The Outlaw Josey Wales

The following guns were used in the film The Outlaw Josey Wales:

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Colt Walker 1847

Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) carries two Colt Walker 1847 revolvers in twin holsters as his primary sidearms, although he carries four pistols in total. While not supposed to be known by the audience, the guns are converted to fire metallic cartridges instead of firing percussion cap and ball, since this it is safer to use blanks than firing blackpowder blank shot. While some of the guns are anachronistically seen with conventional metallic conversion kits with ejector rods and loading gates, these guns lack these features to try to hide its conversion. In some scenes though, the guns are non-firing models which do have percussion nipples so the audience can be tricked into thinking the guns are a percussion only. The famous image in which Wales poses with his Colt Walkers is a good example.

One of the original Colt Walker 1847s used by Clint Eastwood in the film. Since deactivated by the propstore of London.

One of the original Colt Walker 1847s in one of the original holsters.

Josey Wales famously poses with his Colt Walker 1847s.

Josey Wales presents his two Colt Walker 1847s butts forward when two bounty chasers hold him up in the trading shop.

Unfortunately for them, Wales knows his gun tricks and reverses the guns with lightning speed (too fast to grab a clear picture, in fact). This trick is known as the "Road Agent's Spin" and is actually quite simple to accomplish if you know how to do it.

Wales draws his Colt Walker in his left hand and a Colt 1860 Army in his right to kill the Union soldiers in the town.

Wales aims his Colt Walker at a group of thugs as they attempt to rape Laura Lee (Sondra Locke), only holding his fire when their leader forces them to stop their attack.

Wales fires his Colt Walker at the Red Legs during the shootout outside the house. Here, the trigger is obviously too light since the hammer only falls to half-cock.

Close up of one of the Colt Walkers firing. Note how the cylinder has no percussion nipples, and the gap behind the cylinder is obviously there so cartridges can fit.

Wales slowly approaches Terrill (Bill McKinney) while clicking each chamber empty to scare him.

Wales dry-firing his empty Colt Walkers.

Wales flashes back to when Terrill and his Red Legs murdered his family, fueling his rage even more.

Wales' Colt Walkers in his holsters.

Colt 1860 Army

In the film, there are multiple variants of the Colt 1860 Army revolver (despite the fact there was only one available during the Civil War, since cartridge conversions didn't exist at the time), including:

Standard

The most common version of the Colt Army in the film is the standard version without an obvious conversion such as a Richards-Mason. Even so, almost all of them have a hidden cartridge conversion since it is safer to shoot metallic blank catridges than black powder blank shot.

Colt 1860 Army - .44 caliber.

Fletcher (John Vernon) is seen carrying three Colt Army revolvers, and has two pointed at him.

"I thought you could use some help." Jamie (Sam Bottoms) holds his Colt Army after killing Lige. Note how metallic cartridges can be seen in the cylinder.

Wales holds his Colt Army on Lone Watie (Chief Dan George).

Here the gun is a percussion model, since he's pointing it at a fellow actor and so they can pack the lead balls into the chambers.

Wales draws his Colt Army in his right hand and his Colt Walker in his left when facing the Union soldiers in the town.

Wales shoots one of the Commanchhero's who tries to take his horse in the desert. Note how the hammer has been modified to strike a firing pin to properly fire center fire blanks.

Wales faces off with a bounty hunter (John Davis Chandler), both of them use Colt Army revolvers.

Laura Lee (Sondra Locke) fake fires a percussion Colt Army.

Wales tries to shoot Terrill (Bill McKinney) as he flees but his Colt Army clicks empty. Similair to his Colt Walker, the hammer falls on half-cock due to a light trigger.

Wales dry-fires his Colt Army and Colt 1849 Pocket as he approaches Terrill.

Wales holsters his Colt Army.

Loading Gate Conversion

When Wales' family is first murdered by the Red Legs, he retrieves a gun from the ashes of his house, which is a Colt Army with a cartridge conversion and a loading gate only. Due to quick camera cuts, it appears he fires far more than six shots at a time.

Wales retrieves the converted Colt Army from the ashes of his home.

Wales looks at the Colt Army.

Wales shoots a wooden post repeatedly to get the feel for the gun.

Wales fires the smoking Colt Army.

Richards Cartridge Conversion

Lone Watie (Chief Dan George) sneaks up on Wales and holds a Colt Army with a Richards Conversion (has a rear sight added to the breech ring instead of the rear sight on the hammer, has a frame-mounted firing pin, and a hammer modified to strike this firing pin. Also had ejector rod and loading gate) on him, boasting that only an Indian can sneak up on someone. Wales agrees and in a second, Watie has a gun to his head from Little Moonlight (Geraldine Keams).

Colt 1860 Army with Richards Conversion.

Lone Watie: Howdy. Josey Wales: Howdy.

"I'm gettin' better at sneaking up on you like this. Only an Indian can do something like this."

Little Moonlight shoots the last of the rapists with her Colt Army with a Richards conversion.

