How were BP revolvers shot back in the day?

Left handed used of revolver; right for the sword

It is thought that the cartridge SA revolvers that evolved from the cap and ball pistols were intended for left handed use. see http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=82729

The colt .45 was originally designed as I understand it for the US Army and civilian sales were later.

The french Lebel revolver cylinder swings out to the right suggesting left handed use.

elmer keith shot two handed, and afaik, he learned from civil war vets how to shoot pistol, so at least those guys shot two handed.

Beleive or not, there is at least one teacher of self defense (Mr. G. Suarez)that advocates depending on the scenario using one handed, two handed, and shooting either side of the body.

Mr. Keith did do some long range shooting single handed from a stretched settng position with the handgun supported against the lower leg. I think this was done to extend the sighting radius and also to help older eyes focus on the sights by moving the gun a good distance away from the eyes.
Relative to swords and pistols I have seen pictures from eastern Europe from WWII showing USSR horsemen charging with drawn sabres. It certainly is conceivable that someone might have drawn a saber rather than a pistol during the civil war in the united states.
When the bonus marchers were driven away from D.C. during the depression mounted horseman under the command of MacArther with sabers were employed. But they used the flat of their sabers rather than the blades and not their side arms.

Anyone who's ever carried both a pistol and a long gun at once will tell you that it's usually best to have your pistol on your off side. The reason is that, when carrying or using a sling to support your rifle, you don't want it banging up against your pistol. You also may be holding your main gun in your main hand, leaving only your offhand free to grab your pistol.

It is a far quicker and easier action to release your supporting hand and use it to grab your pistol than to release your main hand, disentangle yourself from the stock, and grab the pistol. Additionally, pistols were largely used as emergency stopgaps while people were loading their musket, which also tended to leave their offhand more free (it's better to drop the gun you're supporting with your offhand than the powder horn you're carefully using with your main hand). It also takes just half a second to swap the pistol to your main hand after drawing with the offhand.

For these reasons, it is very likely that pistols were, in fact, designed to facilitate left-handed use. Actually, having the cylinder swing to the right also has some benefit even to a right-hander. Your right hand is typically your more coordinated, which means it is better suited to quickly loading bullets in a cylinder. A right-swinging cylinder would thus allow you to support the gun in your left hand (keeping with the offhand's normal supporting role) while loading with your main.

barnetmill said:

It certainly is conceivable that someone might have drawn a saber rather than a pistol during the civil war in the united states.

Click to expand...

In reading about General G. A. Custer's Civil War experience, I read that during the first cavalry charge he lead, he vacillated between drawing his saber and his revolver. He had a romantic fascination with the saber ... but also a realization that the revolver was probably more practical. As it was customary (according to the source I read) for the rest of the regiment to look to the leader for the choice of their weapon, apparantly the regiment also alternatly drew their sabers & revolvers. BTW, as I recall, as Custer met the confederates he had the revolver in hand.

Getting back to the original question about how did they shoot their C&B pistols. I think that Elmer Keith was trained by veterans of the civil war and cowboys who used cap & ball revolvers. So I assume that the shooting techniques he writes about in Sixguns are the same as those used by those old timers? I don't think he ever mentions the Weaver stance and the ISO stance.

I read some of Elmer Keith's writings in the past, but I do not think his reclining position was an inheritance from the civil war vets. Rather, it might have been a practical means he used for long range handgunning. I do not recall Keith mentioning any "modern" stances that the old gunslingers used. Perhaps someone with copies of his writings can check on this point.


Timthinker

Macmac, please explain yourself sir. What did you mean exactly when you stated "like we do"? Who is this "we"?
Have you placed this ol' high plainsman and mountain man amongth the ranks of the uninitated?!!!

I'm not sure but I have read that many soldiers in the Civil War carried a derringer for a last ditch weapon in combat, but a full sized revolver would have been cumbersome.

GOC, Waugh!

"Well one thing they seemed to just know was to allow recoil to carry the gun up and then cock it again, when the gun was still up, so the spent cap fell away, and not into the action, like we do."

