The Myth Of The Quick Draw

[@marksprague1280]

One factor has been overlooked. In many, if not most western shootouts alcohol WAS involved.

[@bikersoncall]

That's so true, and the 10's of millions that were drinking and didn't get in shootouts, yeah, there's that alcohol again, alcohol was involved in them not getting in shootouts.

[@vJackaRoo]

My family has a Wild West heritage. The family stories suggest that FairPlay was not a consideration.

[@andrewnewman8907]

Very true. That plus the powder and smoke from the weapons back then musta made it nigh impossible to hit anyone

[@marksprague1280]

@@andrewnewman8907 As someone who has burned a lot of black powder, the amount of smoke from a pistol cartridge is negligible. The only time that I have ever seen a real cloud was from cannon fire, and one time a full magazine dump from a .45-70 gatling gun.

[@proto566]

​@@bikersoncallDude got a drinking problem?

[@lordofthemound3890]

There’s a great reference book called “The Encyclopedia of Gunfighters.” I don’t recall the compiler, but it’s based on contemporary articles from back then and documents every instance of “gunplay” he could find. Most were ambushes- a guy taking an unexpected shot at another guy. I only remember two instances of anything that even resembled the Hollywood-style showdown: Hickok-Tutt, and the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

[@bailey9r]

Oh come on, Marshal Dillon had one evry week! ;

[@tomyunker3368]

Bill O'Neil. Great book

[@lordofthemound3890]

@@tomyunker3368 That’s him! Thank you. I should note that in addition to ambushes from my original post, various “wars” involving vigilante groups (sometimes wearing a badge, sometimes not) also make up quite a bit of the Old West gunplay. Think Lincoln County War, Earp Vendetta, etc. just to name a couple well-known instances.

[@lartrak]

There's a couple others I can recall, the Short-Courtwright is maybe the most famous other one. Phy-Gabriel is another. There's probably a couple more. But yeah, they're the small minority for sure.

[@ant7936]

Open Range is probably the most authentic gunfight I've ever seen in a Western.

[@kelleymclaury9890]

The one who walked up with his gun in hand is usually the winner

[@trjnsd6874]

“Fast is good; Accurate is final.” Wyatt Earp

[@adods9824]

"A quick loud bang never killed anyone!" W Earp.

[@TheWallforUsefulidiots]

Damn skippy. You beat me to it good sir. Calm accurate fire beats panicked fire always.

[@quotidien_]

Deliberate haste.

[@AlexG1020]

In the Old West being a "Quick Draw" meant that someone was hot-headed and likely to pull their pistol at the slightest provocation. It was only over time it was taken literally.

[@trjnsd6874]

@@quotidien_ Is that something like, "Shoot fast, very slowly."...?

[@norencenelson8111]

The motion picture industry plays a huge part in distorting the reality of firearms use. Thanks for making this clip. Responsible gun ownership cannot be emphasized enough. Hero worship is what entertainment is all about. Too many people in America mishandle firearms like the heroes they see on the screen. The horrible tragedy on the movie set recently comes to mind. Both the armor "expert" and the actor showed a lack of common sense gun handling, resulting of the death of an innocent person. People like John show how guns can be enjoyed without tragedies. Bravo!

[@judydingmon3608]

Hubby agrees that there were no FAST DRAW, man against man in that form back in those days. There may have been shoot-outs along the way but holsters were made to hold/carry a gun, nothing more. Hollywood stepped in with the fast draw holsters, etc. and THEN they became popular with the shooters and organizations. Today we have true fast draw but it's against a timer and not a person. Hickok45, you are the best sir.

[@ItsEverythingElse]

There are plenty of real life shootings where draw time is a factor. Timers are how we measure that.

[@richardkluesek4301]

@@ItsEverythingElse You are correct, I've gotten mine out fast enough to convince those looking to take my wallet, watch, and keys to just leave me alone and go elsewhere fast, more than a few times in "da Bronx." No shots fired. No cameras back then in the era of coin pay phones and any witnesses were culturally averse to report anything to the police.

[@mikefranklin1253]

Actually no. Do you occasionally, maybe, need to get your gun out quickley. Sure, but standing in the street waiting for someone to go first is lunacy. BTW, I was in several gunfights and no one ever had a timer to check my speed.

[@johnharris8191]

No, the true fast draw is man vs man using blanks of course. Those lean-back fast draw competitions with their hand already on the gun vs a timer are not. I drew man vs man for many years at a Wild West theme park. Ghost Town in The Sky in Maggie Valley, NC.

