The Outlaw Josey Wales is a rather odd movie. On the surface it is an exciting Western with some really well done gunfights. On another level, it is a very odd anti-war film that explores the emotional toll of seeking revenge.
It seems that the director and star, Clint Eastwood, was rather devoted to the project. The film is an adaption of the book Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter, and I have always been impressed how faithful the movie is to the original. Kudos to everyone involved, since movies rarely get it right.
However the film appeals to you personally, there is no denying that it has a number of devoted fans. People involved in the shooting sports like it for the vintage firearms on display, as well as the skills exhibited by the cast when they handle them. The movie is, of course, a Hollywood fantasy. But there is a degree of realism in many of the scenes that is difficult to find in most of the products coming out of Tinsletown.
Most of my regular readers are shooting enthusiasts, and the rest are gaming geeks. One thing both shooters and geeks like are guns, so why don't we examine The Long Guns of The Outlaw Josey Wales?
FULL AUTO
There actually is a primitive machine gun featured in the film!
The Gatling gun is a multibarrel gun that is operated by a hand crank. It would take too long for me to describe how the whole thing works in print, so just go ahead and click on this link. You will find a nifty bit of animation that shows how it all goes bang.
In the film, a pair of Gatlings are set up in a couple of canvas covered wagons. Union troops use them to massacre a group of Confederate bushwackers that have surrendered.
(Click on all pics to see a larger picture.)
This invites the ire of the title character, so Josey guns the Gatling crew down and takes possession of their weapon.
The scenes featuring the Gatling are intense though short, and the weapon isn't seen again in the movie. This makes sense, since the plot concerns how Josey Wales takes to his heels and tries to avoid capture while various n'er-do-wells attempt to cash in on the bounty that has been set on his head. Gatlings were crew served weapons, a class of guns that we today would call "heavy machine guns". They would be too slow to be able to keep up with a party of men determined to run a fast-moving horseman down.
Long guns played a part in the action, and I discuss them below the fold.
RIFLES
Rifles are, generally speaking, more capable arms than handguns. They are more accurate, have a much longer range, and are usually chambered for much more powerful cartridges. Still, they aren't featured too often in Westerns. There are a few reasons for that.
The American Civil War saw some great advances in small arms technology. Most of the arms used in the field during the opening days of the conflict were muzzle loading smoothbores. There were better alternatives available, but those old designs used very few moving parts. That meant it took a long time for them to wear out, so there were plenty of them still in use when the war started.
The brutal necessity of combat meant that many of those guns were soon replaced by rifles, although the rifles were still muzzle loaders. The old smoothbores were sold off at bargain basement prices to whoever wanted a cheap gun. In fact, there are still so many of those guns still around that they don't fetch much in the antique trade.
The first time we get a good look at any of these muskets is when Josey Wales is captured by some hillbillys looking to get rich off of the reward.
That guy on the left looks like a meth user, doesn't he? But he is just freaking out from a premonition of his own painful death.
Wales eventually stumbles across an old Amerind living in the woods. He is played by legendary character actor Chief Dan George.
Looks to me like he's holding one of the hillbilly guns. Oh, well, the hillbilly didn't need it anymore after Wales was through with him.
The spring driving the hammer must have been pretty stiff, judging by the face made by Mr. George when he cocked it.
Yep, pretty stiff.
Surplus muskets were cheap and effective, but they had one really big disadvantage. It took forever to load one, and you could get pretty dead trying to get your gun to go bang.
Wales and a motley collection of hangers-on arrive at a remote ranch house and try to build a life for themselves. When attacked, they defend themselves with a really huge number of cheap muskets. Notice how they have loaded guns leaning against the walls, near to hand and ready to go.
Near as I can tell, they have about 30 muskets lying around. That means they can shoot about as many rounds as a single assault rifle clip before reloading. For the time, that wasn't too bad!
Anyway, that is about it for the long guns. I'll write another post either tomorrow or Tuesday where I talk about the handguns used in the film.
UPDATE
Steven asks about a sniper rifle that was briefly used in the film. He is right, I forgot about that one.
The American Civil War was the first time I am aware of where specialty sniper rifles like this were used. They usually had heavy barrels to increase accuracy, and adding a telescope to the top of the gun is certainly something the Americans embraced even if they didn't come up with the idea.
