Old West Lessons In Gun Slinging from Wyatt Earp

[L84Cabo]

Good article...

Old West lessons in gunslinging from Wyatt Earp | The Loadout Room

Wyatt Earp, a friend of Doc Holliday and winner of many gunfights, gave an interview on gunfighting sometime in the 1910s. The most amazing thing to me about this interview is that here we sit, 100 years later, and I'm hearing the real deal guys of our time saying some of the same things Wyatt learned in his. Life on the frontier was harsh. The chances you might have to fend off a pack of wolves, comanches, or outlaws with no backup was much higher then. There was no 911, there were no first responders. You were your own first responder. This is not that unlike war or low visibility operations in the non-permissive environment. In both places, you'd best be switched on. By nature, lessons learned in these environments are purchased with the coin of blood. This leads to an evolution of tactics, arms, and gear that simply brutally destroys that which does not work. These hard men, of then and know, simply knew/know truths that others do not. These are not lessons on fancy gunplay, these are not lessons on stalking and hunting game, these are not lessons for Call of Duty, these are lessons for fighting armed humans who have nothing to lose in their death and everything to gain from your death.

And a clip from Tombstone...because it's awesome!

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[DuneHopper]

Good article...

Old West lessons in gunslinging from Wyatt Earp | The Loadout Room





And a clip from Tombstone...because it's awesome!

I liked that , very cool. That movie had some damn awesome scenes.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Not really a fan of Wyatt Earp nor the movie Tombstone...but...
Some things that I have learned from surviving a firefight or two....

Keep your head and stay as cool as possible...fearing something that you have no control over , doesn't help..
Please note that I am not saying that I wasn't afraid ...I just didn't let my fear control my thinking.

Do something...the old Infantry mindset of Shoot , Move and Communicate still is a viable way of thinking...

Have a plan...but be willing to adapt the plan to the situation at hand...the bad guys will not "play by your rules"...

Do what you need to do , to survive and do so without regrets.
Andy

 

[jbett98]

Years ago I remodeled the kitchen of a lady who was a direct decedent of Doc Holiday.
One of the first things I asked her in regards about her heritage was did she inherit Doc's guns.
She sadly said that her older brother had inherited them. I was really hoping I would have a chance just to hold one of them.

 

[DuneHopper]

Not really a fan of Wyatt Earp nor the movie Tombstone...but...
Some things that I have learned from surviving a firefight or two....
Keep your head and stay as cool as possible...fearing something that you have no control over , doesn't help..
Please note that I am not saying that I wasn't afraid ...I just didn't let my fear control my thinking.
Do something...the old Infantry mindset of Shoot , Move and Communicate still is a viable way of thinking...
Have a plan...but be willing to adapt the plan to the situation at hand...the bad guys will not "play by your rules"...
Do what you need to do , to survive and do so without regrets.
Andy

What always has drawn me to westerns, is the fight over right and wrong prevailing in the way many of us see justice.
Not the law, but justice. It may be why even in modern society, many are drawn to movies like John Wick, where a person faces overwhelming odd, and the only solution does not fit within the realms of the legal system.
I think about the Men and Women that lose a child at another's had, they know the law, but also think of western justice
as a much better solution. I realize myself that these movies and Louis Lamour books, as not reality, and justice and courage in these books would be very hard in modern life to accomplish. Myself I have no problem running into a burning building or car to save a life. But as we look at the laws and the lack of justice sometimes its nice to see the good guy prevail as we might often want to in real life, minus the 100 years life sentencing .

 

[AMT]

A co-worker who "played in the desert" for 2 tours once told me......

"If you are faced with someone who pulls a full-auto AK on you, the most dangerous bullet is the first one. DO NOT try and run or duck. Just stand there, pull your gun, aim and shoot quickly and accurately! If you do try and run or duck, you just might run and/or duck into a bullet."

I chuckled a little and said "SERIOUSLY???"

He said yeah. The full-auto isn't accurate bouncing all over the place. Yeah it spits a lot of bullets but only the first one is the most accurate. If you do get hit with one it's only by chance and pure luck."

If you stand in one place, pull your firearm, aim and shoot as fast and accurate as you can, TRUST ME, you will win every time."

Then his eyes and demeanor changed a little. I could tell he was in that situation before and he was serious.

So, with the interview with Wyatt Earp, I can see why being as accurate, and as fast as you can, will keep you alive. It makes total sense to get rid of anything that is restricting or not "of use". It just weight and a distraction.

 

[L84Cabo]

What always has drawn me to westerns, is the fight over right and wrong prevailing in the way many of us see justice.
Not the law, but justice. It may be why even in modern society, many are drawn to movies like John Wick, where a person faces overwhelming odd, and the only solution does not fit within the realms of the legal system.
I think about the Men and Women that lose a child at another's had, they know the law, but also think of western justice
as a much better solution. I realize myself that these movies and Louis Lamour books, as not reality, and justice and courage in these books would be very hard in modern life to accomplish. Myself I have no problem running into a burning building or car to save a life. But as we look at the laws and the lack of justice sometimes its nice to see the good guy prevail as we might often want to in real life, minus the 100 years life sentencing .

Contrary to what my mother told me...Violence. Solves. Problems. In fact, sometimes it's the ONLY thing that will solve certain problems.

 

[DuneHopper]

Contrary to what my mother told me...Violence. Solves. Problems. In fact, sometimes it's the ONLY thing that will solve certain problems.

( shhhh don't tell anyone how are we going to use violence, if you tell , we use violence )