"Maybe our cowboy heroes had specially modified six-shooters with banana clips in the handles to keep the action going. I always wondered about that too." Now that's a thought! (BTW, you sound like a pilot.)

"And also how the bad guys always missed the good guy from about 30 feet away." Think about it. They were of course scared to death (no pun intended) of the hero, and had read the script!

Serously, when you read of cop/crook shootouts, dozens of rounds are fired, with few or no hits. Practice, practice, practice! Conversely, Jim Cerillo, a famous NYPD stakeout officer, in his first fight fired three shots and killed three bad guys, missing the hostage they held. That's trigger control, looking at your front sight, and nerves of steel. Although he said he was scared during the fight, and did not hear his shots. (That's not unusual.) Too bad he was killed not too long ago in a car wreck. Stan