How 2 Be a Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Cowboy

This guide will teach you how to be a Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Cowboy. Become a world class outlaw and gunslinger in a few steps, and teach you a few things about the Old West along the way.

Quick Draw

To truly be able to call yourself a cowboy, you need to become a master in the art of quick drawing. Practice by asking other players to duel you with a handgun. This can be difficult at first, but you'll get the hang of it quickly. What I'm about to tell you is probably the most important piece of information you'll need to be a real shootist.


In the words of Wyatt Earp, real life lawman and gunfighter, "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final."
-1910

Wyatt Earp won his gunfights by taking his time and insists that you be 'slow in a hurry.' It may not make much sense, but it would be wise words to follow. In 1881, at Wyatt's most famous battle at the O.K. Corral, he was the only one not to sustain any injury. What you want is to have your bullet be the last fired in the fight.

Improving your Accuracy

The main ways to perfect your aiming ability is as follows,

1 - Practice always makes perfect.
2 -In the words of John Marston, always pull the trigger after you breathe out.
3 - Imagine your target as someone or something you hate.

A scope or sight will help you a lot, too.

Choosing the Correct Revolver/Pistol

If you want to really be a frontier cowboy, you won't get far with the wrong gun. Your choices in Pavlov is either the five-round or six-shooter. Personally, I use the six, but the five does more damage. With pistols you have less kick but more shots if you aren't really a deadeye. The real way to determine the gun right for you is choose the one that makes you feel confident you could send someone to the grave with it. Choose that gun, and turn that feeling into reality.

Rifles/Longarms

Choosing the excellent longarm for you is also a good idea. It may be faster to pull your revolver out of the holster, but having a backup is always a smart plan. I recommend you use an automatic rifle, since you have more shots that you can afford to miss before having to reload. If you know you're an accurate shot, a hunting rifle would be a good choice for you as it does significant damage.

The History of Cowboys

To truly be able to call yourself a Cowboy, first you need to know a bit about their history.

The cowboy played an important role during the era of U.S. westward expansion. Though they originated in Mexico, American cowboys created a style and reputation all their own. Throughout history, their iconic lifestyle has been glamorized in countless books, movies and television shows—but the rough, lonely and sometimes grueling work of a cowboy wasn’t for the faint of heart.

In 1519, shortly after the Spanish arrived in the Americas, they began to build ranches to raise cattle and other livestock. Horses were imported from Spain and put to work on the ranches.
Mexico’s native cowboys were called vaqueros, which comes from the Spanish word vaca (cow). Vaqueros were hired by ranchers to tend to the livestock and were known for their superior roping, riding and herding skills.
By the early 1700s, ranching made its way to present-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and as far south as Argentina. When the California missions started in 1769, livestock practices were introduced to more areas in the West.
During the early 1800s, many English-speaking settlers migrated to the West and adopted aspects of the vaquero culture, including their clothing style and cattle-driving methods.
Cowboys came from diverse backgrounds and included African-Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers from the eastern United States and Europe. In the mid-1800s, the United States built railroads that reached further west, and cowboys played a central part in the nation’s “Manifest Destiny” as Westward expansion led to an ever-shifting frontier.

Cowboys herded and rounded up livestock that were transported by rail around the country for sale.
To distinguish what cattle belonged to which ranch, cowboys would brand the animals by burning a special mark into their hides. It took between eight and 12 cowboys to move 3,000 head of cattle along cattle drives.

Open Range vs. Barbed Wire
By the time the Civil War ended in 1865, the Union Army had largely used up the supply of beef in the North, increasing the demand for beef. The expansion of the meat-packing industry also encouraged consumption of beef.
By 1866, millions of heads of longhorn cattle were rounded up and driven toward railroad depots. Cattle were sold to northern markets for as much as $40 per head.
Ranching continued to be widespread through the late 1800s. White settlers were permitted to claim public lands on the Great Plains as “open range” to raise purchased cattle.
But by the 1890s, most of the land became privatized after feuds over land ownership were settled and the use of barbed wire became widespread.

