Old West Carry - In The Movies
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- A brief overview of the different styles of drawing a revolver as shown in Westerns.
More War Movie Content: / johnnyjohnsonesq
Request a review: johnnyjohnsonreviews@gmail.com
Movies Features (as they appear):
The quick and the Dead 1995
Shanghai Noon 2000
Blazing Saddles 1974
Star Trek TNG 1987
Silverado 1985
Tombstone 1993
The good, The Bad and the Ugly 1966
The Hateful Eight 2015
Appaloosa 2008
John Wick 3 2019
The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976
Hostiles 2017
The Magnificent Seven 2016
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 2018
True Grit 2010
Young Guns 1988
Gettysburg 1993
Glory 1989
3:10 to Yuma 2007
The White Buffalo 1977
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969
The Wild Wild West 1999
Wild Bill 1995
Back to the Future III 1990
It’s likely worth mentioning that a lot more people wore pistols in holsters with flaps or leather retention tabs. Flaps were better for a number reason. 1. To protect guns from rain and dust. 2. In order to keep the gun in the holster. If you are going to be riding and or running hard, a revolver won’t do you much good if when you need it, the piece has bounced out of your holster and onto the ground a mile back.
Absolutely thank you for adding this 🙏👍
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq While I have no doubt you are correct about the way and why Cavalry wore their pistols the way you described neither of the Union officers you showed in describing that carry were Horse Soldiers. Both Cols Robert Gould Shaw and Josha Chamberlin were Infantry Officers of the 54th Mass. and 20th Maine respectably.
The number of preserved historical holsters that were built with a flap which was at some time cut off by someone who wanted faster access may or may not be related to the reduced number of people who spent their days actually on horseback ;-)
_(I know that's not likely the actual reason. It's called a joke, son)._
I’ve seen examples of the US 1854 Colt Navy with lanyard rings. Securing your side arm with a lanyard would prevent the loss of a pistol if riding or running hard. Cheap insurance given the cost of such a weapon back then.
A revolver is not a pistol.
2:39 its the cavalry draw, allows for drawing with either hand depending on whether you had your sword or lance in the other hand
Yul Brynner in the original Magnificent Seven also wore his pistol backwards like cavalrymen. I always found it wierd but now I know the reason. Thanks!
I thought Tuco using a lanyard with his revolver was an interesting depiction, and it fitted his character well
Same here, I always thought it was quite clever.... Especially given how it serves him when he's bathing, and when he tries to go for Angel Eyes in the last duel.
Yeah, the narrator was wrong. Sergio Leone didn't want Tuco to wear a holster but wanted him to tuck his gun into his pants/trousers. Eli Wallach wasn't too happy about it, worried about damaging his wedding tackle, so asked Leone to try it himself. He of course then saw the problem, so Eli & Sergio settled for the pocket.& lanyard. That's the story Eli Wallach told & since he was there, I'll take his word for it.
They actually started using those in WW1 on an official basis because once the gun was empty they could just let the gun fall in stead of put it back in the chest height holsters that made it easier to crouch. That then allowed them to switch to a club knife faster if it wasn't already out.
Yup. And some of the Remington 1875 model revolvers were made with a lanyard ring at the base of the grip. Frank James used these too.
Our M9s came with a lanyard.
I've seen quite a few old photos of REAL cowboys. They had their holsters on their regular belts, and often, more toward their bellies than their sides. And the holsters had flaps: a necessity, if you think about it. These men were out on the trail most of the time, and their handguns had to be protected from the rain, snow, sand, etc.
Clyde Wary from horseback carry your gun backwards towards your belly it by your saddle horn easy to get at and won't bouncy out
One particular gunfighter, Porter Rockwell, just carried a dozen or so in pockets hidden all over his overcoat.
And the powder needed to stay dry. Open holsters would let rain wet the black powder in the chambers
@@josedorsaith5261 Certainly, for percussion revolvers. But in the 1870s & later, that was not a problem with the metallic cartridges. Also, those fancy rigs that Hollywood portrays, no doubt cost a pretty penny. REAL cowboys had better things to spend their money on, after returning from a cattle drive, like rot-gut whiskey & whores!
0:42 it’s Arthur Morgan on the left
Tombstone, Arizona Territory, 1881. One night Ike Clanton & Doc Holliday cross paths on the street.
Clanton: "Why Doc, you're so drunk you must be seeing double".
Holliday: "Well then, I have two pistols; one for each of you". 😆👍
My dad grew up on border of Kansa Colorado He was in ww2 then police officer Long Beach California for 28 years. He carried his sw revolver butt first on duty. I have a picture of him with it on. He carried it high on the belt. He told me he liked to know it was always there and if someone is choking you out you can easily pull it out and shoot behind you. Different tactics for a different era
That’s really interesting. Cool stuff🤔👍
It would also be more difficult for someone to take it from you from behind.
Respect
Someone writing about Bat Masterson claimed, that Masterson claimed, that savvy lawmen carried their guns butt forward, lest someone sneak up behind them and take their gun from its holster, at best disarming them and at worst killing them with their own gun. Lots of claims there, but it's plausible.
@12thhorseman That's dumb, because what're the odds of that? Furthermore carrying butt-forward makes it easier for an attacker to grab your sidearm from the front.
My Great Grandfather was the Sheriff of Dalhart Texas in the 1800s. I have many pictures of him with his pistol and how he wore it holstered. Very interesting how a real cowboy wears his gun over how Hollywood shows them
Too bad you can't share those historical photos on here...
@Terry Weinhold It depends on what he had to do, he did sometimes have a flap covering his pistol and sometimes he didn’t. It was also worn differently in some pictures of him on horseback. Very interesting
With no pictures to present your case you’re basically full of caca 💩
@@hanc37 Yea it is a shame, they are cool pictures
When? "In the 1800s" is vague
For the Horseback bit, there's a reason we still call "Shotgun" today, for the passenger's seat of a car. When riding (on horseback or on a carriage), trying to aim a pistol or rifle was near impossible. Suspensions were bad, the roads were worse (when there were roads!), and when you needed to shoot, you were often going hellbent for leather!
So a sawed-off shotgun (a shotgun that's had it's barrels sawed down enough that they no longer had a "Choke", or narrowing of the barrel to prevent as much spread, which, of course, meant that there's MORE spread, and less of the buckshot hitting the target, but more chance to HIT the target!) was used.
Stagecoach Shotguns (Stageguns) were considered "Honest" weapons of the era, as they weren't designed to be concealed, just easier to shoot while bouncing around, while sawed-off shotguns (which typically sawed down even more of the barrel, and also had the shoulder brace sawed off so it was more of a pistol grip) were considered "outlaw" weapons. An example of a Stagegun in modern cinema is, ironically, not in a Western, but in the Evil Dead/Army Of Darkness movie and TV series, as Ash's "Boomstick". In The Magnificent Seven and Tombstone, other examples are shown of this, literally taken from stagecoaches, with The Magnificent Seven showing one being used on a Hearse of all things.
