Page 105 - The Lost Ways

afford a collection of them. They tended to buy one gun and would pick one that would
be as versatile as possible. Usually, it wasn’t a revolver.

For the typical settler in one of the new American territories, a handgun wasn’t actually
good for much. He needed a gun to put food on the table, maybe to hunt animals for their
pelts, and to keep critters away from his crops. Self-defense was just something else it
could be used for if necessary, but few people saw that as their gun’s main function, and
if they did use it for protection, it was more likely to be against an animal than a person.

The popular image of every cowboy and rancher walking around with a six-shooter
strapped to his hip simply isn’t correct, as period photos show. Some did carry revolvers,
but most didn’t. Rifles were far more common weapons in the West because they could
be used for hunting and had a longer range. After the Civil War, there was no shortage of
military-surplus rifle muskets, and many settlers carried those or similar weapons.

If there really is a gun that won the West, though, it has to be the humble 12-gauge
shotgun. It’s hard to imagine a more versatile workhorse firearm than this. It can be
loaded with anything from a single massive projectile—ball then, slug now—to a charge

of rock salt, so it’s capable of bringing down most game. Anything from small birds to the
largest deer can be taken with an appropriately loaded shotgun.

It’s also ideal for self-defense at short and medium range. No pistol cartridge comes close
to the power of a 12-gauge, and loaded with buckshot, it also has a much longer effective
range. Familiarity plays a part since in an emergency you’ll be a lot better off with the gun
you carry and use every day, but unless you’ve done hundreds of hours of specialist police

or military handgun training, a shotgun is just an easier weapon to protect yourself with.

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The same things that made a shotgun the ideal weapon in the 19 century West still hold
true today; in fact, if anything, its advantages have increased. There’s a wider choice of
ammunition than ever, including rifled slugs that are accurate and hard-hitting out to 100
yards or more. Traditional side-by-sides have been replaced with pump actions, which are
extremely reliable but offer higher ammunition capacity.

Shotguns are designed for rapid, instinctive aiming and are useful for hunting and a critical
advantage in a self-defense situation. They also have a huge psychological effect. The
sound of a pump shotgun chambering a round is instantly recognizable and highly
intimidating. Cops will tell you that it often makes intruders turn tail and run without a
single shot being fired.

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