Movies featuring blackpowder firearms?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I just saw the aforementioned Open Range that featured Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner. It is in the genre of the classic western where some peaceful cowboys are forced into a fight they did not want by a large cattle baron. It has a climatic long running shoot out in the end with a high body count.

I also saw The Three Amigos and noticed in one gunfight an amigo (Ned) was forced to use either a first or second model Dragoon in a shoot out.
 
Ride With The Devil. Some of those Missouri Bushwacker portrayers carried several revolvers in saddle holsters and stuck in their belts, just like the real mounted irregulars did.

Black Robe was another authetic good one, even if they were matchlocks.
 
Last of the Mohicans is one of my all time favorite movies! Love The Patriot too. The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of my favorite Eastwood movies. Ride with the Devil is also excellent. I actually loved The Quick and the Dead. If you can look past the goofy parts, there were some great guns and costumes. I was impressed that they gave Cort an 1851 cartridge conversion and that he asked for ".38 Long Colt" when it ran dry. Last Stand at Saber River is also a good one and with an 1860 cartridge conversion with engraving and ivory grips featured prominently. Same for Crossfire Trail and the Open Top he carried. Which I believe was scratch-built by Kenny Howell.
 
When it comes to the accurate use, and limitations, of BP firearms my favorites are Quigley Down Under, Master and Commander, Gettysburg, and Last of the Mohicans. Most Tom Selleck westerns are pretty accurate and, of course, are very enjoyable. Then there's Jeremiah Johnson and Josey Wales. Ah heck, I just like films that feature the old guns! Even the recent Musketeers movie and Man In The Iron Mask do a decent job.

Now I have to watch 3:10 To Yuma, the Sharpe's series, and Lonesome Dove. (I have never seen more than a few minutes of Lonesome dove. :what:
I hang my head in shame.)

Jeff
 
The Comanche Moon Series wasn`t bad, either, when it came to the guns. Ed Pease , the governor of Texas had a revolving rifle on his mantle. Poor Deets got stuck with carrying a .44 Walker on his hip, while most of the other guys were carrying .44Dragoons in cross draw holsters. Didn`t notice any `51 Navies, might have missed em. Old Idahi had a Sharp`s.

There`a another oldie -Kentucky Rifle, a 1956 flick starring Chill Wills -well you ,guessed it - features Kentucky flintlock rifles.
 
Last edited:
One of the background horsemen and shooters in many of the scenes (Especially in the woods ambush) is a friend and member of our church. The extras supplied most of their own guns and outfits, that is why they were historically correct. Sometimes the stars may have a brass frame that wasn't true to form, but that's hollywood. It is a good movie.

By the way, one of the Dragoons in the new True Grit movie used to be mine. There were three rented. I traded it to David Carrico for a set of handmade gun leather and accessories. He made much of the leather for "The Missing" "Jonah Hex" 'Into the West", 'Appalosa" and some others, especially the calvary stuff. He made the belt for the 8 gauge in Appalosa. (I know the spelling if wrong, sorry,). He also supplied the dragoons and told me it was in it. David is having a bout with Leukemia now, but go to his web site. He is a great guy. www.carricoleather.com
 
these are not true black powder they are converted to metallic cartages; he swaps cylinders in parts


Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) carries two Colt Walker 1847 revolvers in twin holsters as his primary sidearms, although he carries four pistols in total. While not supposed to be known by the audience, the guns are converted to fire metallic cartridges instead of firing percussion cap and ball, since this it is safer to use blanks than firing blackpowder blank shot. While some of the guns are anachronistically seen with conventional metallic conversion kits with ejector rods and loading gates, these guns lack these features to try to hide its conversion. In some scenes though, the guns are non-firing models which do have percussion nipples so the audience can be tricked into thinking the guns are a percussion only. The famous image in which Wales poses with his Colt Walkers is a good example.
Click to expand...
http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Outlaw_Josey_Wales,_The
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There are a whole lot of people who use black powder in metallic cartridges that might not agree with your statement:
these are not true black powder they are converted to metallic cartages
Click to expand...
And it's customary to use quote marks when restating other people's work verbatim.
 
Thank you barstool guru for pointing out the conversions in Josey Wales.
Plz put things in quotes when you use another source.
 
Thanks guys!

After reading this thread I found a DVD of Ravenous for $6. Somehow I had skipped that one.

Fun movie.
 
J.T. Gerrity said:
I also like "12 Monkeys", a futuristic Sci-Fi film where Bruce Willis is given a LeMat revolver to use during the closing moments. I don't think there was any other significance to it's use in the movie other than the fact that it's a really, really big gun...
Click to expand...

YES! I was always wondering if that was intended as 'just what the fictional characters could get their hands on', or if the crew just thought it looked cool...

