Did Cowboys Carry Pistols?
- Thread starter Old Bill Dibble
- Start date
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
A few things to think about:
When the Civil War ended in 1865, the American government had thousands of 36 and 44 caliber Cap & Ball revolvers in inventory. Smith and Wesson dominated the cartridge revolver industry until about 1870 because of a patent they controlled. Up until that time, the only cartridge revolvers manufactured in the USA were those made by S&W, however they were all small pocket pistol type revolvers. However when the patent expired S&W produced the first of their large 44 caliber Top Break revolvers, a model that eventually became known as the American Model. The Army ordered 1000 of these new revolvers.
By 1873, Colt was producing the Single Action Army, the iconic 'cowboy revolver'. The Army purchased 8000 in 1873, and more later. Not to be left out of the military market, S&W developed a 45 caliber Top Break revolver named the Schofield Model, and sold about 8000 of them to the Army.
What this meant was that all those Cap & Ball revolvers the Army had in inventory were suddenly obsolete, and the government began selling them off cheap.
Most cowboys were relatively young men, many were Southerners displaced by the Civil War. While they might not be able to afford the latest and greatest products of Colt and S&W, many of them could afford to buy surplus C&B revolvers, and many of them did.
In 1873 Winchester produced their Model 1873 lever action rifle, which was chambered for a new cartridge known as the 44-40 cartridge. By 1878 Colt was chambering the Single Action Army for 44-40, so now there was the opportunity for somebody with some cash to be able to afford a cartridge revolver and a fast shooting lever action rifle, both chambered for the same cartridge. And many did. My reprint of the 1875 Winchester Catalog, the first year the Model 1873 was cataloged, shows a standard Model 1873 rifle sold for $40 and a Carbine sold for $38. A lot of money back then, but by 1900, which is often considered the end of the Frontier in the West, Winchester had sold over 500,000 Model 1873 rifles. In the same time period Colt sold over 200,000 Single Action Army revolvers. Clearly, not all of these guns made it out west, but a significant percentage must have. And that was just Colt and Winchester.
I am not sure what the OP meant by 'overall capabilities of the side arms of the day', but I can assure you a Single Action Army revolver loaded with 45 Colt cartridges was a very powerful revolver. 45 Colt was in fact the most powerful factory loaded ammunition available until 1935 with the advent of the 357 Magnum.
This is a photo of a working cowboy taken circa 1887. Notice the pistol on his hip and the rifle in the scabbard.
This is Commodore Perry Owens. No he was not a sailor, that is the name his mother gave him. Perry Owens was a well known gujnfighter and lawman in the Arizona territory in the 1880s. Notice his unusual holster and gun belt, with rifle cartridges for his single shot rifle at top near his hand and revolver cartridges below.
A couple of Texas Rangers.
This is a staged photograph taken in a photography studio. The backdrop is obvious. There are many studio photographs like this from the 19th Century. Sometimes Easterners would dress up in cowboy clothes for these photos. However this young man looks much too at ease to me to be anything other than a real, if very young, cowboy with a revolver in a cross draw holster on his hip.
And let's not forget there were a lot of black cowboys too. This fellow has a Colt Cap & Ball revolver tucked into his waistband.
A few things to think about:
When the Civil War ended in 1865, the American government had thousands of 36 and 44 caliber Cap & Ball revolvers in inventory. Smith and Wesson dominated the cartridge revolver industry until about 1870 because of a patent they controlled. Up until that time, the only cartridge revolvers manufactured in the USA were those made by S&W, however they were all small pocket pistol type revolvers. However when the patent expired S&W produced the first of their large 44 caliber Top Break revolvers, a model that eventually became known as the American Model. The Army ordered 1000 of these new revolvers.
By 1873, Colt was producing the Single Action Army, the iconic 'cowboy revolver'. The Army purchased 8000 in 1873, and more later. Not to be left out of the military market, S&W developed a 45 caliber Top Break revolver named the Schofield Model, and sold about 8000 of them to the Army.
