Oh absolutely pj. Most of those guns were colt peacemaker’s, with either 7.5” or 5.5” barrels, so they were heavy enough to be downright uncomfortable if you were wearing them on your side all day. A shoulder holster would have been far more comfortable, as I know from personal experience. I’ve actually done a fair amount of research on this topic in the past, and most civilians that felt the need to carry, usually carried something small and concealable, such as the 1849 Colt Pocket Revolver, which was the best selling Colt gun at the time, for the civilian market. Even the Mormon missionaries would carry the low profile and concealable “Avenging Angel” pistols, as to not stand out in any way from the rest of the populace.
By the way, from what I have gathered, very few folks actually carried the Colt model 1873. They were a whopping $26 according to my 1897 Sears And Roebuck catalog. A much more likely situation would have been to convert the old “cap and ball” revolvers to cartridge, with an upgraded cylinder that would have cost around $10.
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5 years ago
Oh thanks, I didn't know what type of guns the cowboys in those shows wore. I don't know much about guns, just that they look awfully uncomfortable to be wearing around the house!
I can understand wearing them into town or out on the range, but did men actually wear them at home or is it just a Hollywood trope?
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