dual-wielding
- Thread starter ks_wayward_son
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I've seen Cowboy Action shooters doing it in competition, but they are simply aiming and firing one gun at a time, Just because you are holding two guns doesn't mean you have to shoot them both at once. They are also shooting single action revolvers, which are much easier to shoot one handed than most modern semi-autos.
However, in the real world, shooting a single gun with two hands is much better. hitting your target with one bullet is much better than missing with two. Duel-wielding may be alright if your point shooting at very close range, but it can't beat good old fashioned two handed shooting techniques. If I happened to have two guns on me in such a situation I'd simply use the second one as a New York reload instead of spraying rounds at random with it.
However, in the real world, shooting a single gun with two hands is much better. hitting your target with one bullet is much better than missing with two. Duel-wielding may be alright if your point shooting at very close range, but it can't beat good old fashioned two handed shooting techniques. If I happened to have two guns on me in such a situation I'd simply use the second one as a New York reload instead of spraying rounds at random with it.
Cool has no place in self defense. Two guns equal more chance of injuring an innocent. It also seems that prosecutors would be more eager to make issue with it.
That said I have done it and it is difficult and dangerous. I can see me swinging left and right and shooting myself in the hand if I go to far. So be careful if you are going to try it.
That said I have done it and it is difficult and dangerous. I can see me swinging left and right and shooting myself in the hand if I go to far. So be careful if you are going to try it.
jglsprings
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BitterTait
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It's on my long list of Stupid Gun Tricks to try, right up there with bump firing and spin cocking a lever action. Probably fun, slight dangerous, rather stupid, and tactically useless. But I'm a child of Hollywood by deuce.
goodspeed(TPF)
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You too can be this AWESOME.
You too can be this AWESOME.
You too can be this AWESOME.
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EricReynolds
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Funny, I just made mention of this in an unrelated thread. BlueTrain is correct in that to do this, you'll want similar weapons. Two autos or two revolvers and same caliber. A full size and a subcompact won't work. It is, as some have stated, a lot harder than it looks. However to those who think it impractical I tell you that with anything difficult it just takes practice. You start out firing with your right hand like you would shoot normally one handed, then do the same with your left and continue to alternate while gradually increase how quickly you fire. In time a proficient shooter can become quite adept at dual wielding. I suggest doing it with .22s as it will take a little while and plinking can get costly. And yeah...it's double the fun!
I have to add here that I only did that once or twice. Only a couple of times did I ever have two handguns that were similiar. I would imagine it would be even harder with single actions but although I've owned several, I can't say I "came around" to that way of doing things. On the subject of single actions, and this has nothing to do with two-gun shooting, there was a time not so long ago when it was considered progressive to shoot double action revolvers in a single action mode only, presumably because it was an aid to accuracy. That even included in police work. That was also when police departments, who were virtually all equipped with only revolvers, sometimes gave proficiency pay for good scores on the range. So you had policemen carrying basically target revolvers, like S&W K-38s. Not necessarily a bad thing but those who went in for really heavy barrels (which helped shooting) usually went back to standard guns for everyday use.
I was trying to think of how many times I've seen two gun shooting in the movies (with single actions) but I can't say I remember many. While accuracy was irrelevant in the movies, after ten years of handling a Colt before a camera, lots of actors probably because pretty slick with them. But most movie cowboys only carried one anyway.
Sorry to keep mentioning Ed McGivern but he devoted a whole chapter to the subject. More in the nature of trick shooting for him, however.
I was trying to think of how many times I've seen two gun shooting in the movies (with single actions) but I can't say I remember many. While accuracy was irrelevant in the movies, after ten years of handling a Colt before a camera, lots of actors probably because pretty slick with them. But most movie cowboys only carried one anyway.
Sorry to keep mentioning Ed McGivern but he devoted a whole chapter to the subject. More in the nature of trick shooting for him, however.
I knew a guy with a weird name who tried it. He said it was easy to hit one target up close, but it became impossible to hit anything at a distance or to actually hit more than one target at once. You basically pull two triggers and miss a lot.
