After the Montana round-up, I was asked if I like guns, and would I like to shoot some?
WOW, so they got out a colt .45 (not bad) a Winchester Rifle (Very accurate, and quick to reload).
But the best was a Sharp's 50.50, the so-called buffalo hunters weapon of choice.
Single shot, onerous to re-load, but highly accurate, particularly over long-range. Imagine that bullet (I still have a spent one) that's a 1/2" in diameter.....
And this was the weapon used by the Buffalo Hunters at the 2nd battle of Adobe Walls in Texas.
About 29 hunters were trapped at the Trading Post, when they were attacked by upwards of 1,000 native Americans (Southern Cheyenne & others)
They were fought off, purely because the indians had picked the wrong fight! Highly skilled marksmen, with long range rifles, well entrenched, against mounted cavalry with short-range weapons
It came to an end when a chap called Billy Dixon, taking advantage of a lull in the fighting, took aim at a group of mounted Indians, and took a shot.
The indians were in a group, considering what to do next, or how to get closer to the Adobe buildings.
The shot took the Indian clean off his horse! It didn't kill him, but convinced them that they were on a hiding to nothing!(Some accounts claim the shot killed him)
After the departure of the indians, the buffalo hunters measured the distance of the shot: an unprecedented 1,500 yards!.......
Not surprisingly, the hunters had decided that they had been lucky, packed their belonging, and departed for safer pastures.
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