Holding your pistol

[pondoro]

I believe Jeff Cooper and company popularized the two-handed hold in the 1960's. Pictures of US soldiers training in WWII and Korea show them shooting one-handed. So one-handed is PC unless your persona is the flower child era or later. Do not laugh! One of my 4-H instructors did a Living History session for a bunch of youngsters. Most participants chose personas that were solidly in the long hunter / rev war / civil war / WWII eras, but one young lady chose the 1980's! So a two-handed grip would have looked correct on her.

I shoot two-handed when I want to and one handed when I feel old-timey. Different competitions have different rules, if you decide to compete you simply need to make sure you know the rules.

 

[reddogge]

Lots of good answers here. I don't own a BP pistol but was just curious.

Incidently I have an old Army manual that does detail the shooting of the .45 Model 1917 one handed. I own a Colt 1917 and a Smith & Wesson 1917 and I can assure you I am not strong enough to shoot these weak handed, one handed, double action. The Colt being the heaviest trigger pull of the two. I wouldn't have survived as a cavalryman in the Great War.

 

[Jim/OH]

Granted one handed does take a LOT of practice, but once learned it is actually preferred to two handed shooting. I always shoot one handed, even in events where two handed is allowed. Having said that however, if your skill level and practice time are not there yet, then you can probably do better with two hands. Depends on how determined you are to learn to shoot by NMLRA Rules.

 

[[email protected]]

... How do you hold your flint and percussion pistols? Single handed or two handed?

This past weekend I went shooting with my friend Kuhndog. For the heck of it I shot Civil War style left handed, one handed. Also I didn't aim other than using my straight arm as a guide. I shot better than I have been with my right hand aiming :redface: . I won't say I was hitting the target with great accuracy, but at 25 yards I would have been massing the shots in my adversary's chest. Assuming 1. He was facing me square. 2. He wasn't moving. 3. He wasn't shooting back or anyone for that matter. :surrender:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Photogs are usually good with both hands! Your next adventure, should you be up to it Mr. Phelps, is to try a gun in each hand at 7 yds. Slip-cock each gun and point at the center of mass at a man-sized target of your choice. Don't look at the rear of the guns, instead look at where the barrels are pointed. You'd be surprised at the results . Most of the slugs hit in or near the center of mass.

Have fun and nice talking to ya .

Dave

 

[pulaski]

Coot : Not trying to start an argument,but the reason the sword was on the left hip was to allow the rider to mount properly (Cavalry Unit). While I agree that it would be quite dificult to draw a sword with the same side hand .

 

[sjb1958]

Yep & if you want to hit bulls eyes turn the target around. I know yer thinkin :youcrazy: But it works something about the eyes & mind seeking center or sonrthing like that. Keep en in the X. :rotf:

 

[Coot]

Coot : Not trying to start an argument,but the reason the sword was on the left hip was to allow the rider to mount properly (Cavalry Unit). While I agree that it would be quite dificult to draw a sword with the same side hand .

Infantry NCOs & Naval Officers also wear their swords on the left & they are not mounted. I suggest that you will find that the custom of mounting from the left side of the horse originated due to the wearing of the sword on the riders left. Horses can be trained to be mounted from either side & the US Pony Club suggests occasionally mounting from the right so that the horse will not think anything is wrong if you someday need to mount from the right. Vaulting horses mount from right or left.