During the winter of 1886-1887, thousands of cattle died when temperatures reached well below freezing in parts of the West. Many scholars believe that this devastating winter was the beginning of the end for the cowboy era. Cattle drives continued, but on a smaller scale, up until the mid-1900s. Most cowboys gave up the open trail life and were hired by private ranch owners in the West.


Cowboy Characters
Even though the cowboy’s role began to decline in the 1920s, Hollywood movies popularized the cowboy lifestyle with Westerns from the 1920s to the 1940s. These films featured stars like John Wayne, Buck Jones and Gene Autry. American audiences tuned in to see the fictional adventures of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Will Kane in “High Noon” and “Hopalong Cassidy” on screen. Comic book fans could read about The Black Rider and Kid Colt.

Cowboy Life
Cowboys were mostly young men who needed cash. The average cowboy in the West made about $25 to $40 a month.
In addition to herding cattle, they also helped care for horses, repaired fences and buildings, worked cattle drives and in some cases helped establish frontier towns.
Cowboys occasionally developed a bad reputation for being lawless, and some were banned from certain establishments.
They typically wore large hats with wide brims to protect them from the sun, boots to help them ride horses and bandanas to guard them from dust. Some wore chaps on the outsides of their trousers to protect their legs from sharp cactus needles and rocky terrain.
When they lived on a ranch, cowboys shared a bunkhouse with each other. For entertainment, some sang songs, played the guitar or harmonica and wrote poetry.
Cowboys were referred to as cowpokes, buckaroos, cowhands and cowpunchers. The most experienced cowboy was called the Segundo (Spanish for “second”) and rode squarely with the trail boss.
Everyday work was difficult and laborious for cowboys. Workdays lasted about 15 hours, and much of that time was spent on a horse or doing other physical labor.
Rodeo Cowboys
Some cowboys tested their skills against one another by performing in rodeos—competitions that were based on the daily tasks of a cowboy.
Rodeo activities included bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback bronco riding and barrel racing.
The first professional rodeo was held in Prescott, Arizona, in 1888. Since then, rodeos became—and continue to be—popular entertainment events in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere.
Cowboys Today
Over the years, the number of working cowboys has declined, but the occupation isn’t obsolete. The cowboy lifestyle and culture is still found in certain areas of the United States, albeit to a lesser degree than a century ago.
Cowboys continue to help run large ranches in states like Texas, Utah, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2003 there were about 9,730 workers in the category “support activities for animal production,” which included cowboys. These workers made an average of $19,340 per year.
While opportunities may have shifted, the American cowboy is still very much a part of life in the American West.

Real Life Outlaws and Gunfighters

We've already discussed famous lawbringer and gunslinger Wyatt Earp, who is famous for his battle at the O.K. Corral, but there's a certain bunch of outlaws you've probably heard of: The Hole in the Wall Gang, which is not a standalone gang in fact, its made up of several different gangs including Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, and the Roberts Brothers. If you've ever played Red Dead Redemption 2, then you probably know what the Pinkerton Detective Agency is, and if you're like me, you were stunned to find out that they were real! The Hole in the Wall Pass was never raided by the Pinkertons, but they were deployed after a train was robbed by the Wild Bunch in Wilcox, Wyoming in 1899. None of the outlaws were ever captured by the Pinkertons either.

Outlaw Information Section 1 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Our first criminal from the Old West to discuss is Robert Leroy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy. Butch engaged in criminal activity for more than a decade at the end of the 19th century, but the pressures of being pursued by law enforcement, notably the Pinkerton detective agency, forced him to flee the country. He fled with his accomplice Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, known as the "Sundance Kid", and Longabaugh's girlfriend Etta Place. The trio traveled first to Argentina and then to Bolivia.

A fun fact about Cassidy, his first criminal offense was very minor. He journeyed to a tailor in town and he was disappointed to have found it closed. He broke into the store, stole a pair of jeans and a pie. The funny thing is, he left an IOU promising to pay for it when the shop opened.

