Cap & ball guns were used well into the 1920's in rural areas (Ever know a dirt farmer who wasn't cheap?). Hickock used '51 Navies because they were more reliable than the cartridges of the time (He re-charged them every night=he also shot targets every Sunday that he could). Read "Mari Sandoz's "The Buffalo Hunters"=they reloaded because they may not see a town for months at a time.
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