Any movies with good lever action shooting in them?

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I don't know my westerns very well, help me out!

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

You could start with "Winchester 73".

Rich

[jh45gun]

Monte Walsh the one with Tom Selleck. here is a good article of the rifles used in the movie (rare Win 1886 big bore Carbine used by Tom Selleck ) a 1866 Yellow Boy and a 1873 and the 1887 Winchester Lever action Shotgun.

[Yellowhouse]

Gus made a pretty good showing in Lonesome Dove.

[6pt-sika]

I'm gonna make a comedy pretty soon !

It's gonna be called "Twentyfive 444 Marlin's" it gonna star one idiot (me) and twenty five Marlin rifles chambered for 444 Marlin (all mine) .

There maybe be secondary scenes with a Marlin 1895 45-70 as well as a Marlin 336-44 as well but we shall see .

:groner: [smilie=l:

[EDK]

CROSSFIRE TRAIL. Tom Selleck collected an ivory stocked COLT OPEN TOP and a SHARPS rifle from the sea captain who shanghaied him and beat his friend to death. He later bought the 1876 WINCHESTER carbine his friend had ordered in the small town where the main part of the movie took place. The 1876 becames his favored weapon.

LAST STAND AT SABER RIVER. Tom Selleck again with an 1860 army COLT conversion done by his movie wife and a HENRY rifle in a few scenes. One of the Caradine brothers carried a SPENCER in the later part of the movie.

:redneck::cbpour::guntootsmiley:

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Just finished watching the original True Grit. It was pretty sweet when Wayne cycled his lever gun by spinning it in one hand. Don't think I will be trying that move though!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Gus made a pretty good showing in Lonesome Dove.

There are many good shots of Henry Lever rifles (no doubt Ubertis) in Lonesome Dove.

When Gus was down behind his horse, he was shooting getting the range,but his laddrer sight was half way down. I picked upon this straight away because my 1866 does exactly the same thing.

[monge]

The rifle man my favorite watched it when i was a kid they are doing reruns on cable now!

[Sasquatch-1]

Who can forget The Duke standing there with his lever action and saddle at the beginning of Stagecoach? It may have been the same one he used in True Grit.

[Lead Freak]

Just watched "For a Few Dollars More" yesterday for about the 20th time. I believe all of the Winchesters were 45-70's, and everyone except Eastwood had one.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Who can forget The Duke standing there with his lever action and saddle at the beginning of Stagecoach? It may have been the same one he used in True Grit.

I always wanted to do that but later on realised that the rifle is loaded as it sweeps over your body! Bugger !

[L1A1Rocker]

The first thing that came to my mind was Terminator 2 with the Winchester 1887.

[357Mag]

Gents -

-John Wayne's character making shots @ Paris' street lamps; from atop a speeding stage coach...... ( in the movie " Circus " ? )

- Clint Eastood's " Man w/ No Name ", preparing to use a lever rilfe w/ side-mounted scope... to cleave the noose around a condemned man's neck.
Eli Wallach's " Tuco " interrupted Eastwood, and... the unawares culprit hung.

-Can't recall the exact "Western", where the hero leaped through a saloon plate glass window, and landed partially knelt... w/ his Winnie @ the ready.

- " Blind Man" w/ Tony Anthony. The blind hero carried a brass-framed lever gun w/ a fixed bayonet, which he swung side to side... as he made his way about.

- The opening scene of " Billy Jack ", where Tom Laughlin ( " Billy Jack " )
confronts poacher's illegally after horses on Indian' land.

The list goes on.

Regards,
357Mag

[Sasquatch-1]

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"

[Marvin S]

Tom Horn.

[Bent Ramrod]

"Hombre" with Paul Newman. He used a special order half-octagon button magazine 73 Winchester that should have gotten star billing in the credits. When Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone) complained to him that Hombre had put two holes in him with it, Hombre replied "That's usually enough."

[richhodg66]

I'd have to vote Winchester '73, one of my favorites and the rifle duel in the rocks at the end is an epic movie sequence by any measure. You won't be dissappointed, never saw a bad James Stewart movie yet.