Cassidy and The Kid's deaths.
Robert and Harry robbed a mail courier carrying payroll for a mining company, and were seen days later in town. Soldiers, the police chief and the mayor surrounded their lodging house on November 6th, 1908. When the police attempted to enter, the two bandits opened fire. Many grueling hours were spent in an intense shootout between the two parties. At two in the morning on the next day, three successive screams were heard from inside the house, followed by two gunshots. Authorities entered the house the next day, examined the bodies and it was determined that the man assumed to be Butch put the Sundance Kid out of his misery after he had been shot several times, then turned the gun towards himself. They were buried at a small cemetery in a town called San Vincente.
Outlaw Information Section 2 - Jesse Woodson James
James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Born September 5th, 1847 in western Missouri. He and his brother, Frank James joined a pro-Confederate guerrilla known as the "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the Civil War. Jesse is believed to have been a real life Robinhood, stealing from the rich and sharing his loot with the poor. (even though this hasn't been proved.) During the civil war, Jesse's house was raided by the Union looking for him. Frank James managed to evade capture and joined a guerrilla called Quantrill's Raiders. The James brothers are believed to have been apart of the Lawrence Massacre, in which two hundred men and boys were killed by Quantrill's. After the civil war concluded, the James-Younger gang was founded. They committed several robberies across the state, but the one that made them legends was the "Clay County Robbery," after this, they committed several more, but their last was on September 7, 1876, the gang attempted to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Missouri. It quickly went wrong when the cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood, refused to opened the safe. Citizens of Northfield were suspicious of the two armed men guarding the door, so the alarm was raised. The two bandits guarding the door were killed, and the James-Younger gang fled, but before they left they shot Heywood in the forehead.

Jesse's Betrayal and Death
Jesse grew to trust two of the few gang members left, the Ford brothers. Charley and Robert Ford. Months later, Jesse and the Ford Brothers were living together. One day Jesse had heard that Richard Liddil had confessed to killing Wood Hite. Jesse wondered why the brothers did not tell him. At that moment, with the Ford brothers standing behind him, Jesse stood up, laid his revolvers on a sofa, turned around and noticed a dusty picture on the mantle. As he was cleaning it, Robert Ford shot him in the back of the head. Its believed that Jesse had realized the Fords were betraying him that moment. He was buried by his mother who wrote "In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here." on his tombstone.

