The Good, the Bad, and the Gorgeous--more firearms of the "Old West" in Second Life

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Yes, I know I tend to write frequently about recreated historical firearms in Second Life. Hey, I like guns, they've been a part of my life since I was in my teens. Growing up on a small farm, firearms were a form of useful tool that you had to understand and respect, just like an axe or a saw, or any other technology we employed. But then my relationship with firearms evolved beyond that, into an appreciation of the gunmaker's art, and a love for the sheer beauty of what skilled machinists produced in the last century and a half--so I got into collecting, and recreational shooting, and ultimately working with firearms as an aspect of my professional life.

So you just have to indulge me when I wax poetic over of the work of certain SL weapon-makers.

As the title of this piece says, there is the good: in fact, there is a great deal of good work done in-world by content makers who produce very nice, functional period firearms that are quite respectably authentic. And sometimes what they make is really good.

Below is my Sergeant OHanlon alt with model 1873 Single Action Army Colt revolver that was made by Deadwood sim co-owner Caed Aldwych (Perceval Dryke).


It's proportioned properly, it has the right shape and appearance for a model '73 SAA, and by golly, it's not all tarted up with stupid movie-land crap like angels or crosses on the grips, or engravings of "hello kitty" on the cylinder, or any other Stoopid Shit. It looks like a frakkin' army-issue Colt revolver, it comes with some decent poses and anims, it shoots pretty well, and it functions like 6-shot single action is supposed to.

Does it have exquisite detail? No, it doesn't. Does it come with all kinds of extra optional animations and poses? No. But for crying it out loud, it's a freebie--it comes as a part of the complimentary "cavalry soldier" package that you can pick up at the Ft. Laramie entrance area to the Deadwood 1876 sim.

I shall repeat that: IT'S A FRAKKIN' FREEBIE. IT COMES WITH AN AUTHENTIC 1870's-STYLE CAVALRY HOLSTER AND BELT RIG. I have a couple of alts that use this gun and rig, because it looks good and does the job and was a cost-effective option.

You can spend a whole lot more of your hard-earned linden dollars on stuff that's not nearly as good. In fact, there are so-called "authentic" firearms for sale in-world that will cost you a shitload of money, but that are utter weaselcrap. I'm not going to name any names, but that's the bottom line: there are supposedly "historic" guns out there that certainly qualify as the "bad".

So, you might ask, what really bothers me with certain SL "historic" guns?

Well it's not just the ones that they are sloppily made, pig-butt ugly, and look very little like the actual historical guns they are supposed to represent. What really kills me are the ones that function in wildly implausible ways: ridiculously high rates of fire; bizarre reloading operations; and inauthentic magazine capacity. Holy Moses in his bathrobe, how hard is to look up a weapon on wikipedia and see how many rounds the fucker actually held?

OK here's the new rule: dumb-ass first person shooter games like "Gun" are not legitimate sources of accurate information about historical firearms. You need to actually understand something about what the guns looked like and how they operated before you can make an "authentic" or "realistic" recreation of an historic weapon. You can only use certain weapons in certain ways in particular time periods. Let me give you some practical examples of what it means to follow this rule. For example:

* You do not get to bring weapons into an 1860s or 1870s sim when those weapons--such as lever action and pump action shotguns--were not invented until the 1880s. Nor do you get to make shit up--like adding a lever action to a single shot muzzle loader.

* You cannot "dual wield" (fight with one in each hand) certain types of pistols in ANY fuckin' time period. Like Volcanics. They were LEVER ACTION pistols. That means they took two hands to operate, numbnuts. Not only were they crappy pistols that quickly become obsolete, but there is NO WAY IN ANY FUCKING UNIVERSE THAT YOU COULD USE TWO OF THE GODDAMN THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY UNLESS YOU'RE A FUCKING OCTOPUS!

* Likewise, skip these foolish cut-down Winchesters you see here and there. That is an imaginary weapon created for 1950's and 60's TV shows and movies. I have yet to see any historical examples or evidence that anyone in the late 19th century actually fucked up a perfectly good rifle in this manner. It is NOT a useful weapon in this buggered-up form. In part this is because the Winny has a tubular magazine under the barrel--so when you cut down the length of the barrel, you also have to shorten the magazine and reduce its capacity. In effect, Mr. SL gunmaker, you can't make a cut-down Winchester and still script it with a 12 round magazine, and then call it "authentic" or "realistic." It would hold maybe five or six rounds after you chopped it. And don't tell me that it gives you more hitting power with a rifle round, because the earlier Winchesters used the same ammo as the Colt pistol. So all you did was make a clunky hand gun that takes two hands to operate.