[wgr]

[QUOTE=Sasquatch-1;1801149]Was it "Sugerfoot" where he had the cut down levergun that he wore in a hip holster?
i think that was (wanted dead are alive)

[Sasquatch-1]

"[/QUOTE] i think that was (wanted dead are alive)[/QUOTE]

I did a check and it was Steve McQueen in Wanted Dead Or Alive. Hre is a quote from IMDb page for the show.

"A Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s."

[bob208]

watch some of the old movies bandido, viva rides, professionals. they all used winchesters. no repros either. even some rare short rifles.

the one thing i could never get was they would be carring a 94 in .30-30 but had bandoleirs filled with .30-06 or 8mm.

[Combat Diver]

Don't forget the "Magnificent Seven", lots of 92 Winchesters.

CD

[jh45gun]

watch some of the old movies bandido, viva rides, professionals. they all used winchesters. no repros either. even some rare short rifles.

the one thing i could never get was they would be carring a 94 in .30-30 but had bandoleirs filled with .30-06 or 8mm.

Because they wanted you to see the cartridges better I guess or they thought the larger cartridges looked more impressive. That was the Premise in wanted Dead or Alive his rifle was a sawed off 92 but his belt was filled with 45/70 cartridges. The rifleman on the other hand stayed true to the correct ammo you always seen McCain taking extra pistol sized cartridges out of his shirt pocket.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

"Tombstone" with Kilmer and Russell. They had all sorts or genuine firearms. Peter Shalayko (?) was the set director for props.

Rich

[Aaron]

Check out Open Range.

[EDK]

"Hombre" with Paul Newman. He used a special order half-octagon button magazine 73 Winchester that should have gotten star billing in the credits. When Cicero Grimes (Richard Boone) complained to him that Hombre had put three holes in him with it, Hombre replied "That's usually enough."

You forgot TWO excellent scenes in HOMBRE.

Early in the movie at Delgado's stage station. The bad guy hassled the two Apaches and Newman butt stroked him in the mouth with the '73...then made him pay for the mescal.

At the end of the stage coach robbery scene, the same bad guy doesn't quite recognize Newman with a haircut. He comes up, steals the water bags, and says "what you going to do now?" and Newman replies "we'll just walk down to Delgado's for some mescal." Bad guy does a double take and tries to spin the horse around and shoot while Newman gives him something from the muzzle end this time!

:redneck: :cbpour: :guntootsmiley:

[Ed in North Texas]

Who can forget The Duke standing there with his lever action and saddle at the beginning of Stagecoach? It may have been the same one he used in True Grit.

Thank you. I'm surprised it took to #11 to get to Stagecoach. It was the first thing to come to my mind. Haven't even seen, or heard, of some of these others. Maybe it's an age thing.

[Multigunner]

Two Science Fiction films come to mind "Soldier" set in the far future has a few unusual lever action carbines that use what appear to be SMG stick magazines. I had figured these as faked prop rifles but later found that stick magazine conversions of the Model 1892 have been used by Mexican police and in some former British colonies. The Mexican conversions were usually built on the Spanish "el Tigre" copies of the 92 Winchester, to allow conversion to .45 ACP using grease gun magazines. The civilian conversions were done when a government banned importation of rifle cartridges like the .44-40 that could also be used in handguns. That country 9I forget where this was) still allowed use of military surplus .45 ACP that was in the country before the bann, the .45 ACP no longer being a current military cartridge by their definition and no longer imported, they still had huge stockpiles from WW2 that they needed to sell off. It was one of those really odd legal loopholes. Owners of the 92 Carbines could only get the .45 ACP , or a cartridge suited to rifles but not suited to handguns such as the .25-20 ( no .32-20 or .38-40 allowed),and had to convert to a box magazine to allow use of the hardball bullet which might otherwise cause a chainfire in a tublar magazine. The most unusual conversion of a lever action that I've heard of so far,and for a very convulted reason.
I don't know where "Soldier" was filmed but they apparently had a few of those odd lever actions available to the prop department.

