Any movies with good lever action shooting in them?

[oldred]

If one carefully watches many westerns or any movies that are dated including some war flicks, it was and still is fairly common to see arms from the wrong era used. It would be nearly impossible to provide a complete, historically correct inventory by the prop rental outfits. While there is a lot of $ in Hollywood, it hasn't always been that way and it is still finite. And, the set managers/directors may or may not be historians and many of the movies and serials were not high budget operations. True also that some of the mentioned films and serials actually pre-date the age of the nearly unlimited supply of repro pasta pistols and long arms.

Carefully watch???? How can it be missed? It's so glaringly obvious it ruins 95% of the westerns ever made! By far most westerns simply border on stupidity when it comes to both pistols and rifles, there simply is no excuse for having people armed with 92 Winchesters in the 1860s and sometimes even earlier! Of course Hollywood was so far off on the true old west they might as well have called them science fiction movies and pretended they were on another planet! In Winchester 73 they got it really close so it's not like they simply didn't know and when considering the budget when making a film (old "B" westerns shot on a $2 budget excluded) I would think obtaining period correct firearms would have been a minor consideration. I think even the most ignorant producer would have known better than to use 1890s lever action rifles during the civil war era yet it was not uncommon at all to see them used in depictions of that time period, it's bad enough to see firearms that won't actually appear for a couple of decades but lever action '92s during the muzzleloading era just makes a movie unwatchable!

[Sasquatch-1]

and when considering the budget when making a film (old "B" westerns shot on a $2 budget excluded) I would think obtaining period correct firearms would have been a minor consideration. I think even the most ignorant producer would have known better than to use 1890s lever action rifles during the civil war era yet it was not uncommon at all to see them used in depictions of that time period, it's bad enough to see firearms that won't actually appear for a couple of decades but lever action '92s during the muzzleloading era just makes a movie unwatchable!

You have to remember that when a lot of these movies were produce (from Tom Mix through the singing cowboys) they were produced mainly with a young audience in mind. When you are 8 or 9 and taking your hard earned quarter to go to the movies, you realy didn't care whether Danial Boone was carring a flint lock or a saddle rifle. All you wanted to see was action.

I found this site while surfing one day. I am not sure that it is extremely acurate, but you can find out what the strange looking gun is in a movie like Equalibrium or Terminator.

http://www.imfdb.org/

[fouronesix]

Carefully watch???? How can it be missed? It's so glaringly obvious it ruins 95% of the westerns ever made! By far most westerns simply border on stupidity when it comes to both pistols and rifles, there simply is no excuse for having people armed with 92 Winchesters in the 1860s and sometimes even earlier! Of course Hollywood was so far off on the true old west they might as well have called them science fiction movies and pretended they were on another planet! In Winchester 73 they got it really close so it's not like they simply didn't know and when considering the budget when making a film (old "B" westerns shot on a $2 budget excluded) I would think obtaining period correct firearms would have been a minor consideration. I think even the most ignorant producer would have known better than to use 1890s lever action rifles during the civil war era yet it was not uncommon at all to see them used in depictions of that time period, it's bad enough to see firearms that won't actually appear for a couple of decades but lever action '92s during the muzzleloading era just makes a movie unwatchable!

If the plot, props, acting, accuracy is that bad then don't watch them.

[oldred]

The old "B" westerns were aimed at the younger crowd, Tom Mix, etc that you mention, but I specifically excluded those. With few exceptions those old western films all the way up into the 70s take a heck of a lot of ignoring of period incorrect firearms but then just about everything else was all wrong too. In the newer films there is a very refreshing trend to get it a bit more accurate and in films like Open Range and Quigley Down Under not only were the firearms more accurately depicted but so was the clothing, etc. I know movies are supposed to be just fantasy but it kind of ruins it when some of the props are so ridiculously incorrect, take "The Man From the Alamo" with Glen Ford and others carrying Colt and Remington revolvers in strapped down leather holsters only a few days after the fall of the Alamo! He is (as is some others) also wearing a wide brim cowboy hat along with typical Hollywood western clothing which was just a plain dumb error, a quick draw and rapid fan fire scene with his cartridge revolver in 1836, yeah right! Some the firearms historical inaccuracies are so bad they might as well have also had cell phones instead of telegraph.

[jdowney]

Just as well you don't get hooked on the geography like my dad used to -- he was always distracted trying to figure out where the thing was filmed. Old Tucson is easy because the mountains behind are very distinctive. The newer set out east of Tucson you spot in some of the newer movies, but the Rincons in the background aren't as obvious in many shots. A lot of the open country shots in Silverado were filmed south of Santa Fe, I know right where the one in the closing credits is.

