General Gunfighters History
The gunfighter era was an outgrowth of the Civil War. Some outlaws were spawned of the Civil War as were Quantrill's Raiders.
The average year of birth was 1853. The average year of death was 1895. About 1/3 of all gunmen died of "natural causes." Many gunmen did not die violently and lived a normal life span (70 years or so). Of those who did die violently (shot or executed), the average age of death was 35. The gunfighters-turned-lawmen lived longer lives than their persistently criminal counterparts.
Most professional gunfighters died in states or territories where the most shootings occurred: Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, California, Missouri, and Colorado.
The "occupations" of the various gunmen were often those that used firearms in ordinary pursuits. They often carried firearms as a job requirement. There were 110 gunmen who were law officers, 75 who were cowboys, 54 as ranchers, 46 as farmers, 45 as rustlers, 35 as hired guns, but also men who had been soldiers, miners, scouts, teamsters, actors, butchers, bounty hunters, etc.
Gunfighting peaked in the 1870s: Six fights in TX and KS in 1870, 22 in 1871, 13 in 1872, 27 in 1873, 14 in 1874, 13 in 1875, 22 in 1876, 21 in 1877, 36 in 1878, 14 in 1879. In the 1880s: 25 in 1880, 27 in 1881, 15 in 1882, 9 in 1883, 17 in 1884, 7 each in 1885-6, 20 in 1887, 10 in 1888, and nine in 1889. 1895-96 were bad years, 19 fights in each, but then it began to taper off.
Handguns to 1883
| NAME | TYPE | CALIBER | SHOTS | WEIGHT | COUNTRY |
| Le Mat C&B | Revolver C&B | .42 & 28Ga | 9+1 | 3.6 lbs | USA/Fr. |
| S&W Russian SA* 1871 | Revolver | .44 Russian | 6 | 2.5 lbs | USA, Rus |
| .Colt.38RF Police | Revolver | 38RF | 5 GL | 2.3 | USA |
| Colt 1-shot .41 1856 | Derringer C&B | .41 | 1 | 0.25 | USA |
| Colt Army 1860 | Revolver C&B | 44 | 6 | 2.8 | USA |
| Colt Dragoon 1844 | Revolver C&B | 44 | 6 | 4 | USA |
| Colt Lightning .38 1877 DA | Revolver | 38 | 2.3 | USA | |
| Colt Navy 1851 | Revolver C&B | 36 | 6 | 2.5 | USA |
| Colt No.2 derringer | derringer | 41RF | 1 | USA | |
| Colt Police 1862 | Revolver C&B | 36 | 5 | 2.3 | USA |
| Colt SA Army 1873* | Revolver | 45LC, .44-40, 38-40, 32-20 | 2.5 lbs | USA | |
| Colt Thunderer 1878 | DA/Revolver | .41LC, .44-40, .45LC | 4/6 | 2.5 lbs | USA |
| Colt Walker 1847 | Revolver C&B | 44 | 6 | 4.5 | USA |
| Colt.38RF Navy 1866 | Revolver 38RF | 6 GL | 2.5 | USA | |
| Colt.44RF Army 1866 | Revolver 44RF | 6 GL | 2.8 | USA | |
| Ethan Allen Pepperbox 1837 | DA C&B | 36 | 4-6 | USA | |
| Marlin "Never Miss" Derringer | 22, 32 | 1 | USA | ||
| Reid .22 knuckleduster 1866 | revolver | 22RF | 7GL | .5lb | USA |
| Reid knuckleduster 1866 | revolver | 32, 41RF | 5GL | .5lb | USA |
| Rem .46RF N.M.Army 1863 | Revolver | .46RF | 5 GL | 2.5 | USA |
| Rem. 1875 .44-40 | Revolver | 44-40 | 6 GL | 2.5 | USA |
| Rem. N.M.Army 1860 | Revolver C&B | 44 | 6 GL | 2.5 | USA |
| Remington DD 1856 Derringer | .41RF | 2 | 0.7 lbs | USA | |
| Remington New Army 1866 | Revolver | .45LC,.38-40 | 2.5 lbs | USA | |
| Remington Rolling Block Pistol 1867 | Single shot | .50 | 1 | 1.5lb | USA |
| S&W American SA 1873 | Revolver | .38SW, .44SW | 6 | 2.5 lbs | USA |
| S&W DA 1880 DA | Revolver | 32, 38, 44 | 5 | USA | |
| S&W Model 1 1860 | Revolver | .22RF | 9DetCYL | 1 lbs | USA |
| S&W Model No.1.5 1865 | Revolver | .32SW | 5 DetCYL | 1.25 lbs | USA |