What this meant was that all those Cap & Ball revolvers the Army had in inventory were suddenly obsolete, and the government began selling them off cheap.
Most cowboys were relatively young men, many were Southerners displaced by the Civil War. While they might not be able to afford the latest and greatest products of Colt and S&W, many of them could afford to buy surplus C&B revolvers, and many of them did.
In 1873 Winchester produced their Model 1873 lever action rifle, which was chambered for a new cartridge known as the 44-40 cartridge. By 1878 Colt was chambering the Single Action Army for 44-40, so now there was the opportunity for somebody with some cash to be able to afford a cartridge revolver and a fast shooting lever action rifle, both chambered for the same cartridge. And many did. My reprint of the 1875 Winchester Catalog, the first year the Model 1873 was cataloged, shows a standard Model 1873 rifle sold for $40 and a Carbine sold for $38. A lot of money back then, but by 1900, which is often considered the end of the Frontier in the West, Winchester had sold over 500,000 Model 1873 rifles. In the same time period Colt sold over 200,000 Single Action Army revolvers. Clearly, not all of these guns made it out west, but a significant percentage must have. And that was just Colt and Winchester.
I am not sure what the OP meant by 'overall capabilities of the side arms of the day', but I can assure you a Single Action Army revolver loaded with 45 Colt cartridges was a very powerful revolver. 45 Colt was in fact the most powerful factory loaded ammunition available until 1935 with the advent of the 357 Magnum.
This is a photo of a working cowboy taken circa 1887. Notice the pistol on his hip and the rifle in the scabbard.
This is Commodore Perry Owens. No he was not a sailor, that is the name his mother gave him. Perry Owens was a well known gujnfighter and lawman in the Arizona territory in the 1880s. Notice his unusual holster and gun belt, with rifle cartridges for his single shot rifle at top near his hand and revolver cartridges below.
A couple of Texas Rangers.
This is a staged photograph taken in a photography studio. The backdrop is obvious. There are many studio photographs like this from the 19th Century. Sometimes Easterners would dress up in cowboy clothes for these photos. However this young man looks much too at ease to me to be anything other than a real, if very young, cowboy with a revolver in a cross draw holster on his hip.
And let's not forget there were a lot of black cowboys too. This fellow has a Colt Cap & Ball revolver tucked into his waistband.
Old Bill Dibble
New member
Thanks for posting those pictures.
I meant relative to the pistols of today.
Again I acknowledge I don't know much about pistols of that era but was not the .45 Colt loaded in black powder and weaker than the .45 ACP which came along in 1911 loaded with smokeless powder?
Modern guns I think can shoot the smokeless powder but guns of that era would not be safe trying to handle the increased pressure loads?
Also I am pretty sure that the .38 Super came about before the .357 magnum and I know it is more powerful than the .45 Colt.
I meant relative to the pistols of today.
Again I acknowledge I don't know much about pistols of that era but was not the .45 Colt loaded in black powder and weaker than the .45 ACP which came along in 1911 loaded with smokeless powder?
Modern guns I think can shoot the smokeless powder but guns of that era would not be safe trying to handle the increased pressure loads?
Also I am pretty sure that the .38 Super came about before the .357 magnum and I know it is more powerful than the .45 Colt.
It's probably just a simple fact that for decades after the civil war, surplus weapons were everywhere, and yes, I'd expect that cap and ball, and an enormous number of plain old muskets were around until plenty of better weapons filled up the needs.
Did I read that only about 100,000 Colts were released before 1892?
No, it's a simple matter of math, the r e were millions of people west of missouri, there were a lot of poor immigrants, sod busters, rail workers... in 1900 the population of Ca was 1.5 million and Texas was over three million. When exactly did the Henry and other rifles start reaching the hands of westerners?
1 always sort of count cowboy days as being post civil war up to about 1900. I honestly think that a lot of people would be surprised to see what the 1850s in the far west really looked like. I sure would be.
Did I read that only about 100,000 Colts were released before 1892?