Real Life Outlaws and Gunfighters Part 2

Outlaw Information Section 3 - Henry McCarty
Henry McCarty, born Sept. 17th, 1859 was an outlaw and gunfighter. Better known as Billy the Kid or William H. Bonnie. Henry's mother died when he was just 15, so an old boarding home owner allowed him to stay in exchange for work. Ten days later, him and George Schaefer robbed a Chinese laundry in which they stole clothing and two pistols. Henry was arrested, but escaped two days later and became a fugitive. He traveled to southeastern Arizona territory, where he worked as a ranch hand and gambled his earnings at a nearby saloon. In that saloon, he got into an argument with Windy Cahill, where he repeatedly bullied Henry. He then called Cahill a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Cahill threw himself to the floor, where they both reached for Henry's revolver. Henry snuck the revolver out of his holster, where he shot Cahill. He died the next day. He then went back to New Mexico where he worked as a cowboy for English businessman John Tunstall. The businessman owed $40,000 to Irish-American businessman Lawrence Murphy, who held an economic power over Lincoln County since the early 1870's. Henry was put in charge of nine horses, he was instructed to hide them for safekeeping while Murphy organized a posse to steal Tunstall's cattle. Tunstall had become aware of the group of men on his land, as he went to confront them. One of the members of the posse shot Tunstall in the chest, causing him to fall off his horse as another member took his gun and shot him in the back of the head. This sparked the conflict known as the Lincoln County War. A group called McSween and the Regulators was sent to town to take up positions on top of different buildings. Martin Chavez led Henry and many other men to the roof of the McSween residence. Newly hired sheriff George Peppin sent a group of men to kill the men ontop of the McSween house, but Peppin's men fled when a sniper shot one of them.
On Tuesday, July 16th, a shootout begun. McSween's supporters, including Henry, went to his home. Outside, two men set fire to the building. During the chaos, Alexander McSween was shot and killed by Robert Beckwith, who was immediately shot and killed by Henry McCarty. The event became known as the Battle of Lincoln. In 1880, Henry was in a saloon when he asked newcomer Joe Grant (who U.S Marshal John Sherman had warned that he wanted to kill Henry) to examine his revolver. Grant handed it over, when Henry noticed it only had three rounds. Henry positioned the hammer so the next time the hammer was pulled, it would land on an empty slot. As expected, Grant pointed his revolver at Henry and pulled the trigger. When it failed to fire, Henry lashed out his gun shooting Grant in the head. He is quoted as saying "It was a game of two, and I won." A bounty of $500 was placed on Henry's head for the murder. Pat Garrett had hunted him down, captured him and brought him to Las Vegas, New Mexico where he was tried for murder of Sheriff Brady during the Battle of Lincoln. The judge is reported as saying "McCarty, you are to be hanged by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead!" McCarty responded with "Yeah? And you can go to hell, hell, hell!"
In the jailhouse, Henry asked to use the outhouse. On their way back, deputy James Bell - who was walking behind McCarty, was viciously attacked when he turned a blind corner, slipped off his handcuffs and beat him with the loose end. During the scuffle, McCarty took Bell's revolver and shot him in the back as he tried to get away. He then broke into Garrett's office, took his shotgun and shot his shackles off.
While he was on the run, Garrett placed a $1000 bounty on his head. After hearing he was near Fort Summer, Garrett rode for the fort with two men. Pete Maxwell, McCarty's friend, was questioned as they talked for several hours. They sat in Maxwell's darkened bedroom when McCarty, not knowing that Garrett was present, entered the room. He failed to recognize Garrett as he asked "¿Quién es? ¿Quién es?" (Spanish for "Who is it? Who is it?") Recognizing McCarty's voice, he drew his gun and shot him in the chest, just above his heart. He was given a wake by candlelight as a funeral. He was buried the next day with nothing but a wooden marker noting his grave.
I hope you enjoyed some stories about the most famous outlaws in the Old West and I hope they inspire you to work harder to become a gunslinger in Pavlov.

Conclusion

I surely hope that my advice and the stories of real Western outlaws and gunfighters has helped you. Truthfully, I made this because I was bored and am really into the Wild Wild West. If you'd like, you can favorite and give a high rating. Also, be sure to check out my other guide "How 2 Be a Douche in Pavlov VR." I will surely add more to this when the time comes for it. Next time you slip on your headset, you can be assured you'll be as speedy and accurate as Butch Cassidy or Wyatt Earp. Perhaps one day even as legendary. Good luck, outlaws.

[Dr.Dingus465]

the amount of research this took is incredible

[Ram Ranch Cowboy]

when did this game get six shooters?

[Red_Phoenix05]

if youd prefer volume of fire over accuracy, having 2 six shooters on the hip and one in each hand gives you enough firepower to kill a good few people. most of the time in tdm, youll die and respawn with 24 bullets before you have to reload your guns anyways,

[bluelimbo]

yipy ky yay

[Bongwater Bathtub]

Love it. American history FTW. Also, not only were the Pinkertons real, they were evil as hell too.

[Reedtkfilms24]

i thank you for this guide partner i will be on my way shootin outlaws left and right

[Untitled]

I love how mad people are about this lmao

[WizzDude]

actual advice and a history lesson. best guide ever

[Inverted]

Blud really gave us a history lesson

[Bjonister]

thank you for your amazing guide, accidentally made me ace my cowboy history exam 10/10