Saddlemakers began crafting leather holsters that allowed wranglers and ranchers to hang their hardware on the hip. Historian Roger McGrath found that from 1877 to 1882 there were 31 homicides in Bodie which, according to the 1880 census, had only 2,712 residents. What we know now about cowboys was informed by tales passed down from the time but how much of the information we have today reflects what life was really like back then? And it vastly outgunned the majority of repeaters of the day, shooting some of the most powerful big-game cartridges around (and well) .45-70, .45-90 and .50-110. More than just a practical tool, these holsters could make a serious fashion statement. How did cowboys carry their guns? Required fields are marked *. It wasnt until after the Civil War when cartridge revolvers replaced cap-and-ball pistols, that leather workers began stitching loops into belts for shooters to store extra cartridges. Required fields are marked *. Accurately, too. Although a modified Mexican Loop holster provided a better grip and promoted a faster draw, they were far from the fast-draw version popularized by 1950s Westerns starring Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, and the like. It was too cumbersome and got in the way of handling cattle. Because a loop rig left cartridges open to the elements and potential damage and corrosion, most frontiersmen chose to carry extra cartridges in a leather belt pouch. Introduced in 1873 originally as a Cavalry revolver, the Single Action Army spread across the frontier like a prairie fire. But the cowboys of the past could stay alive with the things in this list. The shootout at the O.K. Chambered for powerful rounds such as .50-90, .50-110 and .45-70, the falling-block rifle was reasonably accurate, allowing hunters to harvest buffalo at relatively long ranges. The typical canteen was about 2-1/2 quarts. Marshall Virgil Earp, having deputized his brothers Wyatt and Morgan and his pal Doc Holliday, is having a gun control problem. Published in 1903, Andy AdamssLog of a Cowboy,a slightly fictionalized account of the authors life on the cattle trails of the 1880s, was a refutation against the myth-making dime store novels of the day. Although the traditional cowboy figure can be pictured riding away into the sunset, it wasnt the case for all men working in the tradition around the country. Armed with the brass-receiver beauties, among other repeaters, Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors utterly devastated the 7th Cavalry. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the country, triggering the great migration to the west known as The Westward Expansion. But there were times when cattle operations needed more hands than the few semi-permanent staff. Surviving Extreme Heat Without Air Conditioning, The Best (And Safest) Way To Stockpile Gasoline, Wildcrafting And Foraging Means Fabulous Food And Family Fun. The cowboys wore their guns as an act of defiance. Named for the Republic of Texas Navy, ironically, this gun saw little action on the high sea. A variety of shooting irons found their way into the Western frontier of the Americas. When they were discharged, they were allowed to take their guns with them. True history, not the kind shown on Netflix, isnt filled with gunfighters and stick-up artists, but rather hard-working men and women who faced deadly situations on a regular basis. The gun belt is fashioned to be draped low across the hips and designed to carry single or double holsters. Though pistols exert much power at close quarters, they become ineffective against any target over 30 meters away. In reality, no one gun can make the claim. Due to this,gun holsters of that period needed to be capable of adapting to the different firearm and belt sizes. The .45 Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver that James carried was known for its top-break action. The lever action rifle had a rapid-fire custom trigger release that allowed Lucas McCain . Frontiersmen often paired a rifle with a pair of revolvers, like the Colt Single Action Army, usually chambered for the same ammo as their rifles. Most places had "no carry" laws in an effort to curb violenceespecially when somebody had imbibed too much. That reduced the labor they needed to hire an important factor in a land where cash money was hard to come by. If they didnt wear it, theyd tie it behind their saddle, along with their blankets and rain slicker. Rarely did the cowboy carry his gun on him, unless he was on the trail. Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather notes that the Sharp rifle was the one against which other rifles were measured in the Old West. Proper clothing could save a cowboy's life, or that of his horse. Today, you're allowed to carry a gun without a license or permit on Tombstone streets. Be Prepared: Get The Ultimate In Portable Backup Power! Old West cinema peaked from the 1940s through the 1960s. The cavalry, on the other hand, was armed with single-shot Springfield Model 1873 rifles firing the now-notorious copper cartridges known to expand and jam the breech. Piggin strings are thin strips of leather or rawhide, like leather boot laces. The cowboy as we know him today was a much more complex figure a few hundred years ago, living out a life that might not be that far removed from the modern farmers of today. And few cowboys could afford a pack horse, in addition to the one they were riding. Whatever it was made of it would have a cloth cover, which could be soaked to cool the contents by evaporation. West Virginia law currently allows public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on their campuses. When it comes to shooting/carrying older style single action revolvers we all know or should know to load only 5 rounds and ease the hammer down onto an empty chamber. In fact, real cowboys didnt usually equip themselves with guns or other weapons to be used at a moments notice. The original design covered most of the pistol grip, which made accessing the firearm tricky. Slim Jim holsters were often decorated with tooled floral designs to show the leathermakers craftsmanship. Linkedin, Your email address will not be published. The rounds they used had a "one shot stop" rating of 98.9%. Pepperboxes. #4. In the early 1840s fight, 50 or so Texas Rangers, led by legendary Captain John Jack Hays, routed a vastly superior force of Comanche, thanks in large part to their five-shot Colt Patersons. Among the most storied was the Battle of Bandera Pass, which marked the turning point of the Texas-Indian wars. You have entered an incorrect email address! What we know about real-life cowboys is based mainly on hand-me-down tales and Hollywood depictions painted with sweeping strokes of creative license. The worst years were Ellsworth, 1873, and Dodge City, 1876, with five killings each; because of their small populations, their FBI homicide rates would be high. It might be a pistol, but in most cases it was a rifle. Usually cowboys stored their bedrolls in the chuck wagon, but sometimes they carried them on their horses. A good chunk of granite or a piece of sandstone it didnt matter. Its not that cowboys had anything against beef, but rather that those cattle were worth money. I mean two six-shootersa cowboy with two guns is all movie stuff, and so is this business of a gun on each hip. As the West developed, towns pushed this mythos of the West as their founding ideology. It was common for cowboys to hunt their meat in order to avoid eating the cattle they were raising. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. According to Stephen Aron, a professor of history at UCLA, the first law passed was one prohibiting the carry of guns in town, likely by civic leaders and influential merchants who wanted people to move there, invest their time and resources, and bring their families. From lawmen like Pat Garrett to outlaws such as John King Fisher, the Model 3 delivered the goods. A cowboys cook set was pretty minimal, but he usually had one. The bandana was a useful part of any cowboys kit. The first way to carry your handgun was in a Pommel Holster or Pommel Bag Holster. When the West was still wild, a man wouldnt dream of riding the range without a gun. She grew up slinging bullets and broadheads at Virginia whitetails, turkey, and game birds, but her favorite hunting experience has been chasing bull elk in the Colorado backcountry. This holster style is filmdoms favorite rig for their cowboy heroes. Unlike hip holsters, a shoulder rig made it easy for lawmen and outlaws alike to conceal their firearms under a jacket or suit coat. Previously in the Battle of Walker Creek and his Big Fight at Enchantment Rock, the Paterson proved its worth. Some archaeological evidence points to 134 firearms in the hands of the Indians, 62 of them Henrys. The federal government of the 1800s largely stayed out of gun-law court battles. Unlike their on-screen counterparts, cowboys were surprisingly peaceful, staying out of local conflicts in order to protect their profession and home life. This made the cowboys life one of survival. It seems to be much more of a 20th-century attitude than one associated with the Wild West.. The canteen was an essential piece of equipment, especially in terrain where water was scarce. In addition to its ease of use and low maintenance, what made the 1873 a success was Winchester chambering it for a number of its proprietary pistol ammunition .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20. This low-riding rig is still associated with the fast-draw, gunslinging, shoot . So, if the cowboys blanket roll and saddlebags were respectively his bug-out-bag and survival kit, what sorts of things did he carry in them? Cowboy Mounted Shooting - note the balloon distance and the powder spray. This is the Colt Single Action Army Revolver, also known as the Colt Peacemaker. When you compare this list to our modern bug-out-bag, there seems to be a lot missing. Nobody knows who fired first. What the Reel Old West Did to Cowboy Guns. The likes of Wyatt Earp, John Selman, John Wesley Hardin, Bat Masterson and many others all favored the Colt and for good reason. He found a combined 45 murders from 1870-1885 in Kansas' five largest cattle towns by the 