[@RJStockton]

There were several vintage designs for fast-draw holsters. Some of them were just clips you hooked your piece to so you could slide it off in a smooth forward motion. They were probably no good for EDC, but if you suspected a fight was coming you could switch over and be a bit faster.

[@larhtt50]

The Hickock-Tutt shooting was noted as possibly the first shoot out of the old west,they were 75 yards apart.

[@richardkluesek4301]

And it was an unusual occurence.

[@jamesshackelford6721]

It was said that it was over a gambling debt and Tutt took a watch from Hickcock and was taunting Hickcock by wearing the watch in public.

[@a.leemorrisjr.9255]

Yes, Davis Tutt reportedly did draw & fire first, but missed. Hickock using his left arm as a brace to steady his revolver didn't. The man must've had eyes like a hawk in his day

[@a.leemorrisjr.9255]

@@jamesshackelford6721 Yes, Hickock & Tutt had fought on different sides during war, but seemed on friendly terms before things went sour. Also been rumoured they may've had eyes for same gal. Whatever the cause, only Wild Bill was still standing when the smoke cleared.

[@mickey1849]

Under such circumstances, as I said above, their fight much more resembled an old-fashioned duel than it did an actual fast-draw gunfight.

[@marks1638]

Really like the series. Thanks for your Sunday Shoot-a-Rounds. There are actually a few quick draw experts in American history who survived multiple gunfights without serious injury using incredible speed and accuracy. Most of them were after the time of the Old West, though a few like Wild Bill Hickock existed (he was both fast and accurate). The most famous was Delf "Jelly" Bryce who survived nineteen gunfights without a single injury due to his unusual speed and skill with a handgun. He already had a well-established reputation as a gunfighter in the Oklahoma City Police, when hired by Hoover's FBI to help augment the FBI who's college educated members lacked the necessary skills to engage hardened criminals in gunfights. His most famous gunfight was at less than 10 feet in a small room. On July 18, 1934, Bryce was hunting for Harvey Pugh (an associate of Clyde Barrows (Bonnie and Clyde fame). He found him at a hotel in bed with the female owner's daughter. When he entered as the owner opened the door, Harvey had two loaded Colt1911's pointed at them. He pushed the owner out of the way, sidestepped and drew his 44 Special S&W Triple lock revolver from his holster. He quickly put five of six rounds in Harvey's throat and head before Harvey could fire either of the Colt's. He was later famous for developing the FBI method of shooting one handed from the holster. He was also well known for giving demonstrations of his fast draw on film and to live audiences around the country as PR for the FBI. But as you said fast draw gunfighters were really rare and most gunfights were drunken brawls, ambushes, and sometimes an actual street or bar room gunfight with serious injuries or death on both sides. Most shooters in the Old West weren't fast or accurate, but willing to take a life.

[@jamesshackelford6721]

Jelly Bryce before becoming a police detective with the okc p d would hang bottles on a string from a tree branch. He would push them to make them move but instead of shooting the bottles he would shoot the string on purpose. Plus he would practice his drawing from a holster in front of a mirror. He was feared by alot of the criminals in his day . One time he shot one man in the back seat of a car that was moving from the running board and shot that man while he was fighting with Bryce’s partner just seconds before that he drew his pistol and wounded the driver of the car even though the driver had his gun pointed towards Bryce.

[@mickey1849]

Great and interesting anecdote!👍👍👍. Read my note above about the fastest draw in Hollywood 😊

[@mickey1849]

People like Bryce, who thrill in the chase, and using deadly force, and killing, though perhaps useful in a way, are also one-eyed-jacks too. Killing or maiming another human being debases a man, makes him less than what he was before, and is to be avoided if at all possible. 😐

[@jamesshackelford6721]

Jelly Bryce is a legend in Oklahoma City. He used to tie bottles on strings hanging from a tree branch get them swinging and then draw and fire . Only he wasn’t shooting the bottles he was shooting the strings on purpose. The strings were his actual targets not the bottles. He also practiced his draw standing in front of a full length mirror.

[@marks1638]

@@mickey1849 When dealing with criminals, terrorists, and mental cases, men like Delf Bryce (even in peacetime) are necessary to contain the threats when ordinary men are either too afraid or unskilled against bad men. It affects even men like Bryce like it affects any warrior. My great uncle, a WWII Marine who fought at Guadalcanal, many smaller campaigns, and eventually at Okinawa killed more men than Delf ever imagined. The deaths of his friends, fellow Marines, and non combatant civilians (old men, women and children) killed by Japanese soldiers (and sometimes by his own side) bothered him much more than killing the Japanese soldiers.

[@bobclifton8021]

after all, Hollywood is still Hollywood, and they will do what they always have done. Historical accuracy is not in their repertoire.

