The problem is, unlike modern gunfights such as the Miami FBI shootout, the Newhall incident, the Norco Bank robbery or the North Hollywood shootout, there is no modern reporting of the incidents, no video, and no audio recordings of eyewitness reports. Studying the Old West gunfighter spurred me look deeper into how these situations likely played out. (Two-handed manipulation with the support thumb prepping the hammer would certainly be more efficient, but there is little evidence such a technique was used.) Do you think fear and panic would be a factor here? Do you think haste could result in close misses? Take a moment to consider being under fire, at close range, and having to shift your shooting grip to thumb-cock the hammer each time you fired. The typical single-action revolver of the time offered a 6- to 7-pound sear release, unless the owner had the gun’s action filed “sweet.” Such heavy triggers with a felt “glitch” would certainly have an impact on combat marksmanship. The Colt double-action revolver was not introduced until 1877 with an action that was so stiff and heavy most shooters just thumb-cocked it anyway. In addition, single-action revolvers were in use and required the hammer to be manually cocked with each round fired. 45 Colt from Traditions Performance Firearms. Shown here is an embellished reproduction, the color-case hardened 1873 with 5.5-in. In 1881, single-action cartridge revolvers such as the 1873 Colt Single Action Army and its variants would have been the predominant self-defense tools of the Old West. It wasn’t about being fast or first to fire it was the person who could keep their head and deliberately fire rounds that would have an adverse effect on their opponent. Or, both combatants were down and injured with no real victor evident. It’s as likely as not that all rounds fired missed their intended target. In town, the gun and holster were commonly surrendered to hotel employees or bar keepers for the duration of the visit.Īs I have spent years studying these fights, I have come to realize they are not much different than what occurs today they were close, chaotic, and over in a few rounds. Holsters were seen in the field or prairie. These holsters rode high on the belt, not low slung around the leg. They were nothing more than a leather pouch with a loop attached that allowed them to be hung from a belt. Real holsters of the period were nothing like the rigs commonly seen in a Hollywood Western. The revolvers of the time were usually carried in the waistband or in a coat pocket. It should be noted when guns were carried in town, holsters were not the norm. Like today, handguns that could be easily hidden were more likely to be used in a fight than a double barrel shotgun or lever action rifle. I can remember any number of killings I responded to that involved alcohol, a woman and money. Can you see where this is headed? After 35 years in law enforcement, I get it. Many will see this as gun control but look at it from the viewpoint of those who were trying to keep the peace: A drunk cowboy or miner feeling like he was cheated at cards, watching another man flirt with his “woman” (read prostitute), is drunk and in possession of a gun. Carrying firearms was restricted, if not outright banned, in many of these locations. These towns were predominantly gambling houses, saloons and brothels with a few needed businesses thrown in. Naturally, these towns - really camps - were the watering holes for cow pokes and miners who after long days or weeks in the ground or on the trail wanted to blow off some steam via gambling, alcohol and women. Towns like Abilene, Hays City, Dodge City, Virginia City, Lead, Trinidad, Deadwood and Tombstone are the famous ones, but many towns sprang up and then died. Those industries spurred the economy west of the Mississippi. Many of the towns that sprouted up after the Civil War were either cow towns or mining camps. When I entered law enforcement, I became a student of combative pistolcraft which renewed my interest in the Old West, specifically people known as “gunfighters” or “shootists.” Why? Because they fought with handguns instead of long guns. Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill Cody were part of American culture due to shows of the same name. I’m a fan of the Old West and a serious student of the “combative application of the handgun.” I grew up in the late 1950s through the 1960s watching Westerns on television. Please understand I do not consider myself to be a historian.
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