How much ammo did the average Cowboy carry?
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fallout mike
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Apparently most everyone has a different opinion, and most are probably from something we have read and think is true.
Western novels, movies and TV shows are made to provide entertainment, and from that perspective are great, but very few are historically accurate. If someone made a western with no guns in it they probably couldn't recover they're production costs.
Understand that from the late 1830's to about the early 1900's (and in some areas you could extend that to the early 1940's and even today) cowboys (and others) carried firearms that were appropriate to what the situation was in whatever area they were in. Also when lugging arms around while on horseback they tended to carry the least weight possible. For that reason for example, during the 1870's and 80's a cowboy in Nebraska or even eastern Texas wouldn't normally be carrying the same arms and ammunition one in New Mexico and southern Arizona were because of entirely different threat levels.
Fortunately during most of the era photography was well advanced, and there are still many newspaper accounts, personal letters, and court records that have come down to us, along with other historical evidence that makes it possible to get a much truer picture of what was what – where and when. Also a fair number of guns, holsters and cartridge belts have survived and can be examined.
I will be back later with some specific references.
ThorinNNY
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Pony Express Riders depended far more on speed vs. firepower.I`ve heard that they were originally equipped with two revolvers but quickly switched to one revolver with one loaded extra cylinder to save weight.
I grew up on a ranch and still run one.
I knew some of the "old timers". One of our cowhands was a friend of Tom Horn and was put on his jury in an effort of save him. He was found guilty, but he wasn't hanged, but that's another story.
Here is a link to some insight into old time cowboys and how they lived.
http://home.bresnan.net/~buflerchip/bunkies.html
I knew some of the "old timers". One of our cowhands was a friend of Tom Horn and was put on his jury in an effort of save him. He was found guilty, but he wasn't hanged, but that's another story.
Here is a link to some insight into old time cowboys and how they lived.
http://home.bresnan.net/~buflerchip/bunkies.html
Certaindeaf
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What is "is"?
No slight to you all above,
No slight to you all above,
TwoWheelFiend
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That is the most arbitrary question ever asked on THR, lol.
Trunk Monkey
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FWIW Thomas Ripley's "They Died With Their Boots On" C1937 Sun Dial Press (A biography of John Wesley Hardin) States that when Mr. Hardin carried a gun it was generally in a pocket sewn into the inside of his jacket. Similar to concealed carry jackets sold today
http://www.worldcat.org/title/they-...2688837/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true
http://www.worldcat.org/title/they-...2688837/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true
Certaindeaf
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And sew it was.
george29
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I read quite a bit on the subject (written by those that did it) and it's surprising just how inaccurate Hollywood is. For example; a photograph of a whole bunch of lawmen (like 15 or so) posing were all holding sawn-off double barrel shotguns. Not one revolver in sight. Thet were also pretty hefty gentlemen (overweight), dressed very well in black suits, beards (all of them) and well into their 40's and beyond. None of that handsome, rakish, thin, athletic type that Hollywood casts.
Cowboys preferred the term Waddie/Waddy and not Cowboy. Cowboy was reserved for young men and not men.
I also read somewhere that on the border wealth meant many bullets and that Border Rigs were so named for the ability of being capable of carrying mucho ammo. Hence the Border Rig which was wider than a normal rig and carried a double loop
. The Mezican Bandito's were also to first start using Bandoliers in the border area's.
See also http:// biblioklept.org/2010/11/07/historic-photos-of-heroes-of-the-old-west/
Cowboys preferred the term Waddie/Waddy and not Cowboy. Cowboy was reserved for young men and not men.
I also read somewhere that on the border wealth meant many bullets and that Border Rigs were so named for the ability of being capable of carrying mucho ammo. Hence the Border Rig which was wider than a normal rig and carried a double loop
. The Mezican Bandito's were also to first start using Bandoliers in the border area's.See also http:// biblioklept.org/2010/11/07/historic-photos-of-heroes-of-the-old-west/
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Certaindeaf
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^
That's a fair modern get up. How I hear it, most rigs of old were much more sackish.
