What Wyatt Earp's 1910 Interview Still Teaches About Gunfights

The short version: Athlon Outdoors digs into a 1910 interview in which Wyatt Earp described how serious frontier gunmen fought, and argues that his points about speed, accuracy, safety and mindset still hold up.

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Earp (1848-1929) was a gambler, a Pima County deputy sheriff and a deputy town marshal in Tombstone, and he was one of the lawmen in the O.K. Corral fight. Years later he sat for an interview about gunfighting, and the author treats it as a rare first-hand link between the Old West and modern defensive shooting. Its best-known line is "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final." Earp's idea was to move as quickly as your body allows while keeping your mind calm and deliberate, because only hits count.

Several of his observations sound familiar today. Frontier shooters constantly tinkered with their revolvers and how they carried them, sometimes filing down the actions or removing triggers entirely, much like modern shooters chasing the perfect holster or an ultra-light trigger. The author worries that defensive triggers set below two pounds go too far. Earp also had no patience for fanning or hip shooting, and said the winner was usually the man who took his time and had put in hours of practice. Under stress, the author notes, people fall back on their training rather than rising above it.

On safety, Earp explained that experienced gunmen loaded five rounds and rested the hammer on an empty chamber, leaving accidents to novices. He also said nobody reached for a gun as a bluff. The closing point is mindset: total focus on winning, without distraction. For context, the author cites a 1-in-996 murder risk in 1880s Dodge City versus 1 in 3,058 in Miami a century later.

Key takeaways

• Speed only matters if the shots land
• Gear tinkering is nothing new, but it can be taken too far
• Practice, not luck, separated the survivors
• Safety and a fully committed mindset were non-negotiable

Summary by GunWinner based on reporting by Athlon Outdoors. Deal links are affiliate links; GunWinner may earn a commission. Prices change quickly, so confirm at checkout.