Revolver Type

[SummerKy]

Can anyone give me some advice on revolver types for 1869-1870?

My two main characters both carry weapons. Ennis Crow is following the Union Pacific (Hell on Wheels towns) he did fight in the Civil War. He carries a single revolver and a rifle.

Holt Raines is a bounty hunter and carries two revolvers, he is from Kentucky.

They were both Confederates

I've researched weapons for that time and it's sort of confusing because they were switching over to 'converted' weapons to accept a new type of cartridge? (If I'm wrong I apologize)

Can anyone offer any advice on the revolver types these characters would most likely be carrying?

Thank you

 

[cwtalker15]

I have not seen Hell on Wheels so I cannot comment directly on what revolvers they are using. However, the 4 most common revolvers used during the Civil War were the Colt 1851 Navy (36 cal.), the Colt Army,1860 (44 cal.), the Starr (44 cal.) and the Remington (44 cal.). These were all originally percussion, but shortly after the CW many of the Colt Army and the Remingtons were converted to cartridge revolvers. The advantages of cartridge guns were pretty obvious to most men who used them. These models are the most often used in post CW films. Reproductions of the CW, percussion revolvers and post CW revolvers are fairly easy to find and purchase nowadays.
There were many, many different types of revolvers used during the war but these are the most common seen in the movies.

 

[Private Watkins]

If you want to get kind of wild and crazy you could give one of them a LeMat that might have made it into and through the Civil War, but not sure that would be the most historically correct...

 

[Story]

Can anyone give me some advice on revolver types for 1869-1870?

1. The standard for modernized post-war revolvers were Colts (simply because so many were made, and statistically the Union supplied most of the Confederate-acquired examples).
http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/pr...860-conversions-1860-richards-mason-army.html The Remington

2. Are either of your characters impoverished? Colt actually manufactured cap & ball Navy and Army models long after the war (see and ). A man might carry a pair of Colt cap and ball revolvers he acquired the hard way, simply because he couldn't afford newer pieces.

3. Matter of taste, some preferred the Remington (with the same caveats)

4. Note that a bounty hunter isn't required to carry two identical weapons. The second could be a 'belly gun' ( http://gunsoftheoldwest.com/2015/09/easy-to-conceal-belly-guns/ ) or a pocket revolver ()

Hope this helps you get further down your trail.

 

[ibgreen]

A European Pinfire revolver would also be period correct.

 

[SummerKy]

1. The standard for modernized post-war revolvers were Colts (simply because so many were made, and statistically the Union supplied most of the Confederate-acquired examples).
http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/pr...860-conversions-1860-richards-mason-army.html The Remington

2. Are either of your characters impoverished? Colt actually manufactured cap & ball Navy and Army models long after the war (see and ). A man might carry a pair of Colt cap and ball revolvers he acquired the hard way, simply because he couldn't afford newer pieces.

3. Matter of taste, some preferred the Remington (with the same caveats)

4. Note that a bounty hunter isn't required to carry two identical weapons. The second could be a 'belly gun' ( http://gunsoftheoldwest.com/2015/09/easy-to-conceal-belly-guns/ ) or a pocket revolver ()

Hope this helps you get further down your trail.

Thank you so much. This helps tremendously. Ennis and Holt are not impoverished but part of Holt's backstory is a confrontation with some folks that are..in my original scene I had them using a cap and ball pistols. I thought since they didn't have much money, they wouldn't have as good as a weapon as Holt. I'll be honest, I put that in there, but really don't have a good grasp on what that means. (cap and ball vs. cartridge) I assume, one is putting the actual bullet or pellet in, and the other is an enclosed cartridge that includes the powder?

Were these guns purchased at stores? Would they have bought them already converted?

I read on one site that Colt made a ton of converted weapons just to uses old stock parts they had.

 

[SummerKy]

If you want to get kind of wild and crazy you could give one of them a LeMat that might have made it into and through the Civil War, but not sure that would be the most historically correct...
View attachment 109637

That is awesome looking. I will look into them, wild and crazy sounds fun lol

 

[Craig L Barry]

Let's not do another Cold Mountain here with the LeMat. Once was already too much in terms of credibility. Just in terms of numbers pre-1873, cap and ball Colt or Remington.

