Being overly concerned with historical accuracy isn’t always the best choice for Westerns, as proven by one of the greatest films to ever grace the genre, Tombstone. Even the most historically accurate Westerns tend to get things wrong, from anachronistic fashion or firearms to the way people of the real Wild West spoke and acted. The Hollywood version of the American West during the late 1800s and even early 1900s is a very romanticized version of the actual period, especially for films that stake their stories on real people and events.

One of the most famous Westerns based off of real people and events is 1993’s Tombstone, set in the тιтular Arizona town. The star-studded cast sees big names like Kurt Russell and the late great Val Kilmer inhabit very real gunslingers from America’s past, namely famed lawman Wyatt Earp and the eccentric former dentist bounty hunter Doc Holiday. The movie tells a version of the actual infamous shootout at the O.K. Corrall in Tombstone, which came about when the two men and their allies brushed up against a dangerous gang of criminals terrorizing the town.

Wyatt Earp’s Gun In Tombstone May Not Be Historically Accurate

The Real-Life Lawman Most Likely Used A Different Weapon At The O.K. Corral

Tombstone takes several dramatic liberties in its depiction of the real-life firefight that put Tombstone on the map, with one of the most glaring being protagonist Wyatt Earp’s choice of weaponry. In the film, Kurt Russel hefts a prized Colt Buntline Special, a version of the workhorse Colt Singe Action Army six-shooter that saw prolific use in the real Wild West. Earp is shockingly able to quickdraw the weighty weapon with stunning speed despite its hefty foot-long barrel, sending sky-splitting .45 long Colt cartridges screaming through bad guys.

As dramatic of a profile as this unique weapon presents, it’s unlikely to be a historically accurate choice to reflect the actual action at the O.K. Corral in history. According to historical author William B. Shillingberg in his article Wyatt Earp and the Buntline Special Myth, legal proceedings following the shootout verify that Wyatt Earp used an eight-inch .44 caliber 1869 American model Smith & Wesson on the day of the fateful gunfight. Not only that, but accounts that Earp ever used the fabled Buntline Special at all are murky at best.

Tombstone Made The Right Choice With Wyatt Earp’s Gun, Even If It Isn’t Totally Accurate

Doing Historical Homework Doesn’t Always Make For A Compelling Film

Despite having next to no basis in actual historical verification, the choice of Tombstone to have Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp to holster and draw the iconic movie firearm was the right one for artistic reasons. The creation myth behind Earp’s supposed procurement of the legendary revolver is too good not to homage, with the story going that Earp received the custom-made pistol in 1878 due to his service in Dodge City. In Tombstone, close inspection of the prop reveals elaborate details and fine decoration on the grips reflecting such a lineage.

The idea of Wyatt Earp carrying such a legendary yet seemingly impractical weapon originally came from author Stuart Lake, who wrote of the weapon in his highly-fictionalized account of Earp’s life, Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal, which turned the real-life lawbringer into a sort of folk hero figure. The gun was most notably brought to life in a visual format with the famed Western TV series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Thus, Tombstone had quite the incentive to include the pistol in the film’s arsenal despite its dubious historical accuracy.

As great as it is to get historical details right, sometimes romanticization makes for a better story. Staking a whole film on the charisma and appeal of Wyatt Earp, it would have been a missed opportunity for Kurt Russel not to level the ridiculous 12″ barrel of the weapon at the bad guys, considering Earp’s link to the weapon in storytelling. The strength of Tombstone is its understanding of when to bend the rules a little bit to present a more compelling image.