1911 and Revolvers: one hand or two hand shooting

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greyson97

New member
I am a tacticool type of guy, so all my guns are black and plastic. I always have 2 hands on the gun.

Since I dont have a 1911, and only a snub nose revolver, I am curious.

For those of you who are traditionalists and shoot 1911's and Medium sized revolvers, like 4" and 6" barrels, do you shoot one handed or 2 handed?
why? are you more accurate with one or the other? do you do it cause of traditional shooting stance/style, or is there a reason why its better to do so?
 
I'm no bullseye shooter and I'm definitely steadier shooting with the support of both hands than I am shooting one handed. That having been said, I've trained myself to shoot my double action revolvers ambidextrously, and one handed with either hand. Practice makes perfect. After years of deliberately firing with the "wrong" hand I'm actually slightly more accurate shooting left handed (weak side) than I am shooting right handed (strong side).
 
Mostly two handed. As with stevieboy, I practice alot one handed for SD situations. Practicing operating an auto with one hand can be a fun drill. Especially dumping a spent mag., inserting pistol upside- down between legs/thighs and inserting fresh mag. Everything one-handed. Time yourself with this drill.
 
I never shoot one-handed, unless required to do so during gun games (or practice for same), except on the rare occasions that I shoot a Peacemaker, when I will usually shoot more rounds one-handed than two-handed, strictly for nostalgic/historic reasons.
Shooting a 1911 is about tradition? I always thought it was about effectiveness? :D
 
I'm no bullseye shooter and I'm definitely steadier shooting with the support of both hands than I am shooting one handed. That having been said, I've trained myself to shoot my double action revolvers ambidextrously, and one handed with either hand. Practice makes perfect..
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Same with me. Double action revolvers, one handed, two handed, weak hand, strong hand, double action, single action. Plus, I've been bitten by the 10m air pistol bug lately, and I'd like to try bullseye shooting soon, both of which are shot 1-handed, so I do most of my dry fire practice 1-handed nowadays. My best shooting is still done strong side 2-handed, double action, but I practice the others a lot, and they aren't far behind.
 
Been trying to learn one handed after shooting with a local guy that was a phenominal shot, one handed. He could make first round hits @ 300 yds with a Colt SAA, and hit ariel targets. He used to do exhibiton shooting also, shooting things people held in their hands, in their mouths, etc, all one handed. I'm starting to get the hang of it after shooting mostly one handed several years, but nowhere near what he was able to do. I still miss way more than I hit @ 300. Haven't tried airborn targets one handed. Haven't really been keeping up on pistol shooting the past several years other than trying to get semi-functional one handed when I do shoot short guns.
 
Never One-Handed...

I shoot two-handed, using a Weaver stance. I use 1911's (Full-, Commander-, and Officer-sized frames), and various S&W J, K, L, and N frames.

I do drill using one-handed and opposite hand, just in case.
 
I have to agree with others who posted concerning both two handed, one handed, strong side, weak side. I shoot 1911s and large revolvers. Learning to shoot in all scenarios will make you more confident in your ability as well as possibly making a difference in an extreme self defense situation. I still feel that my handguns are there to give me enough time to get to the long guns.
 
greyson, first we need you to get some steel and wood. Can't go through life holding plastic :)

I've shot two, one, strong, weak, double, single. I prefer two handed single action for accuracy; IHMSA Big Bore Revolver is relatively slow fire and those 200yd Rams jump around alot, or maybe its the front sight ... or the coffee. Its also how I hunt.

But I shoot snubbies one handed for SD practice, weak handed if I can since the other hand might be dialing the phone or the combo on the gunsafe. If that's what you have, I'd practice weak side single hand at 10yds until all 5 or 6 are in the black. Then get another one and alternate like the movies :D
 
I practice with right hand, left hand, and both hands as a function of my personal practice regimen. For me the "bottom line" is two handed shooting.
 
greyson97 said:
I am a tacticool type of guy,...
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If you want to be tactical, not just "tacticool", you'll learn to shoot everything all ways. You can't know in advance what you might need to be able to do in a nasty situation, if it ever happens to you.

