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.
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.