Richards-Mason Cartridge Conversion

Colt Armies with Richards-Mason are used by several characters in the film.

Colt Army with Richards-Mason cartridge conversion.

Both of the bounty chasers in the trade shop hold Colt Army revolvers with Richards-Mason conversions on Wales.

Little Moonlight (Geraldine Keams) holds a Colt Army with a Richards-Mason conversion on Lone Watie (Chief Dan George).

Little Moonlight holds her Colt Army on Lone Watie.

The Commanchero Leader (John Quade) armed with a converted Colt Army.

Colt 1849 Pocket

Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) carries a Colt 1849 Pocket in a breast-pocket holster, and draws it only when no other option is left.

Colt 1849 Pocket - .31 caliber.

Wales shoots Abe (Len Lesser) with his Colt 1849 Pocket. You can see he's aiming for his gut/groin region...

... yet the bullet exits center mass.

Wales fires his 1849 Pocket during the shootout with the Red Legs. Unfortunately for Clint, the best shot of the gun isn't the most flattering for him.

Wales draws his 1849 Pocket as he approaches Terrill (Bill McKinney).

Wales dry-fires his 1849 Pocket and Colt Army.

Wales holsters his 1849 Pocket.

Colt 1851 Navy

Union "Red Leg" leader Captain Terrill (Bill McKinney) carries a Colt 1851 Navy with a brass frame as his sidearm, and is noteably seen using it during the slaughter of the Confederate soldiers. It is not a Griswold and Gunnison 1860 as a previous user claimed, as it has an octagonal barrel, not a round barrel like an G&G.

Colt 1851 Navy - .36 caliber.

Terrill fires his Colt 1851 Navy at the cart Wales was firing the Gatling Gun in. He fires four shots before charging the cart and when he sticks the gun in, you cans see all six lead balls loaded in the chambers.

Sharps 1863 Cavalary Carbine

The Union soldiers are seen armed with Sharps 1863 Cavalary Carbines in the film.

Sharps 1863 - .52 caliber.

Union soldiers hold their Sharps 1863 carbines on Fletcher (John Vernon).

A Union soldier holds his Sharps on Fletcher.

Uninon soldiers fire their Sharps Carbines at Wales.

Sharps 1865 Sniper Rifle

Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) carries a Sharps 1865 rifle fitted with a full length J. Stevens brass tube target scope, which he uses to shoot the ferry rope in two, leaving the pursuing Redlegs stranded in the water. He later uses it to tie a white flag to when approaching the Commancheros before using it to shoot one of them off their horse.

Josey takes his Sharps Sniper rifle out from his saddle.

"Well, Mr. Carpetbagger. We got somethin' in this territory called the Missouri boat ride."

Josey impressively shoots the rope which directs the ferry across the river.

Josey approaches the Commancheros with his Sharps being used as a flag pole.

Trapdoor Springfield 1873

Another anachronistic firearm in the film, Trapdoor Springfield 1873 rifles are used by Abe (Len Lesser) and Lige (Doug McGrath) when they attempt to capture Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) by the river side. Later in the film, several are used by Wales' allies in the house to shoot at the Red Legs outside.

Trapdoor Springfield 1873 - .45-70.

Abe and Lige armed with Trapdoor Springfield 1873 rifles.

Abe tries to raise his Trapdoor Springfield after being shot, but is shot again. With all the weeds blocking the hammer, it is doubtful it would have fired anyway.

A Trapdoor Springfield is seen slung over the Commachero rapist's back.

One of Wales' allies fires a Trapdoor Springfield from the house at the Red Legs.

Lone Watie (Chief Dan George) fires a Trapdoor Springfield at the Red Legs.

Laura Lee (Sondra Locke) fires a Trapdoor Springfield.

Laura Lee fires a Trapdoor Springfield, and doesn't put the stock to her shoulder, so it's a miracle she hits anything.

Laura Lee shoots a Red Leg entering the house through the roof with a Trapdoor Springfield.

Colt 1872 Gatling Gun

Union troops use two Colt 1872 Gatling Guns to mow down Josey Wales' (Clint Eastwood) comrades after they surrender, despite being an anachronistic firearm. Wales kills the gunner and loader in one of the gun carts and uses it to mow down Union troops and destroy the other gun. One of these guns was recently sold for a price of roughly $30,000 in a gun auction, in which they listed the gun as a Colt 1872 in .45-70 caliber.

Colt 1865 Gatling Gun - .44 RF.

Union soldiers peak out of the gun cart before they massacre the rebels.

Union soldiers open up with the Colt 1872 Gatling Gun.

Ever heard of the rules of engagement? This kind of violates it.

Wales unleashes the ten-barreled behemoth on the Union soldiers.

Wales mows down Union soldiers. By this point, this gun has fired way more than 35 rounds, its maximum capacity.

FPS view of the Gatling Gun. Since Hollywood considers killing animals something only a villain should do, Wales manages to shoot all the Union soldiers off their horses without killing them.