This is also one of the reasons that the oddball LeMat Revolver was popular among certain cavalry officers, as not only did it have a shotgun as an "underbelly", but also held more than six shots. One can be seen, along with the extensive loading time needed for a Cap And Ball weapon, in The Quick And The Dead, which also demonstrates that having a heavier pistol also means a slower draw speed, even if it holds more rounds and a shotgun barrel.
Now I know.
Just joined an Old West re-enactment club, and I have found, as a left-hander, that the cavalry draw (on my left) is smooth and natural to me. I can also manage a fairly slick reverse spin to re-holster.
Heck ya! Have fun
I too have just joined lol was debating on whether to have two holsters or just one
I'm a lefty too. How is a revolver? I know they don't all have the cylinder go both ways, and it's made me think that a revolver probably isn't great for me, but I have used many weapons left handed. I was a Gunner in the Navy, so I know all about tactical loads and all that, and I'd love to shoot a revolver, but it doesn't strike me as a lefty's best friend.
@@bretarmstrong6303 There is an argument that Colonel Colt may have been left-handed, from the way he designed the loading system for his single action revolvers. Having the loading gate on the right of the pistol means you never lose your primary grip on the gun, and the ejector rod is convenient for your right thumb. Cylinder rotation makes no difference at all. Enjoy the freedom to shoot, which we have lost in the UK.
@@christopherdean1326 Oh man I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully they don't do the same with all the mass shooters here. I would pop every one of them if I could.
The "spaghetti" westerns used many odd methods of holstering pistols and strange pistol holsters as well. Made for great entertainment. Wearing a cross draw holster over he shoulder and a holster with the front fully opened are a few I remember.
There was also some effort in those days to show unusual weapons and accessories, such as the revolver pistol with the shoulder butt attached.
To be fair, front-open holsters where the gun is retained by a rawhide-covered steel clip WERE a historical (if weird and uncommon) thing, mostly used by some lawmen. Never ever heard of the other thing actually used IRL, though...
@@notfeedynotlazy I never thought such a holster existed. I figure it was just a gimmick for the character in that film. The character, who was a duelist, says is emphasized the importance of speed, instead of aim.
The most common way to carry a pistol in the west, like anywhere else, was just in your pocket or waistband. Most people were ordinary citizens, who might have a pistol for self-defence. Even some outlaws carried like this. There's an image of Jesse James with no holster, just pistols stuffed into his trousers. In some places it was even prohibited to walk around armed, so being able to hide your gun was beneficial.
Exactly right, Wyatt Earp wrote in his journal that he put his revolver in his pocket before the infamous OK Corral shootout. But Kurt Russell looks cool with shooting leather so whatever. Also the most common revolver was probably a cheap Belgian or English "bulldog" style. The Colt Single Action Army was expensive afterall!
@@FoxtrotFleet Bulldog revolvers were compact and packed a heck of a punch . We still make and a few people still carry .44 special versions but again the .41 Remington was made well into the 1930's . Often as not guns were just there for self defense and never shot and as such ease of carry mattered more.
@@simonacerton3478 Bulldog revolvers are very interesting. I just find it strange that they're generally unrepresented in discussion of the late 1800s or later.
@@FoxtrotFleet They don't look cool is why. Its the same reason we see so many Desert Eagles . Its a mediocre weapon in many ways, almost never used as anything but a range toy but is constantly used in movies.
I carry a compact 9mm in my pocket.
He even included clips from Star Trek: TNG. Awesome, dude!
He does lose points for the remake of True Grit instead of the original.
I have pictures of my grandfather (an immigrant from Ireland) with his pistol. He wore it up front in drop type Texas rig, on the top of his right thigh. According to my mother he was always strapped. Odd bit was he was a butcher by trade. Guess it was just a matter of how it suited the wearer.
Never know when those cows'll come back with a vengeance
A method used for the Calvary draw was used for Micah in RDR2. He would grab a gun with his hand and as he drew it enough stick his index finger into the trigger guard and when fully out twirl them forward at target.
I believe that’s how Charlie prince does it in 3:10 to Yuma as well
Speaking of RDR2, I've been playing it again, but with mods. Most notable being Realistic Weapon Rebalance and No Automatic Reload Ever.
Contrary to the vanilla game when reloading was effortless and often magically done for the player, now carrying two revolvers, shooting just one of them and swapping when running out at an inopportune time was THE way to carry.
Those mods also made it so that dual wielding and fanning were almost never really useful aside from some extremely niche situations, if even then.
And another cool thing those mods did was demonstrate in gameplay just how big of a step up in firepower semi-automatic hand guns really were.
Really thematically appropriate in showing that the old west was dying by the hand of technological advancement.
@@Killicon93 Ill have to check out that mod. Does it remove deadeye? and if not does it remove filling the magazine on deadeye. Cause in the vanilla game the most effective way to fight is shoot all but one bullet in the gun, then quickly double tap deadeye to go in and out of it which refills all the bullets into the gun. this way you basically never have to reload and never really use up your deadeye.
That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to see people draw it but as stated above it was usually drawn off screen. I want to try with an empty revolver for fun.
Interesting video, thanks for posting, you could probably really deeply delve into this subject. I remember when I was issued an M10 combat revolver (4 in barrel) when I was in the Army, over 30 years ago. For some reason, the holsters we were issued along with the revolver were these weird, open top, clam shell type holsters with no retention that were famous for (not) actually retaining the pistol. We had to tie 550 cord to them, Tuco-style, to avoid losing them, as they were famous for falling out, especially in the field in the tall elephant grass.
Wow that would be a pain. Seems an oddity! Thanks for sharing that and thank you for your service.
I was a UH-60 crew chief (88-90) and was issued one of those "elderly" S&W M&Ps. I solved my holster problem by buying my own shoulder rig. I never put a lanyard on the actual pistol, though... probably should have considering we were constantly flying 150 to 200 knots at tree top level. If it had gone out the window, I'd have been buying the Army a new revolver.
No harm no foul, I guess 😏
@jmmartin7766 Lucky you, lol! When I was flying 60's in Hawaii back then, a pax dropped his M16 out the open cargo door. We only found out upon landing. This was before GPS or breadcrumb trails, so it was anyone's guess exactly where it landed. The whole unit was out in the jungles/mountains at double arm interval, looking for it, and I don't know if they ever found it. The same thing almost got me in Iraq, many years later, when the right cockpit door popped open and my (unsecured) M4 almost went out the door over Dywhniah! After that, I always made sure my sling was woven through my harness.
