rifle in Outlaw of Josey Wales

[bev]

i'm trying to find out what the rifle was the Clint Eastwood use in the movie "Outlaw of Josie Wails?
Can anyone help me.
thanks
bev

[william]

Hi bev, could be a Scofield

[KC]

Hi, Bev ... and welcome to the Board!

One of our members, Concorde, sent me a whole treatise on the weapons of The Outlaw Josey Wales, so I'll quote from that:

Rifle that Wales uses for the “Missouri boat ride”

This is a Sharps buffalo rifle, with a brass spyglass optical sight custom-mounted alongside its barrel. The prop gun used for this scene fired metallic cartridges in .45-70, although the script originally called for a historically accurate cap-and-ball version in a different caliber. However, in both the cap-and-ball and the metal cartridge configurations, the Sharps was a rifle of legendary accuracy – hence the term “sharpshooter” (from “Sharps shooter”) – and the amazing feat of marksmanship that Wales accomplishes with it is entirely within the realm of real-life possibility.

I hope that helps!

KC

[D'Ambrosia]

Hello bev and welcome to the board.  I pretty sure that the rifle used in Joesy Wales is a Spencer rifle...  I'll post up more information a little later on tonight...

[william]

I need to look at the movie again, it could be a spencer

[KC]

D'Amb, it does look like a Spencer, but I think it looks even more like a Sharps. Here's the best shot I could get from the movie ...


Notice the thingie behind the trigger guard. Sorry to sound so stupid, but all I know about guns I learned from books ... so I really don't know what that gizmo is for. But, there is not such a gizmo on the Spencer ... and there is one on older models of Sharps. Take a look at this (from the site where you found the Spencer images) :



More pictures here ... scroll down the page to "Sharps."
http://www.sharpsburg-arsenal.com/Firearms_Ammo/firearms_ammo.html

Does anyone else out there have any help on this question? And if you do ... do you know where Bev could purchase such a gun?

[KC]

I forgot to mention ... in the Josey Wales script, we have this ...

The ferry is returning rapidly. Soldiers are working the cable. Other soldiers are lining up on the front of the ferry, loading their rifles, getting ready to fire when they get into range. The ferry is jam packed with men in blue and horses. Josey gets slowly up from the ground, lazily takes his .56 Sharps from his saddle boot and walks to the Carpetbagger.

(Emphasis added ... )

[D'Ambrosia]

I just reviewed the dvd KC and you are correct.  It is indeed a Sharps rifle not a Spencer.  I was fooled by the shot in which Joesy takes aim at the rope and there is a shadow behind the gun that gives the appearance of the large U shaped  loading lever  mechanism in front of the trigger which is on the Spencer but not on the Sharps. You can see it’s missing in that shot you posted above KC.  I thought all this time it was a Spencer but now I know…

Sorry about the confusion...

[old-gravel-boots]

Hi KC:
Thanks very much for the information.  I have written 3 westerns (now published) about a sheriff called Jud Harris and the trusted men who are his deputies when needed.
One is an oldish guy called Josiah Clemance who is a noted sharpshooter.  I have him using a Sharps rifle with a sight and he makes some pretty amazing shots.
I was never really sure how accurate I was and I'm very pleased to see I was pretty close.
My westerns have only sold very moderately but I've had some very encouraging letters from my readers who are pestering me (thank goodness) for a fourth novel which I have started.
Thanks again for the help from your GREAT site.
Cheers.
Mel Hague (UK)

[Lilly]

Hi Mel,

Cool, a real-life western author on the board!

If anyone's interested, I found Mel's books on Amazon UK (LINK):








Christopher, you might like The Grey Man , as it's described as "a supernatural horror story".

Good luck with the writing Mel!

[Kiwi Cowboy]

Scofield

[Lin Sunderland]

Scofield

??   

Christopher, you might like The Grey Man , as it's described as "a supernatural horror story".

I bought it and I thought I would just have a quick look and four hours later I was still reading.   Christopher, I think you will like it.    I do and I can't wait for a few more hours in my busy life to sit down and read to the end.   I found it a great page turner, so far anyway.     Well done Mel