Doc Holiday's mystery shotgun: October 26, 1881 OK Corral

David R · 9th August 2019, 10:59 PM

Oh, as for marking guns... If the firm paid for them, it wanted to keep them and not have them "walk"!

And another edit, a Wells Fargo Depot would store valuables. They would need guns to protect such from the scalawags and bandits that abounded in the Old West.

Jim McDougall · 9th August 2019, 11:21 PM

Thanks very much David, there is a great deal to understanding the dynamics of these coach guns and shotguns themselves. Getting back to the subject at hand, I am hoping to find more detail on the gun of Holliday, and if indeed Virgil did get it from the Wells Fargo office.
It does make sense that they would mark it Wells Fargo as it would be less likely to be stolen, and as you note, the office itself had to store valuables. With that it would seem the guns would not be likely to 'walk away' as there must have been a guard on duty at all times.

David R · 2nd September 2019, 08:19 PM

I would have posted a photo earlier, but had to wait for this to come back from the Gunsmith. A muzzle loading percussion Coaching Gun in my collection. The barrel checks out as having been made at that length, 18 inches, rather than sawn down from longer. The lock started life as a flintlock, and was than made into a percussion. The bore is at least 12 bore, hard to tell with these old barrels. Lots of wear and repair, but I like it.

Jim McDougall · 3rd September 2019, 11:40 PM

David, thank you so much for posting this!
This is a fantastic gun, and all the more so having been converted from flintlock suggesting it early use indeed on coaches. While the Doc Holiday shotgun was of course from a later time in the 'wild west', the early coach guns have amazing history of their own.
Thank you for posting it on its own thread as the old coach guns are a story in themselves from 18th century into 19th with the highwayman tales of England and the Continent. This shotgun type evolved in such use from the blunderbusses it would seem, but that's for the new thread.

2nd September 2019, 08:19 PM	#3
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,116	I would have posted a photo earlier, but had to wait for this to come back from the Gunsmith. A muzzle loading percussion Coaching Gun in my collection. The barrel checks out as having been made at that length, 18 inches, rather than sawn down from longer. The lock started life as a flintlock, and was than made into a percussion. The bore is at least 12 bore, hard to tell with these old barrels. Lots of wear and repair, but I like it. Attached Images

3rd September 2019, 11:40 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	! David, thank you so much for posting this! This is a fantastic gun, and all the more so having been converted from flintlock suggesting it early use indeed on coaches. While the Doc Holiday shotgun was of course from a later time in the 'wild west', the early coach guns have amazing history of their own. Thank you for posting it on its own thread as the old coach guns are a story in themselves from 18th century into 19th with the highwayman tales of England and the Continent. This shotgun type evolved in such use from the blunderbusses it would seem, but that's for the new thread.

9th August 2019, 10:59 PM	#1
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,116	Oh, as for marking guns... If the firm paid for them, it wanted to keep them and not have them "walk"! And another edit, a Wells Fargo Depot would store valuables. They would need guns to protect such from the scalawags and bandits that abounded in the Old West.

9th August 2019, 11:21 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Thanks very much David, there is a great deal to understanding the dynamics of these coach guns and shotguns themselves. Getting back to the subject at hand, I am hoping to find more detail on the gun of Holliday, and if indeed Virgil did get it from the Wells Fargo office. It does make sense that they would mark it Wells Fargo as it would be less likely to be stolen, and as you note, the office itself had to store valuables. With that it would seem the guns would not be likely to 'walk away' as there must have been a guard on duty at all times.