Where did people buy coach guns from during the Wild West?

[Delmonico]

Another thought, the term sawed off, if it has a factory short barrel is it really sawed off or is this just another misused word.

[Abilene]

and did they really call them street sweepers back then or is that another Hollywood term?

[St. George]

If you're talking about 'Tombstone' - it was called a 'street howitzer'...

'Street Sweeper' came about closer to WWI, along with 'Trench Broom' - also including the Thompson SMG in that sobriquet.

The short-barrelled shotgun had a number of names and a myriad of uses - pretty much none for a regular citizen, but since 'Tombstone' came out, every C&WAS scenario includes them.

Scouts Out!

[Darto]

Barrel length for coach top riders would remain about the same regardless of the era in question, I would think.According to the redoubtable wikipedia, the British Mail regulations 1788–1816 stated that every mail coach should have a guard with one 14" barrel blunderbuss and 2 single shot pistols.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunderbuss

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The old west of Hollywood (Stagecoach)

[Pappy Hayes]

What about the Greeners  used in John Wayne movies? Are they just movie guns?

[St. George]

Greener did make a good, solid shotgun and were available in regular sporting lengths - many stayed in those lengths, but sawed offs were more photogenic.

John Wayne movies are just that - movies - and the actors are costumed and geared up according to an Assistant Director's whims - they're 'not' historical references.

If they accurately filmed what mostly went on after the cattle driving, you could hear crickets chirp and sweat hitting the ground.

The 'real' Old West was vastly different from the 'reel' Old West.

Scouts Out!