luv2safari, that second picture with the young man and two dogs. Would that be around the Owens Valley area of Ca?My grandson started with the same gun I started with, the single shot Savage 220 in 20 gauge.
Single shots are light and nimble, and they make a hunter and shooter out of young Nimrods.
Near Yerington NV...luv2safari, that second picture with the young man and two dogs. Would that be around the Owens Valley area of Ca?
2. Aguila 12 gauge mini-shells make single shot and double barrel 12 gauges a joy to shoot.
I'm a fan and am looking for a 20 gauge version. Had one when I was a kid and should never have sold it.
Surplus Civil War muskets were dirt cheap and turned into shotguns. Most settlers heading west as you said were on a budget. Shotguns also were useful for a large variety of reasons.I read something once in regard to single shot shotguns.
The 1873 Peacemaker is often referred to as the Gun that Won the West.
The article I read said this was not so. It claimed the gun that won the West was the single barrel shotgun. Supporting this are the following facts,
1. Most settlers, during the period of wagon trains and after, were not very skilled with firearms.
2. Most settlers were not gunfighters and were looking to farm or ranch but they knew they needed a gun to hunt or defend themselves.
3. Most settlers had to put out a lot of money for other things they needed to start their life out West. A revolver was too expensive and a single barrel shotgun was the most affordable.
I still have mine. A 20ga that my old man purchased in Miami, FL for me when I was six-years-old. Eventually, my kid will have it.Oh, my, that reminds me...
Dad bought me a brand new H&R Topper 088 in 20 gauge in 1979 at a K-Mart when I was a kid in SE Iowa. There were times when I considered selling that gun to make ends meet and glad that I never did so. He's passed on now and the memories that just holding the gun brings are worth far more than its meager monetary value—it still looks great after all these years. It resides, well cared for in the gun safe, and will be passed on to my son long before I go as I want to see his reaction at receiving it and enjoyment from shooting it.
I'm truly sorry to hear that you've parted company with yours and hope that you've got other guns that hold such sentiment for you.
The shotgun may have been the gun that fed the west but rangers and soldiers who dealt with the natives weren't using single shot shotguns and neither were the lawmen or anyone else who was dealing directly with violence so I'd argue that it's a bit of a stretch to make the case that shotguns "won" the west.I read something once in regard to single shot shotguns.
The 1873 Peacemaker is often referred to as the Gun that Won the West.
The article I read said this was not so. It claimed the gun that won the West was the single barrel shotgun. Supporting this are the following facts,
1. Most settlers, during the period of wagon trains and after, were not very skilled with firearms.
2. Most settlers were not gunfighters and were looking to farm or ranch but they knew they needed a gun to hunt or defend themselves.
3. Most settlers had to put out a lot of money for other things they needed to start their life out West. A revolver was too expensive and a single barrel shotgun was the most affordable.
There were probably a combination of guns that "won the West" during that period. Tough world back then.The shotgun may have been the gun that fed the west but rangers and soldiers who dealt with the natives weren't using single shot shotguns and neither were the lawmen or anyone else who was dealing directly with violence so I'd argue that it's a bit of a stretch to make the case that shotguns "won" the west.
I think one wouldn't be hard pressed to find situations where settlers used whatever firearm they had to defend themselves.The shotgun may have been the gun that fed the west but rangers and soldiers who dealt with the natives weren't using single shot shotguns and neither were the lawmen or anyone else who was dealing directly with violence so I'd argue that it's a bit of a stretch to make the case that shotguns "won" the west.
You are absolutely right. Weapons of all kinds including many shotguns were used to feed people and even defense but that was something everyone did all across the country since most people still lived rural even back east. The real "winning" was making it safe and moving a whole race of people off of it.I think one wouldn't be hard pressed to find situations where settlers used whatever firearm they had to defend themselves.
No.doubt those who dealt with violence on a regular basis were armed with more than shotguns. However, the need to eat on a daily basis by settlers who were waiting for their first crop to come in or first herd to be brought to market depended on shotguns to hunt small game as a previous poster noted.
Whilst fighting outlaws and savages was a concern at the time having something to eat on a regular basis was more of a concern for most folks.
YMMV
Just something about this little 12ga I love.
Simplicity and just fun to shoot. Had this gun for many moons. Gave $79 for it when it came out. Never had an issue with it. I'll say shooting slugs out of it ain't fun though.
Any one else a single shot or NEF fan?
In the grand scheme of things, it was settlers who won the west by carving civilization out of wilderness. The Army and the Law was a very small part. It was the hundreds of thousands to millions of people who built towns, homesteads, farms, railheads, and businesses.The shotgun may have been the gun that fed the west but rangers and soldiers who dealt with the natives weren't using single shot shotguns and neither were the lawmen or anyone else who was dealing directly with violence so I'd argue that it's a bit of a stretch to make the case that shotguns "won" the west.
Cap 'n ball revolvers were dirt cheap after the Civil War. If folks owned handguns, it was more common for them to own an affordable cap 'n ball or a small pocket sized piece.My Ancestors carried both on the Oregon trail. Both were muzzle loaders and both are still in the family. I would venture a guess that one was just as important as the other.
The Army and the Law didn't do that alone. Never ending numbers of settlers from the east pouring in by the millions did it. The Natives were outnumbered, devastated by disease/conflict, and for the most part were a broken people before the Census Bureau declared the closing of the frontier in 1890.You are absolutely right. Weapons of all kinds including many shotguns were used to feed people and even defense but that was something everyone did all across the country since most people still lived rural even back east. The real "winning" was making it safe and moving a whole race of people off of it.