Was Wild West That Wild? – Red Dead Redemption 2 vs Facts and Reality
Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of realistic facts and details, but does it represent a faithful image of the Wild West from a historical perspective?
Table of Contents
- Was Wild West That Wild? – Red Dead Redemption 2 vs Facts and Reality
- Not so wild Wild, the West
- A duel at noon
- A Revolver & A Bowler Hat Just Like The Avengers Classic
- A woman or a hoyden with big gun
A duel at noon
A must-see feature of each western is a duel between two gunmen. Trying to mesmerize each other with a gaze from such a distance which makes it impossible to notice someone's face expression, they're waiting for the right moment to draw their guns in a split of a second and fire a shot – from the hip and without aiming! Such things occur only in the cinema and in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, we must admit that the authors of the series have prepared only a few duels during Arthur's journey. We have to wait for the arranged duel which takes places during the main story mission or find a right person in the random event.
In fact, there hardly have been any such incidents. Almost, because there are records of a few duels, which later served as a basis of the well-known myth. Most shootouts ended in a clumsy exchange of a few shots, because gunslingers had better skills with playing cards than in hitting the targets. Duels usually consisted in blind shooting by two drunken poker players or supporters of opposing political parties. They lasted until one of the shooters accidentally hit the other or when all participants ran out of ammo.
Guns of that time were not very accurate – shooting "from the hip" was not an option at all. Also, add some other factors like stress and huge amount of smoke from black powder. In addition, the gun holsters made it impossible to perform a quick draw of the revolver, because their design was primarily protecting the weapon against dirt and damage. Holsters, which allowed the so-called quick draw feature is a modern invention.
THE SHOT OF "WILD BILL" THE HICKOK
There's a germ of truth in every story about a legend. The myth of gunman duels started with the first such event known in the history – the clash between Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt. "Wild Bill" Hickok is an American national hero – a thief, a spy, a soldier, an actor, a gunfighter, whose biography has enshrined in a legend that has rooted in our consciousness even deeper than the truth. The truth is that, unlike other cowboys, Bill was a real sharpshooter.
On July 21, 1865, Hickok and Tutt stood side by side against each other on the Springfield market square, 69 meters away (75 yards). Apparently, the dispute was over a watch lost in poker game or (and) love issues concerning feelings towards the same prostitute. Tutt shot first, but he missed. A second later, Hickok aimed more precisely and with one shot he hit the opponent in the chest which knocked Tutt down to the ground and caused an instant death. Wild Bill was arrested for this, but got out after a $2,000 fine had been paid. In addition, the jury has cleared him of all charges during the trial which occurred a bit later.
Two guns are better than one
It is believed that a gunfighter always has two guns at his belt! This myth is partly true, but in general, the revolvers used in the Wild West are a rather vast subject. Revolver's history began in the second half of the 19th century with the invention of the famous Colt Single Action Arm, known as Peacemaker. Previously, revolvers were not very popular among cowboys and farmers. They had a short range and not enough power to stop a puma or a bear. A shotgun or Winchester rifle was much better for defense. If someone decided on a revolver, he wanted to shoot at people – so this type of weapon was mainly used by law enforcement officers and bandits.
COLT PEACEMAKER. THE WEAPON THAT CONQUERED THE WILD WEST
Our first weapon in the game is the cheapest one in the catalog – Cattleman revolver. This weapon is slow and requires constant cocking of the hammer. In fact, it is the most famous weapon of that period – a revolver that conquered the Wild West or the greatest weapon ever created, that is the Colt SAA M1873 a.k.a. Peacemaker. Historians believe that it was Peacemaker which enabled sheriffs and law enforcement to bring order to the Wild West even despite the fact that bandits also preferred to use it.
This was the gun used by Wyatt Earp who used it during the clash in O.K. Corral. It was also used by the Dalton brothers and the Jesse James gang. For many years it was a standard weapon of the U.S. Army. Soldiers used a long barrel version, but among civilians the shorter version was more preferable and convenient. In the game, at each gunsmith, we can convert Cattleman to a military version by installing a long barrel.
In Red Dead Redemption 2 our hero can have both a revolver and a cut-off two-barreled shotgun at his disposal. In fact, such a set was not very practical. Sheriffs could afford to parade with two guns at their waist, but these less noble citizens usually chose a different set of arms. Taking into account, that in the city they still were forced to give up all weapons for safekeeping during their stay in a saloon (or that they could be forcibly disarmed), they had one official revolver at their belt and another small handy pistol hidden somewhere in their clothes – just in case.
WE DON'T WANT GUNS!
Currently, the main argument of opponents of the public gun access in the USA is the availability of the AR-15 rifle, which is a civilian version of the military M4 assault rifle. Assault weapons are considered needless in individual use, too dangerous for the social environment and completely incompatible with the self-defense right.
Surprisingly, in the times of the late Wild West, this function was occupied by a revolver! In many places, it was illegal for cowboys to have a six-shot gun as it was completely useless item for their work. Even one of the newspapers called it a "relic of barbaric times".
