Button Smith tells Jim Hardie that he noticed that he only has five cartridges in his six shot revolver as if that is something strange. Actually carrying five cartridges instead of six was a common practice so that the firing pin would rest on an empty chamber to prevent an accidental discharge. Guns of that time didn't have any transfer bar safety to prevent such a discharge if the gun was dropped. Additionally Hardie explained that the reason he only carried five cartridges is because his trigger was set to a hair trigger. This would in no way have anything to do with carrying five cartridges instead of six.
In one of the opening scenes, car tire tracks can be seen in the foreground of a stagecoach chase.