That's a fair modern get up. How I hear it, most rigs of old were much more sackish.
ThorinNNY
Member
I`ve read a lot about the Earp brothers, the gunfight at the OK Corral and the COWBOYS.
Back in Arizona in the 1880`s "cowboy" was a derogatory term. It was a specific reference to a criminal element. One newspaper said that : COWBOYS lived in their saddles ,never held a real job, had no fixed place of residence, nor visible means of support, yet always had superb horses, were well armed and had plenty of ammunition, and enough money to indulge all their wants.
People who actually worked day in ,day out with cattle, called themselves herders or cattleman or maybe ranchers.
The term Cowboy only became popular and romaticized when writers like Owen Wister began selling their books.
Back in Arizona in the 1880`s "cowboy" was a derogatory term. It was a specific reference to a criminal element. One newspaper said that : COWBOYS lived in their saddles ,never held a real job, had no fixed place of residence, nor visible means of support, yet always had superb horses, were well armed and had plenty of ammunition, and enough money to indulge all their wants.
People who actually worked day in ,day out with cattle, called themselves herders or cattleman or maybe ranchers.
The term Cowboy only became popular and romaticized when writers like Owen Wister began selling their books.
Certaindeaf
member
^
True. The "writers" of olde were something else. It was really bare knuckle back then when it came to the written word.. anyway.
The writers wrote of the "indian wars" for like 60 years. Pure fabrication.
True. The "writers" of olde were something else. It was really bare knuckle back then when it came to the written word.. anyway.
The writers wrote of the "indian wars" for like 60 years. Pure fabrication.
Dr T
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The term "cowboy" is the English corruption of the Spanish word "caballero" (the "ll" is pronounced with a "y" sound).
"Caballero" means "Horseman".
We used terms like cattleman, stockman, foreman, ranch hand, sheep herder, windmill man, etc. For example, my father was the windmill foreman for a ranch company.
As far as derogatory terms, Rexall Ranger comes to mind. A Rexall Ranger might be seen in a border rig. But a working ranch hand--I doubt it.
"Caballero" means "Horseman".
We used terms like cattleman, stockman, foreman, ranch hand, sheep herder, windmill man, etc. For example, my father was the windmill foreman for a ranch company.
As far as derogatory terms, Rexall Ranger comes to mind. A Rexall Ranger might be seen in a border rig. But a working ranch hand--I doubt it.
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JO JO BANG
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Who knows what they put in they pockets at times.
Certaindeaf
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You have the preciouses in your pocketses?
coloradokevin
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I'm not the historian that some folks are around here, but my suspicion is that the answer to this question sits entirely on the shoulders of the individual you are speaking about. Asking how many rounds of ammunition a cowboy carried is probably going to produce answers as broad as asking how many rounds of ammo the modern gun owner carries. It all depends on the preferences of the individual.
tdstout
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lol, gollum.
I figure that, just like in todays time, it really depended on the person. I would bet you a nickel to a donut that more people carry guns today than they did way back then, if only for the fact that more people can afford guns and it's easier to travel to a gun shop nowadays.
I figure that, just like in todays time, it really depended on the person. I would bet you a nickel to a donut that more people carry guns today than they did way back then, if only for the fact that more people can afford guns and it's easier to travel to a gun shop nowadays.
Ringolevio
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Spanish to English
Dr T:
Well, you're partly right. "Cowboy" likely evolved from a corruption of "caballero", which does literally mean "horseman" (because "caballo" means "horse"). But "caballero" more commonly means "gentleman", from the days when only the gentry rode horses. That's why, in Spanish, "Ladies and Gentlemen" is "Damas y Caballeros".
A real working ranch hand, even today, is more likely to refer to himself as a "buckaroo", which is a corruption of the Spanish "vaquero", which literally means "cow-man".
