People overestimate how often percussion revolvers were reloaded...

[Bunk]

I took this 2nd Gen Colt 1851 out and shot about 100 rounds through it to see if Mike (The Goon) was right after he worked on it. 380 round ball over a Gatfoe lubed wad and 21 grains of Swiss 3F. Treso nipples and # 10 Remington caps. Not a single hitch.
View attachment 127176

I have a pair of 1860 Army Colt revolvers he did and between the two there have been, over a time, a total of little over a thousand rounds and no cap jam. I keep a barrel record to see if he can prove his brag
"reliable as a suppository gun"
and by golly he is right. I have even tried to jam them by using odd size caps and they just never fail.
Respectfully
Bunk

 

[Stantheman86]

Some mentioned on here somewhere....if there were so many spare cylinders back in the day, Ex,. Gettysburg........where are they and what happened to them?

We don't see many "dug" spare cylinders from relic hunters

The only time I've seen a Colt with a spare cylinder was something rare like a Paterson cased set with a numbered, fitted spare cylinder that came from Colt but there were probably only a handful of these kinds of sets made

 

[Stantheman86]

I have a pair of 1860 Army Colt revolvers he did and between the two there have been, over a time, a total of little over a thousand rounds and no cap jam. I keep a barrel record to see if he can prove his brag
"reliable as a suppository gun"
and by golly he is right. I have even tried to jam them by using odd size caps and they just never fail.
Respectfully
Bunk

I may need to send my Uberti 1st Model Dragoon to him for a work over

 

[Billy Boy]

From what I've read, the "high noon/Marshal Dillon" scenarios are mostly fabricated by dime novel writers and western movie producers. Scores got settled, but lots were ambushes, shot in the back, with shotguns a preferred method of armament when trouble was expected.

Reloading even a cap&ball revolver atop a horse has to be difficult. Quite a few "western heroes" were created by pulp writers, not historians. Read court records for sworn testimony as I did for fun on occasion - kinda fun and eye-opening at times.

Even in these days of hi capacity wonder guns, where a shooter with an extra clip has the fire power of a Civil War platoon, the FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that the average shots fired until a social solution is reached is between 4 and 5 pops.

 

[jimhallam]

The guy was Lieutenant Charad, one of the commanders. His hands were shaking after the threat had passed. You may have noted that the second the Zulu returned for the next assault wave Charad's hands quit shaking. --- My dad was like that and so am I. The thought of what could have happened is unsettling. The instant the threat is present we were/are lucky to be able to function.

His name was Chard.
But it was a MOVIE ---- often using the worng guns -- - including the Webley which was WW1 era. Why do people assume that this is what happenned? (Chard)

 

[jimhallam]

Very true. I read a lot of history and historical fiction. From the late 1800.s back to the 1600's reference to multiple guns on their belt or sash is common. There was nothing gentlemanly in the way they were used . Each shot was meant to kill.

"historical fiction" is just that! ALMOST as bad as "Wild West movie" -- - especially the pre-WW2 ones.

 

[jimhallam]

There was no loading during a conflict. Which is why the period photos show pistoleers carrying multiple shooters. Once all shooters were emptied, the user switched to a blade. This guy has perfected the groin carry technique. The left testicle was considered sacrificial....

View attachment 127509

This is a "studio portrait" --- normally the weapons were supplied. It is not sensible to accept what is shown without due consideration of the circumstances -- -e.g., in the classic "Billy the Kid" photo it LOOKS as if he is left-handed --- but that is because of the way the picture was printed. Didn't stop Hollywood portraying him as "The left-handed gun" ;-)

 

[jimhallam]

Mathew Brady's work still garners my admiration.
[/QUOTE]
Don't forget that many of the pictures of CW battles were staged bythe photographers after the shooting had finished --- e.g., the one from "Devil's Den".

 

[jimhallam]

Check out the Clint Eastwood movie Josie Wales. He carried 4-6 guns and never reloads during a fight. He just switches pistols. I saw one western where the shooter actually carried backup cylinders and changed them to reload during a fight. Rather rare but did get shown in a couple of period movies.

