Sharps 1874 Buffalo Gun unofficially accounted for more one-shot kills than any other weapon known. Buffalo and other large game hunters routinely reported nearly a 100% kill rate per cartridge fired. Many gunfighters were former buffalo hunters and carried this weapon for their long range needs. Buffalo hunter Billy Dixon made a famous 1500 yard shot which wounded an attacking Indian at the battle of Adobe Walls using a .50 caliber Sharps. The weapon became known as "Old Reliable" and the company itself began stamping the barrels with this popular nickname. The Sharps is a single shot breach loader. Opening the breach would eject the spent shell in preparation for the next round. The Sharps also had a double set trigger. Pulling the rear trigger set the front "hair" trigger to discharge the weapon at the slightest touch, an advantage when holding the rifle steady for a long-distance shot. Before the advent of the Sharps rifle, buffalo hunting often meant riding along side a running buffalo and firing repeatedly at the animal until it dropped. This was not only dangerous but also stampeded the herd, which greatly limited the number of kills. The great accuracy and stopping power of the Sharps allowed hunters to quietly drop buffalo at a distance of hundreds of yards without alarming the herd. Skilled hunters could often kill 50 or more animals before wounding one and causing a stampede. This is the rifle Juan uses in the final battle. In reality it was 45-70 caliber but we called it .52 caliber in the film because it sounded cooler, and could still have been a custom loading.