1880 census: Wichita (population: 4,911), Abilene (2,360) Caldwell (1,005), Ellsworth (929), and Dodge City (996). Also, they developed devices which enabled their Single Action Army revolvers to fire an average of . Whether they were farmers, ranchers, prospectors or shepherds, their first job was to survive. Beans and bread were common fare, along with just about any type of meat imaginable. Even with the ballistics to drop a buffalo more than 1,000-yards out, there is modern research that points more to disease than the Sharps and other big-bore rifles in the animals disappearance. Take their getup. David had a pouch (a shepherds bag) on his waist to carry the stones that slew Goliath. Nothing much have changed in their form and style since then. Patented in 1836 and produced until 1842, just a little more than 2,000 of the cap-and-ball revolvers were manufactured. And a number of the hired Texas killers known as the Invaders utilized the rifle in Wyomings Johnson County War. Laws regulating ownership and carry of firearms, apart from the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, were passed at a local level rather than by Congress. The resulting shootout left 3 dead cowboys. More than anything, it was used as a dust filter over the nose and mouth. Their only tool was a knife. Who was the most famous cowboy? It was a time and place where rugged individualism reigned and the only law in the West that mattered was the law on your hip a gun. Of course, they were a much hardier breed than we are today. Your Privacy Rights That's the reason for the cavalry draw on the second gun. While there were many other firearms that left their mark on this time, these were among the most important. Louisiana, too, upheld an early ban on concealed carry firearms. In the case of a stampede, that gun might be the only thing to save your life. The iron-framed, lever-action rifle was ideal in a saddle scabbard or at the homestead, ready to take care of any chore a revolver couldnt handle. This wasnt a given, but it wasnt uncommon, either. Robert E. Lee carried a Navy while serving with the 2nd Cavalry in Texas, and it was the preferred revolver of no less than James Wild Bill Hickok. It didnt matter if he was only going to town, hed stop at the water trough and fill his canteen, often dumping out the old water to replace it with fresh water. This took a load of burden off a buckaroo during a period when logistics were not at the top of their game. He never knew what the day would bring or even whether hed make it back to the bunkhouse that night. Saddles were so vital to 19th-century cowboy life that punchers often spent at least two months of pay on serviceable rigs, with more ornate saddles costing as much as a year's salary. But when on a trail drive, they pretty much always went armed. He carried his two Colt 1851 Navy revolvers with ivory grips and nickel plating, which can be seen on display at the Adams Museum in Deadwood, South Dakota. Nevertheless, the cowboy had the essentials. If you were a Civil War era soldier, and you had a pistol in a holster at your hip, that pistol was (supposed to be) a backup weapon. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine And moisture could create internal rust. Their main purpose was for tying the feet of the cattle when thrown for branding or castration. The revolver was well balanced, provided a fast rate of fire and superior ergonomics. The Western cowboy became a superstar long before the Golden Age of Western films. Winchesters famous flat-sided, lever-action repeaters, and others like them, played a considerable role in taming the West. Developmental stages of the western gun holsters When a Kentucky court reversed its ban, the state constitution was amended to specify the Kentucky general assembly was within its rights to, in the future, regulate or prohibit concealed carry. Advice youll never hear from the mainstream media. When silent movies first hit theaters in the 1920s, the Wild West was a popular theme. He literally lived out of his bug-out-bag. While the trusty ol' lever-action shooting iron more than earned its stripes in military conflicts, range wars and protecting the Back 40, it far from single-handedly tamed the vast American frontier. Call it the predecessor to the sleeping bag. So, he kept a little bit of food in his saddlebags at all time. One of the best things for this was water. This also brought changes in how guns were carried. Famous Old West gambler Doc Holliday sported two Navy Colt revolvers, which he could draw from a shoulder holster with lightning speed which any fan of Tombstone knows only too well. GOOD GEAR Look Stylish Wearing Camo With the BRCC Camo T-Shirt. John M. Browning, of course, left a mark on the Old West, perhaps no more so than with his first repeating rifle with Winchester. Strap 'em on, Cowboy. The .45-70 round itself was more than enough to handle anything a soldier set his sights on out to 1,000 yards. Those of us who are fascinated with life in the WildWest, beyond what Hollywood shows us, realize that our pioneering forefathers had it hard. Back in the 1880s, you weren't. Same goes for most of the New West, to varying degrees, in the once-rowdy frontier towns of Nevada, Kansas, Montana, and South Dakota. Some quarter of a million were made between 1850 and 1873. No person, no matter how talented, can use two guns effectively at the same time; moreover, it was tiring enough to carry one four-pound gun, let alone two. The cowboy's slicker was usually carried rolled up and tied behind their saddle. Never one to sit still and look pretty, Alice is also a self-defense instructor and competitive archer. Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, who stood and fought, were killed by the lawmen, all of whom walked away. Join the list to receive special offers and updates! Yes, the photograph is real and comes from Adam Wrinkler's book "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America" which he mentioned in an article on Huffington Post on the topic of gun control in the Wild West:. This video was also made on the basis of these guidelines. Promoters gussied up performers attire, including their holsters, which were often embellished with silver-colored conchos to catch the audiences eye. In the mid-1800s, leather pommel holsters moved across the frontier with American westward expansion. The blanket might be left in the chuck wagon as part of their bedroll. Popular in the 1850s, the California Slim Jim was one of the first Old West holster designs. The pistols manufactured in the 1800s were mostly large and heavy and the pommel holsters were often the preferred means of carrying them. Today, though some cowboys do carry pistols in a holster, it is more for shooting snakes and other wild animals which may pose a threat to them or their livestock, and not for dueling with other men. John Wayne grew his brand as a horseback vigilante in decades' worth of Westerns, from his first leading role in 1930'sThe Big Trailto 1971'sBig Jake, in which the law fails and Wayne's everyman is the only justice. Like Bodie, California, which was well-known during the 1870s and 1880s for vigilantism and street violence. A scarf, a shemagh, or a bandana. The old west and loading 5 vs 6 rounds. But when on a trail drive, they pretty much always went armed. They were better suited for survival than we are today. Cookie Policy Settlers found them useful for a number of reasons. However, they became the cowboys equivalent of paracord, using it wherever they needed cordage. The kind of fellows that did carry two would carry one in the scabbard and a hide-out gun under their arm." In the end, researching what guns cowboys used . It is worth noting that making sweeping cowboy generalizations isnt possible. The cowboy's slicker was usually carried rolled up and tied behind their saddle. Few cowboys could afford work gloves. Many blame this flaw as one of the reasons the 7th Calvary was routed at the Little Bighorn. That was enough for him to cook anything he needed to, out on the trail. 9. In the United States, this holster was initially employed by the U.S. Army. GOOD GEAR Wear This Star-Spangled Beauty With This BRCC Pastrana #199 Pullover Hoodie. Few carried more, as their horses would tire too quickly if they were overloaded. Knife: Cowboys love their knives. Even as far as New York, a dangerous man was euphemistically called a bad man from Bodie.. But . More commonly, a cowboy would be kitted out in a bowler hat and a pair of jeans, the kinds of clothing that allowed the men ultimate freedom in their movements. Filmmakers borrowed heavily from the cowboy image made famous by traveling Wild West shows, and silver-spotted holster rigs were one significant carryover. This meant that most had long guns, even if they didn't have a pistol. Ballistics Basics: Holding Or Dialing For Drop And Windage? 9. In reality, the Cowboys at the time did not wear such headgear, purely because it was not practical and did not go with their overall rough and rugged attire. In an age filled with some of the most iconic repeaters to ever drop a hammer, the Springfield Trapdoor seems downright frumpy. The other half of the leather swatch was folded behind the pocket to create a skirt. Later, it was found that the reversed holster can be more comfortable, especially when worn while sitting down, than the normal type holster. Speaking for myself I tend to carry a 9mm Browning Hi power if I have to go down the shops and if I'm meeting my ex missus I carry a Steyer with extra mags,if I'm going to a stately home then I like to carry a Desert Eagle,I always think that you cant be TOO careful about these things and its a MUST that you know the muzzle velocity before . Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. While it saw its share of military battles and the odd lawman might have one at hand, the venerable Sharps left its mark on the West in a much different fashion than many of this era's storied firearms hunting. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In fact, most historians see the cowboys of the Old West as THE defining heroes of 20th-century America. Most cowboy films had nothing to do with driving cattle.
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