The terms “gunfighter” or “gunslinger,” as they are most often called today, are actually more modern words utilized in films and literature of the 20th Century. During the days of the “real” Wild West, men who had gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun were more commonly called gunmen, pistoleers, shootists, or bad men. That being said, Bat Masterson, a noted gunfighter himself, who later became a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, sometimes referred to them as “gunfighters,” but, more often as “man killers.”

Though our Complete List of Old West Gunfighters provides the names of hundreds of gunmen, many might not term them to be true “gunfighters” in the popular sense of the word today. No, they didn’t squarely face off with each other from a distance in a dusty street, like movies and television would like us to believe. In actuality, the “real” gunfights of the Old West were rarely that “civilized.” Many of the men listed on our Gunfighters Pages, many fought in the many range wars and feuds of the Old West, which were far more common than the “stand-off” gunfight. Most of these were fought over land or water rights, some were political, and others were simply “old Hatfield-McCoy” style differences between families or in lifestyles.

Of those that fit more easily into the perception of the “gunfighter,” rarely did they kill as many men in gunfights as most were given credit for. In many instances their reputations developed from one particular instance, and as the rumors grew, so did their prowess with a gun. In other cases, their reputations were enhanced by self-promotion. Such was the case with Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok.

Other lesser-known shootists, that saw just as much, if not more action than their well-known counterparts were men such as Ben Thompson, Tom Horn, Kid Curry, Timothy Courtright, King Fisher, Scott Cooley,  Clay Allison, and Dallas Stoudenmire, just to name a few.

It was often difficult to sort out the gunfighters, whose occupations ranged from lawmen, to cowboys, ranchers, gamblers, farmers, teamsters, bounty hunters, and outlaws. In many cases, these violent men could move quickly from fighting on the side of the law to utilizing their talents in a life of crime.

Though about a third of the gunman died of “natural causes,” many died violently in gunfights, lynchings, or legal executions. The average age of death was about 35. However, of those gunmen who used their skills on the side of the law, they would persistently live longer lives than those that lived a life of crime.

During these violent days, most of the shootings occurred in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, California, Missouri, and Colorado.

© Kathy Weiser-Alexander/Legends of America, updated January 2020.

“Never run a bluff with a six-gun.”

– Bat Masterson

Also See:

List of Lawmen

List of Old West Outlaws

Old West Gunfights

Time Line of the American West

A Quick History of Smith & Wesson Firearms