Greetings Nathan B.,
The rifle carried by David (Billy Bob Thornton) Crockett in THE latest ALAMO movie is a custom flintlock made especially
for the movie. cannot remember all of the details other than it is a shooter in 54 caliber. It is modeled after an original Dickert rifle that is supposed to have survived the ALAMO battle.
Cannot recall the makers name, but believe his website is
www.redmountainart.com (or org) He tells about how he got involved and has photos of the rifle and some others he made for the movie.
If you are interested there is a ALAMO MOVIE WEBSITE with a members forum that has a section on weapons used by both sides at the battle.
So far as rifles in Texas at the time, I am not aware of any study ever done on that subject. However, I am sure that weaponry in Texas was probably representative of the type found all over the rest of the country; a mixture and variety of rifle, musket, and shotgun.
William B. Travis was once ordered to raise a 100 man calvary unit to be armed with double barrel shotguns, but other orders and the ALAMO got in the way of that.
There are two original authenicated David Crockett rifle on display at the ALAMO. Both were originally flintlock, but have been converted to caplock by later owners.
One of the rifles is the original "Old Betsy" given to Crockett in 1822 and is the one he killed 100 plus bears during one winter of hunting. Interestingly enough, this rifle is 40 caliber (a bit light for bear in my opinion) and for the time, unusally small size across the flats.
The second rifle is a heavy 14-15 pound rifle that he brought to Texas and traded it to one Andy Thomas for a lighter weight flintlock. The trade rifle evidently went to the ALAMO with him and to date has not been located or identified.
There are also two more existing rifles that has been postively identified as belonging to Colonel Crockett. One is a flintlock, and the other is an original caplock.
Caywood Guns is making an exact reproduction of the flintlock.
Hope this information will be useful.
Best regards, John L. Hinnant
