MovieChat Forums > Tom Horn (1980) Discussion > Tom Horn's rifle

Tom Horn's rifle

posted 16 years ago by JoeinFla
2 replies | jump to latest

Just a technical point for you all. The Winchester rifle that Tom used was a Model 1876 Centennial Model in 45-60 caliber. This was a relatively rare gun made by Winchester. It fired a 45 caliber (45/100th inch diameter) with 60 grains of (originally) black powder. This gave it less power and recoil than the Springfield 45-70 Govt. cartridge that many buffalo hunters used.

In this film, Tom says that this rifle had a trajectory like a rainbow, but a 200 yard shot (like the one that killed the kid) is not that difficult with this rifle. Tom's comment about how it would be his "greatest shot" just isn't true.

In the Ted Turner production of Louis L'Amour's Crossfire Trail (2001), Tom Selleck's character, Rafe Covington, buys the same model and caliber rifle in the town where his friend, Charles Rodney, had lived. In fact, his friend had ordered the rifle, but died before it was delivered.

[–] rwsmith29456 16 years ago

Yeah, it wouldn't be my cartridge of choice for a 200 yard shot, but bullet drop due to gravity is very predictable and I doubt that a .45 cal would be much bothered by the wind.

[–] ledge12-1 13 years ago

I'd much rather prefer the round Horn actually carried the .30-30... or the one he used in Cuba during spanish/american war the .30-40 Krag-jorgenson

buffalo hunters mostly used the .45-70 due to the free ammo from the government, the better round for hunting large game like that is the .45-90 or -110 more carry and punch, however the .45 family of ammo is slow and heavy subsonic rounds whereas the .30 family are supersonic rounds

.45-70 no rifle crack just a boom take quigley down under they hear the shot then guy gets hit... it should have been backwards, guy drops then the bang

.30 rounds will crack when fired that is a mini sonic boom .... the faster projectile meant it had more energy for taking down game.

also for man hunting the .30-30 would be lighter and easier to shoot, especially when you don't need a round that will knock a 1600 lb buffalo over.