rapid fire SA

[AlvinAmerica]

Can rapid fire with modern SA transfer bar revolvers, be done with
trigger depressed and rapid thumbing, or fanning, without doing
damage to the weapon?

 

[Majic]

Adding the transfer bar does not reduce the internal damage done by fanning. It just adds another piece to break.

 

[Sunray]

Fanning is unsafe and inaccurate. It's a Hollywood thing. Not a proper shooting technique.

 

[The Real Wyatt]

There are people, I'm not one of 'em, who can shoot SA revolvers faster than any other non-automatic weapon.

They shoot the gun with their dominant hand and manipulate the hammer with the index, middle and little finger of the non-dominant hand. Theyt do this with an astounding degree of accuracy.

Full automatics rule. No human can shoot ANY gun faster than a full automatic can cycle.

 

[Jim March]

Ruger or Colt SAs modified for fast draw involve losing the transfer bar (if present) and tightening/improving the internals. See also Bob Munden's page on his services related to that:

http://www.bob-munden.com/option2.htm

Fanning these things is unbelievably hard on them.

Hammer slipping is another matter: this involves use of the strong-side thumb to fire the gun with the hammer in an aimed controlled fashion. You're basically using the hammer as a "DA trigger" while holding the trigger back. This isn't abusing the gun so long as only normal thumb pressure is applied and the speed is kept down to what can be done with sighted fire. Hammer slipping from a two-handed grip is legal in SASS/CAS competition and there's some evidence it was a period technique. However the grip and thumb reach to the hammer must match your hands so not everybody can do it on an SAA sized gun and fewer on the Ruger 44Mag-class frame sizes (most post-73 Blackhawks and the "Old Vaquero). My New Vaq has a lower SuperBlackHawk hammer and I'm beginning to sort out hammer slipping...but while the technique is CAS/SASS approved, my gun no longer is.

 

[foghornl]

I don't have any of the manuals right here in front of me, but Ruger PLAINLY states that "Fanning" a single-action revolver is hard on the internals, and NOT recommended.

I have heard of the "Slip-Gun" method of shooting, but again, not gonna try it.

Standard Disclaimer next....Information presented below is for educational purposes ONLY. NOT RECOMMENDED OR ENDORSED

Some of the revolvers way back were converted to "Slip-Guns" by grinding down the hammmer spur, and removing some parts of the action, so that the hammer did NOT lock back, and it was fired by sort of 'wiping' the hammer back with a thumb. (As previously stated by Mr. March)

Do I recommend that, or have I tried those mods with any of my SA guns???

NO! NOT NOW, NOT EVER.