do we stop and think

N

Newton24b

Moderator
on what it actually took to get a percussion handgun into action out on the plains when all you had was adrenaline and fear of going bald to help you get through each and every loading step?


cas is about funny little timed stages were you have to "shoot, reload, shoot again" to save the stage from a cast iron skillet 20 yards downrange. sure speed is still needed, you still get stress but can it really even come close even 10 percent of being 1 out of 8000 men in a 30 acre forest desperately trying to reload that revolver or single shot if you like, before those gusy with funnier accents 30 yards away from your line decent to run back at you?
 
I believe everyone would like to think they have the fortitude and the guts to make it through a life or death struggle without turning into a bowl of jello but I also believe that until one is actually there you don't know for certain how you will respond.

Jim
 
I'm at least going to be honest about it. I'll die.

I'm almost certain that I couldn't hit a charging grizzly bear. I couldn't reload a cap and ball revolver without spilling supplies. I can't even reload a SA revolver under stress. I'm not even certain that I could effectivly fire a trapdoor rifle in combat.

So, when the zombie hordes come over the horizon, I'm going to respectfully as my militia company's CO that I be allowed to take his position as chief strategic officer, and shoot him if he doesn't comply. Either that, or find another position that doesn't involve this.

Said differently, given a semiauto with high caps, no sweat. I can concentrate on the act of shooting. it's the manual dexterity that I couldn't do.
 
At the range, every single time, somebody will come by and say how difficult it "would have been to stay alive shooting one of those."
Especially seeing me fumble with the caps and all. Well, it's the truth. However, the alternative was a single shot something, or a knife or a large stick or rock. A percussion revolver was the Ipad of its day, a technological wonder.

So, sure, comparing cap-n-ball to a Glock isn't a fair comparison. However considering the alternative in 1858, I think I'd chose a Colt Dragoon over a singleshot/knife/stick/rock combo. I might even chose a Colt Dragoon anyway. :p
 
The one thing that everyone had going for them was that the other guys were hamstrung with the same problem.

Unless the other guy was a bear.
 
Hardcase you are right. 50 years from now people will wonder how we were able to communicate with our fingers on a primitive keyboard since they can look into their thumbnails -mutter and a whole book is written:)

Also, The west wasn't won by Hollywood and cowboys shooting BP's every 2 hours

WBH
 
Truth be known the old west was a drab and boring place almost all the time. Some of the cow towns had a little excitement when the herds came in but other than that it was a lot of hard thankless work and sweat.
 
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