@@petehaack5228 The difficulties in being an Army aviator, right? 😏
Not strictly draw style, but the average six-shooter was a five-shooter. It was routine to travel with the hammer resting in an empty chamber.
This is closer to 50/50.people had heard that you should carry on an empty chamber but there was still plenty that either hadn't heard or didn't care about the safety risk.
I carry and my piece has an empty chamber. I feel safer doing that.
@@sludge8506 what gun?
@@pipebombpete.6861 beretta apx carry.
@@pipebombpete.6861 An empty chamber is a personal preference. There are people that are 100% against it. (“That’s going to cost you your life, bro.”)
Anyone else hope rdr3 gives is options like this
If it ever happens
@@BruhManGD fair
Calvary-style butt forward was so that you could draw with either hand, depending on what hand was holding the reins of the horse. Two butt-forward revolvers gave you twice the fire power and option to use either hand with either revolver.
another thing to note! real cowboys only ever packed 5 shots in their guns.
having a firing pin resting over a chambered round isnt a good idea, especially in the 19th century before safetys, or when a gun has been modified with a hair trigger or when, as the case so often was in the west the trigger was litterally tied back, (often with horse hair, my theory of the origin of the term "hair-trigger")
Confederate cavalry eschewed the saber early on & relied on shotguns, carbines, and as many pistols as they could pack on their bodies and their mounts .
Turner Ashby was known for this as well as Mosby's Rangers.
it's really funny how much the rebels embraced guns and firearms despite being "less industrialized." The Union soldiers were such terrible shots because they weren't as familiar that it led to the founding of the NRA after the war (Which started out originally as an organization of shooting clubs and advocates of gun control)
@@TheDancerMacabre the NRA is still an advocate of gun control
Given a choice I'd rather have a brace of Colt Navy's than a sword in those circumstances . There was a place for the sabre and lance but romanticism aside, several pistols were better when you could get them.
Confederate cavalry rarely fought from horseback. They were more like mounted infantry. And there weren't many carbines in the whole reb army.
@@joelwillems4081 they certainly didn't shy away from fighting afoot when necessary, but they fought on horseback just as often and it's difficult to be considered mounted infantry if no one has a long gun
Charge tactic in movies, that tactic is used many times in movies and it looks interesting to have a video about it
Some of the more forensic history writers (John Keegan, is one) talk about.
I never understood how two of the fastest guns, Wild Bill and Bass Reeves, managed to be so quick with a cavalry draw.
Though I’ve heard Wild bill was technically a double cross I think
Wild Bill carried his 1836 Navy Colts (percussion, later converted to cartridge) in a sash around his waist, double cavalry draw. The front sites were filed off for smooth draw. He also practiced thousands of rounds shooting from the hip. He was quoted as saying that he would have two rounds in his opponent’s heart while the opponent was still trying to aim. He also said he never hesitated to shoot. Most men do.
@@Frankie5Angels150 Ummmm, I believe those were 1851 Navy's chambered in 36. cal
Wild bill drew his guns with the same hand as the gun was on meaning gun on right side butt forward was drawn with his right hand and gun on left side drawn with left hand. Wild bill was one of the guy that can use both hands naturally. And they were 36 caliber 1851 navy revolvers
@Hayden Myers Noone, it seems, factors in the length of the barrel on these models of revolver. A Navy Colt is 10" muzzle to back of frame. And you've got to cock it as you bring it up. It's a lot easier to draw and cock a gun of that length with the hand reversed. Especially if you practice as much as Hickock did.
Cavalry draw is as quick if not quicker then any other method.
John Singleton Mosby, “The Gray Ghost,” led a Virginia calvary unit called Mosby's Rangers (or Raiders). He discarded sabers and had his men engage in calvary charges with revolvers, not impractical because he still had a standoff attack advantage at short ranges that were out of reach the opposing sabers. I agree that the Westerns overdo it but the practice was real.
I read where Mosbys soldier carried numerous revolvers being mostly cap and ball reloading wasn’t much of an option
@@arthurbrumagem3844 Indeed. I know there's a video around here that I saw a few years ago that chronicled them (unless I'm terribly confused as has been known to happen) riding without holding the reins and dual wielding their revolvers as they charged through a line but I couldn't find it. If true that had to be terror for light infantry with more common single shot arms.
@@Ni999 👍
Mosby's unit was always an 'irregular' unit. They did not function with the army as regular cavalry, but were partisans who lived behind enemy lines and gathered together to raid and disrupt supply and communications. Use of the saber did vary widely at the discretion of (mostly) citizen soldier officers, but was most effective en-mass, and would have been a hinderance in raiding, and a dead give-away of soldiers 'hiding in plain sight.' Mosby was one of the best mounted tacticians of the time, he would undoubtedly have armed his men with sabers had they been a 'regular' cavalry unit. As the war progressed and tactics shifted, the Cavalry shifted toward more dismounted fighting, which required long arms, and lots of extra revolvers would have been more of an encumbrance. The Union cavalry rarely self-outfitted, and Confederates were known to dispense with any extra weight to save their poorly fed mounts. So, one on the belt. Sometimes one on the pommel. More than that would have been a rarity, but same has been said of most folks in the West. Some carried multiple, but most didn't.
Boy I really screwed up the word cavalry. 🤪
I will always remember in Shane that he showed the boy how to wear his gun high on the hip, because it was faster. He also wore it slightly in front of his hand, most likely for easier access...
My favorite not only western but film of all time
“Why, Johnny Ringo... you look like somebody just walked over your grave.”
-Doc Holliday to Johnny Ringo in ‘Tombstone’
I carried my Fanner Fifty in a drop holster low on my dominant thigh when I was 10 yr. old. The pistol had a broad flat hammer spur to assist in rapidly fanning the weapon, my favoured technique. I had a loadout of twelve extra cartridges in loops on the belt plus six (not 5) in the gun. I practiced my conventional draw for hours on end going through dozens of rolls of caps. I was dangerous in those days.
My older brother and I got Fanner Fifties for Christmas one year. He also had a rifle that looked like a 73 and a derringer in a belt that spring loaded bullets with the Greenie Stik-em caps.
i would say the best hand gun of the 1800's was a 1858 remington and is still the safest hand gun of all time plus u could switch the cylinders out just as fast as u could reload a modern revolver . i have a set that took first place in state against modern hand guns for accuracy with the 8 1/4 inch barrel. then if u mix a little modern powder with the black powder it is almost like shooting a 44 mag. i also believe they are the best survival gun made like my set they shoot cap and ball or with the converter shoots 45 long colt i can make the ball and powder with caps so i really don't need ammo when u can make it and i can hit the target at 100 yards every time
You left out several options like shoulder rigs being very popular in supposedly peaceful cities that didn't allow open carry.