No, it's a simple matter of math, the r e were millions of people west of missouri, there were a lot of poor immigrants, sod busters, rail workers... in 1900 the population of Ca was 1.5 million and Texas was over three million. When exactly did the Henry and other rifles start reaching the hands of westerners?
1 always sort of count cowboy days as being post civil war up to about 1900. I honestly think that a lot of people would be surprised to see what the 1850s in the far west really looked like. I sure would be.
It's hard to define " better" when comparing new to old and piece to piece, but a black powder .45 colt with lead bullet got very close to modern smokeless energies. The cap and ball revolvers combat revolvers were lethal, but those balls were very light.
If you were firing a cartridge weapon such as the 44caliber, you were shooting something more powerful than the old police .38 special, probably. I suppose that some of the cap and ball guns were easily as good as 9 mm luger 115 fmj.
If you were firing a cartridge weapon such as the 44caliber, you were shooting something more powerful than the old police .38 special, probably. I suppose that some of the cap and ball guns were easily as good as 9 mm luger 115 fmj.
144.000 Colts as of 1892,with 37,000 going to the military.
Of the suggested 3 million people in Texas and 1.5 million people in California,How many do you think were actual working cowboys?
Remember,we are talking about pre-barbed wire open range ranching.Round-up,for one.Part of roundup was finding and sorting out your cattle from everyone elses.Finding these semi wild cattle all over hills,valleys and mountains,with the calves,presented plenty of opportunity for drama.Rustlers,Some native Americans,there were still wolves and mountain lions bears,and crazy cattle .And miles and miles of miles.On your own,no help.
Alaskan bush comes close,today.So bringing in the herds had its hazards.
Then work like separating the calves from the cows,castration("steermaking) ,branding and other identification work,maybe dehorning..all of which involves roping and holding down up to a yearling...hot irons,knives,ropes,I agree,bad time to wear 3 lbs on your belt.Instead,you have a belt that says "Billy" across the back,its a courtesy name tag,"Hey Billy,coming in with hot iron."
But then a herd would be assembled for a drive.And those cowboys sometimes had to fight to keep the herd.
But,yes,they had bakers,storekeepers,barbers,miners,farmers,frieght haulers,and a lot of other folks WHO WERE NOT COWBOYS. Even if they had a 4WD Ford,a hat,buckle and boots.
I'll see if I can do a little research.
If you ever get to Cody,Wy,got to the museum.Its the Winchester Museum,one of the greater collections of old firearms.I saw a Charlie Goodight Chuckwagon there.Charlie Russell and Frederick Remington original art.
FWIW,Iused to help out at roundup on a ranch,here.
I'm not a cowboy,but I can heat branding irons OK.I quit working ground crew when I wrecked my knee.
One day,late Spring,I was paddling my canoe down the North Platte,near Saratoga,Wy. I saw quite a sight.
It was an old school Vaquero. Dressed in black,rawhide lariat,conchos on his saddle,the short Chaps...Chirros? But what caught my eye was the old Colt Lighning revolver in a home made holster on his belt.
We talked a little.He said his problem was getting the cattle on this side of the swollen river to the other side.
I forget,if he was Brazilian or Argentinian or Mexican,,but he was from another time and place.
We used to have Basque sheep herders here,too.With their classic round top wagons.Maybe a Marlin or Win 32-20 rifle and a dog or two.
I do not claim to have known Elmer,but I did accept an invitation to his home and had coffee with him.
He had high regard for black powder 45 Colt loads.That big case was designed for Blackpowder,and the only way to run black powder is a full case of powder.Air gap is unacceptable.
Elmer was a bit ahead of his time.He blew up Colt SAA's trying to invent the 454 Casull before there was a Ruger or Freedon Arms.
There was more steel around the .44 Special chamber,so he pioneered the .44 Magnum instead.
Anyway,rather like the 9mm vs 45 debate,if you have the penetration,blowing aa handgun hole through man or beast was the objective,and 900 fps of .45 slug would do that.
The early Colt 38 Auto was later souped up to the Super,but it was not more powerful.
