Dances With Wolves

[Vladimir]

Just watched this tonight and I was pretty confident the revolvers weren't going to work after being dunked in the water. After the debate sure enough later on in a different scene they DIDN"T work... but anyone know what they were using and if this would be the case?

[cycloneman]

top of the morning to ya Vlad. I didn't see dances with wolves, I saw dances with bit$$es. I don't recall any revolvers in that one, sorry.

[Vladimir]

IMDB says the weapons were, "Lt. John Dunbar carries two guns in the film--a Henry 1860 rifle made specially by Uberti and a Colt 1851 Navy cap-and-ball revolver."

So cap and ball would mean no way in hell I imagine. This fool says "that's what I said," but whatever, he said no because they were cartridge ammunition it would work no matter what... but whatever I don't know him so I let it drop .

[armedandsafe]

If C&B, they probably wouldn't work after a bath. If they were cartridge, they had a good chance of working, depending on the quality of the cartridges.

Pops

[artabr]

Originally Posted by armedandsafe

If C&B, they probably wouldn't work after a bath. If they were cartridge, they had a good chance of working, depending on the quality of the cartridges.

Pops

Exactly.




Art

[Oneida Steve]

Vlad, I've found that guns never misfire in movies unless bad guys are holding them. They never run dry, either. In movies, revolvers will fire between 6 and 50 times before reloading.

The real miracle in Dancing With Wolves is killing a bison with a 1860 Henry rifle.

Movie makers often substitute cartridge guns for C&B revolvers. They are more reliable and are safer to unload. Cartridge revolvers will survive getting soaked. An genuine 1851 Colt C&B may still fire in a rainstorm, but I doubt it would work after a dunking.

[Vladimir]

How about modern guns, I thought they are not very likely to work after a dunking? Wasn't that one of the cited "love it" in No Country for Old Men (when after swimming he stripped his pistol to dry it out before shooting it).

Or is this a revolver/auto difference?

[oldogy]

Originally Posted by Vladimir

How about modern guns, I thought they are not very likely to work after a dunking? Wasn't that one of the cited "love it" in No Country for Old Men (when after swimming he stripped his pistol to dry it out before shooting it).

Or is this a revolver/auto difference?

Don't believe much of what you see in movies......My guess is that most cartridge type firearms will fire unless they've been soaked for a long time... .long enough for the water to get into the cartridge. An automatic slide or mechanism may have problems but most revolvers should work without fail. Any submerged firearm should be dried prior to firing, at least the action and barrel checked for obstruction. Given the choice between firing a wet gun when I had to fire and waiting to dry it I would slap it a few times (if I had time) to knock the excess water out and fire. Of course any firearm should be cleaned and lubricated any time it gets wet.
oldogy

[mrkirker]

I've found that guns never misfire in movies unless bad guys are holding them.

Hmm, might offer a different opinion, if I may: "Unforgiven" - The second barrel of William Munny's shotgun mis-fires during the confrontation in Greely's Saloon. (Of course, there are those that would say that William Munny was a 'bad guy'; a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition.)

[45nut]

Just a historical note; it would have been possible and even likely that Lt Dunbar could have had a Colt conversion, but since it was an 1851 it would have been .36 caliber. In the movie, it was a C&B.

C&B would not be very likely to fire after a good dunking. The Henry probably would have, but with those rim fire rounds, you never know.