Is there such a thing? Noob cowboy question...

[Johnny Moon]

I have seen, in new and old cowboy action movies, where a cowboy or modern good and bad guys pull a shotgun or rifle out over their head from their back. I'm guessing from some sort of long rifle or shotgun holster that's on their back in some way.

Is this just for effect in the movies, or was there a way to carry a rifle or shotgun, or both back in the old west :-), on your back with out needing a sling attached to the rifle or gun?

Thanks,

Johnny Moon

 

[Shotgun Franklin]

I try to never say something wasn't possible but I've never seen one in the old photos.

[St. George]

There sure is - it's called 'artistic license,' and it requires an unusually strong gluteus maximus musculature, to firmly grasp the barrel, so when you can crack walnuts - give it a try, but use an unloaded weapon, just in case...

Every second-rate movie director has used this trick for effect since they first figured out film could be made to move - but if you just ponder it for a minute - think about the day-to-day mechanics of just going through life wearing the sillyassed rigid thing, much less having to actually use it.

Think about the butt smacking the back of your head and neck as you walk or sit or belly up to the bar - much less mount up, or drive a stage, then think about exactly how the human spine is shaped, and you'll soon figure out just how impractical the whole thing is. no matter how cool the director thinks it is.

Scouts Out!

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[Cliff Fendley]

Is there such a thing? Yes, it's called a rifle scabbard. Did people really do it like in the movies? I think not.

I've carried a rifle in a scabbard on my shoulder before at Cowboy action shoots and such. Just for transport purposes though and then I have the scabbard with me to keep the rifle somewhat covered if it's a rainy day or if the sun is bearing down. I like to keep the barrel shaded on real hot days so it doesn't leave third degree burns when I handle the gun on the next stage after shooting black powder. Plus it keeps someone from picking up my rifle by mistake.

[Cliff Fendley]

To use a scabbard like a quiver in the movies so it hangs low enough to draw the rifle out and go around your body across your chest you would have to put extensions on the straps or make ones a little longer than normal.

What I normally do is attach the straps from one end to the other in a cris cross manner to wear it on my shoulder like a rifle sling.

[Slowhand Bob]

Yall are all full of it, this is the greatest idea to come along since peanut MMs!  For those doubters who do not think it can work, go back and check out ROMANCING THE STONE, where Michael Douglas is rescuing Turner in the bus wreck scene.  WBH would envy that fast draw, end of argument!

[Camano Ridge]

Like Blue M&M's they do exist. I had a customer who wanted a bandolier the he coul attach a scabbard for a Mares leg to and wnated a matching scabbard for his Mossberg Tactical Lever action that he could use on the bandolier interchangably. There have been creative people through out history, so is it possible some enterprising person put a strap on a scabbard and through it across their back yes. Is there documented proof, I have not seen any. I can see some mountain man trying to scrammble up a sttep are wishing he had the ability to throw the rifle across his back so he had both hands free. Practicality wise I tried on the bandolier with a rifle in the one scabbard and I could see some definite draw backs similar to some mentioned by St. George. The bandolier I made had adjutments so you could have the scabbard ride higher or lower as needed. Even if some individual did do it in the old west it obviously was not prevelent or we would find pictures in Packing Iron and other resources.

[Abilene]

Here's a couple pics of Gunzilla from about 15 years ago.  He carried his 10ga. SxS in the scabbard, or "quiver", for walking around or between stages, but did not draw it from the scabbard while shooting a stage.  When he staged his long guns before shooting, he would turn around, facing uprange, and bend over and pull the shotgun out (to keep the muzzle downrange), then turn around and stage it.  I think it would be safe to say that most of Gunzilla's outfits, leather, etc. were not overly commonplace in the old west 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I've never researched this AT ALL, but I do have the two volume sett from OU press on military equipment for the period and they didn't use a scabbard, they used slings.  I'd be shocked to find out that there were 100 of the scabbards out West between 1960 and 1920 because no one needed them. 

1.  Cowboys rode, the horse carried the rifle. 
2.  Towns people kept the gun in the corner of the house, that's why there were pistols.
3.  Muleskinners, stage coach drivers etc, the gun was either on the wagon or in hand. 

There wasn't much use for such a thing.

Can't prove any of this cept the part from the OU press.

later

[Slowhand Bob]

The reason that we do not see many of these or the resulting proof of their existence is primarily due to how early they were popular, in a time before photographic evidence.  Somewhere between the early 1830s and late 1840s, there is disagreement on exact dates within the academic community, it became very popular to cut ones double into the now infamous Avenging Angel double mortar!  The most common example was to cut ones dbl barls to 4" and wear them in low slung holsters.**  Some even advanced this to wearing these in pairs, one on each hip.  This actually caused many early cowboys to become bow-legged, which was erroneously blamed on riding horses.  

** Reference: http://pichostingsite.com/user24/2009/01/13/dzhek-molniya-lightning-jack/dzhek-molniya-lightning-jack3.jpg