[@bikersoncall]

And besides their lack of accuracy is the issue of agenda, that goes back a very long way too, social engineering agendas, coupled with revisionism.

[@m0rtez713]

Western is basically samurai genre adapted for American audiences (see Seven Samurai -> The Magnificent Seven), so the quick-draw is just disguised Iaidō.

[@bobclifton8021]

@@m0rtez713 i've seen both. The Hollywood adaptation of the seven samurai was not a reflection of the real west in any way. It was pure Hollywood fantasy, as is all of their output.

[@bobclifton8021]

@@bikersoncall That's very true. They've been manipulating the American public for a very long time. Sadly, many still not only put up with it, they believe it.

[@johannuys7914]

@@bobclifton8021 And Hollywood made heroes out of outlaws, criminals and assorted human scum. That's why politicians today are still listened to by a huge majority.

[@NopeAsaurusRex]

Not to mention: In most all western movie scenes where this takes place, the streets are lined with spectators. That, in itself, seems like a pretty good chance of collateral damage.

[@jona5517]

There were spectators at the first couple of battles of the Civil War. So mot totally unbelievable.

[@kbjerke]

Thanks for the Sunday Morning clip, Hickok45! 💥 👍

[@sirflingspoo]

Thank you for the wisdom. So many people on the tube need to hear this.

[@sourdoughbornsourdoughbred4712]

Millions

[@nothosaur]

You're waking up in your hospital bed. The doctor says, "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that you hit your opponent first in the duel. So, all of that practicing paid off. You were quicker. The bad news is that you have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of your life."

[@Quakeboy02]

The bad news is that he's dead and the sheriff is charging you with murder. LOL

[@connorhart7597]

​@@Quakeboy02 😂😂😂😂

[@Twirlyhead]

Bad news is you died of sepsis and I'm talking to you through a ouija board.

[@michaelmacpherson-wm6mh]

I love westerns. TV and movies. one of my favorite things is like on the Rifleman, Lucas McCain is the only one around with the stones to take care of bad guys, even though everyone hunts, and everyone carries a gun.

[@G1951-w1y]

I saw somewhere on KZbin, Lucas killed over 160 bad guys during the run of the series!

[@michaelmacpherson-wm6mh]

@@G1951-w1y the number is 120. there is a KZbin video out showing all 120 shootings in a row.

[@mickey1849]

He stuck his nose in everyone else's business except his own.

[@michaelmacpherson-wm6mh]

@@mickey1849 sounds like you have never watched the show.

[@mickey1849]

@@michaelmacpherson-wm6mh Really? Why? Lucas has to always go around subbing for the feckless sheriff Micah, because Micah didn't have what it took to get the job done--most of the time.

[@Riker-sc2zv]

From what I hear, such a duel only happened once. David Tutt drew and fired first, missed, and was dropped from approximately 70 yards away by a single ball that Bill Hickok put through his heart. Speed doesn’t win gunfights, accuracy does. Be the first to inflict a fight-stopping wound, not the first to make a loud noise.

[@gregorysloat4258]

The only fast draw I know is Raylan Givens. 🤣

[@jasonsantiago6308]

Fastest hands on TV

[@Twirlyhead]

Very true. Also, with poor medical help available and no antibiotics even a modest injury could easily be fatal.

[@RebelHawg13]

mutually assured demise / destruction

[@JG-six-gun]

The historical accounts I’ve read about both sides shoot multiple times and usually both get hit

[@x43902467]

This is the realistic answer. Bullets usually aren't instantly fatal outside of certain headshots and massive trauma to the heart. Both people start blazing away, bullets go in, but the other guy is shooting too before he figures out he's dead.

[@rykehuss3435]

The historical accounts I've read dont even mention any kind of "walk 10 paces, turn draw and shoot" honor duels. They simply werent a thing. People dont want to die, thats pretty universal across history.

[@946towguy2]

@@rykehuss3435 Hamilton vs Burr. Even then, they both got shot but the little genius psychopath survived. Burr was a smaller target.

[@rykehuss3435]

@@946towguy2 Of course there are exceptions. History is a long time

[@lmonk9517]

not a western duel but Castlereagh-Canning were had a famous duel in the uk and both were shot, though castlereagh only grazed.

[@kodiakkeith]

Love it! I've had a Colt "frontier" .22 for more than twenty years and have practiced the 'quick draw' off and on for all that time because I just can't help myself. I'm actually pretty good with an auto handgun, controlled pairs and Mozambiques with respectable speed and accuracy WHEN USING THE SIGHTS, but man I'm telling you when I shoot from the hip it's just embarrassing. At ten or fifteen yards I can usually keep the windage OK, but the elevation is laughable. That little .22 slug is as liable to hit the target at knee level as it is to go over the target's head. I don't know how those cowboy action guys do it.