Actually,the original big,powerful handgun was the Walker Dragoon .44.
And those prone to getting in a scrap might carry two on the pommel of his saddle,anda pair of .36 Navy Colts on his belt.
Of the suggested 3 million people in Texas and 1.5 million people in California,How many do you think were actual working cowboys?
Remember,we are talking about pre-barbed wire open range ranching.Round-up,for one.Part of roundup was finding and sorting out your cattle from everyone elses.Finding these semi wild cattle all over hills,valleys and mountains,with the calves,presented plenty of opportunity for drama.Rustlers,Some native Americans,there were still wolves and mountain lions bears,and crazy cattle .And miles and miles of miles.On your own,no help.
Alaskan bush comes close,today.So bringing in the herds had its hazards.
Then work like separating the calves from the cows,castration("steermaking) ,branding and other identification work,maybe dehorning..all of which involves roping and holding down up to a yearling...hot irons,knives,ropes,I agree,bad time to wear 3 lbs on your belt.Instead,you have a belt that says "Billy" across the back,its a courtesy name tag,"Hey Billy,coming in with hot iron."
But then a herd would be assembled for a drive.And those cowboys sometimes had to fight to keep the herd.
But,yes,they had bakers,storekeepers,barbers,miners,farmers,frieght haulers,and a lot of other folks WHO WERE NOT COWBOYS. Even if they had a 4WD Ford,a hat,buckle and boots.
I'll see if I can do a little research.
If you ever get to Cody,Wy,got to the museum.Its the Winchester Museum,one of the greater collections of old firearms.I saw a Charlie Goodight Chuckwagon there.Charlie Russell and Frederick Remington original art.
FWIW,Iused to help out at roundup on a ranch,here.
I'm not a cowboy,but I can heat branding irons OK.I quit working ground crew when I wrecked my knee.
One day,late Spring,I was paddling my canoe down the North Platte,near Saratoga,Wy. I saw quite a sight.
It was an old school Vaquero. Dressed in black,rawhide lariat,conchos on his saddle,the short Chaps...Chirros? But what caught my eye was the old Colt Lighning revolver in a home made holster on his belt.
We talked a little.He said his problem was getting the cattle on this side of the swollen river to the other side.
I forget,if he was Brazilian or Argentinian or Mexican,,but he was from another time and place.
We used to have Basque sheep herders here,too.With their classic round top wagons.Maybe a Marlin or Win 32-20 rifle and a dog or two.
I do not claim to have known Elmer,but I did accept an invitation to his home and had coffee with him.
He had high regard for black powder 45 Colt loads.That big case was designed for Blackpowder,and the only way to run black powder is a full case of powder.Air gap is unacceptable.
Elmer was a bit ahead of his time.He blew up Colt SAA's trying to invent the 454 Casull before there was a Ruger or Freedon Arms.
There was more steel around the .44 Special chamber,so he pioneered the .44 Magnum instead.
Anyway,rather like the 9mm vs 45 debate,if you have the penetration,blowing aa handgun hole through man or beast was the objective,and 900 fps of .45 slug would do that.
The early Colt 38 Auto was later souped up to the Super,but it was not more powerful.
Actually,the original big,powerful handgun was the Walker Dragoon .44.
And those prone to getting in a scrap might carry two on the pommel of his saddle,anda pair of .36 Navy Colts on his belt.
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.38SPL enthusiast
New member
My understanding is that the old .45 colt cartridge, as originally loaded, yielded about 1,000 feet per second with a 250 grain bullet. Eventually, the brutal blast and kick caused a gradual downloading to around 850-900 fps for the same bullet. The .45 automatic is similar to the weaker .45 Schofield which was in common usage during that period.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
I do not know where you read that. I totaled up the production numbers in Jerry Kuhnhuasen's 'The Colt Single Action Revolvers, A Shop Manual, Volumes 1&2'. By 1892, 149,000 Single Action Army revolvers had been produced. By 1900, 203,000 had been produced.