 

[SummerKy]

I have not seen Hell on Wheels so I cannot comment directly on what revolvers they are using. However, the 4 most common revolvers used during the Civil War were the Colt 1851 Navy (36 cal.), the Colt Army,1860 (44 cal.), the Starr (44 cal.) and the Remington (44 cal.). These were all originally percussion, but shortly after the CW many of the Colt Army and the Remingtons were converted to cartridge revolvers. The advantages of cartridge guns were pretty obvious to most men who used them. These models are the most often used in post CW films. Reproductions of the CW, percussion revolvers and post CW revolvers are fairly easy to find and purchase nowadays.
There were many, many different types of revolvers used during the war but these are the most common seen in the movies.

I actually saw a replica Colt at Cabela's. Are they accurate as far as firing , same kind of ammunition etc.?

 

[SummerKy]

Let's not do another Cold Mountain here with the LeMat. Once was already too much in terms of credibility. Just in terms of numbers pre-1873, Colt or Remington.

oh was it after 1870? I want to avoid putting weapons in that didn't exist. It isn't going to be steampunk

 

[ikesdad]

James Hickock was carrying C&B 1851s in '76. Although I have read that they were not with him when he was shot. I believe he had a "pocket" type (Remington ?) when killed.
I reckon it was what one was comfortable with or could afford. Not much different than now in the world of plastic framed autos etc, many still choose the lowly revolver. The various European bulldog types were also popular then. I would suggest getting a reprint of one of the old Sears catalogs from your time period and look at what is offered.
Mr Eastwood used Remingtons in some of his films.
A Starr ( 47,000+ made) would not be unheard of. A bit different looking than the Colts that consistently show up in every film since day one. Certainly more credible than a LeMat.
Sorry, I got off of the CW subject.

 

[Story]

Thank you so much. This helps tremendously. Ennis and Holt are not impoverished but part of Holt's backstory is a confrontation with some folks that are..in my original scene I had them using a cap and ball pistols. I thought since they didn't have much money, they wouldn't have as good as a weapon as Holt. I'll be honest, I put that in there, but really don't have a good grasp on what that means. (cap and ball vs. cartridge) I assume, one is putting the actual bullet or pellet in, and the other is an enclosed cartridge that includes the powder?

Were these guns purchased at stores? Would they have bought them already converted?

I read on one site that Colt made a ton of converted weapons just to uses old stock parts they had.

1. The Cap-&-ball revolvers available today are just as lethal as the originals, when properly handled.

2. There is nothing so irritating as reading fiction wherein the weaponry is part of the story and finding easily avoided errors. Don't be that guy. Learn the correct terminology "bullet, ball, projectile" not "pellet". You might want to search this list and contact a group that is convenient, explain what you're doing and ask if you can come watch while someone shows you how they work. http://www.sassnet.com/clubs/Clubs_list.php?state=Kentucky

3. The LeMat was rare and expensive even when it was commercially available, to the point that it's appearance in westerns (Cold Mountain, Quick&TheDead, ect http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/LeMat_Revolver) is memorable enough to draw "oh not again" style comments [The prevailing joke is that most of the modern reproductions are acquired, admired but never shot, and then sold on to someone else. Rinse, lather, repeat].

Hardware stores generally sold weapons, cartridges, powder, shot, bullets, primers and reloading tools. The further you were from civilization, the less of a selection you'd find (simple economics - the demand for common items is assured at the edges of commerce). So those 9mm and 11mm pinfire cartridges available in New Orleans and the .44 rimfire in Kansas City probably won't be found in Deadwood, while kegs of black powder, lead bars, percussion caps and .36 or .44 bullet molds would always find customers.

4. If you can fully describe your characters, start a Poll thread here and let an educated peanut gallery be the random determiners of your characters' armory. All of the logical options have already been named in the posts above.