MOVIE!!!! Look carefully at what is being used.
"PERIOD" movies from what period? CERTAINLY not from the period of actual use in the field.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I remember seeing a sign from an old Gunsmith's shop and it gave a price for "reloading revolver" Now I can't imagine this would mean anything but a cap and ball gun and that apparently some guns were carried by people who did not have the skill, supplies or desire to reload themselves.

 

[desi23]

I remember seeing a sign from an old Gunsmith's shop and it gave a price for "reloading revolver" Now I can't imagine this would mean anything but a cap and ball gun and that apparently some guns were carried by people who did not have the skill, supplies or desire to reload themselves.

Not just cap & ball revolvers either. A book on Derringer pistols I have has a number of prints of old ads from gun dealers. "Loading pistols" is commonly offered alongside sales ads, cleaning and repair services. Looks like there were enough people who either didn't know how or weren't comfortable loading their own guns to make it a service worth offering.

 

[GREENSWLDE]

Pale Rider is where his character swaps out the cyl on a Remington. Thought about carrying an extra cylinder but the caps being exposed to getting knocked on made me think twice.

Wasn't the PaleRider Remmie a Beales or other rimfire convertion ?? O.D.

 

[Crowtalks]

I believe that Hardin's father was a preacher and was pretty disappointed by his son's failure to follow his way of life.

From Wikipedia..." Hardin's father traveled over much of central Texas on his preaching circuit until he settled his family in Sumpter, Trinity County, Texas, in 1859. There, Hardin's father established and taught at the school that John Hardin and his siblings attended. Hardin was the second surviving son of ten children"

 

[Jim]

I remember seeing a sign from an old Gunsmith's shop and it gave a price for "reloading revolver" Now I can't imagine this would mean anything but a cap and ball gun and that apparently some guns were carried by people who did not have the skill, supplies or desire to reload themselves.

I think that “psyche” prevails today . . . . .

I’m astounded at some people today, that either can’t or will not, CLEAN THEIR OWN GUNS!!

My local gun shop had several guns in whose owners PAID the shop to clean them!!

Is that not the height of laziness . . . .or what??

 

[Crowtalks]

I think that “psyche” prevails today . . . . .

I’m astounded at some people today, that either can’t or will not, CLEAN THEIR OWN GUNS!!

My local gun shop had several guns in whose owners PAID the shop to clean them!!

Is that not the height of laziness . . . .or what??

I definitely believe Americans are getting lazier, but I also have known several people that are totally inept at anything requiring mechanical skills (such as cleaning guns)

 

[springfield art]

I've noted more than one Western where a guy was shooting a lever action or SA revolver, and his shots, often just two, came so fast after one-another, that it could only be done with a semi-automatic firearm. Even finer films like Open Range and Valdez is coming. Just part of being a fan and movie geek, like the extensive sites where film flubs can be seen. (A wrist watch on a Union soldier in "Glory", very briefly but there. )

 

[tenngun]

Most Old West shootouts were basically ambushes.Whack the guy and run away, no time to reload.

And ‘back shooting’ was not uncommon. Code dullo is nice for gentleman but the gutsy frontiersman just wanted to live to see the sun rise.

 

[tenngun]

Good point.

There's no way, unless you popped a glove off during a break in the action to reload
[/QUOTE]
Battles could take hours or days, but most of that time was maneuver, reforming ect. The actual fire fight was pretty brief.
Something like Pickets charge could last several hours counting the cannon dual before. But the actual contact between the men was still just a few minutes long.
The wheat field is another good example. No sooner would one side win the field then fresh troops showed up in the rear or on flank and the victorious regiment had to beat a hasty withdrawal. The bodies laid thick and casualties were high but the actual time for any one regiment to be shooting at each other was pretty quick

 

[FishDFly]

Good point.

There's no way, unless you popped a glove off during a break in the action to reload
[/QUOTE]


It is movies and TV~!

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

Wasn't the PaleRider Remmie a Beales or other rimfire convertion ?? O.D.

You sir are correct. This is a picture from the IMFDB.ORG website regarding the Remington he was using. I'll have to watch it again. Still kind of wary of carrying a loaded cylinder though.