The TV series "Firefly" featured a number of lever action carbines. The premise being that the colonized planets seldom had technology higher than that of the old west, and arms smuggling was a deadly business, so 19th century style weapons that could be manufactured locally were the most common, while government troops were armed with high tech energy weapons and armored against gunfire.

I can think of a number of excellent scenes from old westerns, but I'll have to try to look up the titles. One featured a 1895 carbine in .30-06 which was very unusual in the old westerns, though the 1895 Winchester was at one time a standard issue item for the Texas Rangers, though I think the Rangers used these in .30-40 Krag.
Very rarely you may see one of the more uncommon lever actions such as the Kennedy rifle.
Far more common are 92 Winchesters altered to pass as the Henry rifle, sometimes with a real Henry used in close ups while the faked Henry is used when firing, .44 Henry rimfire blanks being non existent at the time.
Replica Henry rifles in .38 Special and some centerfire .44 chamberings make it easier to include these in films set before 1866 where they would be more historically correct.

[Dobetown]

1895 Winchester The Westerner with Brian Keith.

Silverado

Longriders

Open range

[Four Fingers of Death]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, a 92 Rossi with a high capmag???? Sounds good, but they already hold 10 or so. INteresting project for someone who had too much time or too much money (that ain't me). No sense doing it here, 10 shot mags are the limit, but fixed tube maga that hold 13 or so seem to slipthrought the net, strange days indeed!

[TXGunNut]

watch some of the old movies bandido, viva rides, professionals. they all used winchesters. no repros either. even some rare short rifles.

the one thing i could never get was they would be carring a 94 in .30-30 but had bandoleirs filled with .30-06 or 8mm.

That was probably to keep them from chambering if mixed up with the blank cartridges. I think the spitzer bullets probably looked more menacing as well. More than a few prop guns were .22's carried on a gunbelt full of 45's or 44's. All the cartridges with projectiles were most likely inert but you can't be too careful.

[Multigunner]

That was probably to keep them from chambering if mixed up with the blank cartridges. I think the spitzer bullets probably looked more menacing as well. More than a few prop guns were .22's carried on a gunbelt full of 45's or 44's. All the cartridges with projectiles were most likely inert but you can't be too careful.

.30-06 dummy rounds were easy to find and dirt cheap at most army surplus stores back then. They likely had thousands of these dummy rounds available for close up war films scenes where belt fed MGs were used.
If you notice the old war films sometimes show a quick switch between belts of dummy rounds being loaded and when firing you can spot that they switched to blank cartridges.
An article on California's WW2 invasion scare mentioned a road block being set up at the entrance to an industrial park. They (milita, national guard, local police ?) had received a crated beltfed machinegun donated by a motion picture prop department. When they opened the crate they found the MG had been altered to fire blanks only, and several cans of belted blank cartridges were with the gun. They set the gun up anyway figuring it might at least scare off anyone considering sneaking in to plant a bomb, and discouragfe anyone from trying to crash the road block.
The studios had some fully operational guns, and most of the altered guns could be returned to live fire condition by simply replacing the quick change barrels and perhaps a few parts. In later years more extensive non reversable modifications were required, an purpose built blank firing replicas became more common. Many of the automatic weapons used in TV series used metered gas to fake a muzzle blast and had no actual fire arms parts other than the external shell of a de-milled receiver.

The AR-15 rifles carried by the two cops in the original film "Dawn of the Dead" were actually "Armi-Jaeger" blow back .22 or .32 ACP chambered replicas of the AR. If you watch closely they never actually show them change the magazines, and the floorplate of the slim auto pistol type magazine that fits into the dummy magazine can be spotted.
8mm theatrical pistol sized blanks are the most commonly used for blank firing replica auto loaders these days. These are similar in size to the .32 ACP cartridge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoHU0N3R1LA&feature=related
The .22 rimfire Armi Jaeger never caught on in the U S that well, I suspect it was a copyright dispute with Colt, though poor metallurgy and a reputation for breakages and excessive wearmay have been the main reason.
Theres a similar retarded blowback replica of the M16 chambered for the .410 shot shell. Its made in Turkey and sometimes used for riot control, bird shot being less lethal than 5.56 and the look of the replica rifle acting as a deterent.

