36 cal. leathal at 75 yards

[Old Fuff]

Newspaper accounts and the Harpers Monthly article have Wild Bill armed with "Navy Colt's," but neither were particularly accurate or reliable. By the end of the Civil War few men were still carrying Dragoons as belt guns. There was no shortage of more modern Colt's and Remingtons, among others.

On Colt revolvers of that day the rear sight was a little "V" notch in the hammer nose. At the factory great care was taken to insure that at full-cock the hammer was back against the backstrap. This prevented strain on the hand, and battering of the cylinder notches by the cylinder bolt. Modern reproductions often aren't so adjusted, and the hammer is forward of the backstrap when it's at full-cock. Since the hammer nose rotates in an arc, the net effect is that it is higher then it would be otherwise, and this in effect causes the gun to shoot higher.

Even so, these guns were sighted to shoot higher then generally is the case today, and occasionally you'll find an original gun with a higher front sight dovetailed into the barrel. Such a sight could be moved in the dovetail to adjust for windage, and made high and filed down to correct elevation - at whatever distance the owner desired.

Your great-great-grandparents weren't so dumb after all.

 

[Harve Curry]

I might be wrong but I think the old revolvers almost always shot high. The old word was "regulated" to hit at 100 yards, going back to the 1847 Colt Walker. Soldiers were taught to hold on the belt buckle of their target with rifle or revolver. Maybe Old Fuff can add more to this old method.

 

[FSCJedi]

I think I've heard that 75 yards is the magic number for '51 Navies.

 

[Doc Rizzi]

There is no shortage of versions to these old stories

I have a pair of Pietta Navy's and they are tack drivers out to about 25 yards. I use them for CAS and when the expended caps don't jam up the works they are fast and accurate. I only load them up with 15 grains because for CAS you don't need much. I have experimented with higher loads but have not been able to find reasonable groups out beyond 25 yards. I suppose that if I practiced a few hours every day that my skill would increase as I became more familiar with the way that particular gun shot. Reading primary sources like Harpers is nice. One of the frequent contributers to that publication was a man named Nichols. He actually was the one that started the "embellishment" of Hickock's feats with the blessing of Hickock. He wanted Nichols to write something that his mother would be proud of. The tabloids in the East picked it up and the legend was born. So now, it is very difficult to sort out the fact from the fiction....but fun researching anyway.

 

[sixgun MAK]

Maybe those 36's can kill a man at 75 yards, but they do a poor job on feral cats at 25.

 

[Gustav]

Lethal, Yes

Preferable, No

A .36 caliber lead ball is lethal allot farther than some would guess or think.

One sad case of recent history comes to my mind.

It is the case in which a San Jose officer Gordon Silva was killed as a result of a single OO buckshot pellet that hit the officer below his vest from a ricochet.

Tragically two officers died in this event one was murdered by a crazy person he was trying to help by his own service revolver the other died from one single shotgun pellet gone astray, always know what is beyond your intended target.

 

[mobayjd]

Ask Davis Tutt!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mobayjd]

Ask Davis Tutt!!!!!!!
PS: you,ll have to dig him up.

 

[kentucky bucky]

Not to be a smart a##, but if you don't think .36 is lethal, then why don't you amaze your friends and soak up some .22 rim fire at the same range? The point being, there is no doubt they are plenty lethal at that range and even father. I would bet that Wild Bill could do head shots at that range, from what eye witnesses said about his marksmanship.