Only two rounds are fired from the gun in the film, and we never get to see anyone reloading the rifle. Judging by the look of it, the rifle has been modified to accept cartridges.
Since we never see Wales use any other long gun, it is probably a good bet to say that he only owns this one rifle for long range shots and relies on his pistols for any other defense needs.
Steven wonders if the gun is actually that accurate. Judging by the scene, Wales shoots the ferry's rope at a distance of 100 yards or so. He is firing from a prone, braced position with plenty of time to set up the shot.
It is certainly within the capabilities of the firearm to make the shot, but it would be extremely tricky to hit the rope just right so it would part with one bullet. Considering that the ferry is overloaded with men and horses, the extra weight and strain on the rope would certainly help. But it would still take a great deal of luck as well as superlative skill. It isn't impossible, just darn unlikely.
UPDATE 2
Alan of Blognomicon fame says that the sniper rifle might well be a Sharps. I think he is right, since it certainly looks like one from what we can see in the movie.
Below is a pic taken from this website where they sell replica Sharps. The trigger guard and sideplat right in front of the hammer looks pretty close.
According to the Wikipedia entry on the Sharps rifle, superior craftsmanship resulted in an extremely accurate weapon. That seems to be why the weapon developed a rep as being an excellent sniper arm.
I once had the great good fortune to shoot a Sharps carbine, but it had been converted at some time in the distant past to fire .45 Long Colt ammunition. To do this, the gunsmith had milled a new barrel out which changed the way the gun looked as well as making it rather inaccurate. He should have stuck to a .50 caliber bullet and used the original barrel, but maybe the original had been shot out. That is the only reason I can think of for screwing around with a system that worked.
Steven mentions that the Sharps used paper cartridges, which is true. In the 1870's the design was changed so new rifles could use metallic cartridges, and older rifles were usually converted so they could also use the new fangled ammo. Considering the year the movie takes place, a conversion to metallic cartridges would be anachronistic. But using props out of their proper time frame never stopped Hollywood before.
Comments (20)
There was a particular long gun that appeared in that film that I have been curious about. It's the sniper rifle that Josey uses to sever the rope used by the ferry. I've always assumed that case was an example of "Hollywood guns are more accurate than real life guns" but I do wonder about it. What was it?
Posted by Steven Den Beste | November 5, 2006 10:44 PM
Posted on November 5, 2006 22:44
Isn't that sniper gun a Sharps? I don't think they were conversion guns, but were some of the first cartridge guns, shooting large-caliber rimfire cartridges. Hence the term, "sharpshooters."
I could be wrong.
Posted by AlanDP | November 6, 2006 6:03 AM
Posted on November 6, 2006 06:03
The Sharps was a breech-loader that used a paper cartridge. It was also a Northern gun. It seems a bit odd that an ex-Confederate soldier would be using one.
And paper cartridges are unmistakeable; the gun Josey used wasn't using paper cartridges.
Posted by Steven Den Beste | November 6, 2006 8:14 AM
Posted on November 6, 2006 08:14
It's partly a matter of how you want to define your terms, but some say the Ferguson rifle - a breech-loading flintlock - was the first real sniper rifle. It was used by the British during the revolutionary war.
No scope, of course, but Ferguson's men were intended as marksmen, not regular infantry. Their rifle was, at the time, the most accurate military-issued arm in the world.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/collection/object.asp?ID=635
Posted by Mike | November 6, 2006 8:36 AM
Posted on November 6, 2006 08:36
Alan,
the etymology of "sharpshooter" puts it into first use around 1800, so the term predates the Sharps rifle. I'll bet Sharps used it in their marketing at the time, though. "You can't be a sharpshooter without a Sharps," or something like that ;-)
Posted by Daniel | November 6, 2006 11:29 AM
Posted on November 6, 2006 11:29
I don't know that I've ever seen a 30-round clip before. Usually clips only hold 5, 8, or 10-rounds. Now magazines OTOH can hold upwards of 30 rounds...
;)
Posted by Jay G | November 6, 2006 3:38 PM
Posted on November 6, 2006 15:38
The early Sharps used a paper cartridge. Some also used paper caps for ignition. Later generation models used cartridges, many in chamberings larger than 45-70. Quigley used one such down under.