[Aces an Eights]

Just been reading through this thread ticking off the Westerns in my colection : - )

My picks would be "Wild Bunch", "Winchester 73" and "Outlaw Josey Wales".

[Sixgun Symphony]

I don't know my westerns very well, help me out!

Check out the TV series "The Rifleman" with Chuck Conners.

As far as movies, check out "Stagecoach" with John Wayne.

[superbee]

Ride the High Country (Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea) - One of the peckerwood Hammond brothers has an 1895 Winchester and another has a very cool Remington Model 8 semi-auto rifle.

I think this was Sam Peckinpah's first western.

[superbee]

You forgot TWO excellent scenes in HOMBRE.

Early in the movie at Delgado's stage station. The bad guy hassled the two Apaches and Newman butt stroked him in the mouth with the '73...then made him pay for the mescal.

At the end of the stage coach robbery scene, the same bad guy doesn't quite recognize Newman with a haircut. He comes up, steals the water bags, and says "what you going to do now?" and Newman replies "we'll just walk down to Delgado's for some mescal." Bad guy does a double take and tries to spin the horse around and shoot while Newman gives him something from the muzzle end this time!

:redneck: :cbpour: :guntootsmiley:

My favorite scene in Hombre is when Richard Boone climbs up the hill to parley with the group in the mining shack.

Newman: "Hey, I got a question."
Boone: "What's that?"
Newman, aiming his rifle at Boone: "How are you gonna get back down the hill?"

[sthwestvictoria]

Two Science Fiction films come to mind "Soldier" set in the far future has a few unusual lever action carbines that use what appear to be SMG stick magazines.

Picture from here,

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Soldier

four fifths of the way down the page. Is labeled "unknown gun"
Try sticking that in your saddle scabbard.
Muzzle looks a little small for .45 from this poor photograph.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_2099350226723bf052.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=6175)

[Four Fingers of Death]

At least the stick mag'd lever i nthe picture doesn't have a tubular mag in place. A lot of movie 'guns' are pretty incorrect sometimes.

[Tom Myers]

I cleaned the image up a little bit and now you can see what it looks like.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/275502291ef48afa.jpg



Picture from here,

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Soldier

four fifths of the way down the page. Is labeled "unknown gun"
Try sticking that in your saddle scabbard.
Muzzle looks a little small for .45 from this poor photograph.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_2099350226723bf052.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=6175)

[crazy mark]

The .22 rimfire Armi Jaeger never caught on in the U S that well, I suspect it was a copyright dispute with Colt, though poor metallurgy and a reputation for breakages and excessive wearmay have been the main reason.


Mine is still running strong after at least 8K rounds, I just keep it clean. Mark

[Four Fingers of Death]

I cleaned the image up a little bit and now you can see what it looks like.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/275502291ef48afa.jpg

May be a 38Super. Popular round down South of where you guys are from what I hear.

[wildwilly]

Let's not forget Charles Bronson in Death Hunt....used a Savage 1899 in 30-30.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I watched Joe Kidd last night. Robert Duvall carried a highly engraved custom Savage 99 (never got to use it as far as I could see. Lots of action from92 Winchesters as well.

[Gliden07]

The first thing that came to my mind was Terminator 2 with the Winchester 1887.

Thats the one I was thinking of when I read this!!

[Tracy]

I just watched Rio Bravo last night, and in it John Wayne uses a large-loop M92. In one scene Stumpy is throwing dynamite and John Wayne (as Sheriff Chance) is shooting the dynamite with his Winchester.

[MtGun44]

'Open Range' has the best Western gunfight ever filmed, IMO - lots of SAAs and Win 73
action, too.

