Any good books on revolver shooting?

Hello friends!

Looking for any good books on revolver shooting and techniques, please. Anecdotes also welcome. Just not consistent like I am with the 45, which while not saying much, makes the revolver seem to be such a chore. I'm not approaching it right, could use some guidance.

Model 14 is what I'm shooting, if that matters. 

THANKS!

Gun Digest guide to the Revolver by Grant Cunningham is excellent and not expensive. There is always Bill Jordans no second place winner,  Ed McGiverns book fast and fancy something or other revolver...and Shooting by   Fitzgerald, 1932.

Go with Grant first

Are you asking about combat shooting or target shooting? 

Elmer Keith, “Sixguns” and Ed McGiverns “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting” cover both. Jordan
 focuses mostly on the combat side in “No Second Place Winner.”  There are also military manuals that cover revolver shooting and I think that I have a book by Bob Munden.

But it’s all sight alignment and trigger control. If I wanted to be really good with  the revolver. I would dryfire like crazy, mostly at a blank wall.  I would shoot blank targets and proceed through the USMC Workbook with it. Once you’ve completed that you will be shooting it well.

Louis Lamour all 116 books

jmdavis wrote:Are you asking about combat shooting or target shooting? 

Elmer Keith, “Sixguns” and Ed McGiverns “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting” cover both. Jordan
 focuses mostly on the combat side in “No Second Place Winner.”  There are also military manuals that cover revolver shooting and I think that I have a book by Bob Munden.

But it’s all sight alignment and trigger control. If I wanted to be really good with  the revolver. I would dryfire like crazy, mostly at a blank wall.  I would shoot blank targets and proceed through the USMC Workbook with it. Once you’ve completed that you will be shooting it well.

Target shooting- too old to run around and play commando.

The grip on the 14 is entirely different than my 41 or 45. I'm not concerned with slow fire- but how to better practice with TF/RF. Don't disagree on dry fire, but I think my problem is more fundamental in terms of grip- so if I could get that down first, I ought to be able to work my way up the stack.

Thanks to you and Bruce for chiming in. Not a lot of revolver shooters much anymore, so it is hard lore to come by.

LenV wrote:Louis Lamour all 116 books

Goodness, and here I was, thinking I'd read Shelby Foote's work on the Civil War next, and here you drop a knowledge bomb. Thanks kind sir!

I found the model 14 to fit my hand pretty well. Target trigger and target hammer help,since I have small hands.  But remember the key of dryfiring, to activate the trigger while keeping the sights aligned. I like to shoot the revolver but I seldom do since my focus is on mastering the 1911.

LenV wrote:Louis Lamour all 116 books

And Cormac McCarthy

john bickar wrote:

LenV wrote:Louis Lamour all 116 books

And Cormac McCarthy

After reading "The Road," I turned that particular dial down on the console.

Life is bleak enough- I only need to show up to work to be reminded on this notion. 



-T

I shoot single action. I try to get my grip up high, almost to the point of “hammer bite” on the web of the hand. “As soon as the target quivers, MASH IT”, then cock the hammer with the thumb in recoil, and get started moving that trigger to the rear as I come down into the aiming area. Fight to get the sights aligned as best as possible and keep the trigger moving. I accept a larger aiming area with the revolver than I do with my .45 wad gun with a dot sight. 

Trigger, trigger, trigger!

Aufidius wrote:

john bickar wrote:

LenV wrote:Louis Lamour all 116 books

And Cormac McCarthy

After reading "The Road," I turned that particular dial down on the console.

Life is bleak enough- I only need to show up to work to be reminded on this notion. 

Read Blood Meridian if you want to turn it up to 11.

Or the Border Trilogy...or Suttree....

Aufidius, I am having trouble with my grip also. I have small to average hand and use S&W target grips. I can't get a really strong enough grip on the revolver and after thumbing the hammer struggle to get proper grip again. This affects sustained fire terribly, I'm going have to find some replacements. A proper way of gripping would help, I know it is said to grip higher on the revolver. I might try the Zins way and line it up like does a 1911 and see if that helps. I'll let you if it helped or not.
 Stan

My method works well. If your grips are too big for you to try this you can usually find small enough grips for this to work. The biggest problem I see on the line is shooters milking their grips and constantly fighting to get the sights back down on target. A model 14 likes to roll up in a shooters hand on recoil. I tuck my pinky finger under the grip and keep a firm grip with the other two fingers. The pinky stops it from shifting in your hand and allows you to keep your grip without milking. On a side note if you slack up on your grip it can smack your pinky pretty good. Sort of instant feedback. Keeping your hand low also allows your thumb freedom of movement. This is my method YMMV

Pinky under..

It would be easy if we all had catcher’s mitts for hands like you.

Aufidius wrote:

john bickar wrote:

LenV wrote:Louis Lamour all 116 books

And Cormac McCarthy

After reading "The Road," I turned that particular dial down on the console.

