Coupla dumb questions about guns in "A Fistful of Dollars"

For the first question, as I recall, the answer is they could do it.

For the revolver, YEAH, you can do it. IN THEORY the gun could have done everything shown there. A number of people have demonstrated in controlled circumstances that they could do it like that, though it is obviously unusual

In trying to cut the rope, it was ANOTHER story! I'm sure if it were under enough tension, and small enough, and you hit it DEAD CENTER with something other than a 22, you could do it like in the movies, but that is a lot of ifs. When those that successfully tried hitting several(2-6) things in quick succession tried the rope, it was a different story. They usually hit the rope, but it took several bullets to cause it to snap like it did here.

Steve

The rifle was an 1892 Winchester, the successor to the 1873 Winchester, "the gun that won the West." The .44-40 version held 15 rounds in the tubular magazine and another in the chamber. So yes, the movie was entirely realistic in that regard.

The revolver was a Colt Single Action Army in .45 caliber. "Single action" means the hammer must be cocked before each shot. Spaghetti westerns were fans of the "palm fan" where the hammer was slapped with the palm of the left hand while the trigger was held back with the shooting hand. It could be done extremely quickly. Another technique used the left thumb to fan the hammer:

BTW They HAVE had for a long while, and I'm sure they did in the "wild west", speedloaders!



Not QUITE a magazine, but people were adept with THEM also! Basically, the idea with a magazine is to have a duplicate set of rails that you can PREload, so when you run out, you take out ONE set of rails, called a magazine, and replace it with another. So you replace the whole thing as a unit.

HERE, you have a clip that is almost like part of a chamber. You PREload IT. When you run out, you can open the chamber, align the speedloader, press a button, close the chamber, and you're set.

Steve

It is a Smith & Wesson (S & W) Model 625.

I don't think they would have a problem with it being a service revolver. Below is a video of a similar gun, same maker, that is a 357 magnum and HAS been used as a service revolver:


Steve

A favorite of Eastwood's was a Remington 1858 .44cal revolver converted to fire cartridges instead of black powder, and fitted with a removable cylinder. There was a lever under the barrel that was pivoted downward, releasing the cylinder. You popped the used one out, replaced it with a preloaded new one, moved the lever back to lock the cylinder.

At 0:58 from Pale Rider

Mainly from the influence of L'amour and Zane Grey novels, which I read
over and over, I believe I would like to have lived back then. Interestingly
enough, Western movies never really did much for me.

Except for some based upon L'amour novels and Palerider. Palerider is the only
Eastwood Western movie I've watched in entirety. And I watched it a few times.

About the post, I have a very intelligent, well educated friend who contends there
were significantly less shootouts (like 4 total) than we believe from the movies
and TV. He also contends that handguns back then were not accurate at all.

I never really did believe his statements on either count, and this thread backs up my
belief that he was wrong on the accuracy point.

As for capacity and capability, crafty people can figure out how to modify about anything.

Thanks guys.

Dan

If a neophyte is "fanning" a pistol, the safest place to be is behind him. Way behind him. He's hitting everything except the target I promise you,,, unless he's ten inches from it.

Unless the pistol being fanned is a 22 cal, it's going to recoil.

A 44 mag or 454 will easily raise the arm holding the gun 6 - 8 inches minimum, thus it can't be fanned Hollywood style.

An unlocked elbow from a heavy caliber pistol results in a creased forehead.

Don't laugh, there's several YouTube vids of that very thing happening.

"Fanning" is done with low caliber rounds by folks who are into trick shooting.

Here's a link on Old West accuracy. Western Gunslingers - Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Bat Masterson

Those of us who like and shoot pistols regularly can make a 50 yard shot with open sights no problems, depending on the pistol of course.

I had a Ruger Blackhawk 44 mag that I hunted deer with and made 60 yard shots with it, open sights no problem.

To be able to acquire ones ccdw, you have to make 30 yard shots on target.

During the black powder days once the target started getting past twenty yards accuracy started going away.

"Fanning" a black powder pistol never happened I would imagine. After the first shot you had a cloud between you and the target.

Happy Birthday Clint Eastwood.
Born: May 31, 1930 (age 84), San Francisco, CA