In the actual west, the famed walk down fast draw contest almost never happened. Holsters were unbelievably crude. At OK corral Wyatt Earp didn’t even have one. Like most shooters,, it was stuffed into his belt.
Guns were carried in coat pockets, pouches, belts, and army holsters.
Ambush and shooting from cover was the order of the day. The TV gunfight is about as real as the 50 shot peacemakers they usually use.
The TV gunfight is about as real as the 50 shot peacemakers they usually use.In the movie "Tombstone", Doc Holiday was able to shoot 4 times with his double-barreled shotgun.
I've never been able to find one of those....
Some accounts of the OK Corral shootout have Wyatt Earp carrying his pistol in his coat pocket. I even read one recent account that claimed he actually carried a “Buntline Special” in a specially made pocket of his coat.
Buntline Specials have been questioned for years as to their existence. Most stories had them with 18” barrels, but a recent (some years ago) article in Wild West indicated they likely had 12” barrels.
John Gilchriese, former director of the Wyatt Earp museum, had a .44 SW American owned by Earp. It was silver plated, and was thought to be the gun Earp carried at the gunfight because of its long barrel. This is now disputed. I have a replica of this gun from the Franklin Mint hanging on my office wall.