| S&W Model No.2 1861 | Revolver | .32SW | 6 DetCYL | 1.5 lbs | USA |
| S&W Wells Fargo/ Schofield 1873 | Revolver | .38SW,.44SW | 6 | 2 lbs | USA |
| Sharps "Pepperbox" 1859 4 barrel | derringer | 22, 30 | 4 | USA | |
| Tipping & Larden | 4 barrel derringer | 38 | 4 | USA | |
| NAME | TYPE | CALIBER | SHOTS | WEIGHT | COUNTRY |
| Abadie DA | Revolver | 9.1mm | 5/5 | 1.6 lbs | Portugal |
| BODEO DA | Revolver | 10.4mm | 7/7 | 1.7 lbs | Italy |
| Beaumont Adams Converted to Metallic Cartridge c1865 | DA Revolver | .32,.38, .45 | 5 | 2.3 | Great Britain |
| Beaumont Adams 1855 | DA Revolver C&B | .32, .36, .442, .50 | 5 | 2.2-6 | Great Britain |
| Enfield 1880 DA/Revolver | .476, 455 | 6 | 2.5 lbs | Great Britain | |
| Howdah Pistol 1840s | Double barrelled C&B | .70 | 3lb 11oz | Great Britain | |
| Howdah Pistol 1880s | Double barrelled | .577 Short Boxer | 3lb 11oz | Great Britain | |
| Howdah Revolver | DA Revolver | .577 Short Boxer | 6 GL | 4.5lb | Great Britain |
| John Adams DA 1867 | DA Revolver | .32, .38 .45 | Adams | 2.1 lbs | Great Britain |
| Lancaster Pistol | 4 barrel | .476, 455, 38 | 4 | 2 lbs | Great Britain |
| Lancaster Pistol | 2 barrel | .476, 455 2 | 2 lbs | Great Britain | |
| Lancaster Pistol | 2 barrel | .577 Short Boxer or 20 bore | 2 | Great Britain | |
| Tranter 1863 | Revolver | 23, 32 RF | 7 GL | Great Britain | |
| Tranter Solid frame DA Revolver | 32,38,43,45,50 | 6 GL | Great Britain | ||
| Webley Bulldog | DA/Revolver | .442, 45, 38, 32 | 6 GL | 2.7 lbs | Great Britain |
| Webley New Army Express 1881 | DA/Revolver | .45, 455, .476, .44SW, .45LC | 6 GL | 2.6 lbs | Great Britain |
| Webley RIC 1863 and RIC No.1 1883 | DA/Revolver | .45 | 6 GL | 2.6 lbs | Great Britain |
| Webley RIC 1883 | DA Revolver | .45, 32, 36 | 5 GL | 2.6 lbs | Great Britain |
| Webley Service MKI* 1887 | Revolver | 455, 476 | 6 | 2.2 lbs | Great Britain |
| Webley-Wilkinson | Revolver | .45 | 6 6/12 | 2.8 lbs | Great Britain |
| Mauser zig zag | Revolver | 9mm | 6 GL | 1.6 lbs | Germany |
| ReichsRevolver M1883* | Revolver | 10.6mm | 10/12 | 2.2 lbs | Germany |
| Frankenau Purse Pistol 1877 | Revolver built into purse | 5mm PF | 6 GL | German | |
| Breakopen Pinfire 1865 | Revolver | 7mm,9mm, 12mm PF | 6 | France | |
| Coup de Poing Fist pistol 1867 | DA Pepperbox or revolver | 7mm, 9mm PF or 5mm, 7mm, 9mm | RF 6 GL | France | |
| Lafaucheux Revolver 1870 | DA or SA revolver | 7mm, 9mm, 12mm PF | 6 GL | France | |
| Lafaucheux Revolver 1870 | DA or SA revolver | 7mm, 9mm, 12mm PF | 7 GL or 7 | 1lb 7oz | France |
| Lafaucheux Revolver 1870 | DA or SA revolver | 7mm, 9mm, 12mm | PF | 12 | France |
| Le Page 20shot 1867 | Revolver | 7mm, 9mm, 12mm | 20 GL | France | |
| NAME | TYPE | CALIBER | SHOTS | WEIGHT | COUNTRY |
| Le Mat Pinfire Revolver | .42PF & 28Ga. | 9GL+1ML Shot barrel | 3.4 lbs | France | |
| Biedermann 4 barrel | derringer | 12mm | 4 | Belgium | |
| Belgian M1871 | Revolver | 10.4mm | 6 GL | 2.1 | Belgian |
| Nagant M1878 | Revolver | 9mm | 6 GL | 2.1 | Belgian |
| Nagant M1883 | Revolver | 9mm | 6GL | 2.1 | Belgian |
| Gasser-Kropatschek 1878 | DA/Revolver | 9mm | 6 GL | 1.7 | Austria |
| Gasser-Montenegrin 1882 | DA/Revolver | 11.3mm | 6 GL | 3.1 lbs | Austria |
| Double barrelled Muzzle Loader | Flintlock or C&B | .5-.7 | 2 | Any | |
| Single Shot Muzzle Loader | Flintlock or C&B | .5-.7 | 1 | Any |