Bill

[smokeywolf]

One of the better Colt and Winchester films made, Vera Cruz. Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper. Made in 1954. Lancaster's holster could very well have been one of the cutaway quick-draw holsters my father made for some of the western actors and stuntmen. I know he did one for Sammy Davis, and I think he did one for Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, and one or two more.
My father and Slim Pickens were out riding horseback together around Universal's lot at the very moment my mother was in labor with me.

smokeywolf

[Four Fingers of Death]

Not a lever action movie as far as I recall, but an awesome movie just the same, you just reminded me of it, Burt Lancaster in 'Valdez is coming!' I think the title was.

[smokeywolf]

FFoD,
I was thinking of the scene at the Emperor's palace where the shoot the torches around the courtyard.

[WILCO]

I don't know my westerns very well, help me out!

Rio Bravo.

[WILCO]

When Gus was down behind his horse, he was shooting getting the range,but his laddrer sight was half way down. I picked upon this straight away because my 1866 does exactly the same thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka8ZDlz1AZg

[Rick R]

Not a movie but in the new Longmire TV show he's a modern sheriff who carries a 1911 and M94. In one episode he uses the rifle to whack a felon fleeing in an SUV at apparently pretty long range.

[smokeywolf]

Louis L'Amour's The Quick and the Dead (1987) with Sam Elliot. Story takes place in June - July of 1876. Not a lot of lever action shots but IIRC he uses a model '66 or '73 in one or two scenes.

smokeywolf

[The Black Spot]

made for tv movie "the sacketts"
john waynes "el dorado", "big jake", & "rio lobo"
jimmy stewarts "bend of the river"

the stalking moon with gregory peck

[Silvercreek Farmer]

You could start with "Winchester 73".

Rich

Check! Great movie! I think Stagecoach is next in the Netflix queue...

[TXGunNut]

Found a Canadian mini-series "Big Bear" on the $5 rack @ the Wal-Mart, lots of brass framed leverguns, beautiful scenery. Dialogue a bit weak but good story. Did I mention brass framed leverguns? I think they're even period correct!

[Four Fingers of Death]

Louis L'Amour wasan interesting guy and he had a sense of humour. Apparently his Grandaughter wasat their home and he was banging away furiously on the typewriter. The little girl asked 'Grandpa,why are you typing so fast?' He turned without pausing on his typing and said excitedly, 'I can't wait to see how it finishes!'

[WILCO]

Apparently his Grandaughter was at their home and he was banging away furiously on the typewriter. The little girl asked 'Grandpa,why are you typing so fast?' He turned without pausing on his typing and said excitedly, 'I can't wait to see how it finishes!'

Priceless! :mrgreen:

[smokeywolf]

Another pretty good scene with a model '92 SRC was the opening scene in "4 for Texas" Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg (WOW), and Ursula Andress (WOW again).

Louis L'Amour Trivia, His stories were fabricated, but he researched his geography, trails, waterholes, etc.. They were as accurate as he could make them.

[wgr]

Was,nt winchester 73 the only movie made just for a lever gun

[wildwilly]

Here's an obscure one ...."Lonely Are The Brave", with Kirk Douglas. He used an 1892 TD Winny shoot the tail rotor of a pursuing helicopter, disabling it, then broke the rifle down, using the barrel section to splint his broken leg.

[Marvin S]

Here's an obscure one ...."Lonely Are The Brave", with Kirk Douglas. He used an 1892 TD Winny shoot the tail rotor of a pursuing helicopter, disabling it, then broke the rifle down, using the barrel section to splint his broken leg.

That's a good show with about the only TD you see.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Gus used a Henry as a walking stick in the Lonesome Dove movie.

[Gisli]

Then there is "Quigley down under". Tom Selleck again with a 30-30.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Then there is "Quigley down under". Tom Selleck again with a 30-30.

I can't remember him using a 30/30, Dang! I'll have to watch it again! lol

[richhodg66]

Here's an obscure one ...."Lonely Are The Brave", with Kirk Douglas. He used an 1892 TD Winny shoot the tail rotor of a pursuing helicopter, disabling it, then broke the rifle down, using the barrel section to splint his broken leg.

