i was speaking mostly from the standpoint of the frontier havening just read 4 different first person accounts. as far as the CW was concerned the actual regular army cavalry equipment lists show that that not every man even had a revolver much less two. the regulators and Bushwackers in the border wars are a different story and its well documented that they carried as many guns as they could steal.
How fast can BP revolvers be reloaded?
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Trev
40 Cal
I think I probably read all those stories back in the early '60s and dozens of pseudo "western history" magazines that were published then, all based on true happenings as told by Himself. Some of the military reports are probably accurate, but some of those even were written to enhance the reporter's ability.
I'm rather skeptical of all history having seen it somewhat revised in my lifetime. The winners define the truth until another winner revises it.
I'm rather skeptical of all history having seen it somewhat revised in my lifetime. The winners define the truth until another winner revises it.
Trev
40 Cal
What I think of as the Frontier, the days of the fur trade, the rendezvous and the exploration of the midwest and the Rockies was all over before the revolver came to be. Wrapped up by about 1840ish as the first wagon train full of civilization left Missouri in 1836 or so.
Interesting thread, as I have just acquired a second Uberti Model 1860 fluted model. I've gotten old enough to get fumble-fingered so doubt I could replicate anything meaningful. I will mention that my great-grandfather, who fought in the Border Country with the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, lists in his diaries a revolver and carbine among the firearms issued, and complains bitterly about saber practice. His company missed the fracas at Baxter Springs, but there were plenty of instances of encountering and chasing "Secesh" during his years of service. He and his brother enlisted in Janesville in 1862. Upon separation from the service, he purchased his saddle -- a McClellan, I assume -- and later was a saddle and harness maker.
His name was William Peckham Rathbone Wood and here he is probably about 1861. I sent transcripts of his diaries to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
His name was William Peckham Rathbone Wood and here he is probably about 1861. I sent transcripts of his diaries to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
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Trev
40 Cal
That might have been lucky as Blunt's troopers didn't do well against Quantrill that day.
I have no idea what units g.grandfather rode with, stories named commanding generals and I've forgotten them, think most of his action was in SW Mo. though because that's supposed to be how he first saw this area and later moved here.
I have no idea what units g.grandfather rode with, stories named commanding generals and I've forgotten them, think most of his action was in SW Mo. though because that's supposed to be how he first saw this area and later moved here.
Trev, many comments in great-grandfather's diary about the character of the local soils, the health of the corn, the abundance of the peaches. These things were so important in those agrarian times to a boy who grew up on a farm in Sauk County.
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Trev
40 Cal
It was good country for small farms with horses, lots and lots of orchards when I was a kid and one year we shipped 9 freight cars of strawberries from this county in one month, but with farming switching to big tractors 1000A fields and corporate ownership, the whole area turned to cattle in the '70s and 80s. Hardly any crops grown these days.
Dexterado
32 Cal
I can reload mine in about 3 minutes, or so. And that includes using wads which I doubt they did. But I also use those guns of the west star cappers which speeds it up.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
Yes on the saddle holsters , but not all that common.
Keep in mind that occasional cleaning, and transporting multiple percussion revolvers is a lotof a lot of trouble.
Keep in mind that transporting and maintaining multiple percussion revolvers is a real pain, and that does not include keeping them loaded most of the time, and cleaning them within a couple of days if they have been fired. And if someone had one or more revolvers it’s just one more chore to deal with a lot of days. If the revolver toter has a horse to take care of as well, it’s even worse. Not likely much reloading went on while the bullets were flying or riding on a horse.I’ve often wondered how fast 19th century black powder revolvers could successfully be reloaded in the civil war or confronting desperadoes given the stress of a situation. Excluding possibly having an extra loaded cylinder acting like a modern day speed loader or having several loaded revolvers, I’m curious just how fast a BP revolver can be quickly loaded using paper cartridges and a capper? I’ve never read any 19th century literature for the civil war or armed confrontations mentioning how quick a BP revolver can be reloaded. Has anyone read or even timed how fast a BP revolver can be loaded without fumbling the paper cartridges, dropping caps on the ground, etc. and all the rounds in the cylinder fire successfully without a mishap?
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
The multiple cylinders concept is a modern thing.
anyone in the actual arm/ cavalry would have had one revolver and one carbine. The guerrillas in kansas and missouri had multiple six shooters. the civilian scouts in the west also had multiple revolvers and a rifle and sometimes shotguns.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
According to people who have researched these sort of things, neither Remington or Colt have/had any record of shipping extra or replacement cylinders.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
As a practical matter, unless someone was a bank robber or a soldier or Indian scout, I would hazard a guess very few percussion revolver carriers even carried any extra ammo, same as now with modern handguns. Just more stuff to carry around.
Human nature doesn’t change.
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smoothshooter
50 Cal.
But
But what did they do after the engagement was over for the day, and it possibly being weeks before they were in the next engagement?
I am skeptical that anybody wagged around a bunch of revolvers tor days or weeks on end when not needed. Thats a lot of extra weight. Too much extra equipment to keep track of while trying to do all the day to day things a soldier has and is expected to do.
I remember reading a period account written at the beginning of the war about a new Union company that had just been formed with local volunteers. East coast city I think , maybe in Maryland?
After receiving a couple weeks of hurried, rudimentary training and a couple of days before starting the march south, several local wealthy benefactors who had pooled their money a days before the unit’s departure bought a large lot of the Colt 5-shot .36 caliber revolvers-enough to present each man with one of his own as a gesture of their gratitude to the volunteers for such a patriotic response.
The author of the account ( who was one of the volunteers ) noted that beginning of the second day of the march some of his comrades had started tossing their new pistols in the ditches and brush along the road when the officers were not looking. In the following days as the fast-paced march progressed, more and more pistols were tossed away. The reason the men were tossing them was they did not like having the extra weight of the pistols added to their already cumbersome burden of blankets, canteen of water, extra clothing, shelter half, etc. that they were required by orders to carry.
The author said that within a few days half of the pistols had been tossed, and the majority of the ones left when the unit reached their destination at a big camp, almost all the remaining pistols were sold to local civilians, and officers from other units.
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there was a video on the spare cylinder thread where some real historians went through loads of actual equipment lists for both union and Confederate cavalry and there was scarcely enough revolvers to equip a troop with a single revolver each. The regular troops did Not have multiple revolvers or any way to carry them.
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Your ex must have been a proponent of the spare cylinder idea?
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Been watching these threads and digging through my Colt books and I’m not finding evidence of spare cylinders being sold in any great numbers to the military or the public. I have found that the war department purchased a few thousand frames and many wedges though the reason for them is lost to history.
I have no doubt that some people sourced spare cylinders. Just doesn’t seem as if it was a common practice.
Trev
40 Cal
Do you find anything that indicates even carrying a revolver was common practice?
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Excellent point.
I don't think that given the totality of the population that gunfighting was common practice.
Chewing gum was invented about the same time as C&B revolvers and I am pretty sure it was common practice for folks to chew it, yet you rarely read about that or see it in movies.
I guess chewing gum doesn't have the same cachet as a good shootout, same as perhaps a part of a gun doesn't have the same fascination as a whole operating firearm.
Trev
40 Cal
No way to prove it, but I'd believe that a much higher percentage of the population has a daily carry today than in 1870-1910.
