Practice shooting two handguns at the same time?

C

CCCLVII

New member
I have been doing some cowboy action shooting recently and have discovered that with a little practice its not super hard. I see there is a lot of room for improvement but I think I have the fundamentals down.

A few months ago I was reading a very old time life history of the old west and saw that there where some people in the old west that where (in)famous for shooting a pair of matching pistols at the same time.

Then a few days ago I get a Concealed carry magazine that talks about carrying 2 of the same pistol for CCW it even talks about shooting them at the same time for practice.

Today I go to the range and what do I see but some police training with there side arms and practicing shooting with there off hand (note this is not the same as shooting 2 guns at the same time).

So this has me thinking. Could training with 2 identical guns (1 in each hand) be viable with enough practice? I can see the + in practicing with the off hand (which I already do occasionally) in case of injury but would practicing with 2 guns at the same time be some thing that could be helpful? No I am not trying to be Hollywood cool or any thing. But if it was popular in the old west and in some kinds of competition could it not be practical? Is it worth looking in to it more? Or is this just another hair-brained idea?
 
Other than what I'll relate at the end of this post, I don't see what it could hurt.
But, at the same time, I don't see much value in it. I only carry one gun. I need off-hand/weak-hand practice, but I don't need to be able to shoot two at the same time.

I have, like many of us, tried it, though...
In a few instances, such as using Browning Buckmarks, it's not bad at all.
But with certain firearms and more powerful cartridges, the "learning curve" can be steep.

My brother and I once decided to shoot our .327 Federal revolvers two-handed with full-power loads - his SP101 and my GP100.
He came out of the experiment unharmed, but I ended up with a very unhappy thumb, because it 'saved' the SP101 from getting a nasty gouge on the GP100 rear sight. ....28 oz revolver vs 46 oz revolver. Thumb in between. :rolleyes:
 
I recently purchased a used Kimber identical to one I already own for the purpose of two handed fun on range days, even went so far as to purchase a dual leather shoulder rig for them.
There is a definitive advantage to learning to consistently shoot your chosen weapon with your off hand, if you carry you should. FrankenMauser is right though, firing both at once is a whole different ball of wax and involves quite a learning curve.
Did I mention that it is quite a hoot? :D
 
I tried it with a pair of 1911's back in my younger shooting days.

You have to be real careful of where the muzzle of the 2nd gun is pointing.
It's real easy to shoot yourself in your hand if you are not extremely careful.

Don't let the muzzle of one gun get behind the other gun...

aid183292-728px-Dual-Wield-Pistols-%28Handguns%29-Step-5.jpg
 
I did it a few times for fun when I was younger.

Aim with right hand, fire, aim with left hand, fire, aim with right hand, etc.

It was fun, but it's an easy guess that the local shooting ranges would not be amused.
 
Realistically, it's more likely to need the offhand for something else other than shooting.
Being able to shoot two guns doesn't seem too awfully desirable.
But it is fun, like you've discovered - and I have with airguns.
 
At first impression, it seems that if one would shoot a gun in each hand, one would have to sacrifice accuracy inasmuch as one would have to be cognizant of both guns at the expense of focusing on the sights of the dominant hand.

However, carrying two identical guns would appear to be handy in the event of opting to do a "New York Reload" (dropping the first gun and switching the other gun into firing position in the dominant hand), instead of swapping mags as is the standard nowadays.:D
 
I'd spend the money on a nice Class III weapon now and shoot more rounds per second than 2 pistols, than the potential order of magnitude greater expense of an orthopedic surgeon and rehab in the near future.
 
Very few people in 'the old west' owned one firearm, never mind two. Two guns is far and away more about Hollywood than reality.
"...viable with enough practice?..." Yep, but not both at the same time like in drobs' cartoon. Tallball's one then the other is the way to play. Just like Hoppy and Roy did.
"...more likely to need the offhand for something else..." Like holding your revolver while using your primary weapon, your sabre. snicker.
 
