Gatofeo
Member
The late gun writer Elmer Keith (1898 - 1983) wore his first revolver at the age of 14, in 1912. It was a Colt 1851 Navy in .36 caliber.
He grew up in Helena, Montana. At that time, the area had many veterans of the Civil War, Yanks and Rebs. These men taught him to shoot and how to load his cap and ball revolver.
In his classic 1955 book, "Sixguns," Keith includes a chapter about shooting the old cap and ball sixguns. The book is still printed today, I believe. Though some of it is dated, it's still good reading.
Keith obviously loved the old cap and balls, though they were more troublesome to shoot than modern, cartridge guns with smokeless powder.
What he reports about the deadliness of the lead ball will, I hope, dispel the myth that these revolvers were not nearly as deadly as the cartridge revolvers that replaced them.
Listen to what Keith has to say:
"For its size and weight nothing is so deadly as the round ball of pure lead when driven at fairly good velocity," Keith wrote. "Maximum loads give these slugs fairly high velocity from a 7-1/2 inch barrel gun."
Keith knew two Civil War cavalrymen who had seen an enormous amount of battle in the Civil War. Major R. E. Stratton fought in the Confederacy's 1st Texas Regiment. Samuel H. Fletcher fought in the Union's 2nd Illinois Cavalry.
"Both Maj. Stratton and Sam Fletcher told me the .36 Navy with full loads was a far better man killer than any .38 Special they had ever seen used in gun fights," Keith wrote.
"Maj. Stratton said that for a man stopper he preferred the round ball with chamber full of FFG to the pointed conical bullet," Keith wrote. "Sam Fletcher also told me he preferred a pure lead round ball in his Navy Colts with chamber full of black powder, to the issued conical ball load.
"Fletcher claimed the round ball dropped enemy cavalrymen much better and took all the fight out of them, whereas the pointed bullet at times would only wound and leave them fighting.
"Fletcher stated, however, that when foraging and shooting cattle for meat, the pointed bullet was the best for body shots that had to be taken where penetration was needed. But that on all frontal shots on beef, the old round ball was plenty good and would reach the brain --- even on bulls.
"Major Stratton claimed that while the big Dragoon was slower for quick-draw work, once you had it in your hand it was the best cavalry pistol of all," Keith wrote. "It would drop a horse as easily as a man with its .45-caliber round or conical ball and 50 grains of FFG black powder.
"Many a buffalo was killed from horseback with the heavy Colt Dragoons using the round ball and 50 grains of FFG black powder. The big guns would drive the ball well through the lungs of a running buffalo at a few feet range. I had one old Dragoon at one time that had killed a number of the big California grizzlies. The owner used to bait them and sit up in a tree above the bait on moonlight nights and shoot down into the back of their heads."
"A lot of fun and good shooting can be had from muzzle loading sixguns. True, they are dirty and throw a big cloud of smoke, but that same smoke cloud or screen was often an advantage to the old gunfighter as he could see through his own gun smoke much better than an adversary some distance away could, and for this reason many of the old-timers preferred black powder for a sixgun."
"In a low ceilinged room, a few shots from a black powder sixgun lays down such a smoke screen that you can only see when you are down next to the floor. At night, the blast of the first shot would put out all the kerosene lamps from concussion."
"Percussion pistols in good working condition arenot just century old relics; they are very deadly weapons. Great grand dad was far from being disarmed or helpless with a cap and ball pistol, fully loaded and capped, swinging from his hip."
Gatofeo notes: Interesting stuff, no?
He grew up in Helena, Montana. At that time, the area had many veterans of the Civil War, Yanks and Rebs. These men taught him to shoot and how to load his cap and ball revolver.
In his classic 1955 book, "Sixguns," Keith includes a chapter about shooting the old cap and ball sixguns. The book is still printed today, I believe. Though some of it is dated, it's still good reading.
Keith obviously loved the old cap and balls, though they were more troublesome to shoot than modern, cartridge guns with smokeless powder.
What he reports about the deadliness of the lead ball will, I hope, dispel the myth that these revolvers were not nearly as deadly as the cartridge revolvers that replaced them.
Listen to what Keith has to say:
"For its size and weight nothing is so deadly as the round ball of pure lead when driven at fairly good velocity," Keith wrote. "Maximum loads give these slugs fairly high velocity from a 7-1/2 inch barrel gun."
Keith knew two Civil War cavalrymen who had seen an enormous amount of battle in the Civil War. Major R. E. Stratton fought in the Confederacy's 1st Texas Regiment. Samuel H. Fletcher fought in the Union's 2nd Illinois Cavalry.
"Both Maj. Stratton and Sam Fletcher told me the .36 Navy with full loads was a far better man killer than any .38 Special they had ever seen used in gun fights," Keith wrote.
"Maj. Stratton said that for a man stopper he preferred the round ball with chamber full of FFG to the pointed conical bullet," Keith wrote. "Sam Fletcher also told me he preferred a pure lead round ball in his Navy Colts with chamber full of black powder, to the issued conical ball load.
"Fletcher claimed the round ball dropped enemy cavalrymen much better and took all the fight out of them, whereas the pointed bullet at times would only wound and leave them fighting.
"Fletcher stated, however, that when foraging and shooting cattle for meat, the pointed bullet was the best for body shots that had to be taken where penetration was needed. But that on all frontal shots on beef, the old round ball was plenty good and would reach the brain --- even on bulls.
"Major Stratton claimed that while the big Dragoon was slower for quick-draw work, once you had it in your hand it was the best cavalry pistol of all," Keith wrote. "It would drop a horse as easily as a man with its .45-caliber round or conical ball and 50 grains of FFG black powder.
"Many a buffalo was killed from horseback with the heavy Colt Dragoons using the round ball and 50 grains of FFG black powder. The big guns would drive the ball well through the lungs of a running buffalo at a few feet range. I had one old Dragoon at one time that had killed a number of the big California grizzlies. The owner used to bait them and sit up in a tree above the bait on moonlight nights and shoot down into the back of their heads."
"A lot of fun and good shooting can be had from muzzle loading sixguns. True, they are dirty and throw a big cloud of smoke, but that same smoke cloud or screen was often an advantage to the old gunfighter as he could see through his own gun smoke much better than an adversary some distance away could, and for this reason many of the old-timers preferred black powder for a sixgun."
"In a low ceilinged room, a few shots from a black powder sixgun lays down such a smoke screen that you can only see when you are down next to the floor. At night, the blast of the first shot would put out all the kerosene lamps from concussion."
"Percussion pistols in good working condition arenot just century old relics; they are very deadly weapons. Great grand dad was far from being disarmed or helpless with a cap and ball pistol, fully loaded and capped, swinging from his hip."
Gatofeo notes: Interesting stuff, no?
