Author Topic: movie guns (Read 1412 times)

mr.frosty · « **on:** October 21, 2004, 04:19:04 PM »

I got to know about the rifle used in the movie El Dorado tha was used by the character Bull, it looks like a Colt or a Winchester with a cylinder
possibly chambered for 45/70 or larger.There are several scenes where
you can see the rifle real good. Just wondering if anyone has any
info about the gun or where I could learn more about it.

KN · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2004, 06:15:15 PM »

They are refereed to as a revolving rifle I believe. I don't know the exact model he had but Cabellas has a black powder replica called a cattlemans 44 carbine that is similar. KN

crow_feather · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2004, 02:11:17 PM »

Not seeing any place to insert cartridges from the rear, I thought that it was a muzzle loading (front of cylinder loading) rifle. I also didn't see any case extraction equipment. If it was a muzzle loader, I didn't see any loading equipment on the rifle so I figure he must have carried extra cylinders, one way or ta other.

Movies make everything so easy.

C F

mr.frosty · « **Reply #3 on:** October 22, 2004, 05:01:06 PM »

i found something about the rifle colt made them during the civil war
it was a 56 cal. in the movie it looks like a single action revolving rifle
cause he cocks it for every shot.
if i'm not mistaken most weapons were of a rimfire cartridge.
anyway i like the one line bull has in the movie "gimme another one and i'll play marchin thru georgie"

DUGABOY1 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 26, 2004, 10:04:41 AM »

Quote from: mr.frosty

i found something about the rifle colt made them during the civil war
it was a 56 cal. in the movie it looks like a single action revolving rifle
cause he cocks it for every shot.
if i'm not mistaken most weapons were of a rimfire cartridge.
anyway i like the one line bull has in the movie "gimme another one and i'll play marchin thru georgie"

The rifle you saw in the movie was a replica of the old Colt Cap & Ball revolveing rifle! It was not too successful, as it had a bad habit of jumping over to the chambers on either side of the one on the barrel, fireing three chambers at once. Think about it, your laft hand is in front of the cylinder, and the result of a triple fire is no fingers, or thumb on the left hand! :shock: Navy Arms imported a replica of this rifle, but based on the Cap & Ball Remington C&B pistol. They also imported one that was chambered for 357 Mag, or 45 Long Colt. They didn't go over too well either, for the same reason the origenals didn't. The cartridge version, which never existed in the old days, cut you arm all to heck with the cylinder blast . Neat Idea, but not well thought out, before there were a lot of one handed shooters! :lol:

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** December 27, 2004, 01:16:58 PM »

Some of the 1855 Colt Revolving Rifles, like many old cap and ball pistols, were converted to accept metallic cartridges. The .44-40 and .44-60 Winchester were popular in the rifle/pistol conversions that were done by frontier gunsmiths during the years following the Civil War. I have a cousin that has a old 1860 Colt that was converted to use the .44-40 cartridge. The one in El Dorado is most likely a Italian import replica the movie prop department had laying around as an original converted one would be worth a bundle. Lawdog

crow_feather · « **Reply #6 on:** January 02, 2005, 07:05:54 AM »

mr.frosty,
I saw an original and it is a front loading black powder rifle with a ramrod on the bottom of the barrel.

C F

Ramrod · « **Reply #7 on:** January 02, 2005, 12:06:52 PM »

The side hammer gives it away, it is a Colt 1855 military model revolving rifle. These were .56 caliber percussion arms. In the movie you never see Bull reload it. The sporting models were available from .36 up to .50 cal. I bevieve they were never made in a cartridge version.