Why does Geronimo have a Confederate Revolver? 

I'm Brazilian. Despite druglords buying M4s and even Ma Deuces, most crimes in my country are committed with 38sp revolvers old enough to have a midlife crisis.

My suspicion is that many people in the west used their existing firearms until they couldn't use them anymore. When you are poor in a rural area a gun is a survival tool, you don't replace until you have to. My grandfather was a farmer in Illinois. He bought a used 12-guage shotgun in 1936. He actively hunted with that gun until his death. Then my father, older brothers, and I all used it. That gun was still in active use until 1986 when it just stopped working. The gun smith my dad took it to in order to get it fixed said it was just completely worn out and that fixing it would cost more than buying a new gun. No idea how many shells were put through that gun over the years, but I'd guess the number was in the thousands.

Most people in the Old West weren't outlaws or lawmen, just ordinary working people. A lot of them owned guns as a deterrent against robbery and as a self-defence option in case they were attacked, but never fired them in anger their whole lives. Most really didn't need the latest state-of-the art weaponry.

In 1958, my great uncle introduced me to the shooting world with his EDC weapon. An 1882 Colt SAA in 45Colt. He shot only black powder loads. He'd carried that weapon before the turn of the 20th century, as a peace officer and bounty hunter in the northern plains up until his death in 1963. During our many talks, he'd tell me of events he'd participated in or witnessed. Said his father (my great grandfather) carried a brace of 1851 Colt Navy revolvers even as late 1920. His dad got them in 1870 as a teenager, and didn't see the need for replacing what worked fine in the first place. 😏

Sadly I missed some audio leveling from ~9 minutes in for 1 minute. Rather than re-upload, lose views and cause confusion, I figured I'd just apologize. If you raise the volume for that one minute, it's all still there, just a mistake in leveling consistency. :( Also, yes - I realize that that revolver was provided to Geronimo as a prop in the Wild West show. That still speaks to the longevity and proliferation of these firearms well into the 1900's, considering that there were only a few hundred Dance revolvers ever even manufactured.

150 years from now: "why is this holo-flick set in the 2020s got so many people armed with glock pistols? The FN Five-seveN had been on the market for years!"

People have this idea because most modern shooters always have access similar guns also movies but the same year that the famous cattleman 1873 Colt SAA came out there was also a massive bank crash and depression so most people couldnt buy them until decades after.

I have an original copy of Clyde Baker's "Modern Gunsmithing" published in 1933. In it he states that the single most common handgun that came through his shop was still percussion Colt revolvers.

I live in Kentucky, here and in Tennessee and other Appalachian areas folks in the mountains were still using cap lock long rifles up into the early 1900’s. They kept them working and they were reliable, so they kept using them. Often they were called hog or bear rifles.

One of my great uncles who traveled with my grandfather on a buckboard from Minnesota to California in the very late 1880s carried the same Colt percussion revolver he’d carried across country until he died in the late 1930s. He bought that pistol cheap before the turn of the century and held onto it because it did what he needed it to do.

I suspect the picture of Geronimo that may be a photographer’s prop. Percussion revolvers were definitely still being used some places into the 1880s-90s. Just because something is obsolete doesn’t mean we stop using it. I just replaced a 34 year old air conditioner and furnace last year. My 93 year old grandfather just recently passed away. Most of his guns were 60-70 years old or older. They still worked, why buy the newest thing out there? This video makes a lot of great points.