And yes, I know that weapons like that are perfectly suitable for most "fantasy" old west sims where you also might have vampires and lycans running around, stripper poles in the saloon, and Northwest coast totem poles amidst the Plains Indian tipis. That's cool, if that's what floats your boat. Or if you're in a sim like old Sigil was--openly and unashamedly based on the genre of the spaghetti western--well, yeah, then you could argue that having a Hollywood reloader (ie, you never run out of bullets) is actually appropriate.

Ultimately, of course, anyone can make anything thing they jolly well want in SL--it's one of the joys of the platform. But if you are going to call what you make "realistic" or "authentic" then I think you ought to put in some effort and research time in order to actually warrant using those terms.

I am not embarrassed to say that yes, I am an authenticity snob when it comes to my old west technology.

If you too care about the quality and authenticity of the weapons you're using, why spend a lot of money on dross and sludge when you get something as gorgeous as this (the rifle, not the nudie picture):


That's the Kiergarten Armoury Sharps rifle for hunting and target shooting, which we have discussed in an earlier piece. It actually looks like an 1874 Sharps, and it functions like one as well, requiring you to reload in between each shot. Yeah, it's not too handy in a wild-eyed, grief-fueled shoot-em-up, but by damn, that's how a single-shot rifle actually worked.

And it's only $400 lindens.

Let me say that again: it's only $400 lindens.

And Jasper Kiergarten keeps making cool, gorgeous stuff like this. He just sent me an example of a Sharps model 1869 military carbine. This was a Civil War issue weapon that was converted at government arsenals after the war to fire the new .50/70 cartridge--a great many of these were used by the U.S. cavalry until the 1873 Springfield "trapdoor" was put in service. Look at the image below--you will note that not only are the parts of the action textured to look like case-hardened steel, but there is actually a goddamn saddle ring on the left-hand side of the stock.


Now that might not seem important to most of you, but let me ask you this: how do you think troopers hung on to their carbines when they weren't using them? Velcro?

They had a carbine sling that hooked to the ring, so that they could carry the carbine hanging by their side (conveniently at hand--not slung on their back). Now all we need is for someone to make a jacket layer version of the carbine sling, and we're all set.

Anyhow, that's why I like Jasper's work. It looks really damned good, it works like it's supposed to, and it reflects his understanding of how the guns were actually carried and operated. It's all in the details, like that dang saddle ring. After all, how many other weapons have you seen in-world that should have a saddle ring on them, and actually do?

So if you can get something that good looking and detailed for a few hundred lindens, what can you find if you're ready to invest some serious money?

Holy dog crap on white toast, I am so glad you asked me that question. I've already told you about wonderful--but pricey--weapons like Ernst Osterham's boxlock double-barreled shotgun. But here's something in the same class that you haven't seen yet:


This is a SAA Colt cavalry model with the 7.5 inch barrel made by Lockmort Mortlock. My crappy screen shots don't do justice to this gem of a recreated historical firearm.

It's not just that the proportions and the shape and design that are spot on--it's the freakin' detail. The screws in the frame are there. And they are different sizes like the actual thing. You can see the spring in the extractor rod housing. You look on the top of the barrel, and you know what you see?



That's right, the markings telling you who made this and where.

So is this cheap? No of course not. Lock currently has the civilian version of the SAA for sale (4 inch barrel), and it runs around $1,500 lindens.

BUT in addition to the gun, you get a great belt and holster with options for how many rounds you want in the bullet loops; you get options on different finishes; you get different firing poses including single-handed standing, double-handed standing, and double-handed kneeling; AND you get accessories like an ammo box that you can click on and reload the weapon.


Frankly I can't wait to see what he's going to make next. Lock is a true artist, as well as a sincere and enthusiastic firearm historian. Lockmort Mortlock's products are available in the vendor area of Ft. Laramie in the Deadwood 1876 sim.

