Plot hole: When Josey gives the redlegs a "Missouri boat ride" by shooting the tow rope on the ferry, the craft drifts off down stream, silhouetted in the setting sun. The problem is, Josey and the kid are on the east bank, instead of the west bank where the Indian nation is located.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
1 plot hole
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bill McKinney, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke
Other mistake: When Josey confronts the Comancheros, the Chief notes that they are facing the sun. You can see that the sun is on the back of all the characters who are looking at Josey...meaning Josey is the only one looking into the sun.
Josey Wales: You have any food here?
Lone Watie: All I have is a piece of hard rock candy. But it's not for eatin'. It's just for lookin' through.
Trivia: Some of the combat footage shown during the opening credits comes from John Huston's classic Civil War film, "The Red Badge of Courage" (1951). (00:08:22)
Question: After the raid on his farm and he has buried his wife and son, where did he get the ammunition (powder, caps and balls) to do all the practising with, as they would have burned up in the fire and the lead balls would have melted?
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Answer: At first, the story advances very rapidly, essentially giving the audience a primer lesson on Josey's angry motivation; so, many minute details aren't explored, such as where he acquired his ammunition. We might conjecture that Josey had a separate out-building, called a "powder house" (which was common in that era) where gunpowder and shot was kept for safety reasons. If he did, that raises the question of why the raiders didn't ransack and burn his powder house as well.
Charles Austin Miller