Top 10 Deadliest Gunfighters

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

Education, History

4.8 • 833 Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Who was the deadliest gunfighter of the Old West? Legends like Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James all have larger-than-life reputations, but the truth is often a lot messier. Join me as we break down the facts and attempt to separate myth from reality on the West’s most notorious shootists. We’ll talk confirmed kills, unverified stories, and the wildest rumors around names like Johnny Ringo, Butch Cassidy, Clay Allison, Jesse James, Bass Reeves, Deacon Jim Miller, Tom Horn, and John Wesley Hardin. And along the way, you’ll get a closer look at who really deserves the number one spot on this list. Got an opinion? Drop your picks in the comments. If you think someone should be added or taken off, let me know who and why. Make sure to stick around to the very end for a bonus gunfighter most folks have never heard of. Johnny Ringo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6glLij_YCY Billy the Kid - https://youtu.be/J3yBXIa7ZuQ?si=VTHTr-JpT30wT2Cu Jesse James - https://youtu.be/mUK8HWd53Z8?si=Pv2EVBcuH3P768Ic Wild Bill Hickok - https://youtu.be/i-1Jgn4lrXU?si=-XCS4lQXwHj9ik_R Clay Allison - https://youtu.be/7ozJkHNtmzc?si=k-mLFEcRut_RTIiD Bass Reeves pt 1 - https://youtu.be/2lN-fRmjg6g?si=D_mjPt2X4Q5YCj9z Bass Reeves pt 2 - https://youtu.be/YByfhYo_7as?si=_xOj_XjwDttx7al0 Deacon Jim Miller - https://youtu.be/i_sXfXiDjDw?si=9IuhsixsdTiRuLZt Tom Horn pt 1- https://youtu.be/Bp7q97-ctlE?si=4XNuEn8yApVcypCH Tom Horn pt 2 - https://youtu.be/2yF3Qr9_SFA?si=wuAPD1Ul_PMyFWGz Tom Horn pt 3- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmuN4PME8NY&t=50s John Wesley Hardin - https://youtu.be/MiPA_9R2mys?si=OIO2hSydV7I2JETZ Merch! https://wildwestextramerch.com/ Buy Me A Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/wildwest Check out the website! https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:29.7	Who was the deadliest gunfighter of the Old West? I get this question all the time, and to be
0:35.3	honest, there's really not a simple answer.
0:41.7	In all reality, most of your well-known figures, you know, guys like Wild Bill Hickok or John Wesley Harden, they've all got a certain amount of legend or lore that's built up over
0:46.0	time.
0:47.0	Not only are their exploits often exaggerated, but even their own autobiographies are comprised
0:51.5	mostly of tall tales.
0:53.8	So with that in mind, what you're about to hear
0:55.6	is not a comprehensive guide to every verifiable kill from the Old West, nor is it meant to be
1:01.0	the definitive answer as to who was the deadliest gunfighter. This is just my humble attempt
1:05.9	to share some information and hopefully have a little fun in the process. By the way, I do want this to be
1:12.0	interactive. So if there's someone who you think shouldn't be on the list, sound off in the comments.
1:17.1	The only catch is if you take someone off the list, you have to replace them with somebody else.
1:21.4	And you have to say why. And make sure you stick around to the very end because I do have a
1:26.1	bonus gunfighter that most people have never even heard of.
1:29.6	All right, so without further ado, coming in number 10 is the notorious Johnny Ringo.
1:35.0	I'm probably going to get a lot of flack over this, but reputation notwithstanding, Ringo only had one confirmed kill over the course of his entire life, and that was prior to his arrival in
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