Normally I favor a modern isosceles, but I also practice a Weaver and modified Weaver (Chapman). They each have their uses, and it's good to be able to use what might best fit the situation. I also practice strong hand only and weak hand only. While my gun of choice is a Commander size 1911, I also train with an H&K P7M8 as well as a couple of snubbie revolvers.
 
I carry and shoot (primarily) S&W DA revolvers and 1911s. At least 90% of my shooting is done two-handed, as I am practicing for real-world situations.

I practice (perhaps just enough, perhaps not quite enough) one-hand and weak-hand shooting that I will likely be adequate (not expert) in the event that skill is required one day. Probably should do more, but you spend the most training time on the most likely circumstance, no?
 
When I first started shooting, I learned to shoot one-handed, bullseye style. My preferred method now is to shoot two-handed, mostly isosceles. I also shoot some strong hand and weak hand. Most people can shoot better with two hands.

If I take a revolver, I shoot some double action. The amount varies by type of revolver. For example, I shoot almost all double action in a snubby but mix it up more with a six inch revolver.
 
For 20 years I fired the 1911, 357 DA, 9mm and other handguns with my right hand. Not hard to do and I was a good shot. As the Weaver stance became popular I went to two hands. Now I shoot both ways plus isosceles and occasionally left handed. It's all good, not that hard to switch and shoot well. Should be part of everyone's practice.
 
For those of you who are traditionalists and shoot 1911's and Medium sized revolvers, like 4" and 6" barrels, do you shoot one handed or 2 handed?
why? are you more accurate with one or the other? do you do it cause of traditional shooting stance/style, or is there a reason why its better to do so?
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Speaking for at least one traditionalist (exactly whatever that is?) I do shoot one, two, three (Oh, strike that third one!) handed.

Practice with many different stances, with one and two hands. However, I find that two hands tend to find my 1911s returning to POA better than one. Also the same for my plastic pistols. (Would owning both disallow me into the traditionalist club? Maybe quasi-traditional?)
 
I am ambidexterous, so I have the basic skill set to shoot with both hands, and have made it a practice over time to give equal work to training with either hand. I am better at Bullseye shooting with my left hand, but I am far better and faster when it comes to point shooting with the right hand. When I was in the Navy, boarding and searching boats, going below the weather deck was a 1911 and angle head flashlight zone. I owned and shot handguns at home, knew the basics of the Weaver stance (which was not allowed at Great Lakes in the day) but I had no training using a flashlight and pistol. There was precious little light below, and tiny GI sights, so I ended up using the .45 in my right hand and the flashlight in my left, and "point" shooting at anyone who maliciously came at me out of the dark. I think I would have sold my soul for a Streamlight and good supply of batteries. I was holding the .45 in my left hand when a guy hit me in the left arm with a piece of wood. My arm went numb and I lost the pistol, and we tussled around on the deck until I found the 1911 with my right hand and shot him. The worst part was the crew must have been planning to take us out as when I fired below deck the ones on the weather deck pulled hidden guns on my mates, and started a little firefight. Our diesel mechanic was just about to hose a guy up with a M-16 when he stepped wrong and fell forward, emptying the 20 rounder into the deck, and stitched right down the length of the guy I'd just shot. He missed me by about 6 inches. Fun and games in the Mekong.:cool::p
 
holding

Virtually all my pistol shooting is done one handed. Why? I shoot in Bullseye matches and that's the rule. That's how I practice.
If I am hunting, though, generally with some kind of stick for a support or shooting from a sitting position, I will have two hands on the gun.
Pete
 
I practice point shooting with one hand (alternating strong and weak). I practice aimed shooting mostly with 2 hands, but also single handed.

I'm just a regular family guy/citizen. I see a strong tactical advantage in maintaing a free arm in CQB (to manipulate a kid or my wife, block a blow, deliver a blow, etc...). Hopefully, I'll never know if this is the correct tactic or not.
 
I'd always shot two-handed for defensive drills, but about three years ago I started forcing myself to shoot for accuracy with one hand. The principles of basic marksmanship still apply but shooting one-handed will definitely drive those points home.

While still no bullseye ace, I eventually got real comfortable shooting the gun in this manner. It paid off, too.
 
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