The Bridgeport device that allowed the pistol to hang on the belt by a stud and you just pivot it and fire from the hip, it was a real thing. (See the quick and the dead).
Low slung buscadero rigs are a complete Hollywood creation.
In truth pocket pistols like the colt and remington pocket models, 44 bulldogs, and similar pistols outsold their full size counterparts by a wide margin
Blazing Saddles has got to be one of the best westerns of all time lol
And no less realistic than many.
I got into the habit of cross drawing when I was in my teens. I would sling my rifle over my dominant shoulder. If I had my pistol in my dominant side, the rifle and/or sling would often get tangled up on the butt of my Ruger.
A dominant hand cross draw holster was called a "widow maker". Because your opponent (if dominant in the same hand) can reach forward and draw your gun even more easily than you can.
Little pistol fact here as well. Even after the invention and proliferation of double action pistols, the preferred method of firing for law enforcement was still to cock the lever first for a light trigger. It wasn't until the later 70s that the FBI, still refusing to switch to a 1911 style autoloader finally tested and found out that firing a revolver double action with the right training can be as accurate and even faster than the cock and fire alternative. Soon after the bureau and much of law enforcement switched to autoloaders, famously the Glock, as the higher magazine capacity and lighter trigger of a striker fired gun was a major step forward.
Blazing saddles will outlive all other western movies ;)
Right next to "The Wild Bunch."
The pistols of the Wild West are some of my favorite movie pistols of all time, and the best sounding ones came from For A Few Dollars More. Cool video as always. Have you thought about making a video on the different pistols used in the Wild West?
This is a great video. I always wondered why Hosea holstered his sidearms backwards in Red Dead Redemption 2. Now i know.
Good show. I remember that scene from Hostiles and i believe it was common practice among horsemen with the likes of the Colt. Before that i remember reading that few riders in the Confederacy carried up to six cap-and-ball revolvers with them!
The Confederates, lacking the North's manufacturing output, kept everything they could pick up in the field. This led to pistol bracing and rifle barraging (literally wearing a brace of pistols on your person and a barrage of riles on your horse.) The Henry Repeating Rifle was created specifically to give the Union something to counter the Confederate multigunner.
Bro seriously brought up the concealable derringer and DIDN’T show a clip from Django Unchained!
Also, I’ve always found the cross-draw to be more easy and appealing. Glad to find someone who agrees. :)
I hope you do more on the Old West...also...thanks for Blazing Saddles!
I carry cross draw simply because I’m in a wheelchair.
Drawing from a drop holster position is almost impossible while your sitting down. Unless the holster sits fairly low on your leg, and even still it’s pretty awkward.
Crossdraw is perfect for the seated position, which is why I suppose a lot of card sharks back in the day wore their revolvers that way.
You can get fairly quick with the draw as well, I’ve never seen a a pair of professionals display the difference in drop holster draw vs cross draw speeds but from my own personal attempts, it’s all about preference.
I feel I draw quicker from a crossdraw, but as I said I’m wheelchair bound so it makes sense that way.
Shoulder holsters are an entirely different story, I don’t care how badass Val Kilmer made them look in tombstone. There is simply no way that I have found to QuickDraw out of a shoulder holster without some heavy modifications.
Shoulder holsters are more for concealment anyway, but my point still stands. Valid way to carry just not a very easy drawing position, especially with longer barreled pistols.
I’ll back you up on the cross draw being best while seated. It wasn’t just the comfort of having it there when you’re seated. As far as the draw in general, I’ve practiced plenty wearing both strong side and cross draw, and find that I’m faster on the cross draw and it’s a lot easier to reholster without having to stop and look. Just seems to naturally be a better place to holster and draw from whether somebody is upright or sitting. 👍
Since the chair bears some of the weight, does that change your choice of carry? Glad to hear of you exercising your rights.
@@mrmicro22The weight hasn’t really been an issue for me so much as ease of access, and the length of what I’m drawing.
I can carry with the shoulder holster but with the length of the pistol and my overall height, it makes it quite awkward to wear. It works, it’s just far from ideal.
Not to mention that depending on the shoulder holster and what you carry, at least for me anyway, they can tend to create pressure spots that can be a bit uncomfortable if you aren’t wearing some thicker clothing.
Meanwhile the drop holster set up is simply impossible for me to use as most wheelchairs are quite narrow being fit to each person specifically and all, there isn’t enough room in the seat for the gun to fit next to me.
In any case, I agree with the other commenter when he said crossdraw feels faster. To me, it feels much more natural both in the sense that holstering is easier and in terms of just being a more comfortable draw that doesn’t rely on you having to see the holster to manipulate the gun.
The fast draw rig was invented in 1920's Hollywood.
Good stuff. I used to participate in "cowboy action shooting" and you have multiple good comments. The "buscadero" or "drop holster" is almost purely a 20th Century thing. The drop holster really became popular in the 1950s when experts like Arvid Ojai were teaching TV and movie actors to fast draw. The holster was often steel reinforced to retain that loose cup shape that made for a really fast draw. The drop holster carries the weapon fairly low on the side, while a study of period photos show that it was more common to have the butt of the pistol up near belt level. "Cross draw" was very common, as you stated. It sure makes the pistol more accessible if you aren't standing straight up. Another consideration is that many of the pistols, especially of those firing black powder, had barrels of 7 to 8 inches in length. Despite what TV and movies want us to believe, the straight up gunfight was really rare in the West. Most killings were in bars. Gene Hackman's description of a barroom gunfight in "Unforgiven" is probably the most accurate one presented on film. By the way, "fanning" is a terrible idea unless you have strong wrists and plenty of practice. When the heel of the hand slaps the hammer your barrel wanders way off target! As opposed to the "fast draw", it was accuracy that counted. Quick isn't always deadly. Hollywood DID come up with a silly idea that people think still works - shooting the gun out of the hand! People still ask police officers "couldn't you just shoot the gun out of his hand?" You are right about the slow reload on old pistols! The Hollywood prop departments made us think that EVERYONE carried a Colt Model 1873, usually with the 5 1/2in barrel. A wonderful pistol, but slow on the reload.
Excellent info my friend you also brought up the subject of my next video! Shooting out of the hand. :) Stay tuned!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq the original Mythbusters actually had an episode that went over the likelihood (or rather lack thereof) of shooting a gun out of the hand, as well as the injuries the target would sustain from doing so
Unforgiven has a great detail where Munny is calmly taking aimed accurate shots at everyone in that bar while they panic and spray fire all around him. Everyone else draws first but they all miss even at close range because they're fanning and completely not prepared to be in a gunfight.
