Watching “Hondo” tonight….

[Scott Tschirhart]

Set in 1870, but everyone had Colt SAAs which weren’t made until 1873. There were trapdoor Springfield rifles that were not made until 1873. And of course the 1892 Winchester carried by Hondo Lane.

[rossim92]

Set in 1870, but everyone had Colt SAAs which weren’t made until 1873. There were trapdoor Springfield rifles that were not made until 1873. And of course the 1892 Winchester carried by Hondo Lane.

thats hollywood for ya! anybody seen clint eastwoods latest move, juror#2?

[Scott Tschirhart]

Thanks to Uberti the folks in Hollywood are making more period correct films these days.

Great story though! And I still enjoy a John Wayne film.

[Bill in Oregon]

Scott, the Duke never disappoints, God rest his soul.
I make it a point every couple of years to watch the original "Stagecoach," which made him a star. And of course the supporting cast is just exceptional.

[Scott Tschirhart]

We have watched three of his classics in the past few nights. You are right, he never disappoints.

[High Desert Hunter]

Just watched Hondo this past Sunday, and McClintock on Tuesday evening. Rio Bravo and Rio Lobo are 2 of my favorites!

[Malamute]

Yes, its a bit frustrating seeing some of the artistic license used by the film industry. They correctly assume most people wont know the difference, though in a few old films if you look carefully, youll see 73s here and there instead of 92s, and one film had a poor unfortunate Sharps carbine get its buttstock smashed off over a bar.

The trapdoors were actually around in 1866, possibly late 1865 with the very first Allin conversions made with the hinge piece screwed onto the muzzle loader barrel, and in 58 rimfire, then 50-70. There was a 68 version which may be the first carbines, then 1870 model, all 50-70s before the 1873 came out. I believe the 1868 receivers had a much longer threaded section of the receiver, making them fairly easy to identify, though the 1870 model appear pretty identical to the later guns.

https://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/historyc ... umbers.htm

Edit: it looks like very few carbines were made before 1873

Im not positive, but Im thinking the shorter 4 3/4" barrel on the Colt SAAs didnt happen until 1877 or 78. The US Army got dibs on most of the first year or twos production, a few may have made it into commercial channels as well. We tend to think of them as "western" guns, but they were popular and in demand all over the country and overseas.

[Bronco]

The Searchers is one of my favorites he made. Awe heck he made so many great westerns hard to pick just one!

[marlinman93]

I try not to pay too much attention, or be too critical when it's a John Wayne flick I love watching. Don't want to spoil it for myself.

[jeepnik]

Remember earlier movies had to use what the prop houses had available. Finding enough early Winchesters mine have been problematic so they used 92's.

[JBowen]

Eldorado is probably my favorite.... or maybe Big Jake... or well I agree with Bronco it is hard to pick a favorite!!

JBowen

[RIHMFIRE]

great movie, watched it last weekend.
I am not allowed to point out gun screw ups in movies when my wife is watching!!

[samsi]

Eldorado was my favorite Duke movie when I was a kid, but Hondo took the lead for me at some point. I can ignore the incorrect prop guns for the most part, it's just entertainment.

[JB]

Hollywood never cared about firearms correctness. John Wayne carried a 92 Winchester in a number of movies set before 1892. I still love John Wayne movies though.

Once of the worst firearms movies was A Time For Killing. Set in the civil war, it featured a number of 1866 and 1876 rifles in use by Confederate troops!

[Ysabel Kid]

Thanks to Uberti the folks in Hollywood are making more period correct films these days.

Great story though! And I still enjoy a John Wayne film.

+1

But I will say my expectations are much higher now. Just rewatched "Quigley Down Under", one of my favorite movies. Always liked the various percussion revolvers in it. Definitely lesser stars to the Sharps, and some obvious modern not-purely-historic reproductions, but still percussion sidearms, and muzzle loaders.

[BobM]

Sometime in the mid seventies, around the age of ten we visited friends of my parents. I was in another room where I saw Rio Lobo on a small black and white TV, and I was hooked. One of the local channels had the Lone Ranger and other series on after school so I watched them too. Now I get a couple channels that run a lot of those old shows and movies.