That's one of my favorite movies ever. Walter Matthau was great in it as well. Even though you can see how it's gonna end up pretty early on, I still get teared up when it happens.

[Four Fingers of Death]

That's one of my favorite movies ever. Walter Matthau was great in it as well. Even though you can see how it's gonna end up pretty early on, I still get teared up when it happens.

Is that the movie where he is a cowboy, gets himself into jail to helphis friend break out,but his friend is a family man and realises that no good will come of it. He then breaks out and is chased to the border by Walter Matthau (who never played a poor part in his life)? Great movie.

[ocelott]

Let's not forget Zombie Land
http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/files/2009/10/Harrelson_zombieland.jpg

[Hiwall55]

Another obscure one, River of No Return, Robert Mitchum, Marylin Monroe, and a Marlin 1894

[Four Fingers of Death]

What was the movie with Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda where they were a couple of modern day cowboys? Rounders comes to mind. I feel I saw a lever rifle in their tack. They didn't use it. Great movie anyway.

[fouronesix]

Then there is "Quigley down under". Tom Selleck again with a 30-30.

Don't think so. The movie was set in Western Australia sometime just after 1874. Quigley carried a Model 1874 Sharps in 45-110 (2 7/8") (Quigley's arm of choice). I noticed various British Enfield type muskets, a couple of caplock muzzleloader pistols, possibly one plated Colt SAA (kind of hard to tell for sure) and of course a few Colt cap & ball revolvers (Marston's arm of choice). The setting is about 20 years before the 30-30 and I didn't see any lever action repeaters.

[jumbeaux]

I watched the "7 Ups" the other day and during the really good car chase scene the NYPD Patrolman blocking the road with the 1965/ 66 Chevy Black N White was armed with a '94.....

rick

[MtGun44]

Quigley Down Under with a .30-30???????

Not the movie that I have seen about 6 times. Sharps in one of the super-long .45 cals,
like .45-90 but probably .45-110 more likely. The revolvers were all (or nearly all)
cap and ball.

Bill

[wallenba]

Silverado. Danny Glover glorifies the Henry. A bit 'campy' though.

Will Penny ?

[old chippy]

Just joined up. Was looking through to get familiar. Had to look in the Lever Action site. Thought I would mention AMC's "Hell on Wheels". Just finished the first season on Netflix. Some good shooting scenes with 1866 Yellowboy .44-40 Carbines.

[Sasquatch-1]

Caught the tail end of The Postman last night. At the end, after the big fight scene and Will Paxton is about to shoot Kevin Costner, The guy (can't figure out his name) shoots Will Paxton in the back h a lever action.

[GH1]

The Hatfields and McCoys had quite a few leverguns in it, Henry's I believe.
GH1

[Four Fingers of Death]

I think most of the miners who were armed in "Matewan" carried levers. The strike breeds carried bolt rifles. Probably Springfield or M17s. I can't remember.

[izzyjoe]

Comes a horseman is a good movie, but it's modern day times. but there is a few shot's with '94's! my favorite Stewert movie is Fire creek. i like the Longmire series on tv, just don't think it will last long. i wish they made more western's!

[GH1]

"Cowboys and Aliens"
GH1

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Finally watched all the westerns I picked off of netflix. Between Winchester '73, Stagecoach, Silverado, and Hombre, I think Winchester '73 was my favorite. I also worked in Two Mules for Sister Sarah and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Good movies, it is sad to see Clint getting old.

[OnHoPr]

There are many good choices so far. The one comes to mind for me is Clint Walker. It looked like he really knew how to use a Winchester. I think he could of done pretty well in cowboy action shooting. The only movie title that I can recall is "Night of the Grizzly", but he was in numerous western films.:Fire:

[Clinebo]

Clint Walker - "Night of the Grizzly" That Griz absorbed more lead than any bear I ever saw!

[webradbury]

Don't know if its been mentioned yet but the gunfight at the end of open range is awesome! Kevin Costner is using a Win 76 I think...don't know the model numbers very well.

