[quote=“Cian, post:20, topic:1419”]By all contemporary accounts, it was the man who kept his cool and took his time aiming that won a gunfight in the old West. Less experienced gunfighters emptied their guns wildly in the general direction of their foes and then had to try and run away if he was still standing! Of course, even the coolest gunfighter eventualy was going to get hit by a random bullet if he got into enough gunfights. Explains why so many of the famous ones ended up in Boothill.
Yep. Clays and Paper Targets don’t shoot back![/quote]
So what does that have to do with the accuracy of a gun?
To say that it is only accurate by who is holding it or what the target is is pure hog wash!
Cheyenne: You don’t understand, Jill. People like that have something inside… something to do with death.
[quote=“Cheyenne, post:21, topic:1419”]So what does that have to do with the accuracy of a gun?
To say that it is only accurate by who is holding it or what the target is is pure hog wash!
Cheyenne: You don’t understand, Jill. People like that have something inside… something to do with death.[/quote]
I was just expanding on the idea that being in a gunfight is not the same as shooting paper targets, clay etc. The fact that your target is shooting back brings a whole new set of dynamics into the situation. Obviously a gun is capable of a certain level of accuracy and it is up to the user to try and exploit that accuracy through developing their skill with it. I know from personal experience that my .22-250 will get a 1 inch group at 200 yards when its clamped in a vice. I can only dream about that sort of accuracy without the clamp !!!
Cian’s point is valid, and to expand on Cian’s idea, yes some people are just not born to “kill”. You can hit all the paper targets at 200 yards you want, but having to actually take the life of someone is totally different. Killers like Bill Hickock were great gunfighters, not only because of their accuracy, but because they viewed life of opponents with disdain and had no moral qualms about filling other people with lead, plus they had their own desire for self preservation. It takes a certain psychology to be a good gunfighter. Its all mental.
To bring in an analogy, Michael Jordan always hit the game winning shot, not because he was necessarily a better shooter than everyone else, because he wasn’t, but because he possessed the innate desire and competitiveness to win. Others could probably shoot better in practice sessions, Jordan shot best in game situations when the pressure is on.
And when I say the old peacemakers are reliable within 20 paces, I think it also depends on how small the target is. The range and accuracy of modern day weapons are such that able to shoot smaller targets. Back in the day of the old west, if you could hit a 1 inch square on an envelope at 10 paces you were considered good. Thats not hard for for modern day shooters, but back then it was a sign of expert marksmenship. Colts back then couldn’t even shoot a hole through a silver dollar (It only made a big dent). The old west gunfighters had to make the most of what they had, and they did it remarkably.
Actually this may all be a mute point since most gunfight deaths in the old west were at the hands of derringers of all things. THe element of surprise that the derringer carried was responsible for more deaths than the superior weapons like peacemakers, especially in saloon fights over a card game.
So I’ll stand by my point that while modern day shooters have an edge in technology, the old wild west gunslingers had an edge in killing.
“you can beat me when it comes to shootin’ at these little black dots, but I can beat you when it comes to hitting men.”
Yes, they are just as accurate as modern guns. The 45 Colt SAA was accepted by the US Army. If it wasn’t accurate or well made it wouldn’t have been put into service. As far as knock down power, part of the criteria for acceptance was that it could knock down a horse. The reasoning was that a man on foot was less of a threat. It’s still the most coverted hand gun in the world.
I guess for me it’s what I cut my teeth on as a young boy and I’m right at home toting the old thumb buster. Bet my life on it ? Yes! Whether man or beast. I hope it never come’s to that.
Now just because I’m an old Colt Single Action Army man, that doesen’t mean that I never carry a 1911…Colt of course!
[Frank sits at Morton’s desk]
Morton: How does it feel sitting behind that desk, Frank?
Frank: Almost like holding a gun… only much more powerful.
When I was a kid I had a Marx cap and ball pistol that shot a plastic bullet off a pot metal cartage powered by a sticky cap. The little sucker would leave a welt. I had a civil war hat and belt-sword set that went with it. One day when I was fighting off an Indian attack I blasted a charging indian (my sister) and that was the end of my military career. Major Mom sent me to the stockade with no supper.