The Henry rifle was only produced from 1860 until 1866. A total of only 13,994 of them were made, according to George Madis in The Winchester Handbook. Oliver Winchester was never successful in winning any large scale military contracts for the Henry. This was because the Chief of Ordinance, Brigadier General James M. Ripley, did not believe in repeating firearms. He believed that troops would waste ammunition if given repeaters. So he continually disapproved orders for repeating rifles. The few Henry rifles that saw service in the Civil War were either purchased privately, or were purchased by State Militias. There were a few very small orders that slipped by Ripley and did get into Union hands. The only reason that Spencer rifles were purchased by the Army was because Lincoln personally intervened. All this is one reason the Civil War was mostly fought with muzzle loading rifles, even though repeating cartridge rifles were becoming practical.
But I digress. Since most of the Henry rifles produced were in civilian hands, it is probable that some of them made it out west by the early 1860s.
The successor to the Henry rifle was the Winchester Model 1866, which was produced until 1898. A total of about 170,000 were made.
Don't forget that the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, so shipping freight from the East no longer required weeks or months by wagon, or sailing around Cape Horn. Shortly after the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, branch lines started extending to many cities and towns in the West. In 1873 a special express train traveled from New York City to San Francisco in 3 1/2 days. Great portions of the country were no longer as isolated as they had been. I do not have access to any official records, but I'll bet by the late 1860s repeating rifles were available in many places in the West. Then, as I said before, the Model 1873 Winchester came along in 1873.
Don't underestimate Black Powder. I load and shoot a lot of it.
The original 40 grain load of the original 45 Colt is difficult to duplicate today, because modern solid head brass does not have as much case capacity as the old balloon head brass. Still I have data showing that a 45 Colt loaded with 35 grains of FFFg powder under a 250 grain bullet will push the bullet out of a 4 3/4" barrel at 870 fps. With 35 grains of FFg powder the velocity drops to 808 fps. Yes, the steel was weaker in the old pistols, but by 1900 Colt felt the quality of the steel had improved enough that the factory warrantied the Single Acton Army for Smokeless powder.
No, it wasn't. It was actually more powerful, firing a heavier bullet faster.
The .45 Schofield, a shorter, less powerful round was often used because it fit in both the Colt and S&W revolvers. The .45ACP was designed to reproduce the known and proven performance of the Schofield round.
Post civil war,there were a lot of folks who were economically challenged.In Texas,there weresignificantly more wild,free range longhorns than people,but the market was poor.Charley Goodnight teamed up with a man named Oliver Loving.Both were former Texas Rangers.Both were interested in some prosperity.They hatched a p,an to build a herd and drive them around the edges of hostile native territory,a long stretch of waterless desert,across the Pecos,and north to Fort Sumter.It actually worked,and was quite lucrative.
This is loosely the story of Lonesome Dove.And,Loving was Gus in the movie.The battle,and wound and gangrene are about Loving.The Henry rifle was an advantage,but Loving died in 1868.The Peacemaker is 1873.
These early cowboys packed cap and ball leftovers from the civil war.
But they did need their guns.https://youtu.be/plFJGSHtMxg
Now,a LOT of gun violence around the cattle industry came later,but it was less about "cowboys",and more about cattle barons vs "squatters",or water rights,etc.Range wars.
You might check out "Johnson County Wars" and "Lincoln County Wars"
https://youtu.be/PFMH1TwsrwI
https://youtu.be/HFYAw9bvRwY
Hollywood has connected the hired gun with a hat and a horse to the cowboy...I think its different.
Cowboying is too hard of work and too low of pay for criminals.
This is loosely the story of Lonesome Dove.And,Loving was Gus in the movie.The battle,and wound and gangrene are about Loving.The Henry rifle was an advantage,but Loving died in 1868.The Peacemaker is 1873.
These early cowboys packed cap and ball leftovers from the civil war.
But they did need their guns.https://youtu.be/plFJGSHtMxg
Now,a LOT of gun violence around the cattle industry came later,but it was less about "cowboys",and more about cattle barons vs "squatters",or water rights,etc.Range wars.