Come on, do I really have to generate the slurl for you? Show some ambition and initiative.

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Good stuff -- Kiergarten Armoury model 1874 Sharps rifle

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I love getting a new toy, especially when it turns out that the item is as decidedly nice as this one. So many things in SL prove to be a real disappointment. To be honest, a lot of what is made in-world outright sucks. It's fun to get to review something like this that most definitely Does Not Suck.

It's my latest acquisition -- a model 1874 Sharps rifle, in caliber .50-90 (the "Big 50" favored by buffalo hunters), made by Kiergarten Armoury in New Babbage.

Kiergarten Armoury products are the work of Mr. Jasper Kiergarten. The vendor identifies this particular item as the "1874 Sharps Creedmore Rifle."

The use of the term "Creedmore" refers to the style of vernier tang sight that this weapon has mounted on the wrist of the stock, as well as being a reference to the fact that historically, the model 74 Sharps was used both as a hunting weapon and as a target competition piece at places such as the famous Creedmore range on Long Island.

Anyhow, back to the review: I gotta tell ya, this example of Mr. Kiergarten's work goes way beyond the "Does Not Suck" category, and is well into the realm of what is generally known as:

"ohmyfuckingawdthatistoosweetforwords."

You know, most attempts at recreated historic firearms in SL range from fucking dreadful mutant travesties, to the occasional act of brilliance. There are not too many of the brilliant gun makers who really care about authenticity and detail, though Lock Mortlock and Caed Aldwych leap to mind. Well kids, I now have another gunmaker to look up to with starry-eyed admiration: Jasper Kiergarten.

Even the better gunmakers have things they struggle with. The shapes of pistol grips and rifle butt-stocks seem to frustrate many: they may get close but they are not quite on the money. Others struggle with shaping hammers and lock plates correctly. Well, holy shit on whole wheat toast, I want you to look closely at the action on this Sharps that Mr. Kiergarten has made. This is in the realm of museum quality 3-D modeling.



The shapes are correct. The proportions are correct. It's a fucking work of art.

And it shoots well. Nice flat trajectory--the sumbitch hits what you point it at, and does so over decent distances. I was shooting deer targets in the hills above Deadwood and was taking them down at 70 meters, which ain't bad for SL shooting. But the real joy of this piece is the look of it. The detail is super: octagonal barrel, tang rear sight, and double set triggers. At the same time, I will confess there are a few details I wish were different. One is that the trigger guard/loading lever on this version is brass, and I'm just not sure about that -- it seems most of the rl Sharps rifles I have seen have a steel lever. Also the color of the metal parts is a dull grey...I would kind of like it if they were blued (or on some parts, colored to represent case hardening) like the originals. But then I also realize that doing so would probably hide some of the detail and outlines of component parts.

The poses and anims with the piece are basic, but appropriate. Like many SL firearms, this weapon comes with two guns in the set: the one you attach to your hand and which is used in holding/firing mode; and a "slung" version. Something that I really like about the Kiergarten Sharps is that the latter version of the piece is attached so that it looks like it is actually slung over your shoulder -- not stuck in one of these goofy-ass-looking back scabbards that so many SL gun makers give you with their rifles.

For a woman sharpshooter, some serious adjusting is necessary to get it to look as right as possible when you are holding it and firing the piece. But Mr. Kiergarten states in his vendor information that he is well aware that there is an issue there, and that he is considering a version adjusted for female avies. So updates may be expected, and in fact, the rifle comes with an updater gizmo that will enable the buyer to get improvments as they are introduced, or fixes for when LL does another goddam dumbass update to the software that will inevitably break things like gun scripts.

There is one other thing about the weapon that I hope Mr. Kiergarten will change at some point: it would be nice if he were to offer a version with the Deadwood combat bullet in it. The version sold now has a bullet that works fine for target shooting (which is all I am likely to use it for) but will not interact with the Deadwood combat system. Mind you, I'm happy as a pig in poop with the gun the way it is, but I know there are people out there who would like to have a good-looking firearm like this that is set up for their particular rp community's mutual killing fun.

Jasper also makes two models of Martini-Henrys and a whole slew of revolvers. I gather he is also in the business of making artillery and other implements of extreme diplomacy, which I shall have to check out.

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