Lessons on Gunfighting from Wyatt Earp

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 12/23/2019 | C Cocole

[dfwgator]

What about the guy that killed a man just for snorin’.

[DannyTN]

“The high ground is no good without trees.” - pvt Earnest P. Worrell

[Big Red Badger]

The Judge or Governor,,,
For when I reside
In A Free State!

[circlecity]

"What about the guy that killed a man just for snorin’."

That was John Wesley Harding and he was a very feared gunfighter and was an excellent shot.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Wasn’t Earp also friends with Tom Mix?

[circlecity]

"Wasn’t Earp also friends with Tom Mix?"

Probably. Earp was a consultant for Hollywood producers in their early 20's westerns.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I think there was a movie about it with James Garner and Bruce Willis.

[dhs12345]

More concerned about damage to the gun. I imagine that the pellets might bounce off of the inside of the barrel as they traverse it. Also the angle of incidence is different with a bullet vs shot.

[circlecity]

I looked into this topic extensively when trying to decide whether to replace my rifled barrel. Most of the informed opinion of the experts said that shot does not damage a rifled barrel - it just effects the accuracy. I still went with an 18 inch smooth barrel when I turned my Mossburg 500 into a tactical shotgun from a 23” rifled barrel deer gun.

[Paal Gulli]

"Fast is fine, But accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry."

-- Wyatt Earp

The practice of only loading five was limited to cartridge revolvers. The quality cap and ball revolvers -- such as Hickok's 1851 Colt Navys -- had a peg on the cylinder between the nipples that the hammer rested on.

Reproduction 1851 Colt Navy cylinder showing the peg between the percussion cap nipples. The hammer didn't rest on top of a live cartridge so there was nothing to be gained in only loading five.

Today's North American Arm's .22 mini-revolvers use a similar concept except the cylinder has a notch (rather than a peg) that mates with the hammer's protruding "firing pin" to "safe" the revolver.

Some of the surviving 1851s said to have been owned by Hickok have been converted to cartridge revolvers but there is no evidence that they were converted by him or that he ever carried any not still in cap and ball configuration.

[Redwood71]

“I always though Wyatt relied on a shotgun.”

You’re right. In Dodge City, he had them scattered all over town.

rwood

[Fightin Whitey]

He had to be really fast. On the network show that danged music plays every time he goes someplace.

Plus he had a foot-and-a-half of six-gun to clear his holster!

[Fightin Whitey]

Two years in combat in Vietnam and I never once put the selector on anything but single shot.

Vietnam-era friend of mine has told me the same thing.

Even early on they did some target training on full auto, nobody hit anything except with that first shot.

[Flag_This]

"What about the guy that killed a man just for snorin’."

He got shot.

[wardaddy]

He visited Holliday on his death bed

But Earp didn’t think much of Holliday?????.I’d like to see a link to that claim

Holiday killed more men than did Earp....Holliday had brass and maybe a death wish

Wanna read about gunfighting skill from that era...what stands out most is

Calmness , practice and keeping ones weapons in good order

Hickok had it in spades

Earp was better as a brawler than a gunfighter

Holliday saved Earps life in Dodge ..

Sorry I doubt very much the claim Earp didn’t think much of Holliday although it’s almost for sure Holliday didn’t kill Ringo

Most feared gunner in the old west was without question John Wesley Hardin

Lawmen....Hickok and Commodore Perry Owens

I’d give overall mostly a good guy laurels to Hickok

And I say that as a southerner

[Quickgun]

Hickok was the most practiced shot of the lot. Wild Bill was reported to have practiced for an hour every day, for most of his life. Hardin was, of course one the meanest and easily provoked,

[mad_as_he$$]

I used to help in qualification classes for CCW permits. One day there was a student that showed up with a Colt single action revolver and a Western style rig. First range set-up at 7 yards and required 11 shots in the chest of the target. This guy draws his six shooter and commences to fan the gun. Not one hit on HIS paper. He was instantly excused from class. He told me on the way out “It looks so easy in the movies!”

[Alas Babylon!]

Here is his photo in Los Angeles in the 1920s:

Looks like he's still a bah dass.

[buffaloguy]

Wyatt was locally famous but became nationally known after his biography was published in 1929. He died in Hollywood in 1929.

[mad_as_he$$]

Yes he does.