How Accurate Were Guns in the Wild West?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the accuracy of guns used during the Wild West era, exploring various firearms and their effectiveness. Participants touch on historical context, personal anecdotes, and humorous exchanges regarding hunting and wildlife.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that guns are not inherently accurate, but rather the skill of the shooter plays a significant role.
  • There are claims that Colt's Single Action Army pistols and Winchester lever-actions were notably accurate for their time.
  • One participant humorously asserts that guns were more accurate in the past, referencing the ability to hit specific birds from a distance, though this is met with skepticism and jokes about extinction.
  • Several exchanges involve humor about hunting regulations and the consequences of hunting endangered species, with participants sharing personal anecdotes and legal implications.
  • There is a light-hearted debate about the implications of being labeled a "hippy" and personal experiences related to hair length and societal perceptions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views regarding the accuracy of guns and the role of the shooter. Humor and personal anecdotes create a light-hearted atmosphere, but no consensus is reached on the accuracy of firearms or the validity of claims made.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various firearms and personal experiences, but the discussion lacks rigorous historical or technical analysis. Some claims are made in jest, and the accuracy of statements regarding wildlife and hunting regulations is not verified.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in historical firearms, hunting regulations, or cultural discussions surrounding the Wild West may find this thread engaging.

wolram
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Of the wild west?
 
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Guns aren't accurate, shooters are.
 
wolram said:
of the wild west?

+/- 7
 
Good enough to kill you. :smile:
 
Colt's Single Action Army pistols were very good for their time (and still are), as were Remington's offerings. For long-guns, Winchester lever-actions were pretty accurate and had impressive firepower (fast repeating action). Best of all were the long-barreled single-shots, but they were best used on game that could not shoot back.

Even today, some very accurate rounds (in a properly-made rifle) are from the black-powder era - .38-55 and .45-70 are both tack-drivers when mated up with the proper rifles.
 
Guns were more accurate back then than they are now. You used to be able to hit a California Condor, or Spotted Owl from 50 yards, but not any more.
 
turbo-1 said:
Colt's Single Action Army pistols were very good for their time (and still are), as were Remington's offerings. For long-guns, Winchester lever-actions were pretty accurate and had impressive firepower (fast repeating action). Best of all were the long-barreled single-shots, but they were best used on game that could not shoot back.

Gets his info from Red Dead Redemption.

Jimmy Snyder said:
Guns were more accurate back then than they are now. You used to be able to hit a California Condor, or Spotted Owl from 50 yards, but not any more.

Gets his info from old prospectors.

EDIT: Oh crap... that was a hilarious joke that I totally missed! Sigh... good job, Jimmy. I'm sorry.
 
Nicely done (Jimmy).
 
Jimmy Snyder said:
Guns were more accurate back then than they are now. You used to be able to hit a California Condor, or Spotted Owl from 50 yards, but not any more.

Clever :biggrin:
 
  • #10
I'm going to go on a limb here and guess those birds are extinct now? Or else I'm totally missing the joke :biggrin:
 
  • #11
Mentallic said:
I'm going to go on a limb here and guess those birds are extinct now? Or else I'm totally missing the joke :biggrin:

I'm with you on that. And if they aren't extinct, I will henceforth dedicate my life to making them so, lest the joke never make sense.
 
  • #14
turbo-1 said:
They are not extinct, but bag-limits are very restrictive. :devil:

Time to drag out the DNA-targeting micro-nukes! Kill 'em all with one shot, it's just one fine... what $500 or so? I can live with that.
 
  • #15
Mentallic said:
I'm going to go on a limb here and guess those birds are extinct now? Or else I'm totally missing the joke :biggrin:

Nope, they're just much much smaller now. :-p
 
  • #16
Danger said:
Time to drag out the DNA-targeting micro-nukes! Kill 'em all with one shot, it's just one fine... what $500 or so? I can live with that.
Hmm. Violating the Endangered Species act by killing a condor can send you to jail for a year AND a $100,000 fine. A bit more than $500.
 
  • #17
turbo-1 said:
Hmm. Violating the Endangered Species act by killing a condor can send you to jail for a year AND a $100,000 fine. A bit more than $500.

That is assuming that I target them from your side of the border, where I'm not allowed. If I launch from the top of Mount Yamnuska, there isn't much that can be done about it.
 
  • #18
Wow! If you shoot a wild turkey out of season here, or without the proper permit, you pay a $500 fine, pay a $500 "replacement fee" (despite the fact that the turkeys breed like rabbits and need no "replacement") AND lose your hunting and fishing license for 5 years.
 
  • #19
turbo-1 said:
Hmm. Violating the Endangered Species act by killing a condor can send you to jail for a year AND a $100,000 fine. A bit more than $500.