5. Tom Clancy used Larry Bond & his naval wargame HARPOON to game out some of the action sequences in HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER. No reason a current-day writer couldn't get some of his friends to be guinea pigs and use BOOT HILL

 

[ikesdad]

Thank you so much. This helps tremendously. Ennis and Holt are not impoverished but part of Holt's backstory is a confrontation with some folks that are..in my original scene I had them using a cap and ball pistols. I thought since they didn't have much money, they wouldn't have as good as a weapon as Holt. I'll be honest, I put that in there, but really don't have a good grasp on what that means. (cap and ball vs. cartridge) I assume, one is putting the actual bullet or pellet in, and the other is an enclosed cartridge that includes the powder?

Were these guns purchased at stores? Would they have bought them already converted?

I read on one site that Colt made a ton of converted weapons just to uses old stock parts they had.

Buy, beg, borrow, steal......anywhere one can obtain a firearm now - it was no different then. Then, if someone offered another to buy his firearm, it was most likely the guy simply needed some cash.

 

[Glen_C]

nevermind

 

[UCVRelics]

I have both the 36 & 44 Colt from Cabelas and I have a ball with mine. Just make sure you keep them CLEANED and that the cylinders are well pack with bear grease so that they don't chain fire.

 

[Story]

Would they have bought them already converted?

I read on one site that Colt made a ton of converted weapons just to uses old stock parts they had.

Talented local gunsmiths were able to remanufacture the hammers and cylinders, boring through so that they could chamber rimfire or centerfire cartridges.
http://www.guns.com/2012/12/13/the-cartridge-conversion-revolvers/

Throughout the 1870s, no less than four different series of designs were used by the factory that replaced the cap and ball cylinder with one for cartridges. This included the Richards 12-Stop, Richards 2nd Model, Richards-Mason, and Thuer conversions. Common market value for these guns was about $5 in the 1880s.

Colt marketed these conversions as being available to current Colt owners (for a fee) to convert their already owned revolvers to shoot cartridges. This could be done for a few dollars whereas a new Smith would cost the equivalent of a month's salary.

 

[SummerKy]

1. The Cap-&-ball revolvers available today are just as lethal as the originals, when properly handled.

2. There is nothing so irritating as reading fiction wherein the weaponry is part of the story and finding easily avoided errors. Don't be that guy. Learn the correct terminology "bullet, ball, projectile" not "pellet". You might want to search this list and contact a group that is convenient, explain what you're doing and ask if you can come watch while someone shows you how they work. http://www.sassnet.com/clubs/Clubs_list.php?state=Kentucky

3. The LeMat was rare and expensive even when it was commercially available, to the point that it's appearance in westerns (Cold Mountain, Quick&TheDead, ect http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/LeMat_Revolver) is memorable enough to draw "oh not again" style comments [The prevailing joke is that most of the modern reproductions are acquired, admired but never shot, and then sold on to someone else. Rinse, lather, repeat].

Hardware stores generally sold weapons, cartridges, powder, shot, bullets, primers and reloading tools. The further you were from civilization, the less of a selection you'd find (simple economics - the demand for common items is assured at the edges of commerce). So those 9mm and 11mm pinfire cartridges available in New Orleans and the .44 rimfire in Kansas City probably won't be found in Deadwood, while kegs of black powder, lead bars, percussion caps and .36 or .44 bullet molds would always find customers.

4. If you can fully describe your characters, start a Poll thread here and let an educated peanut gallery be the random determiners of your characters' armory. All of the logical options have already been named in the posts above.

5. Tom Clancy used Larry Bond & his naval wargame HARPOON to game out some of the action sequences in HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER. No reason a current-day writer couldn't get some of his friends to be guinea pigs and use BOOT HILL

Thank you so much, I will make sure the word pellet isn't in the final manuscript...the poll is a great idea as well.

 

[johan_steele]

Below is a listing I found from Deadwood SD circa 1872; more than just firearms but it gives an idea of what things cost in a boomtown; this would have been higher than places East.