Thank you for the great comment!!
It's interesting because people see things like Wild Bill's duels, or the OK Corral gunfight as representative of the era, but they were recorded so well precisely because they were *abnormal* for the times. This is a common issue in historiography.
The OK Corral of course, if you get into the second by second plays of it, it reminds one a lot more of a modern LA gang shootout than anything overly dramatized. The frankness of murder combined with the chaos and inexperience of multiple shooters.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Please, should you ever do a vid on the "buscadero" rigs, be as kind as to mention that, contrary to myth, it does NOT mean "searcher" in Spanish (that would be "buscador").
_(Yeah, the number of English words mangled by Spanish speakers is only rivaled by the number of Spanish words mangled by English ones. Color me surprised.)_
Ahhh. The original Magnificent Seven (Seven Samurai… thought I was going to say Yul Brenner) was a much better movie than either westerns. Blazing Saddles (probably saw it at least 20 times in theater when it first came out) is soooo good. One last suggestion is Jack Crab and his gunslinger days with snake eyes in Little Big Man!
Wonderful video today!
Little Big man...classic..
Then there’s Alec Baldwin
Not a SINGLE John Wayne movie huh. I’m ashamed Johnny but you still got a like from me 😒
Sorry pilgrim. He is the star of my AC47 video though.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I still think his best unlikely comedic role was in The Quiet Man...just plain silly, actually Derry girls is genuinely funny and moving, closely followed by Father Ted... if you can splice in the armed roadblock scene from Father Ted ,I will double my donation to Sacred Heart food bank in Kilburn, North London ( my sis lost her battle with the big C a couple of weeks ago) , I also have a copy of the book...The Devil, s Brigade ,( Adleman and Walton) that the film was based on , I have considered giving it to the Canadian Embassy, or maybe you might wish to have it..?? Of course I would have to discuss this with she who must be obeyed...
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I suppose that’s good enough 😔
@@eamonnclabby7067 I'm sorry about your sister my friend. I'm okay for the book but I'll see what I can do for some of the clip requests.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq thank you...at least she is no longer in pain, just keep doing what you do so well, ,me ,Maggie ,Mairead and Eamonn will be raising a glass, thanks again Johnny...E
This was an awesome video! I love westerns and you showed so many of my favorites! The bit about Tuco in TGtBatU was interesting. I always thought it was a cool and unique character trait for him and assumed he was written in the movie that way. Pretty neat!
"When you have to shoot.....shoot. Don't talk"
Most western towns actually did not allow guns to be carried. Unforgiven gets this fact correct when they had to check their firearms.
The scene with Little Bill teaching the author about pistols, would have been great for this.
It's just a good film in general, though.
a surprising fact - the colt single action army was not that common. it was expensive and cumbersome to carry, especially if your town had a no open carry ordinance. sales of the big colt "shootin' irons" was eclipsed by sale of small .38 smith & wesson pocket pistols, many of which were double action.
The cross draw versus straight draw It's more practical on a horse. I know this because I have had my pistol fall out of my holster therefore started wearing a crossroad or backward draw
Good video, I don't mind branching out from types of guns. Maybe also do some hollywood tactics and their inaccuracies.
This is a really neat twist on the material usually covered on the channel. I’d love to see more “how it is used on film” videos. Thanks!
Thanks Logan 🙏
I once owned a Cimmaron Arms 1873 replica with a 5 1/2 barrel. I made my own holster & belt for it, with a strap over the hammer to secure it. I never tried learning to "fast draw"; I figured I'd either injure myself, or potentially someone else. Accurate shot placement made much more sense to me.
Louis L'Amour, who was old enough to have known people from the Wild West, always said in his books that the fastest shot wasn't always the winner, but the most accurate shot usually was.
Lol a single action can’t go off til you cock the hammer…
@@jordanwiser4192 I would assume its not drop safe though
@@Razor-gx2dq you'd be assuming incorrectly then, you could smack the hammer with... a hammer... it might leave an impression on primer, but it won't go off. Even dropping hammer just below half cock notch isn't enough force to fire (both methods have been tested numerous times)
@@howardsmith9342 As verified in the opening scene of the great "Gunsmoke" series. For 20 + years, the bad guy shot first but Matt always maintained accuracy and downed the bad guy.
A few things ...
First off - there is a history to all these things that evolved over time - and - that history is often in conflict with how things are presented in Hollywood.
On the question of Pistols used by Cavalry - early on - with single shot muzzle loading pistols - Cavalry Units would attack with them where in the column of Cavalry would approach the enemy, then wheel, discharge their pistol and then withdraw to possibly return with another pistol and discharge it into the enemy as well. Pistols here - were often if not usually carried attached to the saddle. Given that the enemy would be equipped with muzzle loading Muskets (not Rifles) having a whole cavalry unit in turn as they passed, empty their pistols into an infantry unit would expose it to a good bit of fire power. Since many of the men in these infantry units were in fact equipped with Pikes rather than Muskets - this could be very effective and might see the Cavalry unit making repeated attacks like this until they'd fired all the pistols they carried - at which point they would retire and reload them all.
The wheel lock pistols and cavalry of the 30 years war
ruclips.net/video/ldz0AviUYvI/видео.html
Thus - pistol equipped Cavalry units had been around for a very long time. Since you could fire the pistol with one hand - while the other held the reigns - this made pistols a natural weapon for Cavalry and added yet another weapon to those mounted on horses, to go with the Sword and the Lance. Additionally - you had Cavalry units equipped with rifles or muskets.
All these weapons might be in used by different types of Cavalry at the same time.
You had Heavy Cavalry with big men, mounted on big horses who were heavily armored and carried "swords" more akin to a cutlass or meat cleaver in heft than the thinner, smaller swords others might use.
Then you had Lancers which were Light Cavalry, equipped with a metal tipped bamboo lance which were very effective and could mow down a broken enemy like a lawn mower.
Then you had Dragoons - which were equipped with fire arms and might fight from either horse back or on foot and might also have swords.
You also had Mounted Infantry - which were in fact Infantry with Rifles - which were mounted on Horses for transportation to the battlefield - but - which fought on foot.
By the last part of the 19th Century - you had Cavalry which might be equipped a single shot breach loading Sharps or with possibly repeating Carbines, such as the Spencer, Colt Dragoon Heavy Pistols and - a Sabre. Here the Cavalry would fight tactically with any of these weapons, mounted or afoot, as their officers thought appropriate to the moment.
