[telewinz]

Ok, its just like the movie "High Noon" with Gary Cooper but YOU are the town marshall and YOU are going up against four people by YOURSELF!:what: The four conventionally armed felons are walking down Main street to kill you and they are 5 minutes away. You may choose any weapon(s) that were available in 1881. Next to your office is an unlocked federal arsenal storing weapons and ammo from around the World. If you can't carry it or make it in five minutes you can't use it. Running away or hiding isn't an option!

[jhisaac1]

Can I use my horse? If so then my first choice is either a gatling gun or a cannon with cannister shot. If not, then I grab a sharpes (sharps?) rifle, a lever rifle, a shotgun (I assume I only have double-barrels available), and 3-4 SAA's.

I start out with the Sharpes and engage as far away as is practical, switch to the lever gun when they get closer, and then the shotgun or SAA's as appropriate when they get close.

I wasn't too concerned with caliber, I assume the Sharpes is a 45-70, the shotgun is a 10 or 12 guage and my lever rifle and SAA's are the same.

Jason

[C.R.Sam]

I've got five minutes to prepare for four to one against.

Next stage to elsewhere leaves in three minutes.

No sweat.

Sam

[stevelyn]

Conveniently place kegs of black powder around the vicinity where the BGs are going to be walking, maybe re-labeling them as beer. Have a couple bottles of nitroglycerine sitting on or near each them as detonators. Call for fire from the Coehorn mortar battery just set up on the edge of town, and strafe anything left standing with the Gatling gun. Then stampede the cattle corraled at the end of the street awaiting rail transport.

[Destructo6]

Quickly unhing the door to the pot bellied stove and wear it on my chest, then stroll down the center of town.

[TallPine]

I always wondered why Cooper, with a whole rack of Winchesters in his office, chose to go out armed with only a couple of Colt revolvers ... :confused:

I suppose it made the plot more exciting... :rolleyes: Otherwise, a great movie.

Rule #X: Bring a rifle

I suppose I would have went out with a Winchester and as many Colts as I could stuff in my pants. I don't believe you would want to take time to reload in a case like this.

[DMK]

Two revolvers, a pocket gun, a lever action and as much amo as I can stuff in my pockets, but only if C.R. Sam's coach has already left.

[El Tejon]

Audi A4 driven in the other direction.

[Keith]

Smoke signals to my 400 Commanche buddies hiding in the gulch outside town.
Then I secrete myself under the bed of my favorite floozie above the saloon, with a ten gauge double shotgun. Anybody wearing a black hat who darkens the door gets a load of 00 buck.

Keith

[jrhead75]

Wellsir, assuming that the stage outta Dodge has left, the rain has put out my signal fire, my favorite floozy has caught me with another floozy, and won't allow me under her bed...

I'd go with a .45-70 lever action, a 10 ga coachgun and one of those new fangled S&W D/A revolvers I've heard so much about. Add all the ammo I can carry, some good runnin' boots, a hidey hole with some cover, and I'm GTG.

[Brian Dale]

I'm the town marshal, so I'll stand my ground. If they're five minutes away, they won't see me burying the dynamite in the street (Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in 1867-1868; a federal arsenal would have it, and all of the fixin's - or blasting gelatin, 1875). Wires to the magneto in my lap, as I watch their approach from my vantage point.

If there's not enough time to bury the dymanite {Edit: nobody said that spelling was a requirement for the job of town marshal :neener: }, then I'll take the Gatling gun.

[dinosaur]

I`d just take the dynamite and hide them in some carrots and......:confused:, uh wait a minute. I think Elmer tried that on Bugs to his chagrin.:banghead: I`ll get back to you on this.:neener: :D

[sm]

Dynamite, 5 min fuse lit....hold up Sam...huff huff run run... I'm a coming too...
El Tejon ...drive around the big firecrackers...

[T.Stahl]

Hmm, a few dynamite sticks, a few pounds of lead shot, but what would you use instead of empty icecream boxes and det-cord in 1881? ;)

I guess I'd take two SAAs, two Winchesters and a Sharps. And call all of my friends.

BTW, I prefer El Dorado or Rio Bravo. ;)

[Zeke Menuar]

Change the channel. It's a movie isn't it?

ZM

[dustind]

The stove lid was from "back to the furure" right?

[TallPine]

The stove lid was from "back to the furure" right?
Yeah, but the original idea was from a Clint Eastwood move, in which he gets shot and knocked down before it becomes apparent that he has an iron chest plate under his poncho.

Don't remember which one ... ?

I still say a rifle beats a revolver.