Life is bleak enough- I only need to show up to work to be reminded on this notion. 



-T

a very good book tho,,,  movie was almost as good, 

however not the feel good type, 

ditto No Country Old Men,,  another excellent movie

One way, is to open your hand, put a thumb on the hammer end, and then grip the gun. This way, you can always reach the hammer.

I'm a fan of Herret's. Personally I pull straight through DA. On a good day I'm in the 270's for a NMC

Here is my take on revolver or any DA/SA pistol.

First, the ideal grip (verb, not noun) for double action will likely be quite different than it would be SA. In DA the trigger press weight to move the trigger to point of firing is likely 7-8 lbs if you have a good DA set up, and quite possibly 1 - 4 lbs more than that if you are shooting an out of box gun. 

DA: Keep in mind you will be moving that trigger .250 -.375" before the gun fires. It is extremely important that  at time of hammer fall, the sights (or dot) does not shift suddenly to left or right. For me the best way to find the trigger finger placement which permits me to do this is dry firing on plain back ground with no aiming area. I don't care about the aiming area, I just want to establish the DA finger placement which will enable me to control the trigger so the shot breaks clean with no lateral movement. Once identified, the finger placement determines how the rest of the hand will wrap the grips of the gun.

It is not critical that the sights be lined up (windage) at the start of the DA press, but it is critical that they be lined up at the end of that press. How many of us start with the grip that permits the sights to be perfect, then throughout that .250 - .375 of trigger movement the sights close off to one side. Try working backwards from the break point, with what will probably look like too much trigger finger, then let the trigger reset forward and see where you are. Don't know about you, but I can't control a 7-8 lb trigger with finger pad. I need a lot of trigger finger. Your finger acts as a lever too. The more trigger finger, the more power you have. You have to find that placement which works for you, especially DA.

I would add a few more things regarding DA. The tighter the grip the tighter the group. Another is, once you commit to the trigger press, keep the trigger moving. This is hard to do, when the press on the trigger is likely causing the gun to move more. Every instinct is to stop the press (movement of trigger) until the movement of the gun stops. If you do this, the gun will likely start moving more, when you get back to moving the trigger again. If you must stop the trigger press, abort the shot completely and start over. Other wise keep the trigger moving. Here is another. Never accelerate the movement on the trigger press, but you can decelerate the movement. Just don't let the trigger stop moving completely. Finally, grip as far up the back strap as you can. This will reduce muzzle flip, and enables you to comfortably get more finger on the trigger. Of course, with large hands some may have to have grips which add material to the backstrap or even longer grips. Having a longer trigger stroke can work to your advantage. I think you get another chance at the sights. As the trigger is being pressed, you may see the sights closing off to one side. Well you can dress up the sights as you complete the press. With a static trigger, like a crisp SA on a 1911, by then it may be too late. The shot is gone. Is this why some like the roll triggers on 1911? I think so.

I have spent decades shooting revolvers DA. HM in both NRA AP and decades ago in PPC. In both PPC where my PB was two 1496's and in NRA Action Pistol (Bianchi Cup) where I shot 1918 and a bunch of 1910+ with revolvers. If you can learn to master the DA, then shooting a Glock or any of the striker fire guns is easier. On those triggers, just keep them moving too.

SA: As far as best technique shooting SA with one hand, you would be best suited to listen to someone else. I know how the grip the gun, and I know how to pull the trigger, I haven't identified a method for me to be able to maintain all of that, and cock the gun.

So DA. Tight grip, tight group, keep the trigger moving and have the "nerve" to start that press on the trigger before the sights are perfect and dress them up as you complete the stroke, until the shot breaks. You see with a DA, you don't get chicken finger. You just keep the trigger moving. You always know how hard you need to pull. Just enough to keep it moving. Trust me, keep it moving, it will eventually fire.

Good stuff^

This might be a start, tho the reviewer didn’t think it stood the test of time well.

http://blog.krtraining.com/book-review-historical-handgun-modern-police-firearms-1974-roberts-bristow/

Good info, but IMHO this topic deserves a dedicated author with real expertise to spend the time to write a basic manual for this sport. Here’s another thread from last Fall on the same topic: https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t8470-refocusing-on-revolver-fundamentals.

Bruce in WV wrote:Good info, but IMHO this topic deserves a dedicated author with real expertise to spend the time to write a basic manual for this sport. Here’s another thread from last Fall on the same topic: https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t8470-refocusing-on-revolver-fundamentals.

What I wonder is whether or not such a specialize topic has already been covered in the literature, but too few people today know where to go. If another yokel says "read Pistol Shooters Treasury," I'm going to lose my lunch, because it isn't the answer to everything, and it's poorly put together (an author endorses drinking to settle nerves- I'll leave it at that).

I've read the Cunningham book, but the best advice to date is the posting above from Allgoodhits.