Gunfighters and notches in grips

Jim McDougall · 23rd July 2009, 04:54 AM

From time to time it seems the subject has come up, particularly in ethnographic weapons, of victories or kill counts in bravado, marked on the weapon itself. This has been suggested on the mandau of Borneo, and others but cannot recall specifics, and it seems a number of other instances.

In romanticized literature on the Wild West, one of the most familiar myths is that gunfighters notched the grip on thier guns for thier victims in count. I often wondered if there was any basis for this idea, which does not seem to have had any verifiable truth to it, but for a few remote exceptions which seemed to be based on the dime novels myths.

It is said that Wyatt Earp, being interviewed by a reporter, when asked about notching guns, he was so outraged he threw the guy out. He fumed, only 'tinhorns' would do such a thing, and that a gunfighter would never do so. It seems that most of the 'stories' about the true gunfighters were embellished and fabricated by enthusiastic writers and fans.

None of the guns provenanced to any of the famed gunfighters has any such notches in the grips, nor are there any established accounts of any known gunfighter or pistolero using this type of adornment. It would seem that in most cases, they did not feel particular joy, pride or bravado concerning the death of another, despite embellished accounts written much after these events.

But there may have been exceptions, and anger and rage driven incidents such as during the Civil War, the Missouri 'bushwhackers' "Bloody Bill" Anderson, is said to have had a cord he knotted each time he killed a yankee, enraged for the brutal killing of his family and others....accounts say he had 53 knots in that cord.

In early frontier days, it is said that tally guns with notches carved in them were mounted on the wall in forts, and that frontiersmen recorded taken scalps by notching thier muskets. Perhaps these instances of 'record keeping' or tallies became a dramatic vehicle in the embellished tales of the dime novel writers and became part of the 'gunfighters myth'.

Just wanted to see if out there in readers world or among the members, anyone might have some references to instances where gunfighters are known to have notched grips on guns, or any other cases such as military combat where this might have been done.

On a closing note, it is said that in the 1920's, Bat Masterson was found to have bought a Colt SAA and carved notches in the grip, to sell to a persistant enthusiast, compelled by the myth well notched into western lore.

All best regards,
Jim

23rd July 2009, 04:54 AM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Gunfighters and notches in grips From time to time it seems the subject has come up, particularly in ethnographic weapons, of victories or kill counts in bravado, marked on the weapon itself. This has been suggested on the mandau of Borneo, and others but cannot recall specifics, and it seems a number of other instances. In romanticized literature on the Wild West, one of the most familiar myths is that gunfighters notched the grip on thier guns for thier victims in count. I often wondered if there was any basis for this idea, which does not seem to have had any verifiable truth to it, but for a few remote exceptions which seemed to be based on the dime novels myths. It is said that Wyatt Earp, being interviewed by a reporter, when asked about notching guns, he was so outraged he threw the guy out. He fumed, only 'tinhorns' would do such a thing, and that a gunfighter would never do so. It seems that most of the 'stories' about the true gunfighters were embellished and fabricated by enthusiastic writers and fans. None of the guns provenanced to any of the famed gunfighters has any such notches in the grips, nor are there any established accounts of any known gunfighter or pistolero using this type of adornment. It would seem that in most cases, they did not feel particular joy, pride or bravado concerning the death of another, despite embellished accounts written much after these events. But there may have been exceptions, and anger and rage driven incidents such as during the Civil War, the Missouri 'bushwhackers' "Bloody Bill" Anderson, is said to have had a cord he knotted each time he killed a yankee, enraged for the brutal killing of his family and others....accounts say he had 53 knots in that cord. In early frontier days, it is said that tally guns with notches carved in them were mounted on the wall in forts, and that frontiersmen recorded taken scalps by notching thier muskets. Perhaps these instances of 'record keeping' or tallies became a dramatic vehicle in the embellished tales of the dime novel writers and became part of the 'gunfighters myth'. Just wanted to see if out there in readers world or among the members, anyone might have some references to instances where gunfighters are known to have notched grips on guns, or any other cases such as military combat where this might have been done. On a closing note, it is said that in the 1920's, Bat Masterson was found to have bought a Colt SAA and carved notches in the grip, to sell to a persistant enthusiast, compelled by the myth well notched into western lore. All best regards, Jim