Posted by triticale | November 6, 2006 8:15 PM
Posted on November 6, 2006 20:15
IMHO there were "real" sniper rifles way before Ferguson's breach loader. I'd even argue that there might be smoothbores that would count give the tactics used (trained marksman aiming for officers and high value targets).
Rifling dates to at least 1470 or so. There were match and wheel lock rifles, but certainly the ~1550-1600 Jaeger rifles would count.
By the French & Indian war (1754-1763), KY and PA longrifles were well developed and used by selected marksmen in North America.
Ferguson designed his rifle in the early 1770s (1776 patent date). I'd argue that a good number of jager and KY rifles were more accurate, but whether they count as military issue is probably a legit debate.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure the Josey Wales rifle is a 1874 Sharps. I suppose I could watch the movie again and do a really careful job pausing it, but, I'm a bit too lazy to make certain.
Posted by Bob | November 6, 2006 11:50 PM
Posted on November 6, 2006 23:50
It's a Sharps. I think by the end of the Civil War they were being made in cartridge version. It's a quite accurate rifle, it's one of the consistent winners in metallic silhouette competition, which runs out to 500 meters.
Considering the group Wales had been with- irregular cavalry- wouldn't be surprising that he could wind up with one.
Posted by Firehand | November 7, 2006 10:42 PM
Posted on November 7, 2006 22:42
Can't tell from your cut from the movie, but it looks like a Whitworth to me, mounting a scope. Whitworths were highly prized, .45 cal British-made sniper rifles, credited, for example, with killing Union General Sedgwick at Spotsylvania Courthouse from approx. 1200 yards. A fine choice for Josey Wales to carry. Note a reference to this weapon in Fraser's novel Cold Mountain, in a river crossing scene reminiscent of Josey Wales ...
Posted by Rob | December 5, 2006 12:57 PM
Posted on December 5, 2006 12:57
The muskets used in The Outlaw Josey Wales were either British P-1853 ,(P for percussion) or Springfield 1853's. The Union used mostly Springfields as they were manufactured in the North. The Confederate States, having limited manufacturing capabilities imported the bulk of their weapons from the British, mostly Enfield P 1853's in .577 caliber, and at the onset of the war, surplus British 1842 .75 caliber smoothbore percussion muskets. I have a British 3 band P-1853 and it looks exactly as Chief Dan Georges gun,even sounds like his when its being cocked. I have a British P- 1842 smoothbore and it looks exactly like the gun used by the Hillbillies who get whacked trying to take Josey.The "sniper" rifle Josey uses at the river crossing scene is a Sharps 1873 carbine. This makes it inaccurate for the film as the movie was supposed to be at the end of the civil war. Sharps made breech loaded rifles that shot heavy paper cartridges ,almost like a thin cardboard,as ealy as 1852, which were later converted (after 1865) to metal catridge firing weapons. However, those were full barreled,(40" long barrels), not the shortened carbine as used in the movie. Not the first time an Eastwood movie has goofed. In The Good, The Bad And The Ugly,look close at the rifle "Angel Eyes" uses to shoot Tuco down from the hanging tree, it seems to be a Winchester 1894!! The movie is supposed to be at the end of the civil war circa 1864!! The pistols used in Josey wales seem correct as they were all cap and ball type, the ones in The Good The Bad And The Ugly were all later model ( after the war) metal cartridge firing models, which were not that readily available until after the war!!
Posted by xfrogman | June 2, 2007 2:29 AM
Posted on June 2, 2007 02:29
Even though Sharps didn't produce a carbine at the time, it wasn't unusual for soldiers to modify their weapons as needed.
Posted by sam | June 8, 2007 3:34 PM
Posted on June 8, 2007 15:34
What type of Hand gun is on the poster of Outlaw Josie wells
Posted by Jay P. | June 26, 2007 2:06 PM
Posted on June 26, 2007 14:06
What type of Hand gun is on the poster of Outlaw Josie wells
Those are two examples of a Walker Colt, which is supposed to be the most powerful black powder handgun ever made.
James
Posted by James R. Rummel | June 26, 2007 4:01 PM
Posted on June 26, 2007 16:01
Something I never hear people talk about but I think is true of Josey Wales is that he was a Confederate Partisan Ranger. What's that mean?
Basically this group of men were not pardoned when the war ended and were immediatly branded as "Out-Laws".Often they worked behind enemy lines harassing the enemy with non-conventional methods that included burning,looting,and sometimes raping and pilliging. This is the case with at least one historical figure I know of;Jessie James.
