User blog:Elgb333/Season 1 Finale: Cowboys vs Cossacks



In every corners of the world, every countryman has a proud warrior stereotypes that they respect. These warriors not only bring their country's value and traditions (as well as folk costumes) with them, but they also become the badass image of their nation abroad; an identification that separates them from other countries. Warrios such as the samurai and ninjas of Japan; the knights of Western Europe; the gurkhas of Nepal; the mounted police of Canada; the vietcong of Vietnam; the xialin monks of China; th the sombrero wearing llaneros of Mexico; the Zande of Sudan; the conquistadors of Spain; the maori of New Zealand and so much more. And today we will be pitting two national warrior sterotypes in a fight to the death.

Western Cowboys: The rowdy wild bunch of horsemen who lived their lives by the gun

vs

Siberian Cossacks: The brash tough wildmen who charged their way into history

Who is Deadliest?!

Western Cowboys
Central to the myth and the reality of the West is the American cowboy. The cowboy has for over a century been an iconic American image both in the country and abroad; recognized worldwide and revered by Americans. His real life was a hard one and revolved around two annual roundups, spring and fall, the subsequent drives to market, and the time off in the cattle towns spending his hard earned money on food, clothing, gambling, and prostitution. Alcohol was everywhere in the West (outside Mormondom), but on the trail the cowboys were forbidden to drink it. Often, hired cowboys were trained and knowledgeable in their trade such as herding, ranching and protecting cattle.

Many of the cowboys were veterans of the Civil War; a diverse group, they included Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and immigrants from Europe. Many even joined the Rough Riders lead by fellow cowboy Theodore Roosevelt. To protect their herd from wild animals, rogue Indians and rustlers, cowboys carried with them their iconic weaponry such as knives, pistols, rifles and shotguns. Other cowboys have participated in various range wars throughout the frontier, and on the trail, they also have to endure bad weather and unforgiving environments. Range wars were armed conflicts and feuds that took place in the "open range" of the American frontier. The subject of these conflicts was the control of lands freely used for farming and cattle grazing which gave the conflict its name. Range wars became more common by the end of the American Civil War, and numerous conflicts were fought such as the Pleasant Valley War, Mason County War, Johnson County War, Colorado Range War, Fence Cutting War and others. Mexican bandits and militias also conducted engagements with American settlements, towns, and borders in Texas over the rights of these lands, and battles such as the Cortina Troubles, Las Cuevas War, San Elizario Salt War, and the Bandit War were fought. In 1886, there were twenty-six gun-related deaths in Holbrook because of the range war of the area. During a range war in Montana, a vigilante group called Stuart's Stranglers, which were made up of cattlemen and cowboys, killed up to 20 criminals and range squatters in 1884 alone. In Nebraska, stock grower Isom Olive led a range war in 1878 that killed a number of homesteaders from lynching and bloody shootouts which also precipitated his own murder. Another infamous type of open range conflict were the Sheep Wars, which were fought between sheep ranchers and cattle ranchers over grazing rights.

Trail cowboys who were also known as gunfighters like John Wesley Hardin, Luke Short, Tom Horn and others, were known for their prowess, speed and skill with their pistols and other firearms. Their violent escapades and reputations morphed over time into the stereotypical image of violence endured by the "cowboy hero".

Melee=Bowie knife A Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Jim Bowie in the early 19th century. Since the first incarnation was created by James Black, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although in common usage the term refers to any large sheath knife with a crossguard and a clip point. It was also well balanced for throwing. The Colt Single Action Army which is also known as the Single Action Army, SAA, Model P, Peacemaker, M1873, and Colt .45 is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company – today's Colt's Manufacturing Company – and was adopted as the standard military service revolver until 1892. Draw speed, accuracy as well as concealability was one of the skills needed by cowboys in their occupation. Cowboys were know to carry more than one pistol in their gunbelts, is also a standard for them of the era to carry two guns and fire ambidextrously. The Model 1873 was one of the most successful lever action Winchester rifles of its day, gaining the reputation as "The Gun that Won the West". Still an icon almost a century and a half later, it was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. Evolved from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters and was known for being the rifle with the fastest rate of fire of its time (till the advent of semi-auto rifles). Although lacking the range of modern rifle catridges, the Winchester's lever action was easier to use on horseback than bolt-action rifles that succeeded it. Another weapon candidate for the title of "The Gun that Won the West", the sharps was one of the most common weapon in the American frontier. Sharps rifles were large bore single shot Falling Block rifles that began with a design by Christian Sharps in 1848 that are renowned for long range accuracy. By 1874 the rifle was available in a variety of calibers and had been adopted by the armies of a number of nations and was one of the few successful designs to transition to metallic cartridge use. Its falling back action gives it a fast and easy way to eject and reload during its time. One of the longest sniper kills in history was done by Buffalo hunter Billy Dixon at the range of 1,538 yds.
 * 12 inches
 * Single edged with clip point
 * -|Pistol=Dual Colt Peacemakers
 * .45 Long Colt
 * 293 m/s
 * 12 shots
 * -|Rifle=Winchester Model 1873
 * .44-40 Winchester
 * 360 m/s
 * 15 round tubular magazine
 * 100-300 yrds range
 * -|Special=Sharps rifle
 * .45-70
 * 487 m/s
 * 1000 yrds range
 * 8–10 shots per minute

Siberian Cossacks
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of military communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia. In Russia's colorful history, they have employed many groups and Hosts of Cossacks in their military, primarily for cavalry and mounted warfare. There were many groups of Cossacks who have played a major role in the Russian military, but by the 19th century, almost all of the hosts were disbanded, and the only remaining Cossacks to be inducted were the Siberian Cossacks and the Trans Baikal Cossacks. The former, making up most of the Cossacks regiment by the early 20th century.