1 troy ounce of gold (Black Hills exchange value) -- $20.00
1 troy ounce of gold (New York price) -- $17.50
1 gold bar, 1 inch X 2.5 inches X 8 inches -- approximately $3,000
storage of gold at the bank -- 1% of value, per month
guidebook promoting the Black Hills -- 50 cents
one first class combination ticket (Northern Pacific train from Chicago to Bismarck,
and then by stagecoach to Deadwood) -- $49.25
1 meal at a stagecoach station along the way -- $1.50
1 first class combination ticket (Union Pacific train from Chicago to Cheyenne, and
then by stagecoach to Deadwood) -- $49.25
1 third class train ticket on either line, Chicago to Bismarck or Cheyenne (no stage
ticket included) -- $28.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Bismarck to Deadwood (36 hours/211 miles) -- $23.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Ft. Pierre to Deadwood (32 hours/190 miles) -- $20.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Cheyenne to Deadwood (48 hours/290 miles) -- $30.00
registering a claim with a local mining district registrar -- $1.00 to 2.00
obtaining an official land patent from the US government -- $1,000
sale price for a major underground mine $100,000 -- $400,000
sale price for a medium sized underground mine -- $40,000 to 50,000
sale price for a small mine -- $4,000 to 25,000
wages for an experienced miner -- $4.00 to 7.00 per day
wages for an unskilled/inexperienced miner -- $1.00 to 3.00 per day
wages for a painter, machinist, blacksmith, or carpenter in most of the U.S. -- $2.00 to 3.00 per day
average wage for an unskilled laborer in most of the US -- $1.00 per day
armed guard for a major gold shipment from Deadwood to Cheyenne -- $200.00 for
the trip per man
wages for a bullwhacker (teamster) -- $50.00 to 75.00 per month (includes food)
wages for a cowboy -- $30.00 per month (includes food)
wages for a town marshal -- $75.00 to 225.00 per month
wages for the chief mining engineer/principal manager with one of the major under-
ground mines -- $1,000 to 1,500 per month
Hotel room, good quality -- $2.00 to 4.00 per night
bunk or floor space, flophouse -- $1.00 per night per man
monthly rent for a two or three room cabin -- $25.00 to 40.00 per month
hotel restaurant style meals, best quality -- $14.00 per week
meals, mid-range hotels and boarding houses -- $10.00 per week
meals, decent quality, prepared by "batching" with some pards and cooking your own -- $6.00 to 7.00 for each man per week
meals, lowest quality "army" style provisions for one man for 3 months -- $20.00
flour, one-hundred pound sack or barrel -- $10.00
1 lb. bacon -- 25 cents
1 lb. butter -- 40 cents
1 dozen eggs -- 35 cents
1 gal. kerosene -- $3.75 (note: this is an inflated gold rush price due to the market being cornered -- it will drop later)
1 work or draft horse -- $150.00
1 good saddle horse -- $200.00
1 decent quality saddle -- $30.00
1 good quality "cowboy" style saddle -- $60.00
