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 (Editorial
Continued) The ONLY time it
didn't go off at all was with an original, 1st production run Colt
that had over an 8-lb. trigger pull. What is the minimum trigger
pull where it wouldn't go off. I'm not sure, as I didn't have
any single-actions in the ranges of 6 - 8 lbs trigger pulls.
I was now
convinced there was a safety issue. However, thinking about it
overnight, I realized, wait a minute, I don't shoot Gunfighter
with one hand out and then the other. I need to go test this the way
I shoot.
I was lucky
last year to go to a class put on by San Juan at Montrose, Colorado.
Though he taught the class in the Traditional style, Arizona
Calamity happened to be there and she showed me how to shoot
Gunfighter. You place both hands out with your sixguns together. The
sixguns and the palms of your hands are touching. This allows the
other hand to provide additional support, increasing your accuracy
and supporting any bobbles. You cock both guns at the same time then
shoot one then the other. I again checked my unloaded guns three or
four times, put them both out in my Gunfighter stance, and then
released the grip on one of them. It did NOT fall forward as the
pressure from the other hand kept it in place. I then did the same
with the other hand. Both thumbs were removed from the grips. The
pressure of the two guns together kept them in place. I then moved
the guns away from each other and the barrels immediately rotated
forward over the trigger finger and the hammer dropped.
My
conclusion: Shooting Gunfighter with both hands held together in the
manner described above appears to be safer than shooting Duelist as
the other hand is there for support. However, keeping both sixguns
out but separated from each other, does not allow for support and
recovery is questionable if something should go wrong. I feel
comfortable in continuing to shoot Gunfighter as described above,
but will also be very conscious of my position relative to someone
else shooting Gunfighter if they are not using this method.
My
recommendation: Anyone shooting in the Gunfighter category should
keep both hands together and shoot in the manner described. I feel
the majority of people shooting in this category are very
experienced shooters and it is a category that is a lot of fun.
However, I believe it is a category that if control of the firearm
was lost and the hands were not together to provide support, it
could easily result in an accidental shooting, not just an
accidental discharge.
Happy
trails, play safe, and keep your powder dry, Chucky
Please
e-mail editor@shootmagazine.com
with comments.
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