One BIG Happy Family.
Here’s my idea… Ben is 40, Adam is 21, Hoss is 17, and Little Joe is actually little and only 9 years old.
Joe doesn’t carry a weapon cause he’s to little, Hoss doesn’t carry a gun cause he’s too emotional (sometimes he gets carried away) but can do plenty of damage with just a hammer, Adam carries a pistol (you can’t see it behind Ben’s arm), and Ben is a deadeye with the long riffle.
They life on the Ponderosa and have the largest cattle ranch in the state.