You might check out "Johnson County Wars" and "Lincoln County Wars"
https://youtu.be/PFMH1TwsrwI
https://youtu.be/HFYAw9bvRwY
Hollywood has connected the hired gun with a hat and a horse to the cowboy...I think its different.
Cowboying is too hard of work and too low of pay for criminals.
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Pathfinder45
New member
I've always been of the opinion that the 45 Colt is more powerful than the 357 magnum. Today's emphasis on foot-pounds seems to be biased in favor of velocity over bullet weight. I don't think that represents the full merits of each caliber in the comparison. Incidentally, I came into possesion of a very old 45 Colt cartridge which I carefull dismantled and weighed both powder and bullet: W.R.A. Co., 255 grain bullet over a hard-packed charge of 38 grains of black powder. The primer was still good.
I seriously doubt that many working cowboys actually packed firearms on their person during the working days driving cattle or such, due to the weight and the bulk of the rigs hampering their movements. It is understood that a lot of the cowboys that worked on drives were very young men that were hired as such because they were slight of build and would wear down fewer horses during the drives. While a lot of old pictures show the boys wearing their handguns, and knives..and holding rifles, I think a lot of that was just showing off some of their possessions that they were very proud of.
While out working, I have no doubt they could access their arms if needed.
Still today there are folks that rely on firearms on a regular basis and keep them close at hand. I get in my truck every morning carrying a pistol and rifle as I make my trek to the woods to do chores...but the truck bears the weight of them, not me.
While out working, I have no doubt they could access their arms if needed.
Still today there are folks that rely on firearms on a regular basis and keep them close at hand. I get in my truck every morning carrying a pistol and rifle as I make my trek to the woods to do chores...but the truck bears the weight of them, not me.
Nope, they're not dead, you just can see them from the road.
My grandfather left home when he was 12 to work the ranches in Colorado and New Mexico. When he left his father gave him a S&W Model 3, in 44 Russian. (I still have that revolver).
He told me most couldn't afford revolvers or the ammo to become proficient with them. Most who had them carried them in their saddle bags wrapped in an oil skin cloth to protect them from the weather. When you made $25-30 a month you didn't waste it expensive firearms.
The Cold SSA and Winchesters were out of the price range these guys could afford.
The idea that the Colt and Winchester's winning the west is a myth. Few Ranch hands, farmers, and miners could afford them. The post civil war era dumped thousands of cheap muzzle loaders on the market at give-a-way prices. They could be loaded with shot (pebbles or lead) or bullets you cast you cast your self. Plus the rifle was much easier to shoot them the revolvers.
If there was on firearm that can claim the title of "Gun that Won the West" it would have to be the Springfield Trap Doors in 50-70 and later 45-70s. The Army gave these rifles and ammo for them away, pushing people to rid the plains of buffalo to force the Indians on reservations, witch, morality aside, was a very effective program.
Sharps rifles were nice, but few bought them when the Springfields were cheap if not free and for the most part shot cheaper (and free) ammo.
But you don't see many pictures of these old rifles, in books or movies simply because the romanticism isn't there.
A friend of mine's daughter, got her masters in Forensics Fire arm investigation. For her thesis, she did a study, traveling the Mountain West and Plains, checking museums of the battle grounds of the west. She would compare the bullets found to those of other battle grounds to see what rifles were used in the different battles. She tracked on rifle (via the bullets) to four different battle grounds ending up at the Little Big Horn.
She also told me of the many different odd ball bullets found. Indicating most shooters carried molds for their individual rifles. Muzzle loaders, and the Trapdoors were by far the most common.
Its interesting to talk with this young lady about her studies.
For those who didn't understand my post, here it is simplified. As of 1892, records show that a little over 100,000 colt saa revolvers had been released to the public. If all of them were still in circulation, m maybe one man in six-thousand owned one.
At that time, the population of Texas and California combined totalled over three million, with the entire country having over sixty million.