Dueling - was something that was frequently practiced in the more civilized parts of the Western World. These could be very formalized affairs where in the participants did in fact meet some where, with their Seconds making the arrangements, then face off and shoot at each other. Arron Burr, then Vice President of the United States, killed Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury in a Duel of Honor.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel
Andrew Jackson was involved in a number of duels in one of which he was nearly killed but succeeded in killing his opponent.
timeline.com/andrew-jackson-duels-dickenson-f281c96fb9f8
And these of course - were not unheard of things. Duels of Honor had been occurring for centuries.
So - it is not beyond imagination that people in the west might face off against each other and have it out. Still ... that didn't mean that these were always formalized affairs and people simply killing each other without regard to time and place were also not beyond imagination.
.
This is some excellent info here sir. Actually rather helpful as I've been thinking about doing a video on European dueling in the Napoleonic Era.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq No sweat. Always happy to see the 9 years of my life I devoted to getting a BA & MA in History come to some use. That never made me any money - but hey! I can make RUclips Comments(!!!!) Ha! Ha!
The next 4 years I spent on Engineering which though I didn't complete the degree - got me a job as a Main Frame Computer Programmer and a wonderful - and well paid - career. Ha! Ha!
And - OBTW - you've seen Ridley Scott's _The Duelists_ right?
ruclips.net/user/results?search_query=the+duelists
You can rent it on Amazon Prime
www.amazon.com/Duellists-Keith-Carradine/dp/B00AALVPQW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+duelists&qid=1657650412&s=instant-video&sprefix=The+Duelists%2Cinstant-video%2C1362&sr=1-1
or buy it on Amazon
www.amazon.com/s?k=the+duelists+1977&crid=RE95B0A1AEZM&sprefix=the+duelists%2Caps%2C248&ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_12_ts-doa-p
Netflix doesn't seem to have it.
.
Never understood Yanks obsession with pistols mind some British officers never gave swords till a bit after ww2 even into the 1950's.
Britain fired a Revolver more like a flintlock till the some what comical training Manuel for the Webley .38 covering small arms in 1942.
I'm even more odd then most as I fire a pistol in crossed arm stand that is a rarer flintlock era technique for muskets in close quarters.
i manage to exceed the effective firing range of 50 meters for most pistols to about 100yards.
I don't have a draw really but more so a brace & my preference is a lowered forward (shoulder holster) made by a Cambridge Englishmen patented the shoulder holster 1911 in Reno Nevada 9 years before the (Wild west/American frontier) ended in 1920.
You see so many old westerns use shoulder holster but they where not common till ww2 with both the Yanks & Blighty's using them.
I have to grin when I see them in the flick's Johnny;)
Perhaps the Yanks had better handguns? 😜
@@mbryson2899 Not really, the Germans & French had better but no obsession for them.
I think it might be cultural preference from the mentality surrounding fire arm's.
You do see them as toys & lower member compensators from my experience.
Mind even Britain is so different as here it is privilege to own fire arm that can be revoked imprisoned for misuse.
Yanks see a fire arm as right.
the size of the state you can't really on police but your mentality concerning firearms is what I don't like.
Not that you have them.
Yanks own a fire arm but we we blighties are gifted them by consent of her majesty!
I think Switzerland would be a good model for the USA to follow in terms of gun laws.
70% of the swiss own a gun barely any shootings.
USA 110% odd per person is not a tr4amendous difference.
1 in 44 Brit's own fire arm's or shotgun certificate. thing is we have to present a reason for applying for a gun.
@@arnijulian6241 A lot of it comes from the significant internal struggles of the 18-19th centuries. Starting with the revolution all the way up to the civil war. Having to oppress a significant population of slaves while fighting off the original inhabitants of the land would have contributed to a gun culture for certain. Then, settling West, you are a long way away from the law or the army. Events like the Texas Revolution where militias were crucial would be another thought. America loves their militias. I'm happy with how things played out in Canada myself.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq good analysis, however the shadow of the gun still haunts Northern Ireland, to my dismay, on a happier note ,I,m soon to be in my cups...slainte...E
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Canada has a lot more guns then you think Johnny at over 20million for a population of 38.4million.
The reason Canada has so much less gun crime like the Uk even when you take into account the guns per person is because we have few pistols & you need a reason to own a fire arm.
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe your fire arms license is a (regulated provision) similar but much more lose then our UK law where it is privilege that can be retracted at any moment if proof of suspected misconduct.
Having firearms as a right is ridiculous like the yanks do.
The yanks could do with following Switzerland's laws as a model for they had to fight of more then I care to mention.
the swiss have over 70% of the population armed yet have near no gun crime.
If I had the funds I would be very tempted to live in Switzerland.
About seven-in-ten say they own a handgun or pistol (72%), while 62% own a rifle and 54% own a shotgun. Among those who own a single gun, most (62%) say that gun is a handgun or pistol, while far fewer say they own a rifle (22%) or a shotgun (16%).
You see gun's are not the Problem but pistols.
Canada only has 1 million pistols among it's 20million gun's
Most of those Canadian hand gun's are revolvers which are fine for what more does the common person need.
USA berretta's Glocks & so forth are the problem.
You can't conceal shotgun, Rifle or machine gun.
No one needs a more then half a dozen rounds in a pistol unless they are up to something dodgy 1/2 the time.
Highly regulate pistols & most of the crime will go away.
Not all of it but a easily 3/4's which is a nice start.
LOL love the thumbnail for this. I recognize it. The Good the Bad and the Ugly.
Now take a close look at it. You have a cartridge belt with cartridges in it but the gun in the holster is an older cap and ball revolver with percussion caps, it doesn't take cartridges.
I grew up shooting black powder, recognized it instantly. Fun to shoot, takes several minutes to reload.
I know right? I had limited time to work on this but would have been fun to address
It is my understanding that many old cap and ball revolvers were reworked to take the newfangled cartridges.
@@howardsmith9342 Yes. But you can clearly see the nipples that hold the percussion caps so this pistol has not been reworked.
Many were converted over to cartridge rounds after the Civil War.
I noticed that too. What's even more noticeable is that Angel Eyes normally wields a 1858 cap and ball Remington whilst only in the scene where he kills baker, early in the movie, he uses a Colt Navy (hard to tell whether that one is cap and ball or cartridge, though I am guessing at cartridge).
Never been this early before.
Buy that person a drink....
Fact is to most out west a holster was an expensive luxury that was more often than not, not indulged.
Watched Old Henry recently. Thought the shooting scenes where fantastically realistic. Good film. Good actors.
Great vid. Something I was pretty ignorant on. Nice one, as usual.
I love that scene with Eli Wallace where he builds the pistol
Cimarron sells a Tuco Special in 45 Colt.