[@thomthompson9217]

Speed is fine but accuracy is final

[@EdBoi18]

2:43 "I get more free beers this way" lol Iykyk

[@1SmokeyRider]

Buster Scruggs wasn’t fast enough.

[@sp3cialed1]

There's always someone faster

[@graydanerasmussen4071]

@@sp3cialed1 "There is always a bigger fish." -Qui-Gon Jinn :D

[@diogeneslantern18]

Do you need a count?

[@a.leemorrisjr.9255]

"He was fast, but he wasn't straight enough." - Bass Reeves. Reportedly spoken after a lethal confrontation with a young outlaw the deputy had attempted to arrest.

[@dmuller7601]

Only once

[@jeffglasow]

many duels ended with two graves

[@WhatIfBrigade]

My thought is both shooters would die.

[@bobclifton8021]

Back in early 1956 I witnessed a gunfight in downtown Fairbanks. Two airheads faced off in the main street and went at it over a girl. They both fired off several shots, and both of them died.

[@lckgilmo43]

Accuracy is a huge factor. They had a gun fight in the cowboy days, 3 against one. The three bad guys were fast but they missed. The good dude aimed. One by one he killed all three. He wasn't a gun slinger. Just a regular man that took the time to aim.

[@plaguepandemic5651]

Why was he the good guy? Was it because this was Clint Eastwood?

[@hiltonian_1260]

It’s like that saying about knife fights: the loser bleeds out on the sidewalk, but the winner bleeds out in the ambulance.

[@anonymouslee2083]

"why do you think that wouldn't happen much?" Because I would imagine with how primitive medicine was back then, most such duels would end in both participants fatally wounded.

[@mterminelli]

Happy Sunday from the Terminelli Family

[@theophilhist6455]

To Hickok's point check out the road rage gunfight in Kansas. You'll find it if you look

[@bargeman100]

When the man with a pistol meets a man with a Winchester the man with the pistol is a dead man. One of the best movie lines of all time.

[@bailey9r]

Except no one had pistols back then, except pirates maybe, all else had revolvers ;

[@bargeman100]

@@bailey9r A revolver is a pistol. That quote was from "For A Few Dollars More" a famous western movie from the 1960's. What planet do you live on? You sound really stupid.

[@fiddsj45]

If it's really the best movie quote of all time, at least quote it correctly

[@christophergardiner5351]

​@@bailey9r pistols are synonymous with handguns, and that includes revolvers. What I think you mean is there were no semi-autos in that time.

[@kurtjensen7264]

Unless the man with the rifle has his back turned

[@wsmith3849]

Movies always show the hit as a CNS hit and drops the guy. In real life you can take hits and even lethal hits but still be able to fight for a while.

[@MaaZeus]

Sometimes adrenaline keeps you going but other times when you get hit in vital organs you may be dropped on the spot from shock. Case is point, a famous kidney punch. A good punch in a right area that delivers a painful shock into the kidney and your legs become noodles.

[@fredshebester-wg4vb]

I think that probably didn't happen because no matter how long you'd been in the saloon drinking, the thought of spending the night with the pretty girl at the bar, was more appealing than the wagon ride to boot hill

[@taconobaka1688]

I've heard this argument before with the same rationalization for why it wasn't a thing. Still, I can't help but wonder if we are maybe not rewriting history at least a bit because our modern mindset rejects such self-destructive behavior as improbable. The Hamilton-Burr duel is a well documented incident. And while they were using single shot muzzle loaded pistols, not six-shooters, they did in fact actually aim at each other and wait for a third-party to say "fire". This begs the question, if two supposedly intelligent men of their time were willing to engage in such foolishness over a "matter of honor", why are we trying to ascribe so much practical thinking and self-preservation to frontier folk who probably had very little besides their reputation? Personally, I can easily imagine honor duels happening more than the historians currently think, if less the is depicted by cinema. Especially during the antebellum expansion period. Less so after the advent of the self-contained cartridge, although that's more a result of stricter laws and law enforcement than new technology. It was when people began dictating their behavior based on the rule of law rather that the dictates of honor. Make of that what you will. I can't back it up with data but it seems right to me.

