Fanning is a
revolver shooting technique in which the shooter uses one hand to hold the gun and pull the
trigger
Trigger may refer to:
Notable animals and people
;Mononym
* Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers
;Nickname
* Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist
* "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster
;Surname
* Bru ...
, while using the other hand to cock back the
hammer repeatedly in a
slapping-like fashion without touching any other parts of the gun. This allows for the rapid firing of
single-action revolvers, and the technique is used extensively in
fast draw
Fast draw, also known as quick draw, is the ability to quickly draw a handgun and accurately fire it upon a target in the process. This skill was made popular by romanticized depictions of gunslingers in the Western genre, which in turn were insp ...
exhibitions.
Slip hammering is another similar revolver technique involving the use of one hand to pull the trigger and the other hand to repeatedly cock the hammer. The difference is that in slip hammering, ''both'' hands maintain grasp on the gun through an overwrapping grip, and only the
thumb of the outside hand (typically the
non-dominant hand) moves to flip back the hammer. This allows for quick shooting while maintaining a firmer control of the firearm than the fanning technique, but
fatigues more easily as the
muscles of the thumb
The muscles of the thumb are nine skeletal muscles located in the hand and forearm. The muscles allow for flexion, extension, adduction, abduction and opposition of the thumb. The muscles acting on the thumb can be divided into two groups: The ext ...
are generally weaker and less
staminous than the
wrist muscles.
The idea (as spread by old
western films
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
* Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
* Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that ...
) that
gunslinger
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
s in the "
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
" fanned their revolvers in actual
gunfight
A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only in ...
s with any regularity is considered a
caricature. It was done in shooting exhibitions (where
trick marksmen entertained crowds with exotic shooting shows) and by many a curious target-practiser. It was probably not common in actual firefights, because it does not lend itself to most real-life tactical situations, accuracy, or the use of cover. One longtime firearms instructor, George L. Tooley,
[.] said: "Fanning is hard on the revolver, in addition to being inaccurate, and is not recommended".
A slip gun is a revolver which has been modified to disconnect the trigger from the hammer, so as to cause it to fire by pulling back and releasing the hammer. Often the hammer spur is lowered, so the gun may be fired by wiping one's finger across the hammer. The only difference from fanning is that only one hand is needed, because in fanning one hand holds the gun and pulls back the trigger while the other hand knocks back the hammer repeatedly. Slip shooting is a little slower than fanning, but more accurate and practical since only one hand is needed. Slip guns were used for various types of rapid
trick shooting Exhibition shooting or trick shooting is a sport in which a marksman performs various feats of skill, frequently using non-traditional targets. Exhibition shooting tends to stress both speed and accuracy, often with elements of danger added.
Histo ...
in which the ability to instinctively rapid fire was crucial.
Thumbing has been used to refer to a similar action as fanning except instead of using the opposite hand to pull the hammer while the trigger is depressed, the thumb of the gun hand is used. This would be necessary if firing paired revolvers.
[2011, ''Tactical Shooting'', p. 14]
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanning (firearms)
Firearm techniques
Shooting sports