Well done, professional video, and a superb presentation of historical FACT. One of the reasons I'm a subscriber and a regular visitor to InRange TV. The last manufacturer of revolver combustible cartridges, H.W. Mason of Connecticut, did not cease production until 1888, and that was upon the death of Mr Mason, the company ending with him. One of my pet peeves is the constant referencing of the Western Frontier as the "Cowboy Era". In reality, the American Cowboy frontier cattle-drive era only lasted about 14 years, 1866 to 1880. The most influential era on the Western Frontier, post Lewis & Clark, was the Fur Trapper / Mountain Man era roughly 1807-1840, because the Mountain Men blazed all the main trails westward. Following the Mountain Man Era the most influential era by far, was the "Gold Rush & Silver Strike Era" roughly 1848-1900! The prospectors were roaming all over the frontier establishing new trails, filling in the vast areas between the earlier main trails, and establishing mining camps and towns, stage lines, freight lines and law and order. The "Gold Rush & Silver Strike Era" arrived about the same time as the 1851 Colt Navy revolver, and it was the Navy Colt that firmly established the era of the "sixgun-packing frontiersman. Mining Camp / Town law and order was often via "Vigilante Committees", because "The Territories" were lawless, and news of a gold or silver strike drew the criminal element worldwide. The most violent towns on the Western Frontier weren't cow towns like Dodge City or Abilene; the violent places were mining camps and towns like Hangtown, Virginia City, Deadwood and Tombstone! OK rant finished! I can't brag on your channel enough. The mix of modern and old is beyond fascinating. All I can say is if the History Channel needs to learn how to present history properly, then they need to look at your channel. Along with The History Guy, Cap and Ball, Duelist1954, Hickok45 and many others. I'm amazed at how much better the content is of all of you independent RU-vid guys, compared to supposedly mainstream TV programs! Keep up the great work you do! And thank you!

Surplus Civil War weapons were shipped in huge numbers to Australia and the Pacific Islands where they remained in common use up to 1900 and beyond.

Dad paid $15 in 1977 for a 1893 7mm Mauser made in Berlin. It was my first deer rifle as a young lad, we modified the heck out of it. Chopped 6" off the barrel and 2" off the stock. Turned the bolt and tapped for a scope. I'm in my 60's now and never felt the need to upgrade since it always got the job done.

Very interesting video and it was cool to see cowboy guns on what looks like USPSA/IDPA stages! I've always thought that would make cowboy matches much more fun..

Absolutely cool. These subtle bits of historical minutia are the kinds of details so many of us live for. 😁👍

In the 1930's my dad as a young teenager worked for a farmer part of his pay was a muzzle loading double barrel shot gun which he used for ducks and rabbit hunting

To give you an idea how long people held onto and used old pistols. I remember when I was a small child in rural Oklahoma in the mid 1950s my family attended a wedding at an old farm house. I was sleepy and so they put me on a bed. As the reception party went on for hours into the night. suddenly I was awakened by gun fire as the party goers started shooting into the air. Then an old man came into the room, opened a cedar chest, and removed an old converted black powder pistol. Loaded it with old ammo and went out to fire it. A few minutes later he and my father were at the kitchen table trying to get the corroded empty brass out of the cylinder chambers!

I grew up close to the ruins of Virgil Earp’s cabin where he lived in the very late 1880s and early 1890s. This is after his “recovery” from being crippled by a shotgun blast in Tombstone Az. He returned to the Prescott Az area from his families home in California. There were lots of old brass laying around the cabin site. Not like most old cabins where you might find a shell casing or two. The most common brass was .22 long or long rifle, and 16 gauge paper shotgun base brass. The next most common was .45-70 followed by a bottle necked case that might have been a sharps or Winchester .40 caliber based on a .45-70 base case. There were several .44 Henry rim fire cases with the double firing pin marks from a Henry or model 1866 rifle. I found and kept a .20 all brass shot shell in very good condition, did not find any other 20 gauge shells. I found a very few .41 colt shells but no .45 colt or 44-40 WCF shells. I wondered over the site many times as a gun and history fascinated teenager and compared brass to cartridges of the world drawings. This was back in the 1960s and early 70s. So even a knowledgeable gun fighter still used “out of date” firearms.