I mostly consider the old west to have been over by 1900 and some people agree. Tho only holdouts for western statehood were nm and az
So, let's just pick up 1892, for example. If you consider the 1890s as the "old west" then yes, we had Winchester and colt firearms out there in the hands of a fraction of the western population. In the period from for example the 1830s to1870, I'm pretty sure that some men lived their entire lifes without ever seeing an saa or actual Winchester, as tv would have us believe during the earlier years of production, Colts would have gone to those who could afford them. Since colt was based in New England, I don't expect that many of them even made it into the rough country, instead landing in the cities in wealthier hands, such as bankers in San Francisco. The poor people would have been carrying thirty year old cap and ball revolvers and other things that were at least better than a bow, rock, or knife.
At that time, the population of Texas and California combined totalled over three million, with the entire country having over sixty million.
I mostly consider the old west to have been over by 1900 and some people agree. Tho only holdouts for western statehood were nm and az
So, let's just pick up 1892, for example. If you consider the 1890s as the "old west" then yes, we had Winchester and colt firearms out there in the hands of a fraction of the western population. In the period from for example the 1830s to1870, I'm pretty sure that some men lived their entire lifes without ever seeing an saa or actual Winchester, as tv would have us believe during the earlier years of production, Colts would have gone to those who could afford them. Since colt was based in New England, I don't expect that many of them even made it into the rough country, instead landing in the cities in wealthier hands, such as bankers in San Francisco. The poor people would have been carrying thirty year old cap and ball revolvers and other things that were at least better than a bow, rock, or knife.
Old Bill Dibble
New member
I tend to think this is true. Are there any reliable numbers of production of cap and ball revolvers of that era?
That's amazing. I could not imagine the Army giving away guns and ammo in the 21st Century.
I don't. I am sure it will kill most things dead. However, so far as capabilities go a run, the run of the mill Glock loaded with full capacity magazines will perform much better under the same circumstances then even the nicest SAA Colt Revolvers produced in that era.
It will be more durable, reliable, faster operating, faster shooting, higher capacity, cheaper, easier to carry, more accurate... practically everything important. Collectible... not so much.
I don't know if the SAA Colt (or the Scholfield) were considered the pinnacle of pistols of that era but they appear that they likely were and held only by a select few. If most of the population was running around with lesser pistols then it makes me wonder why they would bother with a handgun, especially when a rifle or even a shotgun would be far more useful on the frontier.
Court and Winchester were the Johnny come lately s. Weapons from the wars, plains muzzle loaders, rolling blocks, so forth. Some volcanic, Spencer's, Henry's, but I suppose that rimfire wouldn't be wanted in the wild. Buffalo hunters even carried molds and powder, recovering the monolithic bullets and recycling. A box of ammo weighed a Lot. If you carried for trail rides, would you prefer to have a box of balls and a flask, at half the price, or those newfangled things?
Never underestimate how primitive things really were in the past. Yanking teeth out on street corners. Sawing off limbs after minor limb wounds that would take a few hours of work and antibiotics today.
Things are usually a lot worse in distant areas than we can imagine. I actually drove past a tar paper and corrugated metal shack about 8x8 once in Mississippi. People lived in holes in the ground back then and cooked with dried feces.
I sound like a pessimistic guy, but seriously things weren't all Jack Daniels and fried chicken. Even Andy didn't vine would have been skinny.
What's funny. I think that even the wildest of times there was safer than Chicago.
Never underestimate how primitive things really were in the past. Yanking teeth out on street corners. Sawing off limbs after minor limb wounds that would take a few hours of work and antibiotics today.
Things are usually a lot worse in distant areas than we can imagine. I actually drove past a tar paper and corrugated metal shack about 8x8 once in Mississippi. People lived in holes in the ground back then and cooked with dried feces.
I sound like a pessimistic guy, but seriously things weren't all Jack Daniels and fried chicken. Even Andy didn't vine would have been skinny.
What's funny. I think that even the wildest of times there was safer than Chicago.