I conceal carry in the crossdraw. It took a long time to find a holster that fit inside my belt that was comfortable. I am looking to save up enough to get a matching gun to carry on my hip if I can find any of them for sale and get enough saved up
I often carry a colt 1873 clone, and I usually carry it in the cavalry draw, or "twist draw" as some call it, but I usually carry crossdraw when I ride my motorcycle or horse
You ever get somebody that came up and said, "what is that gun"
Wow, what an amazing amount of useable info in such a short amount of time! Really enjoyed your examples from Hollywood films. Side note: the one thing I always hated about Tuco was where he mixes and matches different pistol parts to supposedly build one complete and accurate pistol... c'mon, now!
Fun fact about that. Neither the actor or director knew anything about guns so he was instructed to just fiddle around with everything for a few minutes to make the scene. It was completely improvised.
Yea in a time when guns were largely hand fitted, just slapping some parts together wasn't the way to go
You do realize that interchangeable parts had been invented by then, right? But you do have a point, it seems unlikely that a frankenpistol made up of parts from several guns would be as good.
@@howardsmith9342 most revolvers are still hand fitted even today and not totally interchangeable.
@@gunfighterzero Colt parts were factory-made, and parts made for each model were interchangeable. OTHER makes wouldn't fit, so the guns Tuco took apart had to be Colts
You should have shown the John Wayne True Grit instead. As well as the Josey Wales surrender trick draw. Also, you would only say Eli Wallach ON The Good The Bad & The Ugly if it was a TV Show. For a movie you say IN, not ON. And the best derringer draw would be The Wild Wild West.
Carry multiple revolvers was like pirates carrying 4 or more flintlocks so they could shoot more targets before having to reload
I was always a fan of the road agent draw. Can't think of any films depicting it, but I believe Micah Bell in Red Dead 2 wore his pistols in this fashion.
I carry my 4 3/4 cross draw for delivery driving and TWIST(cavalry) every other time
Actually many people carried their guns inside their pocket rather than in a holster, even going so far as having a reinforced added to the pocket to protect it. Billy the Kid was one of those. Those that did not carry theirs in the pants pocket either carried it in the jacket pocket, again reinforced, or tucked in their belt. The reinforcement was added to stiffen the pocket to make the drawing of the pistol easier. One of the reasons for a pocket carry was that others might believe you did not have a gun. When holsters were used they were carried high on the hip. The holsters seen in Hollywood westerns did not appear appear in reality until the 1920s.
Bat Masterson had no time for men who fanned their gun and was very derisory towards such men. He pointed out that fanning a gun was so inaccurate that it would leave you with an empty gun and leave the other man very much alive. He once related a story of gun fight in a saloon were this very thing happened. One man fanned his gun and missed with every shot. The other man just drew his pistol, took aim and killed his opponent. Remember this was a fight in a saloon. So we are not talking about any big distance between the protagonists.
A gunfight in the towns street was a very rare event. One of these was between Wild Bill Hickok and Dave Tutt in Springfield Missouri on the 21st July 1865. When you see the Hollywood shootout the gunfighters face each other. But Hickok and Tutt stood side on in the same manner as you would for a duel. The advantage of this was that it presented a smaller target. The disadvantage was that it meant any hit could penetrate one or more vital organs such as the heart and lungs.
Did you check out the RUclips channel Man vs. History. He has a lot of useful information about the old west, as does Arizona Ghostriders.
"Protagonists"
Can you imagine them saying....I demand satisfaction ,sir ,....no ,seems ludicrous..
@@eamonnclabby7067 The words may be different but their meaning was not. Be it a duel or a gunfight it was a question of honour. Tutt had Hickok's watch and was showing it off to everyone. Hickok took offence and demanded satisfaction. They stood in the middle of the street and fired on each other. Hickok won.
Killing people over a pocket watch is ludicrous. But it did happen.
Drunk and or angry men and weapons are a recipe for trouble and you can end up dead in a myriad of strange ways. I've read of one medieval account of a longbow being used to kill a guy in a drunken fight.
I suspect (excluding Indian wars here) most fights were like Tuck vs. Hickock here, over a slight/bullying or some such and shots were fired.
I've found that and no weapons were every involved the most trouble I ever got in was when I ran my mouth with hot tempered , overly proud or violence prone people . Because of conditions and lack of law, while not everyone was like that,. most of the Wild West was more Little House on the Prairie not Dodge City after all such men were far more common in all stations of life in those days and in the past in general.
cross draw is the most practical in my experience. not the fastest, but conceals, and gets on aim the quickest
Much of what you say here is confirmed by an interview with Wyatt Earp. "Pistol Pete" was an amazing marksman and carried two .45s. Earp bemoaned "shooting from the hip", but Pistol Pete was cross-eyed and never aimed with his eye, but after many years of training learned to shoot accurately from the hip. It was said that Pistol Pete could kill a rattlesnake while on horseback. Amazing times those were.
If you ever update this, Wild Bill in Deadwood does Cavalry Carry. You also get to see him draw it alongside Bullock in an early episode.
Yah he does a good job of it too! I slipped up on missing that
Excellent tutorial Cheers from Pennsylvania 🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
cross draw style is still good and functional
Like drop leg, and cross draw set up, but not as feasible to carry that way today ..
I like my great grandmother's carry style. She was photographed with the holster dead center of her waist. 1920's Wild West Show performer. 44-40 Colt revolver.
🇬🇧🧐 how unsupervised
🇺🇸🤠 It cool
James West had the smoothest concealed draw with his derringer
The fact you mentioned Gettysburg and glory greatly impressed me. Well done
"It was done so when you ran out of bullets, rather than reloading, you could draw another gun to use with your dominant hand."
Me: *scrolling through comments* "There's no way someone hasn't made the joke yet."
😆😆
The Hollywood drop leg holster is known as the buscadero rig.
*Switching to your side arm is faster than reloading!* 😁 nowadays aka “New York reload“
I carry cross-draw myself in places I'm allowed to open carry! I do a lot of sitting and driving so it is A LOT more comfortable and easy for me to get to, if I ever needed it (so far I haven't, thank goodness!) and, let's be honest, it looks pretty cool :b I've been told more than once when around other carriers something to the extent of "haven't seen somebody carry that way in a long time/don't see many people carry like that."
Very interesting seeing as the new trend these days is to carry appendix IWB.
My grandparents were both extras in the quick and the dead, still watch it just too see them even for a couple seconds
Everyone loves a good western shootout. Everyone. ;-)
We had a situation in the UK a few years back where a police officer attending an armed attack call was aproached in her car by an attacker armed with a bladed weapon; she attempted to draw her side arm and got her arm jammed against car door (right hand drive, right handed cop). Carry for comfort and convenience - you've got to figure that if you're not bright enough to anticiapate needing the gun to be in your hand a second before you need it, 99.9+% of the time, you probably shouldn't be carrying one? And why, in the late 19th century west, would anyone ever do a face shoot-out in a world where carbines had been invented? Nice vid.