I grew up in the Owens Valley (Eastern Sierra) in the 70s and early 80s and many a Rancher still had their family's originally purchased Winchester 1892s in their trucks back windows. One of these old gentleman's truck pistol was a percussion revolver, but never got to see it close enough and was too young to know what specific model it was. Colt 1873s in 45 Colt or even 44 WCF were quite common.

The opening and ending about "where you were wasn't for you anymore" was very evocative for just a few throwaway lines. Good job, Karl

Louis L'Amour once said in an interview, "There are many so-called 'experts' that decry the range & power of the black powder revolver. There are hundreds of men in boot hill that wish that was true."

Great video and spot on info. James Butler Hickok used a pair of percussion .36 cal Colt Navy revolvers up until he was shot in Deadwood in 1876. He shot and killed Dave Tutt in 1865 at a distance of 75 yards, the bullet entering between Mr. Tutt's 5th and 7th ribs.

We see that even today. I remember when 6.5 creedmore came out, I worked at a gun shop at the time and folks were all nervous about .308 and what's gonna happen with it and on multiple occasions had to say "that caliber is going nowhere. It's been around way too long and NATO is still going to be rocking their equivalent for a long time. Old stuff does not mean bad stuff. Love your content keep it up.

Good stuff, Karl. Your point can be proven even today - look how many people opt for the century-plus-old .45ACP, .30-06, .357 etc. Just because something new comes along doesn't mean that the old thing vanishes. Indeed, many people prefer to stick with what they know.

So goes that concept for today as well. I'm disabled and have less money than I used to. Just about everything I own is obsolete. From my weapons to my automobile. This was a very good, informative video. Thank you. I love history. You presented this very well! 😁

I had been under the impression that the reason the military flap holster was worn on the right side and reversed was because the saber was worn on the left side for "cross draw" with the strong arm as these two weapons were primarily issued to cavalry troops and officers. i always enjoy your historical presentations immensely Thank you for them.❤DJ

The average person had little need for pistols. The shotgun and rifle were far more useful, therefore handguns were they were last gun to acquire. Surplus C&B revolvers were about $6 versus about $15 for a new Colt SAA.

The TV show, Hell on Wheels, portrayed this fairly well actually. They did get some names of the guns wrong like using an 1860 army with a brass frame and calling it a Griswold and Gunnison revolver. It takes place right after the Civil War so most guys are carrying cap and ball revolvers. A little later in the show as the years start to pass, some guys start using cartridge conversion guns.

There were a lot of gunsmith conversions to, before the drilled through cylinder patents, ran out. American ingenuity was amazing, especially in the early years of the old west. Do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Also, when the 1873 SSA came out they were very rarely found in civilian hands. Supply and demand basically only the military had access to them earlier in production.

The classic Western "The Sacketts" kind of shows this. The younger Sackett brother carries either a short Colt .44 percussion revolver or a Richards-Mason conversion of one.

Thank you for the accurate historical look into the reality of what the old west really was like. As Clint Smith has said old does not mean obsolete. It is just a different weapon system to learn. I look forward to similar videos.

There are famous photos of Geronimo, along with other Apache fighters, posing with their rifles. His was a trapdoor Springfield carbine, single shot. Now I remember that you guys actually did a video of that one too. Interesting bit, those pictures of Geronimo and his followers were taken while they were still enemies of the United States. Most other photographs of chieftains or leaders in from those days were taken before or after hostilities stopped. An interesting detail I think is his headdress, its very Plains Indian style like what the Comanche or Shoshones would wear. In his "retirement/imprisonment" Geronimo was very aware of his celebrity with Americans. So he became something of a hustler. Wearing Apache or Indian style clothing, appearing in Western shows, and posing for photographs. He was able to make a little money for himself doing all that. He actually really liked White Americans apparently and didn't harbor too much animosity though Teddy Roosevelt denying him leniency to return to Arizona was really fucked up.

I have a 99 gmc pickup. It’s 24 years old and still in use and there are many around. It’s the exact same thing. I’m only suspicious of firearms when I see a picture where the gun someone’s holding hasn’t been invented yet.