[@MoreLifePlease]

"Fast is fine but accurate is final." Wild Bill Hickok

[@michaeldaltonsr8954]

😅😅LOL😅😅😅!!! U spot on!! I read a story( in a very reputable book) about a real life FTF shoot-out( that actuallt happened in "The Old West". It lasted 4.5+ hours/each combatant received multiple contributions of ammo for reloads. Finally, one combatant became too weak to continue, and died soon after. The other combatant died two days later from his wounds. U right, it wasn't what Hollywood shows.

[@vf12497439]

I think Wild Bill was one of the only documented instances where two men stood facing each other. There may have been others but to my knowledge that was a documented case where both men stepped into the street knowing it was a gunfight they were stepping into.

[@trjnsd6874]

I guess the OK Corral incident doesn't count then, because it involved more than two men.....

[@vf12497439]

@@trjnsd6874it was a showdown but I’m not sure it was an agreed deal where we’re going out to settle it. To be accurate it was the marshal (Virgil/Morgan) +2 vs the cowboys. And there’s debate if the earps didn’t just open fire. I say it is definitely a shoot out.

[@mikenicholas885]

In those days they had serious problems with infections and no modern trauma hospitals. People were very aware of death and dismemberment. Civil war for example.

[@lessage760]

great talk sir

[@cjmoore7240]

What? You mean Hollywood is wrong? BLASPHEMY! Lol KEEP ON ROCKING!

[@foamslinger2787]

I dont know about old west quick draw shootouts, but America does have a rich tradition of duels with firearms.

[@petersmythe6462]

As a Westerner I can confirm that we have showdowns in the middle of the saloon all the time in between dying of dysentery and rustling cattle. Very normal things in downtown Seattle, Portland, Boise, etc.

[@richardkluesek4301]

For civilians who need only to be safe and not to apprehend suspects or kill and capture the enemy, most encounters will be about 10 to 20 feet where the perp can demand valuables handed over. If the preference is for a wunder9 or .40 or .45 with capacity of 10 to 20 or 7 or 8 cartridges go for it, but a 5 or 6 shot .38/.357 revolver at such close range would suffice to deflect or eliminate aggressors. Whatever the choice, practice fast presentation for greater success and wear reloads too.

[@stephencolley334]

Not "fast" presentation!🤢 "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast!"😁😁😁😁😁 Obtain proper grasp, smoothly draw, aim (unless within 20 feet, then "point shooting" is ok)!😃😃😃

[@j.spreck.914]

Fast Draw was definitely a product of Hollywood, But one thing to consider is the faster you get your weapon out and ready to fire can give you that extra split second to make sure that your sights are lined up to hit your target, a fast draw and a miss doesn't normally save your life. Also remember that smooth is fast. Practice, practice, practice.

[@jimparker7778]

Average guys didn't have a Colt sixshooter. They had shotguns and single shot rifles.

[@FZ_MG_RW_GC]

Love your off hand type holster partner!

[@richardcaves3601]

The Hickok - Tutt duel is well documented and widely known. The film "Tombstone" gets the OK Coral gunfight pretty accurately portrayed, according to the court records and newspaper accounts of the day. Nine participants, 50 plus shots inside 30 seconds, five dead (cowboys), three injured (two Earps & Doc) and one untouched (Wyatt). Statistically, four deaths and three injuries equals seven on target shots from over fifty fired. That's forty-three misses. Piss poor by modern standards. Yep, speed is flashy but accuracy is final. The other thing to remember about OK Coral, was the distance between the combatants - less than 15 feet - that's five paces!!!! Break it down. Doc got one with the shotgun and missed 12 shots with his two revolvers. The youngest Earp got one with an aimed shot, but missed with the other five. Morgan Earp missed with all six. Wyatt got three with aimed shots and missed with three. Two Earp brothers were hit, on in the leg and the other in the arm. Doc was grazed on the side. After the gunfight, none of the revolvers had any live rounds in them - that's documented. I tend to agree with the comment made elsewhere, that the most accurate portrayal in fiction in a film, of a gunfight, is the Open Range finale. But one thing they all leave out, because of the need for camera shots, is the amount of smoke. Anyone who's fired a black powder gun knows you can't see diddly sqat after the first shot. That explains why most gunfights were inconclusive.😊😊😊😊

[@andrewchirgwin4136]

I'm sure that I read somewhere that James Butler Hickok said "speed's fine but accuracy is final" or something like that.

[@gregoryfoster8179]

True story. One of my grandfathers had a duel with another man in the 1940s. This was in Texas .Both men killed each other. For many years the family stories couldn't agree on whether it was over politics, a shared mistress or gambling. A few years back my older sister found an old newspaper article stating it was a "political argument" but who knows for sure? Ambush is certainly the better way to off your enemies I reckon.

[@clubprojects6923]

That was a common outcome in Samurai duels. 2 deaths.

