what is the origin behind the term gunfighter?
The term "gun slinger" was used in the Western film "Drag Harlan" in 1920 and was soon adopted by other Western writers. Gunslinger and Gunfighter are words used in a similar sense.
Gunfighter
The term "gun slinger" was used in the Western film "Drag Harlan" (1920). The word was soon adopted by other Western writers, such as Zane Grey, and became common usage.
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Gunfighter [SEP] Origin of the term
The term "gun slinger" was used in the Western film "Drag Harlan" (1920). The word was soon adopted by other Western writers, such as Zane Grey, and became common usage. In his introduction to "The Shootist" (1976), author Glendon Swarthout says "gunslinger" and "gunfighter" are modern terms, and the more authentic terms for the period would have been "gunman", "pistoleer", "shootist," or "bad man" (sometimes written as "badman"). Swarthout seems to have been correct about "gunslinger", but the term "gunfighter" existed in several newspapers in the 1870s, and as such the term existed in the 19th century. Bat Masterson used the term "gunfighter" in the newspaper articles which he wrote about the lawmen and outlaws whom he had known.