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In John Wesley Hardin's biography he claims to have have shot and killed/wounded a man with a percussion revolver that had a loose cylinder. He said it was so loose he had to aim with one hand on the grip and hold the cylinder in place with the other hand. Is this possible? Has anyone else read this account? I would like to hear insight on this.
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Yes, it is possible. Years ago in the early 1970s, the cylinder on my brass framed 1851 Navy shot loose like that and I had to hold the cylinder tight against the back plate with my left hand so that the hammer would strike the caps with force while firing the pistol.
Several years later I read Hardin's account of the incident on the cattle trail in his autobiography and I knew exactly what he experienced when trying to fire his worn out pistol. That event took place in the Spring of 1871, so even though a few cartridge revolvers were on the market, most cowboys were still carrying cap and ball pistols.