DA revolvers in Western movies.

[Leadeye]

Wandering the internet I sometimes stumble over interesting stuff and follow it. The picture is of William S. Hart, silent movie star from the 1916 movie Hell's Hinges. He is pointing two of the Philipine versions of the Colt 1878. These guns were sold to the Army and used to equip the Philippine constabulary which an interesting story in itself. Later some of these revolvers were picked up by Bannerman and resold to Western Costume Company, seen in movies like the Hound of the Baskervilles with Basil Rathbone. I was surprised to find that a number of more modern DA revolvers were used by prop departments in old westerns, no less than Tom Mix used modern Colt DA 38 specials.

The 1878 is an easier substitution as the front end is the same as the Colt SAA, but the trigger and guard size give it away easily. Mr. Hart does do it some justice in the photo by holding it with his thumbs on the hammer as he would have to if it was a real SA revolver.

 

[88E30M50]

That's interesting LE. I've never been good at identifying firearms in movies. Sure, I could see that Tom Hanks was shooting a 1911 at the end of Saving Private Ryan but that's about as good as I get with id'ing guns in movies.

 

[Ingomike]

That's interesting LE. I've never been good at identifying firearms in movies. Sure, I could see that Tom Hanks was shooting a 1911 at the end of Saving Private Ryan but that's about as good as I get with id'ing guns in movies.

Now you never have to wonder again.

Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games

www.imfdb.org

 

[Slow Hand]

I’ve seen some older prop guns that were swing out cylinder Colts and Smiths that have had fake ejector rod housings added to them. The DA was simpler for poorly trained actors and actresses to get off faster shots than a single action and the fake ERH made them look slightly more SAA-ish!

 

[Leadeye]

That's interesting LE. I've never been good at identifying firearms in movies. Sure, I could see that Tom Hanks was shooting a 1911 at the end of Saving Private Ryan but that's about as good as I get with id'ing guns in movies.

There's a scene in Deadwood where Wild Bill and Bullock confront Ned Mason on a horse, gunfight begins with Ned drawing a Remington 1858, period correct for the time. He is killed and falls off his horse, but when he is lying on the ground he is holding a Colt 1860 conversion, also period correct, but clearly not what he started with.

I assumed there was a break in filming there somewhere.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Some even held about 10 rounds, lol

 

[Firehawk]

I don’t know my revolvers and gun history well enough to pick up on those things. The things I notice are like the last Hawkeye episode. The bad guy assembles a “sniper rifle”, bolt action, wood stock, no external mag, and then fires off like 10 rounds in a row like it’s a semi auto!

 

[Ingomike]

I don’t know my revolvers and gun history well enough to pick up on those things. The things I notice are like the last Hawkeye episode. The bad guy assembles a “sniper rifle”, bolt action, wood stock, no external mag, and then fires off like 10 rounds in a row like it’s a semi auto!

I love to round count. I seems in movies and tv most guns can double their listed capacities. LOL

 

[Indyhd]

I love to round count. I seems in movies and tv most guns can double their listed capacities. LOL

My wife does this all the time. I just tell her the good guy reloaded when the camera was showing the bad guy.

 

[manifest destiny]

I love to round count. I seems in movies and tv most guns can double their listed capacities. LOL

Or the constant click-click, shuck-chuck, click-shuck sounds every time they show the gun holder. Click-click, camera looks away, camera looks back, click-click. I'm too novice for actually identifying guns by shape, but round counting is probably a good habit.

 

[Ingomike]

Or the constant click-click, shuck-chuck, click-shuck sounds every time they show the gun holder. Click-click, camera looks away, camera looks back, click-click. I'm too novice for actually identifying guns by shape, but round counting is probably a good habit.

The best is when they chamber a round by pulling back on the slide of a revolver…

But who can forget when they rack a pump shotgun so many times it would be unloaded if they actually had rounds in it…

 

[Trapper Jim]

What about rubber or styrofoam guns that got too much camera. Saw it on Big Valley, the Virginian and others. Or how about the small child or woman that hand the rifle to dad by grasping the muzzle end with just one hand? Try that one a few times.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

The best is when they chamber a round by pulling back on the slide of a revolver…

But who can forget when they rack a pump shotgun so many times it would be unloaded if they actually had rounds in it…

Or cock the hammer on a striker fired pistol.

 

[Liberty Sanders]

This is a pet peeve of mine and I have a number of contributions in the "Goofs" sections of the Internet Movie Database concerning it.

A couple of examples are "Hombre," where Paul Newman's character is armed with a long-barreled SAA until the final scene where he's shooting it out with the Mexican and he's suddenly armed with a large frame double action, or "White Buffalo," (a truly lousy movie that I've come to regard as a comedy) where Charles Bronson switches back and forth between a pair of SAA's and double actions through the whole movie.