Zombiphobia, the capped percussion gun with cartridges in belt-loops always bugged me a little bit, but The Good, the Bad and the Ugly will always be tied with just a few others as my absolute favorite movie.

I'm only halfway down page two of this thread as I write this, but I will read the rest of the posts immediately after this reply. I just couldn't resist adding my own any longer!

Most of my favorites have been mentioned, So I'll go with others that haven't been mentioned yet as far as I know. I must say I enjoyed Mad Dog Morgan, though I hear that the version I saw on netflix has been chopped and edited (butchered actually, not the websites doing, that's just the version that they have to offer). Dennis Hopper gets his hands on several muzzle-loaders throughout the film, and plays a ridiculous character that is a must-see.

I also really enjoyed the late '80s or early '90s Treasure Island starring Charleton Heston and a young Christian Bale! That is THE best movie-version of the book I have yet to see. There's even a part where Jim (Chris Bale) tries to shoot a salty dog, and only gets a click instead of a boom -oops! wet powder!. He 'rapid-reloads' (lol re-primes) and well, I guess I shouldn't spoil it for you :neener:

This is a great and appropriate thread, My 'need-to-see-movies' list just got a few titles longer :)

Edit time:
Jaymo, good call on Last Man Standing I remember first time I saw that movie, I saw the Walker on the bar and couldn't stop from exclaiming that I hoped we got to see it used, and it was used in such an awesome way!!! Side-note, that flick was an homage to Fist full of Dollars, which was an homage to Yojimbo. Three excellent films

4v50Gary- awesome call with The Three Amigos! Mexican 'bad guy' takes Martin Short's nickel/ivory Saa out of his holster and says "You wanna die with a MAAAN's gun, not a lil see-see gun like thissss!" and hand's him either a dragoon or Walker, which he promptly drops to the ground while never actually releasing his grip, LOL!!! Ned (Martin Short) then goes on to actually shoot it. Such a great black-powder cinematic moment.
 
Last edited:
I always thought it odd that in "Lonesome Dove", Gus carried a Dragoon but kept an 1860 in a pommel holster on his saddle. Texas Rangers were (are!) tough, but c'mon....
 
There are a whole lot of people who use black powder in metallic cartridges that might not agree with your statement:
Click to expand...

The era of black powder cartridges is not well known at all outside of firearm circles. The federal laws that draw a distinction between loose powder and cartridges tend to reenforce the idea that there was just one major shift from smoke poles to "modern" cartridge firearms in the 60's and 70's. The second shift from black to smokeless is not common knowledge, oddly.

In fact I'm hard pressed to remember a *SINGLE* period film which had characters commenting on the new "white powder." Even though in reality it would have been a much commented-upon subject and folks from Alaska to Texas were grabbing up smokeless firearms the second they came on the market. I've seen multiple pics of prospectors up here that have factory-fresh smokeless arms, so you better believe they were talking about it around campfires. Heck even novels and films which include the advent of smokeless as a main plot point, such as "The Streets of Laredo," don't bother to comment on the real innovation taking place. It's odd.

Now that I think on it, there was a reference to black/smokeless in "The Rough Riders." But that's the only one that comes to mind.
 
The Dragoon was great on Lonesome Dove but the "two Pigs" were the real stars.
Mountain Men
Josey Wales
Jeremiah Johnson
Heck all of 'em set before 1900.
 
One movie I like is "Brotherhood of the Wolf" ("Le Pacte des loups"), set in mid-18th Century France. While there may not be a lot of firearm use in the movie, and it mixes genres (some of the stuff done may or may not be historically correct, but the costuming and such IS historically correct), it does include blackpowder firearms -- flintlocks.
 
Watched another older movie last night, "Catlow". Later 1880s (after the "Civil" War, anyway; what war is actually "civil"?), but the pistols at least have the appearance of being converted to use black powder cartridges. Not a lot of smoke, but it's still a good movie.
 
My original post was lacking a few photos, so here are a few :)

Ned Nederlander not looking so well with a Walker, though he did hit his mark!
3Amigo018.jpg

Lucky Day looking a little more composed with the Walker... When Ned took his shot, he went flying backwards and the gun flew up into Lucky's hands LoL
3Amigo021.jpg

Jim (Christian Bale) in a tight situation with two flint-locks
treasure-island3.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Internet Movie Firearms Database
Replies
0
Views
444
Allison
A
P
  • Locked
The curse of knowing too much about the history of guns
2 3
Replies
58
Views
2K
Shawnee
S
K
  • Locked
Josey Wales Pistols...
Replies
16
Views
6K
KMKeller
K
Olon
  • Locked
1851 Navy .44 revolver
Replies
14
Views
2K
Eyrie G. Dogg
Eyrie G. Dogg
C
  • Locked
Movies with Guns
Replies
23
Views
1K
qwert65
Q
Back
Top