Also true is the fact that Confederate Guerillas worked in medium sized groups,did not adhere to uniform standards,joined up mostly out of a need for revenge,were excellent Non-conventional thinkers and fighters and preferred the use of pistols(2-4 per man)over any other weapon. They also tended to carry their pistols un-holstered and tucked through their belts for ease of draw.
These Guerillas were famous for their ability to live off the land and those items captured from the enemy(so Josey having a Spencer Rifle with a scope is not unusual, he may have captured it from a Union Berdan sharpshooter)
In 1864 the Confederacy attempted to "Mesh" these Guerillas with reguler Cavalry but most refused to do so. Some of these hardened men stood down only when their commander fell and in some cases, well after the war had ended.
My two cents.
Posted by Paul E. Smith | July 5, 2007 2:54 PM
Posted on July 5, 2007 14:54
its an 1874 sharps sporting rifle, so it is not an accurate gun for the time period. of course boatloads of sharps rifles were sent as henry breecher's "bibles" to the conflict between kansas and missouri. there were also many shraps sporting rifles, both 1859 and 1863 models sold to southerners before the war.
to be honest, the paper cartidge sharps was only marginally effective as a sharpshooters weapon. as a skirmishers weapon it exelled because of the higher rate of fire and nice balance, but it lacked the accuracy of much more common guns, such as the numbrous target rifles that were around because of target shootings popularity back then in the 1850's
its was good to about 800 yards or a shade under, after that, it was awful chancy. could josey have a .52 sporting sharps with a scope, yeah, its very possible. could it be a .45-70 cartidge gun? no way in hell. the sharps paper cartidges were not thick, they were nitrated linen paper, almost like cigarette papers and those work just as good too.
in the good the bad and the ugly, angel eyes doesnt shoot tuco's rope. blonde uses a scoped 1860 henry for most of the film, and at the end he uses another sporting sharps.
josey's sharps is not a carbine, its a 30" barreled sporting rifle. no sharps rifles had 40" barrels. standard rifles had 30" and carbines were like 22" i think.
whitworth rifles look nothing like a sharps, they actually look like the p-53 3 banded rifled muskets exept they had checkering on the grip areas of the stock and a side mounted scope about 12" long.
Posted by matt | July 30, 2007 1:44 AM
Posted on July 30, 2007 01:44
Sorry Matt, goofed on the names in Good bad and ugly, Lee Van Cleefs name was angel eyes. I actually own a sharps rifle in 40" barrel which I aquired thru atlanta cutlery, they bought a bunch from nepal.
Posted by xfrogman | November 12, 2007 12:49 AM
Posted on November 12, 2007 00:49
The "sniper" rifle is a model 1859 or 1863 percussion sporting rifle with a period scope. You can easily tell by the high hammer and stepped lockplate that was designed for use with the Sharps pellet primers. This is a period accurate piece for the movie and Eastwood is to be praised for using it. It is worth noting that at the time of the movie's production, 1975, there were no Sharps replicas on the market of this type, so it is an original Sharps, no doubt from his own collection.
Posted by Dave Lanara | January 16, 2008 9:05 AM
Posted on January 16, 2008 09:05
I'd like to add that having owned several original Sharps, they are capable of great accuracy if loaded correctly. I've made repeated hits on a 1000 yard buffalo gong with a 50-70 sharps carbine.
Posted by Dave Lanara | January 16, 2008 9:17 AM
Posted on January 16, 2008 09:17
frogman, the nepalese sharps arent really sharps from what ive read about them, their origin is somwhat of a mystery. some think they were confederate copies. and after the war there were longer barreled sharps for use with the cartidges.
cartidge sharps are very accurate rifles becuase they have an actual chamber which seat the round consistantly. the paper cartidge sharps werent consistently loaded and the bullets were hard to seat properly. its also hard to dial in a good shooting load because it had to be big enough to seat the bullet and fill the chamber, but if it was too big you would cut off all that extra powder and that would be a useless waste.
the catridge sharps is were the sharps rifle began to shine as something truly awesome. the paper sharps was just the stepping stone from muzzleloaders to cartidge arms.
Posted by matt | April 4, 2008 1:07 AM
Posted on April 4, 2008 01:07