Semi-Auto Handguns in the Old West

Were there semi-auto handguns in the Old West?
Also, a brief history on some early models.

***By the way, semi-auto can be pronounced Sem•eye or Sem•ee. Both are correct.
Also, the Wild Bunch is set in 1913, prior to WWI. Sorry!***

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[BoyNamedSue]

It always amazes me how much gun technology advanced in the 30 year stretch

[dancortes]

The Westerns set in the early 1900s are some of my favorites. It's cool because you know that whole way of life is about to mostly come to an end.

[SeanDahle]

So cool that Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 acknowledged the these early semi auto pistols by making them usable in both games. Mauser's my favorite of these

[cielopachirisu]

At last!

As someone who considers the Old West to have stopped in the 1920s (and lived somewhere that many aspects of the Old West haven't died off yet to this day) I've long wanted you to do a video on this sort of 'Twilight of the Old West' stuff. Thank you for covering it!

[ArizonaGhostriders]

By the way, semi-auto can be pronounced Sem•eye or Sem•ee. Both are correct.👍
Also, the Wild Bunch is set in 1913, prior to WWI. Sorry!

[gameragodzilla]

One thing I actually find pretty interesting is a lot of the ergonomics of the 1911 pistol was actually at the request of horse cavalry. That includes things we take for granted on modern pistols like:

1. A magazine release button I hit with my thumb that drops the magazine freely. It was designed because the original heel release meant unloading the gun was a two handed affair.

2. The slide release that locks the slide back when the magazine is empty and you chamber a new magazine by hitting it with your thumb. Again, the prior guns that didn’t have it required two hands to rack the slide to chamber a round.

3. A drop safety to prevent the trigger from being pulled by inertia if the gun drops on its back. While the grip safety wasn’t widely copied, the concept lives on in the trigger safety (aka dingus) on modern pistols like Glocks.

4. A thumb safety allowing you to reholster the pistol safely after firing a few rounds. Any pistol that does have a safety will often by a 1911 style thumb safety with up as safe and down as fire, including the new U.S. military M17 and M18.

You would figure pistol ergonomics designed for horse cavalry 100+ years ago would feel really archaic by today’s standards, yet they don’t. Because of those reasons (and the Wild Bunch), I do consider the 1911 the “last” cowboy pistol.

[waynedaly]

Another fun episode. Quite surprised to see Luger PO8 and C96 Mauser in the hands of the western crowd. Well done yet again Santee. Thanks mate

[patron]

The Mauser the title character in the 1968 movie The Great Silence carries is part of its iconic feel, and it goes well with the "closing era of the Old West" theme.

[josephfelix]

Their is a photo of a cowboy and a Indian in 1913 playing cards in Arizona and the cowboy had a 1911 so carrying a 1911 still makes you a cowboy

[wolfcharlie]

Compared to the united states and canada, various latin-american countries (from the north of mexico to the southern tip of argentina) still had their wild frontiers even after the turn of the century (some go as far to the 1940s). And there were plenty of times were outlaws and gunslingers started to used semi autos while still maintaining their old ways, heck, some even used crazier stuff like bren machine guns stolen from the authorities for example

[dillonc]

As someone who played Red Dead Redemption 2 (a game that takes place in the late Wild West) I shook my head when I was able to buy the Mauser in 1907, most notably find a gunslinger using a customized one in 1899. At least there's historical justification the pistol was in the later portion of the Old West.

[ianpatrick]

I inherited a Savage arms 1907 32 acp. A great uncle bought it because he was a foreman in a diamond mine in South Africa and was almost beaten to death. After he healed, he was attacked by 6 guys. He shot all 6 of them and they never attacked him again. The workers of the mine had no idea how many bullets it held so they didn't try to attack him anymore. The slogan for the pistol was "10 shots quick as lightning"

[TimKoehn]

Great episode Santee! Great to learn about the development of certain styles of weapons. Love my 1911! Cheers!

[johnrudy]

Joe Kid...great movie. Broom handle in that was really anachronistic.

[Tururu]

Imagine being a common outlaw, all your life shooting and being shot at by Revolvers, seeing one day a weird handgun with no cylinder shooting much faster than you could ever hope

[Thegreyturtlemodelrail]

My favorite thing about early Semi auto guns is playing the "has this appeared in Star Wars" game.

It's pretty fun!

[doraran]

There's a picture of a frontier bar in early1900's, with a C96 Mauser being held by a patron in a bar. I've seen pic several times, but keep forgetting to print it out. If you have or find it I'd love to see it again.

BTW Sears catalogue of 1903 shows .30 Lugars for sale. Wyatt Earp was a paid spokesperson promoting the Savage M1907 pocket pistol.

[tedebear]

Good morning santine. Ted from Texas here. I had an old 1911 mate in 1914. But I needed money and I sold it. Made a lot of money on it, but I regret selling it. Great episode my friend

[Mr.Hen_In_a_Tie]

2:50 Gee, i wonder why many people now think that the wild west isn't over by 1899?

[richardsullivan]

Semi- Automatics are great but the old cap n' ball revolvers are the most fun to shoot. I love the days of yester year and I'm a sucker for nostalgia!