[@JZsBFF]

To me the best duelling scene is still the finale in "The Duellists" (1977) and the funniest, that I remember, is the one in Highlander (1986)

[@carlrooker]

I follow three rules to survive a gunfight. 1. Don't get in one in the first place. Be aware of your surroundings, and don't allow yourself to be trapped where you have to pull a gun. 2.. if you end up in a situation, then get out of the way of the other guys bullets. Get into cover or concealment as quickly as possible. 3. Don't miss

[@TheAtomicCross]

Whether with swords or pistols, a duel to the death usually ends one way.

[@Wgs1753]

In Hollywood a near miss can stop you cold, or a thousand and you're still shooting back.

[@bbhrdzaz]

don't face forward with a cross-draw rig. left shoulder toward the target.

[@Snap-Anzahl]

I think quick draw happened more than people think. Dueling preceeded quick draw and dueling happened in the heat of the moment and was not always formalized like it is always portrayed in the movies.

[@mickey1849]

I think you are wrong.

[@chopperchopper1418]

Trinity wouldn't give us a chance 😅

[@navelriver]

"Ain't nobody faster than him, Pa?" "Nobody!"

[@JZsBFF]

*Paw That's from "My Name Is Nobody" (1973), isn't it? It could have been in Shane" (1953) with Alan Ladd too. Well, it's basically a must in any gun slinger movie having a kid saying that.

[@navelriver]

@@JZsBFF My Name is Nobody, in reference to Beauregard (Henry Fonda) so good on yer!

[@whirving]

I practiced drawing and firing my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag. I felt I needed to be able to get off a shot if I had to against a bear, which is a real possibility where I live/work. I realized that any "quick draw" had to be smooth and deliberate or I would miss entirely, and even then it was a very difficult shot for me. So for me it would be better to have the gun in hand before I needed it, otherwise I'd probably be SOL.

[@joecondron5793]

Had a Grandfather born in 1868, grew up in Kansas. Usta laugh his ass off when Gunsmoke would come on, the quick draw opening.

[@CorePathway]

HOW OLD ARE YOU? I’m tryna do the math…😂

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

@@CorePathway It isn't that unlikely. My grandfather was born in 1889. I am only 57.5 years old. But I can go one better than that. My uncle William only passed away two years ago. He was 92. He was born on December 24th, 1930. His father was 48 when he had Bill. But HIS father, Bill's grandad, was 66 when he had Bill's dad. He was an Officer-Surgeon in the 42nd Regiment of Foot , The Black Watch, in Crimea. He was ill, more people died of sickness during that war, than warfare. He invalided out and moved with his family to New Zealand ( which was only about 15 years old as a country ) when he was about 40, his wife died, he remarried, had three more kids, THAT wife died, he remarried and had another kid. Some guys don't know when to stop. He re-married the last one, Bills grandma, when he was about 63, and she was 19. :)

[@joecondron5793]

@@CorePathway I’m 80. Gramps lived till 99n3months

[@CorePathway]

@@joecondron5793 Clean living or good genes 🤣

[@threethrushes]

Mutually Assured Destruction

[@JZsBFF]

Unless you're John Wayne, James Coburn or Yul Brynner.

[@Murry_in_Arizona]

Action beats reaction and interestingly in Japan (documented) duels between Samurai 1/3 ended in a "mutual killing"

[@peagee4518]

No one cuts thru the BS like Hikok45

[@kylekavnaugh6595]

Watch out for the bushwackies

[@gregchambers6100]

Yeah, true. But, quickdraw artists today are freaking amazing, and the movies are very enjoyable.

[@robertfindley921]

Good point. Make sense.

[@richardmonson8657]

Because at that range both are going to die. Plain fact.

[@furonwarrior]

“…they’re both gonna probably be dead.” ✨

[@SSJIndy]

in the movies,when someone gets shot in the shoulder (it seems that 90% of cowboys get shot in the shoulder) they immediately fall down and are unconscious, too.

[@schizoidboy]

One myth that added to the quick draw was there were incidents where gunfighters actually had walk-downs as they did in the movies. This never happened. In fact the incident that made Wild Bill Hickock famous, his shootout with Dave Tut (if I got the name right) was at the moment and they were some distance from each other when the drew on each other, and Hickock, who was a better shot got Tut with one shot. Being a better shot in that instance was more important. Also with the OK Coral, it was a chance encounter with the Earps and the Cowboys, likewise it was a chance encounter and in that shootout Curly Bill ran up to Earp screaming he didn't have a gun to which Earp shoved him away and told him to get a gun. He wasn't shot.