How do you type responses with your arms around that tree, hippy?
 
  • #20
FlexGunship said:
How do you type responses with your arms around that tree, hippy?

He sounds more like a good lawyer than a tree hugger. :smile:
 
  • #21
stevenb said:
He sounds more like a good lawyer than a tree hugger. :smile:
I am an avid hunter and I cut down trees to burn in my wood-stove.
 
  • #22
turbo-1 said:
I am an avid hunter and I cut down trees to burn in my wood-stove.
Many of you may remember the Sahara Forest before turbo-1's trip to Africa.
 
  • #23
stevenb said:
a good lawyer

Isn't that an oxymoron? :-p
The appellation "hippy" is no insult to me whatsoever. Despite my home of Alberta being touted as the "Bible Belt" of Canada, it has nothing at all compared to southern Ontario. I was stuck down there for 13 years. When I was 16, my hair started to creep down to almost the tops of my ears. I received death threats, from not only fellow students but also their parents, if I didn't get a haircut. I was a "hippy". Didn't matter that I didn't drink, take drugs, party, and had a perverse attraction to astrophysics... my hair was more than 1/2" long, so I was an evil influence. Needless to say, I never cut my hair again until the end of Grade 12. For one reason or another, those who threatened me slipped off of the map.
 
  • #24
Jimmy Snyder said:
Many of you may remember the Sahara Forest before turbo-1's trip to Africa.
That wasn't me. I had something to do with the Gobi Forest though.
 
  • #25
Danger said:
Isn't that an oxymoron? :-p
The appellation "hippy" is no insult to me whatsoever. Despite my home of Alberta being touted as the "Bible Belt" of Canada, it has nothing at all compared to southern Ontario. I was stuck down there for 13 years. When I was 16, my hair started to creep down to almost the tops of my ears. I received death threats, from not only fellow students but also their parents, if I didn't get a haircut. I was a "hippy". Didn't matter that I didn't drink, take drugs, party, and had a perverse attraction to astrophysics... my hair was more than 1/2" long, so I was an evil influence.

:raises an eyebrow:
You smokin' that prairie weed?
 
  • #26
Danger said:
Isn't that an oxymoron? :-p
The appellation "hippy" is no insult to me whatsoever. Despite my home of Alberta being touted as the "Bible Belt" of Canada, it has nothing at all compared to southern Ontario. I was stuck down there for 13 years. When I was 16, my hair started to creep down to almost the tops of my ears. I received death threats, from not only fellow students but also their parents, if I didn't get a haircut. I was a "hippy". Didn't matter that I didn't drink, take drugs, party, and had a perverse attraction to astrophysics... my hair was more than 1/2" long, so I was an evil influence. Needless to say, I never cut my hair again until the end of Grade 12. For one reason or another, those who threatened me slipped off of the map.

I grew up in Southern Ontario. I had longish hair when I was younger.. one my way home I used to pass by a Barbour shop that was owned by a family friend of something like 60+ years, his grandfather was my grandmothers good friend etc etc

One day while walking past I got grabbed by my shoulders and one ear by the older guy and his son, dragged into the shop and held down while they shaved my head short - then sent me on my way but not before telling me my father had instructed them to "cut his damned hair off". lol
 
  • #27
encorp said:
I grew up in Southern Ontario. I had longish hair when I was younger.. one my way home I used to pass by a Barbour shop that was owned by a family friend of something like 60+ years, his grandfather was my grandmothers good friend etc etc

One day while walking past I got grabbed by my shoulders and one ear by the older guy and his son, dragged into the shop and held down while they shaved my head short - then sent me on my way but not before telling me my father had instructed them to "cut his damned hair off". lol

How far south? And when? I was 2 miles north of Ruthven, 5 miles out of Leamington, 35 miles SE of Windsor/Detroit. I was there from '65 to '78, and the hair thing (meaning high-school days) occurred from '70 to '74.
 
  • #28
turbo-1 said:
I am an avid hunter and I cut down trees to burn in my wood-stove.

not a lawyer, ... but a hunter ... well, same killer instinct at least.

Tough crowd here. Trees, forests, animals and Danger's enemies are all slipping off the map. :smile:
 
  • #29
Danger said:
How far south? And when? I was 2 miles north of Ruthven, 5 miles out of Leamington, 35 miles SE of Windsor/Detroit. I was there from '65 to '78, and the hair thing (meaning high-school days) occurred from '70 to '74.

Ah. Land of latex rubber gloves...
:eek:
 
  • #30
DaveC426913 said:
Ah. Land of latex rubber gloves...
:eek:

:confused:
 

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