This is my favorite period also. A rolling block 50-70 and a new model army is what you would see me with in western Kansas near New Mexico. Of course, I still would have had my percussion Sharps carbine from the war as well. :)

love your old firearms history stuff as well as the new, I learn something every time

Another fantastic video and I really can't wait to try Dead eye sometime! I really love how you're highlighting the wide variety of firearms used on the American frontier, one of my favorite examples of a mix of technology is that when the famous Californio Tiburcio Vasquez was captured in 1874, the posse that caught him stated they seized a “six revolvers, two Winchester rifles of the model of 1873, then considered the best weapon made, and a Spencer seven-shooter". And while his rifles were the newest model, Tiburcio's personal pistol was a second model Colt Dragoon. Maybe for Dead Eye I'll try and run with the same setup Vasquez had.

Excellent information about this part of the period.

Here in Canada, my great-grandfather bought a surplus WW1 bolt action 303 for moose hunting. My grandfather said he would have continued to use it if he could only attach a scope to it. Until that point, they took down loads of moose with only irons.

Great video. This era is one of my favorites for firearms history.

"My Confederate friend, is your holster snapped or unsnapped?" "Snapped. I guess he's my pigeon."-John Wayne, The Undefeated. A lot of people carried 1851 Navy pistols clear into the 1880's.

Excellent analysis! The average person in the 1870s didn't have the disposable income of post-WWII or 2020s USA. Go visit an accurate recreation of an 1870s or 1880s homestead and see how sparse it is. "Make it do, use it up, wear it out" was a necessity. Our modern 'planned obsolescence' is a post-WWII phenomena.

Great content Karl. Thanks for doing what you do!

In a lot of these old photos the gun is a prop supplied by the photographer for dramatic effect.

I just think the smoke puffs coming out the sides of the revolvers loaded with black power look SO COOL !

Love the info, the firearms, and them moccasins!

46 rimfire was being made in the late 1860s as well , reminngton new model armies fired it, i think they only stopped making it in like 1916.

some antique flint lock where still used in rural europe mid last century so to me its really not surprising

great video as always. I would expect another reason percussion guns, both long guns and revolvers stayed common in the west is because if you're in a fairly remote location it would be a much easier to get lose powder and caps than it would a specific cartridge.

In the climactic 3-way duel at the end of The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly, there's a closeup of Lee Van Cleefe's character's revolver, which was a Remington percussion revolver being carried in a cartridge belt. I always thought that that was an oops on the part of people who didn't know any better, or thought the audience wouldn't know any better, but at this point I can't really say whether it was a oops or consciously done for authenticity.

I am still one of those rocking an 1873 Winchester! Sure, have plenty of modern options but just seem to go with the classics more than ever.

I really like your real world historical presentations.

Love this content! My county’s sheriff Harry Mose had an 1866 Winchester (referred to it as an “improved Henry”) and an 1860 army until he upgraded to S&W American in the 1870s.

I just happened to be working on a project set in the early 1870s so this video is quite handy. Thanks.

Thank you for this one. 🙂 I love your historical & Old West videos. Thanks!

Thank you InRangeTV, very cool!

I enjoy these little table talks. I say keep them peppered in.

In the wilderness I'd probably prefer a smoothbore so I could shoot both ball and shot depending on various game, but an 1860 Henry and 1860 Colt would mean you could shoot cartridges if they were available and shoot muzzle loading if that was all that was available. You've also got 22 shots on tap which is more than most people have loaded even in the present day.

Thank you Karl. I really enjoy your sharing of the History of The American West.

I feel like a good comparison might be revolvers vs semi-auto pistols. Semi-auto pistols have been around for over 100 years, but you still find a lot of revolvers.

Thank you for all of your hard work.

These are some of my favorite videos to post on this channel. Well done as always.

Great content as always!