[@mcmneverreadsreplys7318]

That was Ike Clanton - Curly Bill was not involved in the OK shoot-out. He died later at the Iron Springs (now Mescal Spring) shoot-out with Wyatt Earp - which was nothing like any movie ever portrayed it. The encounter was a surprise to both factions. Earp's posse fled immediately leaving Wyatt alone to fight the Town posse. Most of them ran and hid. Curly Bill was out in the open, down a small drop and across a trickle of a stream. Both fired. Bill missed, Wyatt didn't. Most agree Bill died but the Cowboy faction said he lived and left AZ after the encounter and there is no record of him ever being seen or heard from again.

[@BryceGarling]

The thinking was to get 2 people to do it and you get rid of 2 trouble makers at once.

[@eddiesanders3041]

I somehow picture more situations like in movie "Shane" where seasoned killer Jack Wilson (Jack Palance) picks a (gun)fight with inexperienced sodbuster Stonewall Torrey.

[@a.leemorrisjr.9255]

Many actual gunfights didn't take place as portrayed in films & TV, nor did the fastest man always win the fight. In many cases the old time frontiersman had plenty of time to draw his weapon. Wyatt Earp still offers much insight from his commentaries. Oddly, Wyatt considered himself a competent gun thrower, but not an an exceptional one. He called Wild Bill Hickock one of the best in action he'd ever seen. I'm still tickled over 1 account (AZ I think,) of 2 men who emptied their pistols@each other & thankfully DIDN'T HIT A DAMN THING! Yes, they'd been drinking.

[@MitchellValentine-pr2lt]

The only time I feel confident with the Fast draw is at a CFDA match.

[@grassroot1100]

Well J.B. Hickok did it against Dave Tutt, but at a great distance, being confidant that he could hit him at around 50 feet. And did. And probably did that with other opponents. Wyatt Earp and his cohorts did too but he stated, " Take your time in a hurry." But I don't think this situation occurred often for the reasons you give.

[@TheStatler]

It was 75 yards, and both still took the time to aim.

[@grassroot1100]

@@TheStatler Yeah, thought I was off a tad, ha, but at that distance, you'd have to.

[@charlesbeall2589]

@@grassroot1100 Heck, get me a good solid rest and a 12 power scoped rifle and I could make that shot 3 out of 4 times!😂

[@batmania777]

Great explanation. Movies are just actors in fake scenarios. Good video!

[@rongarrett1366]

Wyatt Earp reportedly kept his pistol in the pocket of his duster.

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

You need to compete in a quick draw contest.

[@connorhart7597]

Bbbbbut buster scruggs!

[@mikefule]

In a real pistol duel (a ritualised exchange of shots conducted to strict rules) the duellists stood sideways on so as to present the narrowest possible target. Why on Earth would two highly skilled gunmen stand square on to each other presenting the biggest possible target? The ritual quick draw gun fight was pretty much invented by the movie industry. The "saloon lawyer" justification is you wait until the other person makes the first move, then you draw faster and shoot him "in self defence". The nearest thing in reality would be the gunman who practised and let it be known how fast he was, so that ordinary people would be easy to intimidate and bully. You can see in wildlife, top predators avoid each fighting other as much as they can, because even the winner is likely to get badly hurt.

[@gregmullins9278]

It really comes down to accuracy. During a shootout both are most likely nervous. They both may empty their guns without hitting their opponent. Or at least one may actually be hit more out of blind luck. It is possible both could die in a wild shootout.

[@BlackWarhawkjfhraurg]

Im quiet sure that being hit into the Torso, will make most people flinch and disrupt their motion or even knock them to the ground.

[@yewcookies]

Hollywood Westerns are just American samurai films. A showdown between two swordsmen is a common historical phenomenon across cultures, and it makes a great scene. Just swap a sword for a gun... cinematic!

[@KaiTakApproach]

I think the real reason is that most opportunists/criminals/gamblers avoid even odds. The odds of a duel are too close for comfort compared to an ambush, surprise or sneak attack. Much easier to walk away and plan an attack with a clear advantage. I have heard it said that in the days of flintlock duels, many were settled on judgment day with no shots fired, or with intentionally thrown shots. Between the cowardice of the successful opportunist and the culture of dueling, we can probably put together an answer.

