Talk:Hell on Wheels

Sorry I'm not as savvy at identifying firearms as the other members or I would do this myself. But this page at onetime had images of the various rifles used in Hell On Wheels and I was hoping some kindhearted fan would add them back.

episode 2 weapons

mercs (thats what we would call them today) when guarding the massacare site look to be armed with hendry rifles http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Henry_1860 Christopher Heyerdahl (Thor Gundersen, also known as "the Swede")seems to have a sawnoff double barrel shot gun and colm meany (Thomas "Doc" Durant,) semms to have a pepperbox type musket http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Allen_%26_Thurber_Pepperbox could be it but if anyone can help thanks--Seekerdude (talk) 12:56, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

The Railroad crews and virtualy everyone in the first few episodes that carries a rifle is carrying an 1866 Winchester "Yellowboy." They actually should be carrying Henry's as these were far more prevalent and if the show starts in 1865, would have been the only choice of the two. The Spencer would have been available as well. The railroad crews were known to have asked for Henry's for protecton against Indian attacks, the Yellowboy would not start getting to the Frontier in any numbers likely for at least another year or more. What actually happened was the elite would have carried the best weapons available: people like Durant, private contractors, or individuals who ha dcome out with any money in their pockets. The Pepperbox was an antique by that time, Durant likely would own somehting like a Smith and Wesson cartridge revolver. Also, the Frontier folks at the time used whatever they had and far and away in 1865-67 the most prevalent firearms would have been percussion weapons (Sharps 1863 Cavalry carbines, surplus Enfield rifles, etc.) so a dearth of these in rifle and shotgun form is disappointing. While the Swede "may" have technically owned a sawed off shotgun that was hammerlesss and cartridge fed in 1865-66 but it is highly unlikely as they were custom built and european. Owning a european weapon for which cartridges were not available on the frontier would have been careless and impractical--something the forntiers people were not. Even the cartridge weapons of the time--again fewer--would have more typically had hammers. Hammer shotguns were not displaced until well after 1875 when patents by LeFever and Anson & Deely started to be manufactured. The Colt hammerless, for example, was an 1881 model. The transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869. The first few episodes were disappointing as far as firearms goes, highly unrealistic and thoughtless--it was a half-assed attempt amd detracted from a well written and original show that is enjoyable inspit of its ahistorical use of weapons. In this day and age, it would have taken a lazy firearms consultant no more than a week to make a far more accurate and diverse collection for the show. I could have done so in a matter of a few days with a couple of phone calls.