yoke of 2 oxen -- $150.00
1 wagon -- $65.00
1 buggy -- $65.00 to 75.00
1 set of harness -- $50.00
1 cow -- $26.00
1 bull -- $90.00
1 steer (two year old) -- $22.50
1 decent quality pair of boots -- $10.00
1 good quality custom-made pair of "cowboy" style boots -- $15.00 to 22.50
1 good quality Stetson-made "Boss" hat -- $5.00
1 blanket -- $3.00
1 good quality revolver -- $17.00 to 20.00
1 pair high quality revolvers with pearl grips -- $100.00
1 box, pistol cartridges -- 50 cents
1 Winchester lever action rifle -- $40.00
1 lb. best quality dynamite -- 35 cents
Cigars -- $.05 -.10 each
Men's suspenders -- $.25
Books -- hard cover average $.50
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1,840 pages -- $12
good quality Lamp -- $5
Newspaper Subscription -- $3/year
Pump organs -- $99 to $340
2 mugs of locally-produced draft beer -- 25 cents
1 shot of decent whiskey -- 50 cents
session with a standard grade soiled dove -- $3.00 to 5.00
quickie with a streetwalker in doorway of a back alley -- $1.00 for a white or Hispanic woman, .50 to .75 for a woman of color
1 dance with a dance hall girl -- 5 cents to 25 cents
unimproved acreage (no mineral rights, average tract - 160 acres) -- $5.00 to 7.00 per acre
improved farmland -- $10.00 to 30.00 per acre depending on quality and location
Homestead Filing Fee -- $14
House - 32' x 40' (4 rooms) -- $700
cabin - 16' x 22' (2 rooms) -- $300
Shanty - 8' x 10' (1 room, dirt floor) $25
small barn and well -- $150
Chairs -- $1.25 each
Bed, Bureau, and Commode -- $15
Cookstove -- $25
Lantern -- $1.00
Calico fabric -- 10¢/yard
Bleached Cotton fabric -- 15¢/yard
Brown Shirting fabric -- 13¢/yard
Domestic Gingham fabric -- 15¢/yard
(below are prices for goods from Montgomery Ward, 1872 catalog)
Two Colored Undershirts $1.25
Two White Undershirts $1.00
Two Colored Drawers $1.25
Two White Drawers $1.00
Three New York Mills White Shirts $2.50
Six Pairs of Men's Cotton Socks $1.00
Six Pairs of Army Wool Socks $1.00
Seven Yards of Blue Denim $1.00
Three Yards of Plain Cassimere (cashmere) $1.00
One Ladies Gold Locket $1.50
One Ladies Plain Enameled Locket $2.00
One Pair of Ladies Earrings and Pin Set (imported) $4.50
One Pair of Ladies Solid Gold Ear Drops $3.00
One Plain Gold Ring (all sizes) $2.00
One Silver-Plated Hunting Case Watch $6.00
One Silk Parasol $1.00
One Heavy Plaid Shawl $3.00
(wholesale liquor prices)
imported ale or Stout -- $20.00 per cask
American bottled beer -- $2.00 per case
Jamaica Rum -- $5.00 per gallon
Port and Sherry -- between $1.00 to $5.00 per gallon
Western brandy -- $15.00 per case
Gin -- $1.50 per gallon
Whiskey -- $2.00 to 3.00 per gallon
FYI -- period terms for money:
1 bit -- 1/8 of a dollar (2 bits = $.25 cents)
4 bits -- .50
6 bits -- .75
eagle -- $10 gold piece
double eagle -- $20 gold piece
half eagle -- $5 gold piece
quarter eagle -- $2.50 gold piece
slug -- $50 dollar gold piece
V-spots -- $5 bills