BTW, a "bandito" is a character on a bag of Fritos; Mexican highwaymen (the ones who don't got to cho you no stinkin' bodges) are "bandidos".
¡Manos arriba! ¡No se mueve! ¡Lo tengo apuntado!
Dr T:
Well, you're partly right. "Cowboy" likely evolved from a corruption of "caballero", which does literally mean "horseman" (because "caballo" means "horse"). But "caballero" more commonly means "gentleman", from the days when only the gentry rode horses. That's why, in Spanish, "Ladies and Gentlemen" is "Damas y Caballeros".
A real working ranch hand, even today, is more likely to refer to himself as a "buckaroo", which is a corruption of the Spanish "vaquero", which literally means "cow-man".
BTW, a "bandito" is a character on a bag of Fritos; Mexican highwaymen (the ones who don't got to cho you no stinkin' bodges) are "bandidos".
¡Manos arriba! ¡No se mueve! ¡Lo tengo apuntado!
Dr T
Member
The terms will vary by the part of the country.
In the ranch country of West Texas (where I grew up working on a ranch), I never heard anyone refer to himself as a buckaroo. However, I have heard it used in Colorado and Wyoming.
Of course, now in West Texas ranch hands spend most of their time riding in pickups (where the weight of the ammo you carry doesn't matter as much) and the usual firearm is the basic truck gun. Not many carry handguns in the truck, unless they have special circumstances (and a CCP). At least cattle and sheep are still worked on horseback.
In the ranch country of West Texas (where I grew up working on a ranch), I never heard anyone refer to himself as a buckaroo. However, I have heard it used in Colorado and Wyoming.
Of course, now in West Texas ranch hands spend most of their time riding in pickups (where the weight of the ammo you carry doesn't matter as much) and the usual firearm is the basic truck gun. Not many carry handguns in the truck, unless they have special circumstances (and a CCP). At least cattle and sheep are still worked on horseback.
baylorattorney
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Interesting reading. You guys have convinced me that the old guys didn't shoot that much because of costs. I'm sure some did, but for the most part they likely were a frugal bunch, by necessity. How do we expain how so many were so good with firearms if the average guy didn't practice? Of is their legendary proficiency just that, a legend?
shiftyer1
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Whalerman.....get 20 guys together that are familiar with guns and shoot at targets. See who hits where. Some folks enjoy shooting and will shoot more instead of buyin a new shirt or some whiskey. Also back then most people didn't have alot of cash and bullets cost $$'s, guns were for food. If you missed, most times you went hungry and kids grew up hunting rabbits and squirrels for meat. An empty belly sure makes u focus on potential food.
I would bet the amount of ammo and guns depended on the need. If u carried a gun on the range it probably held it's capacity with maybe a reload. I would imagine if it was a hostile environment that would double. During drives i've always been told that guns were kept in the chuckwagon. Keep in mind that the needs of a working cowboy were different than a drifting cowboy or someone traveling.
It has been romanticized to death but truth be told, a drifting cowhand was basically a homeless guy that still had his car and maybe a little cash looking for the next job to feed him and a roof to sleep under. In either case, movie or real life.....I sure wish i'd been there.
It was also a common practice to feed anyone that showed up at the homestead or at camp, considered rude not to offer. Imagine how things would be different if we didn't lose things like that.
I would bet the amount of ammo and guns depended on the need. If u carried a gun on the range it probably held it's capacity with maybe a reload. I would imagine if it was a hostile environment that would double. During drives i've always been told that guns were kept in the chuckwagon. Keep in mind that the needs of a working cowboy were different than a drifting cowboy or someone traveling.
It has been romanticized to death but truth be told, a drifting cowhand was basically a homeless guy that still had his car and maybe a little cash looking for the next job to feed him and a roof to sleep under. In either case, movie or real life.....I sure wish i'd been there.
It was also a common practice to feed anyone that showed up at the homestead or at camp, considered rude not to offer. Imagine how things would be different if we didn't lose things like that.
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