[OnHoPr]

Clint Walker - "Night of the Grizzly" That Griz absorbed more lead than any bear I every saw!

Maybe that you ever saw, but back when I use to read literature, during the post Lewis & Clark era and the great expansion westward from the Mississippi to the Golden Bear State. There were plenty of writings of multiple shots necessary to dispatch one of the Great Golden Bears. I'm not saying how accurate the shots were, but a black powder 44-40 on the shoulder of a 800 lb griz is probably like #4 buck on the shoulder of a 200 lb whitetail at 40 - 50 yd. But, yet again that is the movies.:Fire:

[starmac]

Not a movie, but there was a tv show on earlier this year (Longmire) where the sheriff sported a lever action.

There was also an episode of NCIS that Gibb shot a helicopter down with a lever action.

[Sasquatch-1]

Not a movie, but there was a tv show on earlier this year (Longmire) where the sheriff sported a lever action.

There was also an episode of NCIS that Gibb shot a helicopter down with a lever action.

Yeah, but that's Gibbs. I'm surprised he didn't bring it down with his pocket knife.

[starmac]

He might not have had it on him and had to use that old lever gun. lol

[MtGun44]

Win 73s in Open Range, and yes, I agree and have previously mentioned that THE
best wester shootout ever filmed is Open Range.

Bill

[oldgeezershooter]

Here's an obscure one ...."Lonely Are The Brave", with Kirk Douglas. He used an 1892 TD Winny shoot the tail rotor of a pursuing helicopter, disabling it, then broke the rifle down, using the barrel section to splint his broken leg.

The pilot of the helo was Bill Bixby(The Hulk) and the truck driver was Carrol O'Conner.Also the deputy was George Kennedy.
Not a western but "Streets of Fire" had lots of lever guns!

[pbcaster45]

My top five favorite movies with leverguns:

#1 "Winchester 73"
#2 "Hombre"
#3 "Open Range"
#4 "Tom Horn" (The Winchester 1876 in 45-60!)
#5 "True Grit" (2010)
Loved the scene where Jeff Bridges ambushes the bandits with his 1873 Winchester.

I confess, I've got a soft spot for the 1873...

[ndh87]

Silverado, Danny glover had an old henry

[oldred]

Seems no one has commented on the fact that Hollywood almost always had everything wrong when it came to guns, most of the newer westerns are a lot better but most are just plain stupid! 94 Winchesters and Colt peacemakers were standard in an era waaaaaay before they actually appeared, quite often even when the move was set during the civil war era! I watched the John Wayne movie Rio Lobo set in 1865 at the end of the civil war and early in the movie almost all the rebel soldiers were wearing bandoliers of 45/70 cartridges and lever action rifles were everywhere, later after the war ended and obviously the year was still 1865 but EVERYONE had 94 Winchesters and SA Colts! Of course this is/was just standard procedure and the same stupid mistake was made in almost every western made with only a few exceptions, Winchester 73 with Jimmy Stewart being a notable example of the very few times they actually got it right. I remember one incident, can't remember the title however, where a flashback was done to show how a gunfighter was first exposed to firearms when his family was heading west on a wagon train, they told the year-1848 and a man was teaching a young boy to shoot a Colt Peacemaker (it was not a cap&ball) and the guy even explained to the boy that it was a Colt!



Has nothing to do with westerns but to me the absolute stupidest gun mistake had to be a scene from a police show on TV years ago, a doctor was treating a gunshot victim and there was a detective present wanting to question the man. The doc had just removed the bullet and holding it forceps he held it up for the detective to see-it was the whole stinkin round case and all! :veryconfu

[Clinebo]

The movie "The Bear" has a scene of the hunters CLEANING their guns! (shocked) You don't see that very often. If they are doing anything it's usually just wiping them down.

[Grimstache]

Watch Chuck Connors in The Rifle Man.

[Just Duke]

Btt .....

