fast shooting one-handed in 3:10 to Yuma - possible?

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roscoe

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At the end of the movie, when Ben Wade guns down his gang, he is VERY fast with the follow-up shots. Is this really possible with a single action? It doesn't look like it is sped up, but I can't cycle my Blackhawk anywhere NEAR that fast. If that is just from practice, my hats off to Russell Crowe.

Here is the clip - it is at about 1:35.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaKqIgNhQEg&feature=related
 
I think it could be done, Blackhawks are clubs when it comes to proper fit in a guys hand. Too bluky for lack of a better discription and the hammer is way to high for your thumb to reach like it should be able to. Go handle a Colt SSA with a hammer as it should be or even a New Vaquero with a Super Blackhawk hammer installed. The fit is far better than our factory Blackhawks. Just remember it is a movie not reality too.
 
They all handle their guns pretty quickly in that movie. I guess with practice it's probably possible.
 
They're not dealing with recoil, either. The film obviously hasn't been messed with, and I'm assuming it's not the first Single Action Russel Crowe has come across in his career; he might have more practice at it than most of us, since he gets paid millions to mess with such things during filming--maybe a slight bit more motivated to "get it down pat."
 
In competition with electric timers I've seen a couple people who used a single-action firing .38 Specials clear 5 bowling pins off a table at 15 yds. - in slightly under 5 seconds. I'm not one of 'em though. :(

:cool:
 
I agree, I've watched some CAS matches and even locally those guys were FAST. I'm sure at a national level they are even faster.

Taint the hardware, it's the shooter.
 
I just pulled out my New Vaquero and some snapcaps: It is fairly easy to thumb the hammer and dryfire right in synch with the video. However, with recoil, who knows how fast it could be done.
 
Either Bill Ruger had a 4" thumb, or he didn't have much of a clue about ergonomics.

For me, at least, the GP-100 hammer is not in a position where it can be thumbed back without moving my hand, also, and the slide release on the .22 pistols is about 1/2" too far, also.

There's probably a reason for buying a "50th Anniversary" Blackhawk. It has grips more like a SAA.
 
I wonder if I installed a Bisley hammer in my Blackhawk - would I be able to reach the hammer more easily? I have pretty big hands, and I still have to adjust my grip to reach the hammer with my thumb.
 
I went to school with his youngest daughter, so I saw him a fair amount close up. John Wayne DID have very large hands. Seriously.
 
Or put a SuperBlackHawk hammer on. That's what I did with my New Vaquero.

With 38+P by Remington/Winchester or similar loads my gun (similar in size to the SAA) can do one per second very easily. Up the power level into medium-high 357 and no way.

So. In a period equivelent Colt, the 38-40 cartridge should be controllable at that rate of fire, and was the 3rd most popular cartridge in the 19th century SAAs. Get into the 44-40 (2nd most popular) or 45LC (#1) and it gets tougher. BUT, not out of the question. The original 45LC load had 40 grains of black powder but the military soon ordered a slightly reduced load same as what the Schofield shot that was easier to control. That milder load and something similar in the 44-40 would have been available to civilians too. And black powder has a recoil profile that "feels milder" than equivelent-power smokeless loads.

So is it possible? Yeah. Most believable in 38-40 or the even milder 32-20 which wasn't unknown...

(NOTE: some estimates say that the 45LC was the most popular early SAA cartridge only if you include military usage. In civilian hands the 44-40 and 38-40 were very popular because they were what Winchester '73 leverguns mostly ate and at least the 44-40 may have eclipsed 45LC sales on the civilian market.)
 
"...In civilian hands the 44-40 and 38-40 were very popular because they were what Winchester '73 leverguns mostly ate and at least the 44-40 may have eclipsed 45LC sales on the civilian market.)"

That wouldn't surprise me at all. When the Win. 73 arrived there were still plenty of fellows around who had slugged it out during the Recent Rebellion with Enfields and Mississippi rifles etc. - and, were it me, I would have grabbed a Win. 73 as if it were a key to Ft. Knox.

:cool:
 
Yeah, but that guy fanned them. It impressed me that Russel Crowe used one hand. How much is a SuperBlackhawk hammer, and is it hard to install?
 
My hammer was $35 at Brownell's and I dropped it in myself. Fit perfectly.

vaqhawk.jpg


The Bisley hammers have to be modified if used with a non-Bisley grip frame. It's not hard, and it's not a "precision needed" thing. Basically the shape on the BACK side is wrong. You have to grind the back edge of the Bisley hammer to match the profile of the stock hammer. The critical sear engagement surfaces are unaffected.

The SBH hammer is a drop-in.
 
The film probably had a firearms coach. Who was the armorer? I haven't seen this movie yet.
On TOMBSTONE Thell Reed was the armorer, he coached the actors and Val Kilmer, who did his own gun handling.
 
Well, I'll give the new hammer a try. It will be my first attempt at replacing any part of the guts of a revolver. Should be interesting.
 
It seems faster than it is. He fires 6 shots in 4 seconds, which certainly isn't out of reach. Now remember he doesn't actually have to be accurate for the movie!

US Firearms built Russel Crowe's sixshooter. David Fencl was the main armor, who has provided arms for some of the biggest action movies in the past 10 years. Donny Bruno also served as armorer.

I'm sure with a good hammer, most people here could work out 6 shots in 4 seconds.


http://www.usfirearms.com/
 
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I could fan six shots that quickly but doubt I could fire that quickly one handed, but then again those guns are lighter, the springs lighter.All those fancy moves are done with guns that weigh half as much as the real thing. OOps.jpg
 
Thell Reed was the Firearms coach/Armorer. He is no slouch when it comes to SA revolvers and he worked with Russell Crowe previously in "Quick and the Dead".
 
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