The Siberian Cossacks were primarily used by the Russians as peacekeepers in the Siberian frontier and borders. Siberian Cossacks played minor roled in military conflicts on behalf of the Tsars in the 18th century, though they were at most, overshadowed by the more popular Don and the Kuban Cossacks. In recognition of their service during the French Invasion of Russia in 1812, the regiments of the Siberian Host were given the privilege of attaching colored pennants to the lances which remained their primary weapon until World War I. But it wasn't until in 1905, that the Siberian Cossacks gained respect after being one of a few only Cossack regiments to be sent to the Russo-Japanese War. The cossacks of the Siberian Host provided a significant proportion of the 207 squadrons of Russian cavalry involved, and fought in the most pivotal battles during the war. There was, however, criticism of their standard of horsemanship, and they were described as "infantry on horseback". Their fight in the War however, made them a household name in all the cavalry regiment in the world. Their photographs, consisting of their cap bands, epaulettes and wide trouser stripes of a green uniform of the loose-fitting cut common to the Steppe, became the stereotypical image of all the Cossacks as well as Russians in general after that. Becoming the authentic "Russian Cossack" image abroad.

The Siberian Host was disbanded in 1919, following the Russian Revolution, and efforts were made by the new Soviet regime to eliminate the cultural and other distinctions of the cossacks at large. While some cossack regiments were reestablished in 1937, these did not include specifically Siberian units. Many Cossacks still identify themselves as Siberians towards World War II, but by that time, almost all Cossacks have been intermixed with each other.

Melee=Kindjal The iconic Russian kindjal ws first implemented in the military after the conquest of the Caucasus in 1854. it was also the national weapon of Georgia. Perfect for slashing and cutting, the kindjal was also heavily decoradted with precious metals and gems and were a sign of chivalry in Eastern Europe. Its hilt were either made out of heavy wood or metal. The Nagant M1895 Revolver is a seven-shot, gas-seal double action revolver designed and produced by Belgian industrialist Léon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The Nagant M1895 was chambered for a proprietary cartridge, 7.62×38mmR, and featured an unusual "gas-seal" system, in which the cylinder moved forward when the gun was cocked, to close the gap between the cylinder and the barrel, providing a boost to the muzzle velocity of the fired projectile. The pistol is also well know for its durability and reliance, and was highly favored by Russians at that time. The iconic Mosin Nagant rifle is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle, developed by the Imperial Russian Army in 1882–91, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations. It is one of the most mass-produced military bolt action rifles in history with over 37 million units produced since its inception in 1891. Although effective as an infantry rifle, like other bolt action rifles it was severely difficult to use on horseback. As such cavalrymen didn't use them on horse and have to dismount in order to accurately use it, giving the term "mounted infantry" in early 20th century warfare. One of the most favored rifles used by all the Cossack especially those living in the Russian frontier. The Berdan rifle is a Russian single shot rifle created by famous American firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. Standard issue in the Russian army from 1870 to 1891, the Berdan was replaced by the Mosin–Nagant rifle. Widely used in Russia as a hunting weapon, sporting variants, including shotguns, were produced until the mid-1930s. The rifle uses a trapdoor mechanism to eject spent casings and manually insert catridges. Although know for its reliability, its accuracy is somewhat hampered by its button trigger and lack of finger guard.
 * 20 inches
 * Double edged
 * Blade can be straight or curved based from the user's preference.
 * -|Pistol= Nagant M1895
 * 7.62×38mmR
 * 327 m/s
 * 7 shots
 * -|Firearm=Mosin Nagant
 * 7.62×54mmR
 * 865 m/s
 * 5 round non detachable box magazine loaded with stripper clips
 * 550 yrds range
 * -|Special=Berdan rifle
 * 10.75×58 mmR
 * 437 m/s
 * 310 yrd range
 * 6–8 rounds per minute

X-Factors
Cowboys vs Cossacks

73 - Training - 68

Cossacks, including the Siberian Hosts, lost their once respected military efficiency by the 19th century. This is due to the fact that Cossack was independent from the Russian military, and such most of their training stuck to their own age-old traditions. They mostly lack professional training due to their proud warrior heritage. Foreign cavalry even go so far as criticizing their poor horsemanship as being "infantry on horseback". Cowboys on the other hand were not that train as well, but edge comes from many of them being Civil War and Indian War veterans. So their training in their war days were state of the art and most of all professional.

83 - Experience - 90

Both warriors were noted for being raised and trained in the harshest frontier in the world. The cowboys were known for their often violent escapades such as participating in range wars as well as occasionally fighting of Indians, rustlers, bandits, stampedes and wild animals (Some having fought in the Civil War and Spanish American War). But in truth, most of the cowboys were young folks, and much timehis adventures were pretty tame and boring. The Cossacks on the other hand were mostly used as border guards in the Russian frontier until the Russo-Japanese War. Although having a shorter military career of all the military Cossack regiment, gets the edge due to the fact that they were a standard military unit sent overseas.

70 - Discipline - 67

Not the strongest virtue that these warriors had. The cowboys were known to being a dirty, rowdy and violent bunch, and much of the gunfights and lawlessness that occured in the Old West were caused by them (The term "cowboy", before becoming a romanticized American symbol, was actually a deragotory insult). However, they do get the advantage of being professional laborers who followed the strict rules of their employers. The Siberian Cossack on the other hand were known to being brash and aggressive before and during the Russo-Japanese War. They were known to disobeying official orders and making banzai cavalry charges that waste many of their men. It also doesn't help that many Siberian Cossacks were disloyal; taking sides  and betraying their higher ups (seen during the Russian Revolution)