19th century .22 rimfires

[kcub]

Aside from the odd reference to the first S&W 7 shot revolvers such as from Mark Twain you hear very little; and yet, they must have been popular on the trail maybe as a 2nd revolver for augmenting the pot with birds and squirrels.  The same qualities of being able to carry lots of cheap ammo that make them popular and useful today must have been valued as much if not more so in the 1800's when resupply was an iffy thing.

And the fact that it must have been there means it must have been used against humans being at hand; and yet, you hear or read not so much as about the big booming .44's and .45's which seem to cling to the legends more readily.

[St. George]

Hardly...

Back during the Frontier era, the .22 was a blackpowder .22 Short and didn't see any wide use until shooting galleries made their way from the larger towns.

There simply were very few firearms that used them - outside of the little S&W and the Colt Open Top (for examples from the large manufacturers) and a whole host of pocket revolvers whose quality varied with their price.

For most men - they were viewed as a toy, and meat was gotten through accuracy with their primary rifle and not a boy's rifle.

The round came into it's own as the Old West was drawing to a close.

Were they used against people?

Sure - those little pocket revolvers were widely carried - and they could out-reach a knife blade, which made them a handy thing - especially for soiled doves and hangers-on in places where emotions could run hot and where carrying a larger weapon was generally proscribed by town law.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[kcub]

Per Barnes Cartridges of the World the .22 Long Rifle first appeared in 1888 loaded with 5 grains of black powder and available in Stevens and Marlin-Ballard rifles.  No mention made of handguns.

The .22 Long was listed available in the 1871 catalog of Great Western Gun Works for their 7 shot Standard revolver.

The military (and possibly some police) used .22 conversions for training and economy.

It seems like someone would have put 2 and 2 together (pun intended) and realized what a great addition to the battery a .22 would make, at least as a 2nd or 3rd gun.

[St. George]

Maybe because they didn't think of having a 'battery' of weaponry, because they didn't feel a need for one, and they didn't waste a lot of time using up box after box of ammunition, because there wasn't a need, and because it cost hard-earned money.

Many accounts testify to the fact that most cowboys were passable rifle shots, and poor pistol shots, because long guns were what got the job done - they were in far greater use than short ones - and in many cattle outfits, the carrying of a revolver was proscribed, because they were a little 'too' easily put to use around hot-headed young males.

Guns were viewed as tools - nothing more.

In C&WAS - you see shooters dragging their 'battery' around with a wheeled cart, and they'll have revolvers, rifles, carbines and derringer or pocket guns - plus associated ammunition and maybe even an umbrella - because they're ready for anything.

Maybe - despite your well-reasoned thoughts - they just didn't see a value to it in the Old West.

In all the reading I've done and in the references I've gone over - I've never read an account that talked about using a .22 rifle for pot-hunting during the time frame in question.

For working cattle outfits and pack outfits 'after' the turn of the century,  you do see some reference - always with regard to the cook and his helpers.

Good Luck in your research.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Delmonico]

I don't have the exact quote on hand, but Mark Twain didn't think much about them S&W 22 short revolvers, he pokes a lot of fun at them in Roughing It.

BTW the 22 Long Rifle was developed as a 200 yard target round Stevens was well known for their target rifles.  For small game hunting the 9mm Flobert rim fire rifles were used as much or more that 22's.  They at least could also shoot a 1/4 oz of small shot.

[Silver Creek Slim]

I don't have the exact quote on hand, but Mark Twain didn't think much about them S&W 22 short revolvers, he pokes a lot of fun at them in Roughing It.

Here's the quote.
"I was armed to the teeth with a pitiful little Smith &
Wesson's seven-shooter, which carried a ball like a homoeopathic pill,
and it took the whole seven to make a dose for an adult. But I thought
it was grand. It appeared to me to be a dangerous weapon. It only had
one fault--you could not hit anything with it. One of our "conductors"
practiced awhile on a cow with it, and as long as she stood still and
behaved herself she was safe; but as soon as she went to moving about,
and he got to shooting at other things, she came to grief."

Slim