Proper way to shoot a SAA/Clone 1 or 2 handed grip

If you get a chance watch 1941, there is an epic scene involving a submarine and a woman clinging to the periscope that says it all...Hollywooood! It pretty much takes the credibility out of the movie gun fights.
 
Nasty Canasta
One handed for me shooting SAA style revolvers, I never saw any of my cowboy heroes use two hands ever. Shooting long range I'll put my off hand in my back pocket like I've seen 'em do in old photos & it feels very comfortable-using one hand I only shake half as bad
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I shoot all of my SA revolvers one handed, taking a boxer's stance in relation to the target and placing my
other hand behind my back.
 
Ethan, what an outstanding (and beautiful) picture. Thanks for posting that. I've seen it hundreds of times but I've never been able to capture it with a camera.

Dave
 
I have a .44 Mag birdshead grip Vaquero with a 3 3/4 inch barrel. Midrange loads, sure, one hand. Factory soft points, or warm handloads, I'll hang on a little more.

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44 Vaquero

Stiff handload from a .44 Magnum, 3 3/4 inch barrel Vaquero.
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I shot SASS for quite a few years always duelist style, one handed, shooting black powder. I did use my 45 Colt USFA sometimes. But mostly shot my Ruger Vaqueros 44 mag with 44 Special or Russian bo loads. 200gr bullets. Rifle was a 44-40 Marlin, same bullets. 12 guage double. If I were to grab one of my single actions in a defensive scenario at home I'd use two hands. Faster followup shots and more control.
 
I have always loved the single action pistol mos likely because of the era I grew up in. As a young man I spent many a day boonie roaming accompainied by my single six where any varmint was in danger. Sometimes my attention was drawn to arrowhead hunting but that pistol was always on my hip in a movie type buscadero rig which I found to be very comfortable. I was good enough back then to do the one handed thing if the critter wasn't a long distance away.. Now it is always two handed as my left hand cancels out the shakes from my right hand some. I gave up prowling the boonies on foot except for short distances quite a few years ago.
 
I usually shoot two-handed, allowing the plow grip to roll back in my hands, and naturally re-cocking with the strong-side thumb as the gun is brought back down on-line. Very smooth process that also works one-handed. Cocking with the weak-side thumb feels awkward, and looks a bit goofy-tacticool-gamesmanship for my tastes.
 
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Dave T said:
Ethan, what an outstanding (and beautiful) picture. Thanks for posting that. I've seen it hundreds of times but I've never been able to capture it with a camera.

Dave
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Thanks! That's a picture from a video I took, which is how I was able to capture the moment of the fireball like that.
 
One Hand.

Always.

I shoot Duelist in CAS, which means the revolver is always shot being held with only one hand.

I will go a bit further. I ALWAYS curl my pinky under the grip, I never try to cram my entire hand onto the grip.

I learned a long time ago that cramming the entire hand onto the grip places the knuckle of the middle finger in direct contact with the trigger guard. Any round that develops sizeable recoil, such as my Black Powder 45 Colt rounds, results in the trigger guard whacking the knuckle, and it hurts. Curling the pinky under the grip opens up about 1/4" of space between the rear of the trigger guard and the knuckle and I can shoot my Colts all day long without getting my knuckle whacked, which helps with accuracy.

Notice the space between the trigger guard and the knuckle.

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This grip allows plenty of reach for me to cock the hammer.

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I can shoot my 45 Colt 250 grain loads all day without getting my knuckle whacked.

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Tell Elmer, Charlie, Skeeter, or Jordan it looks stupid! Oh, they’re dead, but no one killed them. One or two, use what works for the job you’re doing.
I even shoot SAs prone.
 
My Ruger Vaquero 44 mags with the Eagle gunfighter grips allows me to comfortably grip with all 3 fingers on the front. My Colt sized guns I do need to grip with the pinky underneath. I shoot better, faster one handed with the Rugers.
 
PapaG said:
One or two, use what works for the job you’re doing.
I even shoot SAs prone.
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:thumbup:
Yep. Whatever works best for you - depending on the situation ("the job you're doing") of course.
My lovely wife has a shelf lined with IHMSA trophies (and arthritis in her right thumb joint o_O) from shooting her 10.5" Ruger 44 Mag Super Silhouettes "one-handed" while in this position:
Shooting in the Creedmore Position.pdf (pistol.org.au)
BTW, she used a heavy leather (4 or 5 layers thick) "gator" of sorts wrapped around her right leg to protect it from the blast from her revolver's barrel cylinder gap. I also shot IHMSA for a while, but I was shooting a 14" Remington XP-100 - a bolt action pistol. So, I didn't have to worry about the blast from a barrel cylinder gap, and even though it's a 7mm IHMSA (a necked down 300 savage) it really doesn't kick all that bad. It's kinda loud though. ;)
 
Remember that in 1873, the SAA was first issued to the US Cavalry. One hand for the reins, one hand for the revolver.

Dave T said:
Ethan, what an outstanding (and beautiful) picture. Thanks for posting that. I've seen it hundreds of times but I've never been able to capture it with a camera.

Dave
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Make a video and grab a screenshot of the fireworks!
 
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