[jercamp45]

grab a couple of rifles and spare ammo for both. I'd take a high vantage point where I can observe the approach of the BG's...when I saw them get into range in a nice close group...I would not talk at all, I would fire ONE warning shot..........
From my M203 grenade launcher...and mop up the remains with 5.56 softpoints!
:what: Oh, 18...88? Thank God I have my diminsional time deplacement unit!
Well, sticking to the rules.....it'd be three SAA's, two Winchester's and a Sharps with some spare ammo.
Still get to high ground to observe my targets before they got into town. Use the Sharps till the survivor(s) get into winchester range..when they are all down, hit 'em again. Leave the bodies for the buzzards. If any of the brave town folk that volunteered to help me out got in the way of a stray round? Oh well.....
Or, run and hide......? Last train/stage to Elsewhere!? Would not be a very good Marshal then.....
How about loading up that old cannon in the town square with nails, ball bearing etc. and let them get within range of my 'shotgun'?
Naw, distance is my friend! So is suprize, accuracy, fire n movement and big heavy bullets.
Jercamp45

[telewinz]

In 1879 the Gardner Machine Gun was demonstrated for the first time. A two-barrelled weapon operated by crank which loaded and fired each barrel in turn. The feed system was a grooved strip into which the rims of a box of cartridges could be slid, after which the box was removed. In public trials the gun fired 10,000 rounds in 27 minutes. This impressed military leaders from Britain and the following year the British Army purchased the gun.

Wilson Agar was able to sell 54 of his Coffee Mill guns to the Union Army. The Billinghurst-Requa was also used by Union forces in the war. The gun comprised a wheeled frame carrying 24 rifle barrels. Once the gun was loaded a single percussion cap was placed on a nipple on the iron frame and fired by a hammer, the flash passing through the frame to ignite all 24 cartridges.

[jar]

The stove lid was from "back to the furure" right?

Ned Kelly.

[HankB]

Put a crate of nitroglycerine off to one side. Move back. When the bad guys draw even with it, shoot it from long range with one of the Whitworth target rifles I took from the arsenal.

After the blow-up, I'd drop the first Whitworth and grab another to pick off any survivors . . . changing rifles is faster than reloading.

[keederdag]

10lb gun loaded with horse shoes and pieces of chain, backed up by a henry repeater in .44 henryRF.:evil:

[Ironbarr]

Hmmm...

Typical pace = 3 MPH. 5 Min = 1/12th-mile = 440 Ft/146+Yds (to your nose). 146/5 - 29+ Yds/Minute closing rate.

Even if your spurs aren't stuck in your desk slowing down your trot to the arsenal, it seems to me that if you aren't already armed you're in deep doo-doo. The best I see is grabbing a (hopefully) clean, operable, zeroed, and loaded lever on the way out the door. Best crank and cock it on the way.

The rest is pure skill - luck - or script.

-Andy

[Brian Dale]

If those are the conditions (that they're 5 minutes from the tip of my nose), then I agree with your math and I'll grab two rifles. The lever-action 1873s in the rack in my office will be "clean, operable, zeroed, and loaded." It's me that I'm writing about.

When I read the original post, I took it to mean that I had five minutes before they came into view, or into range. If that is the case, I stand by my earlier answer.

Danged Book-Learnin' -

[Mike Irwin]

The first thing I'd pick up would be a double-barreled 10-gauge Greener shotgun.

Everything else is just an afterthought.

[Brian Williams]

I would take 3 1873 muskets in 44-40, each one has a 17 round tube mag. and a couple of SAA in 44-40 also for transitioning from one unloaded rifle to the next full one.

[Ironbarr]

...felons are walking down Main street to kill you and they are 5 minutes away.Well, "away" could mean anything, but you can see that I took it as a technical literal... let's call it "worst case scenario" - CQ, nose-to-nose.

Should I assume that box-cutters are in or out? :confused:

[Art Eatman]

Four against me? I'll hide behind some building until they're past, and then backshoot them. Take the first two with a shotgun; drop it and get the other two with a rifle.

"Fair" fights are for fools. I wanna go home to Sweet Thing.

Art

[longtom4570]

What are felons doing walking around, I thought that they hung all the bad guys:evil:

[seeker_two]

Take a Sharps or Rolling Block, two Winchester '73's, and at least two SAA's or Remington '75's & head for the bell tower at the church. Take out as many from the steeple as I could before they come to me, then shoot the rest when they get inside the church.

After I'm done, I'd leave town & let the :cuss: ingrates fend for themselves next time...

[geekWithA.45]

It's just 4 guys!

You don't need the whole durned arsenal.

Ya'll act like you've never shot el presidente before.

Sheesh.

[Matt G]

Spend the 5 minutes loading to capacity a Winchester 76 (chambered) and a 10 ga double, (with 3 reloads for the shotgun in pockets) and rigging some kind of sling for the shotgun.

When they step out into the street, holler at 'em to disarm and give up. Then try to hit as many as possible with the rifle. Hopefully two or better will drop.

Drop the rifle, and finish up with the shotgun, but fast.



Our own Denny Hansen has a perspective on this that I agree with: The whole movie plot of the bad guys having the whole town running scared is just contrived Hollywood hogwash. In the early 1880's, those who lived in those western frontier towns were tough. They fought and scrabbled to get there, and then fought and scrabbled to live. Natural selection was in full force back then and there. They did not just run when trouble came. Oh, they might not meet the bad guy in the street toe to toe (who would?!?), but they'd sure as heck stick the muzzle of a shotgun out the upstairs window of their shop and take out a menace to their town and livelyhood.