Fascinating and appropriate history lesson, Karl! 👍

Love historical inrangetv content!

Excellent video, and history lesson! Thank you professor Karl!

This is the type of history that I had no idea about. I absolutely love your historic videos like this (well actually all of your historic videos). Keep up the awesome historic videos. Super cool stuff. I've just barely gotten into lever action guns (after decades of owning AR's) and I am absolutely hooked on Old West guns. I'm now really excited about exploring single action revolvers and eventually, black powder firearms. So the history behind these firearms for me is just amazing to learn and appreciate.

I think the "interim" period you're referring to actually was the old west. I'd push the new old west period another 10 years to 1890.

Amazing content. One of the best about the old west

Very interesting and extremally detailed video

They are still relevant even today i know a large amount of people who use percussion revolvers as their daily carry gun for many reasons i myself use and carry a 1860 konverted as well as a few other percussion replicas I got in trade or purchased back when i was still a fellon ( im no longer a felon but im still poor) and other reasons that they remain relevant is traveling i cant tell you how many people in the military or truckers that own and carry these guns

LOVE THIS CONTENT

Karl, your pragmatic deep dives Into history and practical application are great. I detect from various comments and other videos that there are dramas in your RU-vid and shooting sports life. I truly hope they don't get the better of you and decrease your entertaining and informative output. Thanks and respect, Gus

Love the history stuff Karl, good video

I actually do appreciate and enjoy the history videos over anything else you do sir.

Great video!

Very interesting video 👍

That's a great video. It takes skills to seamlessly blend firearms and history. Thanks

Excellent historically based video. I really like those Apache boots. I made a pair similar to them when I was an Anthropology Major in college in 1966. I have an Uberti 1860 Henry in .44-40 that I have shot with BP cartridges and smokeless. That slightly necked cartridge expands in the breech sealing the black powder gases in the barrel, so little to none blows back into the brass breech block. It makes it very easy to clean the rifle with soapy water.

I have some caps given to me by an old timer that were made in the teens or twenties, his dad had an old muzzeloader given to hime by a civil war vet, the caps were his. furthermore those suckers still work, this oldtimer fired one a few years ago in a old shotgun he had.

love your history videos

Great stuff!

Nice video. Well done. Interesting. Thanks

One of the very few heirlooms I have is a H&R copy of the S&W pocket hammerless breaktop. It's in .32 S&W the action no longer rotates the cylinder. From what my dad tells me, it was his grandmother's "apron gun" and it had been in the family before that. We didn't live in a throwaway society back then. Speaking of which, a few years ago a waitress saw my flip phone and said "I love your retro phone, where did you get it?" I looked up at her and said "the AT&T store". I'm 39 and I still don't own an Iphone lol.

Very good information! Things I take for granted that people don't know

Brilliant! Thank you!

Great video! Thanks and greetings from Germany!

ENJOY YOUR WORK THANK YOU.

Wonderful video Karl. Thank you Sir. History must never be silent. And as I believe you mentioned people we're dirt poor back then and need the money they had for other things. Maybe that's we're the phrase came from "if it's not broke don't fix it!" Again thank you Karl for all your hard work and time Sir. You are appreciated!

Thanks. Very interesting.

Excellent as always 👍👍👍👍

Thanks for the cool video. I learned a lot. I have one of those loop holsters with the flap that fit the gun belt. Now I know why they did that.

Really interesting video

Nice history lesson, thanks 👍

Another excellent video Karl . I am really enjoying your recent content . Keep up the good work 👍🏼

I have a S&W Model 2 that was made in late 1864, in .32 long rimfire. Pocket sized cartridge in a belt-sized handgun (6 inch barrel).

Thanks.Very good.

I've actually been getting your video notifications lately!

Years ago, I took your advice and installed an ad blocker. As of today, ironically, it looks like I won't be able to watch YT without removing it.

Very interesting and enjoyable.