Gunfighters and notches in grips

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

Hello Jim,

Sorry I have not been around much. Work seems to get in the way!

Re. notches, I had an old book on gunfighters etc called "triggerometry" if I remember right! Must have been written in the 40's or before.

It had a chapter on John Westley-Hardin, called; "40 notches" from his most likely dime-store career, and supposedly 40 kills.
That's about as close as I can come with any actual evidence!!

There is only one gun I can think of off-hand with notches, in this case filed into the side of the trigger-guard, and this was from an earlier time, and was a full-stock plains rifle owned at one time by Joe Meek.
If I remeber right, it has an inscription on it in German, saying it was "for the defence of (German) Immigrants in the US (Can't remember if a state was mentioned, it May have been Utah)
Wether it got it's notches at the hands of the original Teutonic custodian, or at Joe's hands I can't say. Neither do I know wether the notches stood for deer,...... or hostile Indians.
Anyway Jim, That's all I can contribute. A gun with notches, yes, but that's all.
Now, I Do have an old ww1 era kukri with 2 notches, but that's different, and about as questionable!!

Best wishes,

Richard.

Hi Richard,
Its great to have you back! Missed ya around here. Thanks so much for the great input, and these kinds of references are exactly what I was looking for. While it seems fairly certain that the gunfighters themselves did not appear to have notched grips for 'kills', it is interesting to see what references, resources or stories might have perpetuated the myth. It seems I have heard of that book 'Triggernometry' but cannot place it at the moment.
As we begin to head back toward the Southwest, my fascination with this western lore is always energized, and the mention of John Wesley Hardin especially, as we get closer to El Paso.

I found some interesting material in the unbelievably researched and beautifully illustrated "The Peacemakers" by R.L.Wilson(1992). This rather heavy book is an absolute must for anybody interested in the Wild West, and it is a virtual museum, as the photos of the actual weapons are so clear its like actually holding them.

It would seem that the stories about Hardin's 40 notches are yet another colorful embellishment by authors in adding sensational dimension to thier subject. In Wilson's book, on page 175-176, three of Hardin's guns are shown:

Single Action Army #126680....no notches
Colt Lightning #68837, ivory grips....no notches
Colt Lightning #73728, used by Hardin in holdup at Gem Saloon, El Paso
in May, 1895...............................no notches
Smith & Wesson .44 double action Frontier #352, the one Hardin was carrying when he was killed at Acme Saloon, El Paso in 1895......no notches

Wilson discusses notching as follows on p.200; "....whether or not guns were notched for each man killed, is an often asked question. Occasionally a 19th century firearm is located with notched markings, but the writer has yet to see a historically associated handgun of a prominant lawman, gunfighter or outlaw-known to have been a mankiller-boasting notches".

He does note that notches are sometimes seen on hunting firearms, most likely of course for downed game, however an interesting reference to Thomas French of the 7th cavalry, and with Reno at Little Big Horn, claimed that he had a .50 Cal. Springfield on which he carved notches on the stock for each warrior he had killed. There is no further detail or illustration of this weapon, which must be somewhere, as he did survive the battle.

The rifle owned by Joe Meek is an interesting example, and I had not heard of trigger guards being notched. It does seem that, again, there were some instances of notching of frontier longarms, for scalps taken. While this kind of 'tallying' seems in accord with that rather gruesome practice, it does not seem that the gunfighters wished to pronounce thier 'victories' in the later Wild West. I personally believe their notoriety was more the product of circumstance, and they typically reluctantly accepted the celebrity afforded them by enthusiastic admirers. It would seem that they allowed these rather embellished reputations more as a survival posture, in maintaining a formidable figure in avoiding confrontations than as some sort of bravado.
Naturally, some became caught up in it eventually, such as Hickok and some others, but many would probably have like to be just left alone.

I'm really glad you joined in Richard, and thanks again for adding these great notes. I've got to see if I can find that 'Triggernometry'. You have to admit, these 1940's and 50's books on these subjects really had flair! I'll never forget the run on research that came out of the book of those times on the Bowie knife, "The Iron Mistress".....there was even a movie with Alan Ladd.
Great stuff!

All the best,
Jim