One thing one why the Calvary draw was so popular in real life. it's much more comfortable while on horseback. Plus much harder for your pistol to fall out of its holster. Btw Great video
The funny thing is there was options for quicker-reloading pistols in the 19th century. like the Schofield or the Merwin-Hulbert (most notably seen in the movie Bone Tomahawk), but for some reason they never caught on in Hollywood films like the Single Action Army did.
In the book, Shane, the gunfighter, Shane, says everything you need to know about carrying a revolver for a fast draw. File off the front site, carry it high on the hip, butt facing backwards. Any other way to carry a pistol is just plain too slow. And, you only need one gun.
I remember watching the movie Shane when I was about the same age as Joey and loved how Shane told him how to carry his gun and said what I'm showing you is as good as any and better than most. I believe that movie and the movie Winchester 73 started my fascination with old west firearms and still love them today over sixty years later.
Here are some of my favorite westerns;
DESTRY.
DJANGO UNCHAINED.
GUNFIGHT AT OK CORRAL.
FORT APACHE.
RED RIVER.
RED SUN.
SANTA FE TRAIL.
SHANE.
TOM HORN.
VALDEZ IS COMING.
VERA CRUZ.
THE WILD BUNCH.
YOUNG GUNS.
If I recall, there was that Paul Gross western, and there was also that Canadian series, Lonesome Gun.
Take care, and all the best.
I love how the title picture is of a Remington precision revolver and the belt is full of what looks like 44 rimfire cartridges
Great thumbnail of Angel Eyes.
Quantrell’s raiders carried as many as six pistols tied to their bodies or saddles with a leather cord so they could keep firing on a horse without reloading
Think Josey Wales.
This is the best instance where Civil War translates to the post war period. Quantrell's Raiders were the same sort of Brigands they all became after the war. And they were not 'in the field with the army' cavalry. They didn't have to rely on army wagons to provide forage for their horses, and they would lie low and attack from ambush.
take johnny johnson, take tommy thompson, take mny best friend bo. take anybody you want to as long as she dont go. take any boy in the world......
I feel I should mention fanning a Revolver is more likely to damage the revolver.
It's also likely to rip a hole in your hand if you miss and hit the hammer wrong.
This was a cool video, I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the things you brought up. Keep up the great work man! God bless you :)
Thanks for the kind words
The first real revolver was the Colt Paterson, a 5 shot percussion. As unrefined as it was, it changed warfare which then led to the big Colt Walker in 1847, a pistol made to be carried in horse pommels due to its size, 4.5 lb, 9inch barrel. In the percussion era, two pistols were not entirely uncommon because of the time it took to reload a percussion pistol, think of Bill Hickok with his twin Colt Navies. The "dropped" holster per Hollywood was just that, a Hollywood creation, they are often called a "Buscadero" rig. When I comes to authenticity, John Wayne had it right, as did the actors in Tom Selleck's movie, Monte Walsh.
I've heard that many a professional gunslinger wore their revolvers tucked in a sash like shown in The White Buffalo at 3:51, as most holsters of the time designed more for protecting the gun and the user and not very quick to draw with.
With the way the mass is distributed in a revolver it sits pretty well tucked in there, I just tried it and was able to draw pretty fast without practice and despite using a scarf that wasn't really long enough to be a proper sash.
I watched The Good, Bad and The Ugly during Christmas at my parents place and thought that Tuco's revolver lanyard would be a perfect addition to a revolver being carried around in a sash.
There are some revolvers that reloads slow but not all are actually slow "slow". Two revolver comes to find for their lightning quick reloads actually and was loved by horsemen basically.
One is the Smith & Wesson Model 3 or to the westerners, nicknamed "Schofield" named after a US Cavalry officer who pushed S&W for the creation of the gun. Unlike the typical Colt Single Action Army that needs user to dump out spent casing one by one thru the loading gate by pushing the ejector rods upfront, the Model 3 uses what is known as a "top break" action. This meant that when the user tilts the gun open thru the top and folds the gun into half and the ejector rods works automatically where if the gun breaks open, spent casings are dumped out which eases reload. This quickens the pace by at least 2-3 seconds per reload and was vital for fighting gunmen under fire and thus why Schofield saw the potential in the Model 3. Even outlaws like Jesse James favoured the gun for its reliability and quickness to reload against the Colt SAA and the other revolver he liked, the Remington M1858 and M1975 respectively and used two Model 3s alot.
The next gun to come that revolutionized the whole revolver game in speed loading was the Colt M1889 that soon became the M1892.
Besides being double action which meant that the shooter can just pull the trigger of the gun and it keeps dumping all 6 rounds at the pull of the trigger without the need to cock the hammer, it has a new technology that's called the "side break" action. This meant that when the shooter wants to reload, he/she'll push a lever and tilt the gun to the left and the whole cylinder would break open out to the left side and pushing the ejector rod that also swings out with the cylinder would dump all rounds. This gave the Model 3 the run for its money when it comes to reloading speed but due to it being a solid frame, many would find that it's sturdier than the Model 3 thus this design became the standard for all revolvers to come and even S&W copied it in some ways.
However, the problem with the M1889 is that as it fires smokeless round, its caliber was scaled down from the old .44 that the other black powder revolvers were firing and it became the .38 Colt. When the US Marines took their issued M1892 to the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, they realized that they can't drop the drugged up locals with even all 6 shots pumped into them whereas the old style revolvers could thus during the Philippine invasion, many officers who would receive the M1892 would soon abandon it and favour the Colt SAA more and also, post conflict, push for a bigger caliber round to be used which became the .45 ACP for the military and also pushing S&W to create the .38 Special later on during the late 1910s.
My grandfather had what I thought was a strange draw which I have never seen anyone, except for family, do it involved him, pistols butt forward, lifting the pistols with his three fingers, pinky and the next two then spinning them while partially out of the holster while simultaneously cocking his piece. His thumbs were facing forward for most of the movement. He claimed to have learned it from his dad, who was born in Texas in 1846,my grandfather was born in 1894 the youngest of seven. It is probably much easier to show than explain, but I have never seen anyone else do it.
I thought I'd share this video ( ruclips.net/video/E9OwGeZjZwo/видео.html ) from an old Malay movie cowboy scenes, that featured varied types of western carry styles.
Take note of P.Ramlee's(the Sheriff) holster... He used some kinda Cavalry Carry that was explained in Johnny's video.
I preferred the older style M9 holster with the big flap versus the drop leg combat sexy plastic thing because we never shot anything anyway, and i didn't like cleaning dirt out of the pistol.
1:05 "Remember, switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading" - Call of Duty: Old West Warfare