For years I've read about 19th century examples of marksmanship by our western heroes (and villains). I'm not talking about hip-shooting moving mounted men at 50 yards, I mean real, practical shooting as well as some of the more amazing (and believable) stuff, such as Hickok and Hardin's skill with the revolver. There were many men of that time who were quite skilled with the pistol, but my question is, how did they get so good? Ammunition at the time was quite expensive (for the era) on the frontier, not to mention hard to get. True, most of the more famous shootist attained their fame with the percussion revolver. But that, too has a weak link, the percussion cap. Many of the great marksmen of the day were counted among the poorer class of society so money, or lack thereof, was a valid consideration. Moreover, 19th century society, especially on the frontier required a lot of time and work, including things that most of us today either take for granted or wouldn't even consider. So not only where did they get the money, but where did they find the time? Our modern replicas, with better steels and manufacturing techniques, require quite a bit of fiddling, not to mention a reasonable supply of spare parts, to keep in shooting condition. There was no Dixie Gun Works and telephone orders, with same day shipping and get it early next week. If you needed a part, you either ordered it and waited or made it (or had it made) yourself. Which all took MORE time and money. Also, it takes quite a bit of shooting to even get proficient with most handguns, let alone to be able to reach the level of skill that those great men possessed. Guns wear out and need to be replaced. So I wonder, how did the 19th century shootist find the time and money to become a legend 150 years later? Of course I'm not talking about the average ruffian who shot his man in the back or whatever, I'm referring to the honest-to-goodness marksmen who had to "learn the hard way." Any thoughts?