In the book Little House in the Big Woods, which was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s recollection of her childhood in the early 1870s, she describes in detail how her father cast roundballs for his rifle and mentions his powder horn, so clearly some people were still using them. And when I was in junior high school in the 80s, one of my social studies teachers told us about how he would hunt squirrels in the Depression with a rifled musket his grandfather had brought home after the War Between the States. Heck, I went out and shot a deer with a muzzleloader just a couple of months ago!Okay, question. I just watched the pilot of Little House on the Prairie for the first time in about 50 years and noticed Pa toting a powder horn. Were people still using powder horns in the early 1870s or had everyone switched to more modern guns? This was possibly meant to show Pa was from the backwoods and couldn't afford a modern gun, or was possibly a mistake. I don't know what kind of gun he owned in real life, and remember very few details about guns from having read the books decades ago. People might want to check out the movie. The gun in shown in detail, particularly in the scene where Pa is gone and Ma is waiting in the house alone. Guess he either didn't have his gun with him or they had a second gun...I think he's supposed to have left her with the gun. Oh, and yes, there is one scene in which he fires directly at the camera, luckily without the tragic consequences that have accompanied other such actions. Thanks for any insights.
That Magnificent Seven (original) is another bee in my bonnet. Calvera only had 40 men to start with. Each of the "seven" shoots 4 or 5 early on. There's still 40 banditos left at the final battle.They are always accurate on TV and the movies. Look at some of the shots that were made in “The Magnificent Seven.”
we seem to have a tendency to forget that movies are for entertainment and that's their only redeeming feature. I must admit I quit watching movies quite a few years ago and I even question some of the documentaries that I watch because they sometimes don't get things real right. The one that did get me down that road of not watching where some of the ones based on the Bible when I discovered things that I thought I learned from the movies were wrong many, many, years ago. If you enjoy the movies, by all means watch them for the entertainment value and not for learning anything. When I hear about all the mistakes that you guys catch, I find it quite entertaining and I'm sure if I watched I would see the same things, no thanks. The real story about Hugh Glass is to me even better than what I understand they talk about in that movie. It had To be one of the greatest survival treks in all of our history.I get upset with Poetic License, Take the movie The Revenant, you already had a good story, (Hugh Glass and the Grizzley)and decided that you could improve on it. In this movie Ashley gets killed, not in real life, he went on to be fairly famous. Than Glass tracks down Fitz and kills him. In real life Frit joins the army and is pout of Glasses reach
Just my .02 worth
Having worked as a seizmograph crew in North Dakota in 1981/82 when it was often WAY below zero I often thought about 'Old Glass walking up the Missouri River in December to get revenge and his beloved rifle backwe seem to have a tendency to forget that movies are for entertainment and that's their only redeeming feature. I must admit I quit watching movies quite a few years ago and I even question some of the documentaries that I watch because they sometimes don't get things real right. The one that did get me down that road of not watching where some of the ones based on the Bible when I discovered things that I thought I learned from the movies were wrong many, many, years ago. If you enjoy the movies, by all means watch them for the entertainment value and not for learning anything. When I hear about all the mistakes that you guys catch, I find it quite entertaining and I'm sure if I watched I would see the same things, no thanks. The real story about Hugh Glass is to me even better than what I understand they talk about in that movie. It had To be one of the greatest survival treks in all of our history.
Squint
I am reading the book again and you are absolutely correct. Chapter 3 is titled "The Long Riflle" and describes everything about making bullets, cleaning, and loading the gun, including the powder horn, shot pouch, and patch box. Only thing it doesn't mention is pouring powder into the little side compartment--I think it's called the pan? It seems to me they did that on Daniel Boone, poured powder in there as well as down the barrel. Was that an older style gun which required that and Charles Ingalls's gun would have been a newer style requiring only pouring powder down the barrel, or did Laura leave an essential step out of the description? Thanks.In the book Little House in the Big Woods, which was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s recollection of her childhood in the early 1870s, she describes in detail how her father cast roundballs for his rifle and mentions his powder horn, so clearly some people were still using them. And when I was in junior high school in the 80s, one of my social studies teachers told us about how he would hunt squirrels in the Depression with a rifled musket his grandfather had brought home after the War Between the States. Heck, I went out and shot a deer with a muzzleloader just a couple of months ago!
Jay
Yep...did Laura leave an essential step out of the description?
Yep...
How about those western movies where every cowboy in town wore a six gun in a quick draw holster rig? History says that the weapon of the cowboy was a rifle. Pistol isn't much good on the plains.
I reckon all those revolvers made by Colt, Remington, Smith and Wesson and others had no use then eh? Revolver is pretty handy to have when the rifle is in the scabbard....How about those western movies where every cowboy in town wore a six gun in a quick draw holster rig? History says that the weapon of the cowboy was a rifle. Pistol isn't much good on the plains.
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