Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Cooper's 4

"...The 4 rules of firing safety should be observed when using any and all firearms...?"

No. Colonel Cooper made the 4 rules popular, but both modern and fogey REVOLVER shooters often disregard Rule #3, which specifies that you MUST keep your finger away from the trigger until you've aligned your sights on the intended target.

I learned to shoot double-action revolvers from emulating Mr. Bill Jordan, who was one of the best combat shots of his day. He drew his revolver with the forefinger inside the trigger guard, and since we're talking about, on average, an 11-12 pound pull, there isn't the hysteria associated with fingering the bang switch of an automatic with a 4-6 pound pull.

Old Bill knew his stuff, and virtually every present day revolver expert draws with his finger inside the guard and resting upon the trigger. If you find this to be unsuitable, then by all means straight-finger your wheelgun as you would a semi-auto that is cocked and locked. Just because all of the professionals disregard Rule #3 is insufficient reason to do so if it isn't your cup of tea. You'll most likely get killed, but you'd have passed on while keeping sacrosanct the immutable 4 Rules.

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