[@kludgedude]

Mutually assured destruction

[@deanhoward4128]

A single action revolver, especially a .45colt with live lead bullets, not the wax ones used in cowboy action shoots or the blanks of Hollywood- are hard to control! And extremely dangerous to " fans a revolver with live rounds! I have seen several fast guns, like " Cisco Master gunfighter" and others...those are wax bullets! Years ago I killed a N.M mule deer with a Ruger Blackhawk chambered in. 45colt @ 30 yards..loaded with standard Winchester white box 250grain lead flat nose; I have never killed a human, but from the evidence seen on a mule deer...the .45colt is powerful enough to really kill you if someone was to get shot in the arm or leg..they would most likely have to amputate what was left of the extremities; point is I live in the real world..the .45colt is not a toy to be played with, it is serious business; no disrespect to anybody but consider this,...the gun Alec Baldwin used on the set of his movie Rust, was a single action revolver with a live .45colt round that " accidently killed Helena Hutchinson " Not judging anybody...just to remind the general public that Helena died from a single .45colt round to the abdomen & wounded another person! Let's all follow the safety rules of firearms & never " fast draw" or point any firearms in the direction of a human or animal, unless you intend to kill them! If you really want to learn all the fancy trick shooting stuff, I would suggest you join one of the many Single Action Shooting Societies groups: I'm not a member so I don't know about their information; but I know that Hickock 45 himself was a member at one time & probably has all their information! Be safe out there & Happy Trails!

[@wireeye2003]

Really the fastest gun, was Bob Munden, he was so fast he could pop two balloons a part from each other, and it sounded like one shot, he could draw shoot, and holster his gun in a blank of the eye

[@stephencolley334]

He was a "stunt" gun fighter, a "performer" for entertainment! 😁😁😁😁😁😁👍👍👍

[@wireeye2003]

@@stephencolley334 True, he even said that most was shot in the back, in the old west. I just made a statement about his speed, you assumed I recken

[@cliffchilders5820]

But.... Were those balloons armed?!?

[@Clarence_13x]

Most duels ended with both dead.

[@audiehollon4292]

Could the same be said about the duals that took place?

[@DogWalkerBill]

I heard there was a gun battle in the middle of the street by two old 'gun slingers' who shat at each other for awhile and never hit each other. I saw a demonstration by a modern quick draw expert who pulled his revolver and accurately fired of all six rounds in seconds by feathering the hammer.

[@m0-m0597]

Who shat at each other? Really?

[@ArcoZakus]

@@m0-m0597, Sounds like a couple of politicians.

[@m0-m0597]

@@ArcoZakus lol

[@AKAKiddo]

It may be a myth, but it's a myth worth having fun with. There's going to the public range and shooting your gun at a shooting bench at a static target under an RO's supervision, and then there's going to a range where you can move, draw, and shoot at moving targets, which most ranges don't allow you to do. The only thing that tops it is an airsoft game with friends where you shoot at each other.

[@patrickosmium733]

"youre no daisy"

[@keithmiller6277]

I was watching a modern tv show. An LAPD almost litteraly ran into a bad guy. At about 10 feet the Cop quick drew her glock, and the perp quickdrew his Beretta 92. Both emptied their magazines and neither hit the other. It had to be solved the old fasioned way...hand to hand. You rush your shots and you don't hit a thing.

[@bobinthewest8559]

Being fast is good… Getting hits is great.

[@walkingwolf8072]

The gun fighter of the west where known to take decided aim in the few actual gunfights. Most people died from infection from gunshots so the best practice would be CNS before getting shot. I think most gunfights were probably the style of how Wild Bill met his end. Compared to today criminals, the wild west was not very wild. ETA In my case with my heart disease I would probably not survive any gun shot wound. I train specially for head shots, if not close enough for a head shot I would try to hide.

[@bobinthewest8559]

Before the “modern cartridge” was invented… I’m pretty sure the majority of deaths in gunfights were related to smoke inhalation 😂

[@Quakeboy02]

The only way to play this game is never to play it at all.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Wildwestfaces has some great real life stories about gun fights. The take your time and aim club would clean up the nervous fast draw bad aimers fast shooters. Isn't there a famous Frederick Remington painting showing a real gunfight??

[@morgan1719]

There are plenty of well documented duels from the age of black powder until the time of cartridge revolvers. It wasn't uncommon for losers to survive, and it was uncommon for both to be hit. The impact and trauma of the first hit, deadly or not, tends to drop whoever his hit, whether it kills them or not. Also consider that .45 and .50 caliber was pretty standard, and with sub-sonic ball ammo, what you have is a tremendous impact, yet far less fatality than what you get with todays high-velocity hollow points.

[@richardhoepfner1633]

Sounds like the freeway encroached on your Range. Maybe because there are no leaves on the trees.

[@williamemerson1799]

Fear of death may be a good reason. 😜👍🍺

[@adods9824]

"A quick loud bang never killed anyone!" W Earp.