What did they REALLY carry in the old West?

[Keith]

>>>>>The West was already won by the 1890's.<<<<

Tell that to the miners in the NW territories and Alaska!

The US navy was bombarding Alaskan Indian villages as late as 1906 to "teach hell to the savages".

Keith

 

[Dave T]

I have been an amateur historian for years and the period I have always been most interested in was the post-Civil War American West. I have read most everything printed on that era and the guns used then.

For 9 years I was active in the Cowboy Action Shooting game and Living History re-enactments and shot original 19th Century firearms loaded with black powder cartridges.

One of the things I learned is that the old saying "Times change, people don't." is true. Back in the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s and early 20th Century people were much like we are today. There were those who had no interest or use for guns, those who owned a gun or two but were not firearms enthusiasts, and "gun cranks" like those of us here. This last group might include some "professionsals" to include both lawmen and outlaws.

The people with no interest probably didn't own guns, just like today. Many more people owned guns for occasional hunting or maybe home defense but weren't connoiseurs, just like today. Among that group there were probably more shotguns, rifles and small caliber hand guns. The final group would own several and they would be the best they could afford, just like today.

The last group is where my research indicated you would find the SAA Colt. Yes there were S&Ws, Remingtons and M&H revolvers. I have owned and shot all of them and can tell you the one reason Colt dominated among the "professionals" and also why it was adopted buy the military.

We're talking about the black powder cartridge era. Black powder fouling was a big problem, particularly in extended shooting. The Colt SAA, because if it's simple design holds up better than the more complicated S&W, the poorer design of the Remington, or the fine machining of the M&H. Among serious handgun users the Colt SAA in 45 Colt dominated.

For much the same reasons, reliability and durability, the Winchester repeaters (Henry, 1866, 1873, 1876, 1886 and 1892) were dominate long guns with the same professionals. And yes, 10 and 12 gage shotguns were also popular fighting guns.

 

[Tommy Gunn]

I will bet my bottom dollar that older muzzle-loading firearms would have been most common. Very economical for the working stiffs who did not have much money.

 

[Wayne D]

What about cap and ball revolvers converted to fire cartridges? What part did they play?

 

[MrAcheson]

The SAA was popular in the US for several reasons. The big one is that it came out in 1873, where as the Remington and S&W didn't really hit the American scene until 1875. There was an economic "panic" in there as well which contributed. A second big one is that the .45 colt had a 40 grain powder charge which made it a legitimate horse pistol as opposed to the lighter charge of the Remington and S&W. This made it a much more useful tool to a cowboy.

For the most part thats what guns were to the people of the Old West. Tools. One of the reasons they had much more experience with firearms per capita than today is because most farmers/ranchers owned long guns as tools and farmers/ranchers were a much larger percentage of the population than today. Many people have said that double barreled shotguns and other long guns tamed the west.

Smaller guns were carried for self defense and .32s were very popular for this purpose especially in cities and towns.

 

[riddleofsteel]

A little of my own family history might shed some light here.

My great-great-great grandfather Daniel Malloy came down from Virginia to Rockingham County N.C. via flat bottom boat in 1840. At that time the Piedmont region of N.C. was a frontier wilderness with few roads and fewer laws. Daniel was said to have carried a .45 percussion type muzzleloading pistol and a large knife every day.

My great-great grandfather was David Morton Malloy. He was born 1834 and died 1902. On June 3, 1861 he was elected 3rd Lt. of the 21st. Regiment Company L CSA in Wentworth N.C.
There are court records before he left for the war of his being involved in numerous knife and fights and we know from family records he carried a .44 caliber 1858 Remington cap and ball revolver and a large knife daily before entering the Civil War.
After the war he returned to Rockingham County N.C. packing twin 1860 Colt .44 cap and ball revolvers with pearl grips that he carried in a broad sash around his waist along with a Arkansas Toothpick style knife.
In later years during the Reconstruction era he would not travel the public roads without them. At home, he often carried both the pistols and his knife while supervising activities on his farm and other farms he managed. At his death in 1902 his weapons were close at hand and passed on to his son.
My great grandfather was Robert Martin Malloy 1870-1908. He moved west to Broken Bow, Nebraska in 1896 and worked for 3 years as a clerk in a dry goods store before moving on to Tombstone Arizona due to contracting TB. He was a partner in a dry goods store there for two years until the death of his first wife. In letters to the family he spoke of the need to go armed everyday as the "lawless element" was as common out west as it was in N.C. In 1902 he returned to N.C. after the birth of my Grandfather Glenn Turner Malloy. According to family records he had the habit of packing a S&W .38 Long Colt revolver in his coat pocket.
Appearantly the habit of packing a handgun each and every day was more dependant on the daily dangers faced by the individual not the geographic location. At least in my family history the men carried handguns and knives from the backwoods of N.C. to the dusty streets of Tombstone.

 

[DeltaElite]

Well in a past life I was an Old West Sheriff, honest I was, ok at least play along.

I would have carried twin 44's or 45's as the back up to my Double Barreled Shotgun. Of course a lever action in 44 or 45 would be necessary also. Manufacturers not that important, as long as they were quality arms.

Quick draw my patooty, surprise is better and safer.

I love the Old West.

 

[Bart Noir]

Back to Mark Twain's quote, he may have been talking about Smith and Wesson's first handgun, which wasn't a revolver. It was the Volcanic lever-action pistol (they made carbines too) and it fired a pretty weak cartridge. Various models of it carried differing numbers of cartridges. I don't think S&W made a 7-shot .22 then. Sorry, I don't have the links. Then they sold this "revenue challenged" design to a partner named Winchester, who had it developed into the .44 Henry and Winchester 1866 rifles and carbines, which also used a much better cartridge.

Also, the production records show that the .31 cap & ball revolvers (all makes) and .32 and .38 cartridge guns were produced in far greater numbers than the .44 / .45 models. So a lot of those smaller guns were carried. I mean, even Billy the Kid used the .38 Colt DA model. If he could have shot the .44-40 they would have called him Billy the Man

Bart Noir
"An arm stops harm."