Then you get some movies like Four Faces West, where the routes they take are just crazy - some screenwriter just tossing off place names he's heard without any idea of their relation to eachother. Great movie though, in spite of that flaw and the lack of shooting in it.

[Just Duke]

cool.....

[smokeywolf]

Much of the cinematic renditions of the Louis L'Amour stories had period correct firearms in them. Louis' books always had pretty accurate geography and topography in them. Plus, besides the attempt to use props appropriate to the period, I've never seen a bad Sam Elliot movie.

smokeywolf

[oldred]

I've never seen a bad Sam Elliot movie.smokeywolf

Not a Sam Elliot western anyway, Elliot is probably one of the most underrated actors Hollywood ever produced and along with Tom Selleck they are the two best Western actors ever IMO.



Louis L'Amour stories even go beyond being just accurate in period correctness, I read once where any landscape features or landmarks were actual places and/or objects and were referenced in their correct locations.

[smokeywolf]

oldred,
IIRC, That was noted in the preface or back cover of the book "The Lonesome Gods". Louis would travel the routes and trails himself, or at least try to reference old books, journals, and talk to old timers to accurately place topographical features like hills, passes and waterholes.

smokeywolf

[Warhawk]

Not a Sam Elliot western anyway, Elliot is probably one of the most underrated actors Hollywood ever produced and along with Tom Selleck they are the two best Western actors ever IMO.

Robert Duvall might have a little something to say about that.

My vote for best use of a levergun in a movie would be Tom Horn with Steve McQueen.

[Griff411]

I love Winchester '73 too, and all the '73's are really cool. My trouble with the movie is all the times the actors hold up '73s and call them "Henrys". They'll be holding a '73 Winchester and say that they wish is was a'73 Winchester instead of an old Henry. I love the movie anyway. It's worth it.

[Griff411]

Wow. Was that really my first post after joining 3 years ago? I've sure learned a lot by reading.

[Marvin S]

Post #17 says that also. And cant beat Robert Duvall movies.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Was it "Sugerfoot" where he had the cut down levergun that he wore in a hip holster?

Went out and che ckecked, It was "Wanted Dead or Alive"

I have the intire Wanted Dead or Alive series. I watch an episode or two every once in a while. I never have figured out how he can shoot so many shots in a single seen from a cut down rifle. Being a 45-70 it can't hold more than three shots. Actually I do know, it's like the old B westerns where a six shooter spits out 25 shots before it gets reloaded. Maybe it was a B Western!!!!.

[icebones762]

Appaloosa was a good modern western. By modern I mean it was filmed in 2008. Sadly all the lever guns and six shooters in that movie took the backseat to Viggo Mortensen's massive 8 gauge double barrel. Similar to how Tom Shellac's Sharps rifle took the stage in Quigley Down Under.

[smokeywolf]

I liked the "Wanted: Dead or Alive" series. Always wondered how they managed to get a Model '92 to cycle and fire 45-70s.

Smoke & Mirrors?

smokeywolf

[bob208]

there is one 92 winchester floating around for more then 30 year that is made up yo look like a henery. it is a rifle with the fore arm removed a lump of brass hooked onto the font of the receiver to hold the mag. tube. the first movie i saw it in was the stalking moon with gergory peck. the last movie was the quick and the dead with sam elliot.

[MtGun44]

IIRC, he only had ONE big cartridge in the middle of the back of the cartridge belt. It even
looked bigger than .45-70, maybe .45-90 or 110. I wonder if the idea (if there was any idea
at all!) was it would be that powerful emergency backup long range super power round. . . . all
BS, of course, but it was a TV show. And of course, the 92 Win was never made in .45 cal, so
no possible way to imagine that big cartridge doing anthing except maybe holding a rolled up
$20 bill for burial expenses.

Fools errand trying to apply real world logic to the fantasyland of a TV show.

Bill

[45-70 Chevroner]

I never thought about it while watching WDA, you are right about it being a Model 92 and never being a 45-70, but I think I might be right here that all the ammo in the belt were all the same size, I will have to watch another episode.

[Griff411]

Josh Randall's "Mare's Leg" was a cut down'92 Winchester in 44 WCF and they used 5-in-1 blanks. He had 45-70 rounds in his belt because it looked cooler, but when Josh reloads, he's putting blanks in the gun. There is a scene in one episode where he cleans the gun with a short cleaning rod, then loads up with blanks. Occasionally Josh takes a round from his belt, but of course would not actually be able to get them in the gun.