This is a copy of a listing I took from a St Paul MN gunshop circa 1870

Rifles:

1859 Sharps carbine converted to the Army cartridge (.50-70) $18
Sharps Buffalo Gun starting at $20
Smith $8
Spencer $15
Henry $35
Winchester $40
Ballard $24
Colt Revolving shotgun $24
Remington Rifle $25
Springfield Rifle Musket $8
Foreign Rifle Musket $4
Old Army Musket $4
Parlor Rifles from $20
Shotguns of all sorts from $4

Pistols:
Colt Army $12
Colt Dragoon $11
Colt Navy $10
Derringer $8
Pepperbox $2
French Pinfires $9
Remington $12
Starr $9
Smith & Wesson all models available from $8

 

[SummerKy]

Talented local gunsmiths were able to remanufacture the hammers and cylinders, boring through so that they could chamber rimfire or centerfire cartridges.
http://www.guns.com/2012/12/13/the-cartridge-conversion-revolvers/

Throughout the 1870s, no less than four different series of designs were used by the factory that replaced the cap and ball cylinder with one for cartridges. This included the Richards 12-Stop, Richards 2nd Model, Richards-Mason, and Thuer conversions. Common market value for these guns was about $5 in the 1880s.

Colt marketed these conversions as being available to current Colt owners (for a fee) to convert their already owned revolvers to shoot cartridges. This could be done for a few dollars whereas a new Smith would cost the equivalent of a month's salary.

That's very helpful thank you. Is the Colt Conversion something they would have done at a gunsmith as well?

 

[SummerKy]

Below is a listing I found from Deadwood SD circa 1872; more than just firearms but it gives an idea of what things cost in a boomtown; this would have been higher than places East.

1 troy ounce of gold (Black Hills exchange value) -- $20.00
1 troy ounce of gold (New York price) -- $17.50
1 gold bar, 1 inch X 2.5 inches X 8 inches -- approximately $3,000
storage of gold at the bank -- 1% of value, per month
guidebook promoting the Black Hills -- 50 cents
one first class combination ticket (Northern Pacific train from Chicago to Bismarck,
and then by stagecoach to Deadwood) -- $49.25
1 meal at a stagecoach station along the way -- $1.50
1 first class combination ticket (Union Pacific train from Chicago to Cheyenne, and
then by stagecoach to Deadwood) -- $49.25
1 third class train ticket on either line, Chicago to Bismarck or Cheyenne (no stage
ticket included) -- $28.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Bismarck to Deadwood (36 hours/211 miles) -- $23.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Ft. Pierre to Deadwood (32 hours/190 miles) -- $20.00
1 stagecoach ticket, Cheyenne to Deadwood (48 hours/290 miles) -- $30.00
registering a claim with a local mining district registrar -- $1.00 to 2.00
obtaining an official land patent from the US government -- $1,000
sale price for a major underground mine $100,000 -- $400,000
sale price for a medium sized underground mine -- $40,000 to 50,000
sale price for a small mine -- $4,000 to 25,000
wages for an experienced miner -- $4.00 to 7.00 per day
wages for an unskilled/inexperienced miner -- $1.00 to 3.00 per day
wages for a painter, machinist, blacksmith, or carpenter in most of the U.S. -- $2.00 to 3.00 per day
average wage for an unskilled laborer in most of the US -- $1.00 per day
armed guard for a major gold shipment from Deadwood to Cheyenne -- $200.00 for
the trip per man
wages for a bullwhacker (teamster) -- $50.00 to 75.00 per month (includes food)
wages for a cowboy -- $30.00 per month (includes food)
wages for a town marshal -- $75.00 to 225.00 per month
wages for the chief mining engineer/principal manager with one of the major under-
ground mines -- $1,000 to 1,500 per month
Hotel room, good quality -- $2.00 to 4.00 per night
bunk or floor space, flophouse -- $1.00 per night per man
monthly rent for a two or three room cabin -- $25.00 to 40.00 per month
hotel restaurant style meals, best quality -- $14.00 per week
meals, mid-range hotels and boarding houses -- $10.00 per week
meals, decent quality, prepared by "batching" with some pards and cooking your own -- $6.00 to 7.00 for each man per week