There is real value in being able to shoot well with either hand. There may be value in carrying matching pistols. I think mastering shooting multiple targets quickly with either hand is a far better idea than trying to shoot simultaneously with both hands. One at a time is about as much as I can manage. I don't know what the math is, but I'm guessing the likelihood of something bad happening shooting two at a time is many times more than double.
 
I've seen at least one top SASS competitor shoot two guns but he alternated
in the firing of the weapons. So, really in essence he was demonstrating
right and left hand proficiency ("Double Duelist").

Of course, the object of his competition was to hit the targets.

Still, movie characters do it all the the time.

As Turtlehead said, a whole head of hair-brained.
 
Two 44 mags... hmm... I only own one at present but thanks for planting the seed! :rolleyes:

Seriously I don't see two handed fun on range days as a whole head of hair brained, but to each their own.

As I've posted in another thread in this forum and on the subject, with two sons arguing over who gets that particular pistol when I'm gone... problem solved.

To me the additional $70 investment in a Ken's Leather Craft dual shoulder rig makes all the rest a whole hoot of fun.
 
CCCLVII said:
... would practicing with 2 guns at the same time be some thing that could be helpful?
Click to expand...
It would certainly be helpful IF you ever expect in real life to encounter a situation in which you might be shooting with both hands.

Realistically, when might you expect to encounter such a situation? Do you even carry two handguns? What about liability? Remember, you own every round that you fire. Under stress, it's difficult enough to control one handgun (just ask the NYC police!) -- what's going to happen to your accuracy if you start blasting away with both hands filled?

Weak hand practice is a good idea, because you might encounter a situation in which your strong hand is injured or not available. Both hands? I don't see any reason or need to even consider that.
 
I used to do pretty much the same thing, but without the moving targets, so he is definitely better than I was. But neither he nor I fired at two targets with two guns at the same time. I have seen movies of it being done, where the shooter aimed one gun and was able to hold it rigidly while he aimed the other, then fired both simultaneously, hitting the two targets. I could never "lock" my hands or arms well enough to do that, though.

Jim
 
Miculek is amazing and a lot of fun to watch.
What I am never sure of is how much of his shooting is pure muscle memory related to the trick and how much is skill.
What I mean is, when he throws up a bunch of clays and shoots them out of the air, has he practiced so many times he throws the clays in the same spots and just shoots where they are supposed to be from muscle memory, not actually aiming at all? Meaning, if I throw the clays can he hit them? It may seem crazy, but he has enough resources I think it is possible for him to practice enough to make that level of repeatability in his throws possible. Still amazing, but not the same as just being able to shoot X number of clays out of the air.

Very few people in 'the old west' owned one firearm, never mind two. Two guns is far and away more about Hollywood than reality.
Click to expand...
Farmers and common cowboys, sure. Hollywood doesn't usually make movies centered on your average farmer though. When you look at gunfighters, including law officers and the likes of pinkertons along with the outlaws, I think it was likely much more common. If not worn all the time, at least having them available. Wasn't one of the "raider" units in the Civil War known for having 3-4 pistols a piece? I forget how large Pinkerton was at its highest, but I remember being amazed at the number and they had the reputation of bringing an arsenal with them. There were a large number of people making a living with a gun in the west, even if a small percentage of the population and not as many as one might believe watching hollywood movies.

In the context of single action revolvers, especially cap and ball, two guns aimed and fired alternatively at proximate targets makes some sense. You fire one while cocking the other, keeping one up and ready to shoot all the time. Lots of CASS shooters can fan effectively from the hip, but higher aimed shots I have not seen. Reloads are much longer, guns, especially extra, may be from concealment, saddlebags, or holsters that aren't as easy to draw from, etc.

In the context of a modern semi-auto(no cocking between shots, with 15+ rounds, and reloads of less than a few seconds, it doesn't make much sense.
I can send aimed shots with one hand and shots close enough a smart person keeps their head down with my other. That isn't even useful in many scenarios brought up on this forum.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top