I been catched! Lo, whats a po chil ta' do? I wuz a' tryin' ta pretend some of 'we' was new. Dis heya' ol Chil been ta' voos many a' year, back before 84' and meebee then a few moa'

So I ain't got nary a trick or tip fer yee.

In iffn' you wouldn't mind Sir, please drop the 2nd mac, and just use one Mac..

Most everywhar's on this infernal machine most 'Macs' had been takin' long before I becum domstikated near to nuff to handle dis heya' typin keyboard thang.

i wuz gonna put in a captured sprit, but it seems the only one of me is decent trapper doin's, has a trade gun pinted straight at ya'... Not wishin to add insult ta' injury, I chose thisn' in it's place as gone injun...

I swear, MacMac, I LOVE YOU!!!!

civil war

"war of the states" MAC you all don hav the rict acent.I had a remington and firt shot went almos over the berm.found out it was sighted for about 60/70 yrds.and that is no piker of a load.some soldiers carried an extra one or two cylynders loaded for the remingtons.I have a number of civil war books on the guns and have owned a large number.before and slightly after WW2 ther were large numbers of civil war guns for any where from few dolars to $10.I bought a 73 win for $5 in AL.and a colt lightning for #3.I have alway felt they should have hung Reily the ordnance chief.for his stupidity.there were repeters the henry and spencer that would have shortend the war.I have pictures of women loading cart.by hand.when the machines could make metalics 100 times faster.oh well.

TEDDY, I don't really do the War Between the States. The why is, that the Industrial Revolution happened, and so most things are store bought to do that sort of re-enacting.

I was invited to one event on South Mountain in Burkittsville Md once. This is still a little town on the National Register, very much as it was pre southern retreat to Antitiam (sp i am so sure).

There is a small public building there still that at the time Lincoln demanded all wounded soldiers would be treated, since it was occupied by the Union when he was there.

Since the only artical I had of my own was a cloned 1860 Colt in .44, everthing else except a slouch hat was loaned/borrowed.

Then I was given a Southern Late War regular in Butternut as a sort of day time guide. What was loaned to me to wear ended up as one of Mosby's boys, in part because i had a horse. So tall boots, 4 sizes too big, high waisted pants with suspenders, and white shirt, and a civilian coat pretty thread bare, which is always good for me.

I knew the area very well, and had been told of a Union Camp above town and so I took my regular for a hike. he was really happy about it because the rest of his unit were busy wondering what to do, and a part of what to do was make breakfast..

I had another idea about breakfast.

So the 3 of us headed up the backside of the ridge line partly cliff bluffs. That 3rd party being a horse. We reached the eastern side trail above the bluffs in not too long a time and headed northish to where i had be told the Union was.

My regular had a single shot musket, in 3 band Springfield, and I had 2 colts for a total of 11 shots up close and personal.

Rode right in as the union was brewing first coffee, and I hauled out the pistols and slid off the horse. Said mornin Boys!
My regular looking fierce leveling his musket in the way re-enactors do, a tad high of course.

I said who is in charge? And the privates looking a mite poorly, pointed at a wedge tent..... With one pistol I opened the tent flap, and the other pointing down a tad, but close enough to scare the ever living hell out of their capt, said "Mornin' Capt. coffees on"..

Man could that capt yell.

Later that night in that building there was a Ball, a dance.... I had some fun pre chorse driving a horse drawn coach, a really nice one all correct, and then got to become engaged in the Ball it self..

Me: This heya' chil been in my mountains long nuff ta' know whars them beava's at, and I don't hanker much for the ways of modern man.

Modern man is always running off silly, and ain't neva' got no time, which seems to miss the whole point on livin any..

Down heya' in Powda threads no one eva' mentions stuff like SHTF.. Now I can get some confounded, syferin and ponderin all about what SHTF means, and as i see it, in SHTF to me means I still get to shoot my ol' rock locks about all I want, or in other words a rock lock is higher on my list under the fire arm section than some other guns.

I still have the need to create powda' to be where I need to be. I need to master that.


GOC, love me Ok if you say so.. No chancet yer eva' gonna drop that 2nd mac eh?