[jdowney]

You can stream Stagecoach free on Hulu.com, as well as the Rifleman and some other tv westerns. They used to have a lot of B-movie Zane Grey on there too, they may still. There are commercial breaks, but they are usually no more than 3 spots, far less annoying than TV has gotten.

[MBTcustom]

Winchester '73, and Silverado.
Jimmy stewart is one of my favorite silverscreen actors (like top 3) and in that movie, he was in exceptionally good form.

[oldred]

Not that it matters at all but in my little rant about Hollywood a couple of posts back I just noticed I accused them of always using 94 Winchesters in the wrong era, it was of course 92 Winchesters not model 94s, don't know what I was thinking.

And I accused them of getting it wrong! :roll:

[fouronesix]

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.

[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!!!!. :Fire: [smilie=1:

[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. :roll:

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. :bigsmyl2:

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.

[bob208]

i had read where the old guys would carry a .45-70 in their belt to help them count their rounds when they came to that they had so many left. that is why john wayne always had one in his belt.

gus used a remington rolling block as a walking stick in lonesome dove.

[TXGunNut]

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. :bigsmyl2:

Bill

One explanation I've heard for the rifle round on a cartridge belt is to give the wearer a quick tactile reference so he'd know how much ammo he had left. Remember that the loops were generally behind his back and out of his direct line of sight. Story is that a right-handed shooter would start reloading his sixgun (or M92) from the right to left and when he got to the rifle round he knew he only had a limited number of rounds left. Some of the John Wayne's characters followed this practice. I don't know if this was actually practiced in the old west or if it's just another product of Hollywood but it makes sense.

[veeman]

I read somewhere long ago that the pistol rounds on one side and rifle rounds on the otherside, if the rifle and pistol where of different caliber. Makes sense.

[TXGunNut]

I suspect that props departments issued dummy ammo that wouldn't fit any of the prop guns, gave them two layers of protection. Good catch on the 5 in 1 blanks, Griff. I've been told that most of the extras and stunt men carried .22s or non-firing replica guns. I once saw an actor loading what looked like a RP jacketed 45-70 round in a western movie set in the 1880's, IIRC.

[oldred]

In a magazine article I read a few months ago, "guns of the old west" I think but I could be wrong, there was a story about the Bounty Hunter's rifle and they mentioned the rounds that don't fit. According to the article they had actually stated shooting the film and the director (or maybe producer or somebody that had a say in it) thought the young Steve McQueen looked kind of kid like and they wanted to make him look tougher, one of the things they did was to replace the small cartridges with the big 45/70 rounds that we all became accustomed to seeing him with.

[oldred]

I once saw an actor loading what looked like a RP jacketed 45-70 round in a western movie set in the 1880's, IIRC.

I noticed not long ago while watching John Wayne in "Rio Bravo" that near the end of the movie they were gearing up for the big show-down and John Wayne's character took some suspiciously modern (1950's era) cartridge boxes off of a shelf, they appeared to me to be 1950's vintage Remington, has anyone else noticed that?

Rio Bravo was a very popular John Wayne western so I am assuming most of us have seen it.

[TXGunNut]

Yes, I seem to recall that too. I assumed a period-correct box would be brown cardboard but didn't know for sure.

[oldred]

Dang good movie regardless of the Hollywood mistakes, did anyone notice the magically disappearing/reappearing bulet hole during that final show-down? Ricky Nelson took a position at window and a bullet seemingly struck the window frame knocking out a large chunk of wood, I say seemingly because you can clearly see the hole is shot through from the inside of the building. Then the next scene he is shown at the same window a few seconds later and the bullet hole has mysteriously disappeared! Then in the NEXT scene it's back again! About the same time John Wayne is standing in a doorway and a bullet hole appears in the frame beside him but if you watch closely you can actually see splinters and the fire from the muzzle blast shooting outward from the inside of the building. How the bullet holes were made does not really matter much since it's obvious it would be too dangerous to shoot toward the actors so that's easy to overlook but the disappearing/reappearing hole in the window is kind of comical and very noticeable, just a funny oversight and not a historical inaccuracy however.