Everyone knows the scene…a lone, rugged cowboy trudges across a dirt road with a pistol or two strapped into a beaten leather holster riding low at his waist. The image of a western gunslinger is popular in the media, but did you know that it was predominately created by the media? The Hollywood version of a gunslinger is vastly different from what we know to be historically correct.
During the 19th century, America was expanding and industry was growing along with it. It was a time of much chaos, since law enforcement couldn’t keep up. US marshals and county sheriffs faced the challenge of watching their territories expand beyond reason. There was too much ground to cover and not enough law enforcement officials for the job. Outlaws and bandits could easily outrun law enforcers by crossing state lines, and jails were often corrupt and easy to escape.
Authorities began offering rewards for those who brought in wanted outlaws, dead or alive. This created the rise of the hired gun, or bounty hunter. And because they would receive a reward on a “dead or alive” basis, many bounty hunters would kill their targets to minimize the danger involved. Then they would deliver the body and collect the reward.
Being a sheriff, marshal, or hired gun meant that you were skilled with a firearm and prepared to face hardened criminals. Not everyone was up for the job. This meant that many individuals who had been hired guns were hired as law enforcement officers due to their fearsome reputation. It was common for a town sheriff and a gunslinger to be one in the same, though perhaps at different times throughout their lives. These gunslingers were also hired by businesses and individuals to protect shipments, guard cattle, and any number of additional jobs that required their expertise.
This historic notion of a gunslinger paints a picture quite different from the quick-draw pistol duels you’re used to seeing in front of dusty saloons. In fact, anything resembling a European duel was extremely rare in the American west. The term gunslinger wasn’t even used back then; rather, it was a Hollywood creation that emerged in 1920. Hired guns of the time instead referred to themselves as gunmen, shootists, or pistoleers. And most of these men favored short-barreled shotguns or rifles over pistols, because the first two options offered more accuracy than handheld pistols. As outlaw Wyatt Earp said, “Fast is fine. Accurate is final.”
Tell us about your favorite film, book, or TV series depicting the Wild West. Commenting below will serve as your entry for our May giveaway. But remember to keep it classy; inappropriate comments will be deleted and disqualified. Submit your comment (one comment only please) by May 20, 2018. One winner will be randomly selected on May 21, 2018 to receive a Gunslinger 1 oz silver round from our exclusive Prospector series.
Good luck and aim true!
True Grit – both the original and the re-make.
The good, the bad, the ugly
Tombstone hands down!
Any of Clint’s spaghetti westerns would be worth noting. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was awesome. Nothing like a 3 way duel in a cemetery over stolen loot to wrap up a movie!
My favorite Western show is Have Gun – Will Travel. Paladin plays the part of a peacemaker who helps others and only uses his gun when absolutely forced into no other option.
Definitely the … err… independent film entitled Cowboys and Indians, starring Alvin Cowan. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1886504/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14
I need some GOOD coins like this in my collection to go with some BAD and UGLY ones.
Open Range. The beauty of the open country in the first part of the movie, contrasted with the brutal shoot out at the end.
Unforgiven with clint eastwood was the best western movie in my opinion.
As a child loved to watch “Wild, Wild, West” starring Robert Conrad. The show aired in the early 1970s and Conrad’s character had some great gadgets and a hidden compartment in this boot heel, explosives and more.
Star Wars ,Star trek,Movie:Fury at furnace creek 1948 with Victore Mature (Western),The Iron Sheriff(Western)
My all time favorite is “The Treasure Of Sierra Madre”. A true classic.
Enjoying Westworld RN.
The most impact came from “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” in th’50s.
Tombstone hands down one of my all time favorite movies!!!
Unforgiven. Great actors & great performances. Clint’s masterpiece. I like it even more than the The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Wild West was the best!
I loved the spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was my favorite.
Tombstone is one of the best western film. it was based on real people and real events.
The Good, the bad and the ugly! I watched this film over and over again!
Apple Dumpling Gang
City slickers
Books by Zane Gray. Old school.
Good old days on silver.
Tombstone is great!!
Has to be The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.!
Awesome i love to take some pics with this cool win
“The Wild Wild West”
Back to the future III.
One of my favorite movies of all time, not just westerns, has got to be Tombstone. Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holiday is an amazing performance!