meals, lowest quality "army" style provisions for one man for 3 months -- $20.00
flour, one-hundred pound sack or barrel -- $10.00
1 lb. bacon -- 25 cents
1 lb. butter -- 40 cents
1 dozen eggs -- 35 cents
1 gal. kerosene -- $3.75 (note: this is an inflated gold rush price due to the market being cornered -- it will drop later)
1 work or draft horse -- $150.00
1 good saddle horse -- $200.00
1 decent quality saddle -- $30.00
1 good quality "cowboy" style saddle -- $60.00
yoke of 2 oxen -- $150.00
1 wagon -- $65.00
1 buggy -- $65.00 to 75.00
1 set of harness -- $50.00
1 cow -- $26.00
1 bull -- $90.00
1 steer (two year old) -- $22.50
1 decent quality pair of boots -- $10.00
1 good quality custom-made pair of "cowboy" style boots -- $15.00 to 22.50
1 good quality Stetson-made "Boss" hat -- $5.00
1 blanket -- $3.00
1 good quality revolver -- $17.00 to 20.00
1 pair high quality revolvers with pearl grips -- $100.00
1 box, pistol cartridges -- 50 cents
1 Winchester lever action rifle -- $40.00
1 lb. best quality dynamite -- 35 cents
Cigars -- $.05 -.10 each
Men's suspenders -- $.25
Books -- hard cover average $.50
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1,840 pages -- $12
good quality Lamp -- $5
Newspaper Subscription -- $3/year
Pump organs -- $99 to $340
2 mugs of locally-produced draft beer -- 25 cents
1 shot of decent whiskey -- 50 cents
session with a standard grade soiled dove -- $3.00 to 5.00
quickie with a streetwalker in doorway of a back alley -- $1.00 for a white or Hispanic woman, .50 to .75 for a woman of color
1 dance with a dance hall girl -- 5 cents to 25 cents
unimproved acreage (no mineral rights, average tract - 160 acres) -- $5.00 to 7.00 per acre
improved farmland -- $10.00 to 30.00 per acre depending on quality and location
Homestead Filing Fee -- $14
House - 32' x 40' (4 rooms) -- $700
cabin - 16' x 22' (2 rooms) -- $300
Shanty - 8' x 10' (1 room, dirt floor) $25
small barn and well -- $150
Chairs -- $1.25 each
Bed, Bureau, and Commode -- $15
Cookstove -- $25
Lantern -- $1.00
Calico fabric -- 10¢/yard
Bleached Cotton fabric -- 15¢/yard
Brown Shirting fabric -- 13¢/yard
Domestic Gingham fabric -- 15¢/yard
(below are prices for goods from Montgomery Ward, 1872 catalog)
Two Colored Undershirts $1.25
Two White Undershirts $1.00
Two Colored Drawers $1.25
Two White Drawers $1.00
Three New York Mills White Shirts $2.50
Six Pairs of Men's Cotton Socks $1.00
Six Pairs of Army Wool Socks $1.00
Seven Yards of Blue Denim $1.00
Three Yards of Plain Cassimere (cashmere) $1.00
One Ladies Gold Locket $1.50
One Ladies Plain Enameled Locket $2.00
One Pair of Ladies Earrings and Pin Set (imported) $4.50
One Pair of Ladies Solid Gold Ear Drops $3.00
One Plain Gold Ring (all sizes) $2.00
One Silver-Plated Hunting Case Watch $6.00
One Silk Parasol $1.00
One Heavy Plaid Shawl $3.00
(wholesale liquor prices)
imported ale or Stout -- $20.00 per cask
American bottled beer -- $2.00 per case
Jamaica Rum -- $5.00 per gallon
Port and Sherry -- between $1.00 to $5.00 per gallon
Western brandy -- $15.00 per case
Gin -- $1.50 per gallon
Whiskey -- $2.00 to 3.00 per gallon
FYI -- period terms for money:
1 bit -- 1/8 of a dollar (2 bits = $.25 cents)
4 bits -- .50
6 bits -- .75
eagle -- $10 gold piece
double eagle -- $20 gold piece
half eagle -- $5 gold piece
quarter eagle -- $2.50 gold piece
slug -- $50 dollar gold piece
V-spots -- $5 bills



This is a copy of a listing I took from a St Paul MN gunshop circa 1870

Rifles:

1859 Sharps carbine converted to the Army cartridge (.50-70) $18
Sharps Buffalo Gun starting at $20
Smith $8
Spencer $15
Henry $35
Winchester $40
Ballard $24
Colt Revolving shotgun $24
Remington Rifle $25
Springfield Rifle Musket $8
Foreign Rifle Musket $4
Old Army Musket $4
Parlor Rifles from $20
Shotguns of all sorts from $4

Pistols:
Colt Army $12
Colt Dragoon $11
Colt Navy $10
Derringer $8
Pepperbox $2
French Pinfires $9
Remington $12
Starr $9
Smith & Wesson all models available from $8

Wow this is awesome, thank you. I bought 3 books on 'everyday life in the 1800's' and they have SO much stuff that they don't give such detail, the only prices I could find for things were minimal (clothes mostly)