Wild West Quick Draw Duels - How Real Were They?

The Bullet:In

We’ll be at Shot Show, now less than a month away. Booth number 15056. Stop on by to take a peek at our latest creations, including new Malcolm scopes, our latest modern long-range options, and even our new spotting scope. We’ll be there all week.

I’ll also invite you to check out some of Ohio Hammer and Lever’s latest posts on instagram. A long-time shooter of old wood guns, he’s got more than a few vintage firearms that’ll have you updating your Christmas lists.

For today's main story, I'll talk about the reality of old Wild West duels. While Hollywood and the occasional novel have made much of the duel at high noon, we forget that pioneers in the old West were every bit as fond of life as we are today. They would not have been keen on standing ten paces away and firing from the hip. The best bet, when possible, was to talk. Some rather unscrupulous persons might try an ambush, to which the best response was a shotgun and some cover. Others would stay far away, using a rifle. Shootouts with revolvers did occur, but were typically spur of the moment. People would run for cover. They’d shoot around corners or over the top of a rock. They’d do everything in their power to not be 20 feet of open ground away from someone trying to shoot them.

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