Me? If I were town marshal, I'd get with ol' Clem, the blacksmith, Ned, the General Store grocer, Joe, the bartender, and Pete the dentist, and equip all with rifles. "Stay low 'til the shooting starts, boys. Then shoot 'til they stop moving."

[Fed168]

Have ya seen the end of Open Range? Something like that.

[Bigjake]

which gang was it that thought it cow the towns inhabitants and then rob both of its bank, but intstead got shot to pieces by the armed townspeople?

[Bigjake]

answered my own question, it was the town of coffeyville and the dalton gang were the attempted robbers. the heist was a bust due to the people getting word of the raid in advance and the local law arming the town.

[Fed168]

Bigjake, could be Northfield, Minn?

[4570Rick]

I would take 2 SSA's, 2 lever guns, 1 sharps .45-110, and a punt gun.:what:
A punt gun for those who don't know, is a big BIG HUGE shot gun that can weigh up to 100 lbs and shoot up to 20 oz of BB shot a one time. Used in the later part of the 19th century by "Market Hunters" to shoot 30 to 50 ducks at a time, I think it would be exelent mounted to a buckboard and aimed down the center of the street. At 60 to 70 yards, it should cover the whole width of the street.:D

Think about it. 1 1/4 pounds of BB with one squeeze of the trigger.





















http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fassitt/seaside_1915.jpg

[Ironbarr]

BIG gun? Rule #4?

BTW, folks, by the originator, these guys are already walking.

[TallPine]

Rick, how you gonna paddle that boat down the main street of Hadleyville, NM ... :confused:

:D

[Dr.Rob]

(2) Colt 1878 New Frontier Six Shooters, 45 caliber please.

(1) serious as a heart attack 12 ga. Colt coach gun and some reloads.

Or perhaps a fine Winchester rifle in a RIFLE caliber.. 38-55 or so.

Like Art said, let 'em walk right on by my hiding place, light 'em up for the bad men that they are.

[4570Rick]

I said
I think it would be exelent mounted to a buckboard and aimed down the center of the street. :D

[Archie]

that would be a model '73 Winchester, which was available in .44 WCF (.44-40). It would be loaded fully. I would be behind a watering trough or other proper cover at the end of town with the train station. The point is, I see them and have them in my ambush zone from the git-go.

As soon as they clear the train and I have a shot, Frank Miller goes down. He's first, no matter what. He's armed, he's already declared his intention, and he's in my town.
The other three would be in rapid sucession; if they're within 75 yards, that would not be a difficult trick, especially with all of them walking shoulder to shoulder. Still, Miller goes first; that will take some of the sand out of the other three. After all, it's Miller's fight, right?

The plan is to get a shot in all of them. If a couple of them run off (out of town) let them go. The sun and infection will take care of them soon enough.
For those on the ground, I'd let them lay there for a good twenty minutes, maybe half hour. If they twitch, especially Miller, shoot them again.
Then go clear the scene, call doc and the undertaker, turn in my gear and set off for my retirement career. With my fair haired beauty. Pop a Frankie Lane CD in the player in the buckboard and wave good bye to all the weinies in town.

[Matt G]

Or perhaps a fine Winchester rifle in a RIFLE caliber.. 38-55 or so.

Ahem. I did order up an 1876 Winchester. Do I HAVE to specify that it would be in .45-75, or .40-60?!? Lower capacity, but MUCH more "oomph"!


I think Archie's got it pretty good, except for caliber and that I'd wait a bit for them to get a bit closer before opening up. Hitting Miller as he steps off the train will cause the rest of 'em to scatter.

[Brian Dale]

Yeah, well, so I grabbed a couple of 1873s; their ammo matches the Colts I always carry. It's all about shot placement. :neener: There are only four of 'em, folks - :evil:

If I'd stopped to think, I'd have grabbed 1876s, instead. See? I sacrificed smoothness for forced speed, and y'all know what the man said: "it is a snare and a delusion."

Our interpretation of one of the original conditions (five minutes until we're nose-to-nose) has made another original condition (the handy federal armory) useless. I want my dynamite back!

Edited for clarity by Happy Bob

[TallPine]

Leave the guns behind. Guns only escalate the situation.

Try to negotiate with Frank Miller and his buddies. Ask him how he feels about the time he spent in prison. Buy him a non-alcoholic or de-caffeinated beverage and sit down and talk about your differences and experiences.

:neener:

:D

[MrKandiyohi]

which gang was it that thought it cow the towns inhabitants and then rob both of its bank, but intstead got shot to pieces by the armed townspeople?

I thought of Northfield, MN right away and the James-Younger gang. The robbers didn't try to cow the citizens, though. They tried to get in quick and get out quick.

http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/16northfield.html

[Fed168]

I got to rethinking my strategy- is Mongo in the arsenal?

[Ironbarr]

Maybe a well-trained Godzilla?

Sic 'em, Zil.