My conclusion? You have to take these steps to get proficient at dual-weilding:
I think a person would be better off training until they can shoot more quickly & accurately using one gun.
My conclusion? You have to take these steps to get proficient at dual-weilding:
- learn to shoot one handgun using both hands
- learn to shoot effectively with your strong hand
- train until you can shoot off-hand as well as you can with your strong hand
- then try to shoot with two guns at once
I think a person would be better off training until they can shoot more quickly & accurately using one gun.
At most you could use the sights on one of the guns, the other would be point shooting. More likely both point shooting. Accuracy would suffer (perhaps an understatement), but might be sufficient at short range. You would be most accurate firing both at a single target; firing at two targets simultaneously would be very difficult.
Tactically, there aren't a lot of reasons to do this. Generally, firing one gun well would be better than fire two guns less well. However, assuming you are in an area where missed shots are highly unlikely to hit a bystander, there could be some tactical applications. Suppressive fire, to allow you or someone else to advance, retreat, reload, get a door open or something. Using one gun in each hand, but only aiming and firing one at a time could provide an advantage, since you'd have twice the magazine capacity before you had to reload. However, you'd have to be really good at one handed shooting, and your off-hand would have to be nearly as good as your dominant hand. Reloading, needless to say, would be very difficult.
It's hard to imagine a circumstance in the real world where you'd have to do this, but in the world of action movies characters often get into situations where there's lots of bad guys (whom it's justifiable to just kill), and two guns might work well against closely packed bad guys in close quarters. Can also imagine an action movie hero walking up to two terrorists from behind and shooting them both simultaneously at point blank range by pressing both muzzles into their back. In the real world, it's hard to imagine a circumstance where any of that would be justifiable.
In the real world, you're responsible for every bullet you fire, so anything that makes misses more likely is to be avoided.
Tactically, there aren't a lot of reasons to do this. Generally, firing one gun well would be better than fire two guns less well. However, assuming you are in an area where missed shots are highly unlikely to hit a bystander, there could be some tactical applications. Suppressive fire, to allow you or someone else to advance, retreat, reload, get a door open or something. Using one gun in each hand, but only aiming and firing one at a time could provide an advantage, since you'd have twice the magazine capacity before you had to reload. However, you'd have to be really good at one handed shooting, and your off-hand would have to be nearly as good as your dominant hand. Reloading, needless to say, would be very difficult.
It's hard to imagine a circumstance in the real world where you'd have to do this, but in the world of action movies characters often get into situations where there's lots of bad guys (whom it's justifiable to just kill), and two guns might work well against closely packed bad guys in close quarters. Can also imagine an action movie hero walking up to two terrorists from behind and shooting them both simultaneously at point blank range by pressing both muzzles into their back. In the real world, it's hard to imagine a circumstance where any of that would be justifiable.
In the real world, you're responsible for every bullet you fire, so anything that makes misses more likely is to be avoided.
If it would be more effective in an extreme emergency, why wouldn't it also be more effective as a general tactic?
Two pistols, yes. But not at the same time. And if you have doubts, try it out some time in a range session where you're not under stress and see how it works out for 'ya.
Then, to get your shaken confidence back, proceed to perforate the targets using one gun---just like you always have.
ChileVerde1
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Admittedly as cool as it looks, I can't help but think accidental discharge (AD). What really worries me is a sympathetic reflex may cause an AD in the opposite hand or shooting yourself in the opposite hand , foot, etc... I'm sorry, I really hate being a downer but just couldn't help it!
FreakGasolineFight
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I've tried it before, when nobody was looking. Empty ranges are tempting.
Fact is, it really doesn't work. All the ruckus is highly disorienting (at least for me) and brass goes EVERYWHERE, including all over the gun in your right hand and your right forearm. Didn't have any problems with jamming, though.
Fact is, it really doesn't work. All the ruckus is highly disorienting (at least for me) and brass goes EVERYWHERE, including all over the gun in your right hand and your right forearm. Didn't have any problems with jamming, though.
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