TargetTalk

Is it possible to cock, aim and fire a revolver (single action) one handed and shoot well for rapid fire eg: 5 targets in 10 seconds

I belong to a club where everyone shoots 2 handed either revolver or semi auto but I come from a ISSF background and shoot one handed.

I've only been back shooting for the last 6 months after a very long hiatus, being in my mid 50's am I pushing shxx up a hill, thinking I can effectively shoot a revolver one handed in a rapid fire event.

Should I adopt a two handed action

Feedback welcome

Thanks

I would have to ask, are there any other clubs in your area?

Because it sounds like they don't shoot the way you want to shoot.

Trying to shoot a revolver rapid fire, one handed, single action is probably a waste of time.

Unfortuantely it's the only club close to me that has reasonable membership fees, the semi auto event is not a problem one handed.

I suppose I could learn to shoot just the revolver 2 handed.

Why not learn to shoot the revolver double action, one handed?

the trigger pull double action very stiff (weighty) on most revolvers i've tried so far
thanks

trevorw wrote:Is it possible to cock, aim and fire a revolver (single action) one handed and shoot well for rapid fire eg: 5 targets in 10 seconds

I belong to a club where everyone shoots 2 handed either revolver or semi auto but I come from a ISSF background and shoot one handed.

I've only been back shooting for the last 6 months after a very long hiatus, being in my mid 50's am I pushing shxx up a hill, thinking I can effectively shoot a revolver one handed in a rapid fire event.

Should I adopt a two handed action

Feedback welcome

Thanks

Which match is that and who is it sanctioned by?
Sounds like a redneck club you'd best be out of.

trevorw wrote:Is it possible to cock, aim and fire a revolver (single action) one handed and shoot well for rapid fire eg: 5 targets in 10 seconds

Most shooters in the NRA Distinguished Revolver Matches shoot single action, includiong me, so, yes.

We have an informal handgun league in the winter. We all shoot the rapid fire stage one-handed.

We pull the double action trigger up to the threshold and then pull it the rest of the way when the sight picture is good.

trevorw wrote:the trigger pull double action very stiff (weighty) on most revolvers i've tried so far
thanks

So get a trigger job.

Takes lots of practice shooting a revolver single action. You need a thumb shelf grip on the left side { obviously if you are right handed}. You need a hammer extension within very easy reach of that thumb, and you practice cocking and resetting your thumb like crazy. Remember, in the 50's the Colt 45 really were not accurized yet and all the Bullseye gents shot revolver. They posted some fantastic scores with those revolvers. You wouldn't want to shoot one handed in double action and they didn't back then. The reason was in double action you have to put more of your finger through the trigger so you can quickly squeeze the trigger until the tip of your finger hits the grip on the left side and locks up the revolver without having the hammer fall. Then you just squeeze a little more and the hammer falls with the sights aligned. The problem is that this should be done two handed. With one hand, since your finger is well past the trigger, the revolver barrel doed not line up with your forearm and when you fire the gun, the recoil pushes the barrel to the left and up. You have to have two hands to stop the left movement of the gun. This is about as well as I can explain it to you.
Chris

Levergun59 wrote:The reason was in double action you have to put more of your finger through the trigger so you can quickly squeeze the trigger until the tip of your finger hits the grip on the left side and locks up the revolver without having the hammer fall. Then you just squeeze a little more and the hammer falls with the sights aligned. The problem is that this should be done two handed. With one hand, since your finger is well past the trigger, the revolver barrel doed not line up with your forearm and when you fire the gun, the recoil pushes the barrel to the left and up. You have to have two hands to stop the left movement of the gun. This is about as well as I can explain it to you.
Chris

I have long fingers, in fact most revolvers are just too small for me to shoot single action well (still need to make some trigger shoes)
I can shoot double action one handed no problem.

James,
That's great if you can get the revolver barrel lined up with your forearm and have the second pad on your trigger finger directly across the front of the trigger. The squeeze to lockup is done really quickly so you can feel and hear the clunk of the lockup. The hammer cannot fall however and I practiced almost every night for years to get this straight. I would try to go 100 times without a fall and if it fell, I would start all over again. I also did it left handed as part of the PPC requirement was left handed behind a barricade. Being 6'4" I have medium hands and I switched to Hogue rubber grips that were thin and did not cover the steel backstrap at the rear of the grip frame. Good luck trying either way
Chris

Years ago around here there was a man we called Babe that was (is) a revolver shooter. I looked up an old score sheet and on that particular day in center fire he shot a 886 with a 200 in rapid. It can be done.

Was that one handed

ie: cock, aim and fire using no support one handed

Yes

Anonymous wrote:Years ago around here there was a man we called Babe that was (is) a revolver shooter. I looked up an old score sheet and on that particular day in center fire he shot a 886 with a 200 in rapid. It can be done.

Martin I. “Babe” Magnan, of Massachusetts, became the first civilian to win the President’s over the service pistol course of fire in 1982. Magnan showed great versatility that year as he also competed in the NRA Pistol Championships with a trio of revolvers and became the first person to break 2600 at Perry with a ‘wheel gun,”

I read the review, he was a lot younger when he shot revolver one handed,
he shot Smith & Wesson double-action revolvers, firing them single action for all segments of the match. He even had different grips he designed and made himself that he changed, one for slow fire and another for rapid fire. He did this to reposition his thumb for rapid cocking during the rapid-fire segment.

Apparently he no longer shoots revolver rapid fire

trevorw wrote:Is it possible to cock, aim and fire a revolver (single action) one handed and shoot well for rapid fire eg: 5 targets in 10 seconds

I belong to a club where everyone shoots 2 handed either revolver or semi auto but I come from a ISSF background and shoot one handed.

I've only been back shooting for the last 6 months after a very long hiatus, being in my mid 50's am I pushing shxx up a hill, thinking I can effectively shoot a revolver one handed in a rapid fire event.

Should I adopt a two handed action

Feedback welcome

Thanks

I am over 70, and only been shooting 3 years, and I shoot a M-14 S&W one handed, single action, rapid fire better than I do my ball gun. I also have a S&W M-17 that I do quite well with. My DR points are usually better than my EIC HB points, and, my HB gun is more accurate by far. There is just something about thumbing that hammer that sets my mind up for a good follow up shot. I am pressed for time tho.

When you get used to cocking a revolver the action of cocking it is also the action taken to get back to the sight picture. This makes it pretty quick. Also the power level can be pretty low at 25 yards. The limiting factor is if the load is too light, the primers don't get reset and they drag on the frame behind the cylinders. There is a fair amount of difference between a K and N frame revolver as far as grip size is concerned but so far I have had much better results getting the 14's to be accurate. The N fits better in my hand especially for T&R fire but at 50 yards I have to use the 14. I used a model 28 when I shot in the AMU in 1966 and it was fine at 50 but it was a very early model and that might make a difference. I also have used a Python but for me the hammer is just in the wrong place and it is too slick not to mention it is heavy. On the Smiths it is much better for me to have the target hammer for cocking and the hammer fall can have less pressure from the spring and still be reliable because it is heavier. I think you should at least try as many revolvers as you can to see which is the easiest to cock rapidly and which fits the best. I would have to agree that different grips would be better for slow and different for T&R. It seems quite easy to heel a shot with a revolver in slow fire and I think it is because of grip positiion.