter is responsible.
'Texas' Ryan's uncle, Hank Younger, sends for his nephew to help him in a range war involving the cattlemen and homesteading nesters. 'Texas' meets Rand Lassister, the leader of an outlaw gang in which 'Texas' was once a member, and learns that Lassister is the man behind the scheme to instigate a range war between the ranchers and the homesteaders. Lassister, using a different name, is now a respected member of the community, and 'Texas' Ryan faces several problems in trying to prove that Lassister/Landers is the man responsible for the feud.
During the last couple years, I've watched a few hundred B-westerns. Of the many stars of the 1930s and 40s, one of several that have stood out to me is Bob Steele. He is as different as possible from the likes of Roy Rogers. Steele is short, doesn't sing and isn't so gosh-darned handsome. Instead, he rides well, fights well and seems a little more real than many of the cowboy stars--and this is why I often find his films appealing. As for the plot of "The Feud Maker" it is awfully familiar at times but because Steele does a nice job in the lead, I can strongly recommend it.
Uncle Hank visits Tex Ryan out of the blue. This is because a range war is brewing and Hank wants his nephew to help him fight off the evil settlers. At first, he refuses to help but soon changes his mind. When he arrives, however, his uncle is dead--apparently killed by the settlers. However, soon Tex realizes that there's MUCH more to the story than others realize. That's because one of the settlers, Mr. Lassiter, is a crook--and Tex recognizes him. Lassiter admits that this war is being orchestrated by him, as his plan is to let the settlers and ranchers kill each other off and then swoop in to steal the land--a common baddie tactic in westerns. However, Tex has long since forsaken his wicked past--and vows to stop Lassiter. But, since Lassiter promises to divulge Tex's past, he can't just tell everyone that Lassiter is evil--especially since the settlers trust him implicitly. What's Tex to do? As I mentioned above, the plot is fairly standard in several ways. But it all comes together very well and Steele has one of his best performances--making the film surprisingly good for a low-budget B. Worth your time.