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Post by oldpop2000 on Nov 15, 2013 14:03:26 GMT -6
Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the OK Corral
Off the wall, well maybe but it was the greatest gunfight in the US. But one interesting fact that I have never been able to figure out is how did Wyatt Earp, never got touched by any bullets during his career as a saloon keeper, detective, marshal or sheriff. So, I started reading his statement at the inquest held after the gunfight. Here is the section that I believe gives me my answer:
There in bold is the key to Wyatt Earp and possibly other famous lawmen, like Bat Masterson; target prioritization. In the midst of a heated and dangerous gunfight, Earp had the presence of mind and intellect to perform target prioritization and understood who the greatest threat was, and acted upon it. He killed McLowry with a shot from his .44 cal S & W to the stomach, but Doc Holliday got Billy Clanton with a shotgun. Earp was not lucky, as such, he made his own luck by understanding his opponent and acting accordingly. Fascinating
BTW, Earp lived until 1929 and died in LA.
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Post by williammiller on Nov 16, 2013 12:08:48 GMT -6
Dennis,
I am a big Western fan - myself and one of my local gaming groups have in the past played out the 'Gunfight at OK Corral' (which is technically a misnomer since the fight actually occurred outside the corral IIRC) several times using either TSRs old 'Boot Hill' RPG rules and Avalon Hill's 'Gunslinger' game. Great fun & never the same ending twice!
An interesting tidbit about the Old West gunfight: the stereotypical 'gunfight at high noon in the center of the street' virtually *never* happened - to my memory Bill Hickok was the only 'gunfighter' that was in even a single shootout that could have fit that stereotype. Over half of recorded 'gunfights' involved one or both sides having imbibed way too much alcohol with a resulting poor accuracy that you might expect!
If you are interested in Old West gunfights the following are my "absolutely must have" books on the subject:
"Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" by Bill O'Neal (ISBN13: 9780806123356)
The above is the BEST single volume/study ever published about Old West gunfighter/fights, period. It has a detailed analysis of 587 gunfights, and details every gunfight for some 255 gunfighters.
"Gunfighters of the Old West" and "Gunfighters of the Old West II" both by Dave Southworth (ISBN10: 0964472899 & 1890778060)
While not as 'scientific' as the first book I mention above, these two volumes give a much more personal insight into the lives and motivations of most of the recorded Old West gunfighters, but are still accurate in their treatment and are a less 'dry' read. Includes a detailed biography of each gunfighter.
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Post by oldpop2000 on Nov 16, 2013 13:06:42 GMT -6
Dennis, I am a big Western fan - myself and one of my local gaming groups have in the past played out the 'Gunfight at OK Corral' (which is technically a misnomer since the fight actually occurred outside the corral IIRC) several times using either TSRs old 'Boot Hill' RPG rules and Avalon Hill's 'Gunslinger' game. Great fun & never the same ending twice! An interesting tidbit about the Old West gunfight: the stereotypical 'gunfight at high noon in the center of the street' virtually *never* happened - to my memory Bill Hickok was the only 'gunfighter' that was in even a single shootout that could have fit that stereotype. Over half of recorded 'gunfights' involved one or both sides having imbibed way too much alcohol with a resulting poor accuracy that you might expect! If you are interested in Old West gunfights the following are my "absolutely must have" books on the subject: "Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" by Bill O'Neal (ISBN13: 9780806123356) The above is the BEST single volume/study ever published about Old West gunfighter/fights, period. It has a detailed analysis of 587 gunfights, and details every gunfight for some 255 gunfighters. "Gunfighters of the Old West" and "Gunfighters of the Old West II" both by Dave Southworth (ISBN10: 0964472899 & 1890778060) While not as 'scientific' as the first book I mention above, these two volumes give a much more personal insight into the lives and motivations of most of the recorded Old West gunfighters, but are still accurate in their treatment and are a less 'dry' read. Includes a detailed biography of each gunfighter. Hi William:
Nice to hear someone else enjoys things western. My wife and I may take a jaunt over to Tombstone one of these days. I have seen that book and when it is available in Kindle I will get it. Thanks for the heads up.
I totally agree about the high noon gunfights. One problem is the weapons, because I've fired a .45 cal Colt Peacemaker and it has an accurate range of about 10 yards, anything beyond that and you just turning money into noise.
The gunfight at the OK corral actually took place on Fremont street in an alley. The OK corral was on Allen street, but in fact, witnesses could not precisely determine where the gunfight actually took place. In fact, It actually took place six doors down from the back entrance to the OK Corral. The parties were only six feet apart when the action started. Thirty shots were fired in thirty seconds. Interesting and short fight, IMO.
A bit of note, the person who eventually inherited Earp's weapons and such, said that he never mentioned or discussed a buntline special and there was never one in the collection. Another tidbit. Earp was carrying a Model 1869 .44 Cal. S & W single action revolver with an eight inch barrel. The .45 Peacemaker only had a 4.25 inch barrel. The S & W was a gift from John Clum who ran the Tombstone Epitaph. Usually, due to the fact that the hammer could discharge a loaded round, you only loaded five rounds and left the chamber for the sixth empty to prevent such an occurrence.
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