Finger on the Trigger?

[tom turner]

Yep, those were the pioneers living in California who had yet to learn the true realities of exceptional gun control that the "gun games" out there would soon benefit us all with the new-found techniques.

Jack Weaver on the right, who passed away a year or so ago, gave LEOs the fighting stance that has probably saved many a cop's life.

No, not the stance I'd use in "gun game"competitions but the best compromise between a fighting, non-lethal stance that give's one excellent situational awareness plus a great and accurate shooting stance should a LEO be forced to use lethal force.

We all have a lot to thank those guys for. Then again, if they showed up at our matches today they'd initially get clobbered by about any decent local "talent."

True innovators indeed!!!

 

[feralmerril]

Thanks tom! That picture was near cerro gordo mine above owens dry lake california. At least I still have that winchester model 70. Jack weaver was a deputy on los angeles county sheriffs dept where I was from in those days. Somewhere I have a old guns and ammo magazine from the early 70s that shows jeff cooper coaching me in a silhouette shoot. I looked like a beached whale laying on my gut and did poorley as I recall.

 

[tom turner]

Glad to do it for you! Hope you are well, our forum friend!

 

[Cooter Brown]

Tom, that was good work and a nice thing to do. I'll be down your way in a couple of weeks or so woodcock hunting and staying at a buddy's place outside Dublin. Want to get my old 12 year old dog on a few more. Hopefully it'll cool off some.

Feralmerril, if you can find that pic of you and Col. Cooper, I probably ain't the only feller here that would like to see it...

I'll try to remember to keep my finger off the trigger follerin' the dogs around them bottom lands...

 

[semperfi71]

Feralmerril,

I like your old pics and want to see more, including the Jeff Cooper-n-You one.

You pic posted here was back in the days when a person could go into the outdoors and shoot at will without some yahoo coming over and wanting to know what's all the shooting about?

 

[oldafsp]

Sooooo....you guys are saying I should give up my beloved Model 99T ??????

Never shot myself in the foot using it...

 

[feralmerril]

It was a article on silhouette shooting that was just getting started. My name wasnt anywhere in the article, it was just a random shot of the event. Think cooper was spoting with a spoting scope or binoculars. I will try to find and post it. I was shooting a 8 3/8" nickle 29-2. A friend goaded me into entering and I hadnt even practiced for that type shooting.
Far as shooting in the boonies on that picture I posted, I think there was about 7 or 8 of us on that trip and maybe 4 or 5 of them lapd. My friends brother was on the bomb squad and he brought some swat buddys with him. Even so I heard one or two of the batch got wrote for haveing loaded rifles in the truck on a 4wd trail after we split up! I will call my buddy soon and try to get the old story straight---its been almost 40 years ago. I just remember haveing a good time. I recall dry camping one or two nights on that trip. My buddys brother died about a year ago.

 

[feralmerril]

Hey, here is another one. I guess I didnt change my cloths much in those days. Batchlor, ya know.

 

[9c1 lover]

If you look closely at the Leatherslap photo above, you may be able to tell that all the 1911's are empty.............you can see the breechface, illuminated by the flash.

no such thing as an empty gun

 

[feralmerril]

Lets face it. Those five clowns just didnt know guns like us, we are far more sophisticated.

 

[Iggy]

Sooooo....you guys are saying I should give up my beloved Model 99T ??????

Never shot myself in the foot using it...

Eeewww! That's just scary that is!!!

 

[Stan]

No, that's not scary Iggy. What's scary is strapping that identical rig onto 30 complete strangers on a gun range and attempting to teach them the modern technique of the pistol.

 

[oldafsp]

No, this is the scariest rig ever made...

 

[Iggy]

Stan,

Been there, done that.

oldafsp,
Can't argue with that. Worked for a Sgt that carried a 6" Python in one of those. You never knew where that gun could be pointin'.

 

[sigp220.45]

On another forum a fella posted a picture of a Vietnam tunnel rat about to enter a hole which was probably inhabited by black-pajama people. His finger was on the trigger of his 1911A1.

Within two posts, one of the "booger hook/bang switch" crowd pronounced him unsafe.

I was delighted with the pummeling that ensued.

I love those old pictures, to remind me of a time before the ascendency of the safety ninny.

 

[Stan]

There are precautions taken for the sake of safety that we wouldn't necessarily take if we know trouble is waiting for us. I think Col Cooper recognized this early in his teaching career and did the gun community a favor by stressing safe gun handling.

It is taken too far sometimes, but that's better than the alternative generally.

When the safety ninnies raise their ruckus, I just smile. Gun accidents in this country are very low, comparatively, and that is partly because of the work that Col Cooper did and those he trained, may he RIP.

 

[semperfi71]

I believe it is always prudent to "study" the "new" and "latest", whether it be ideas or equipment.

However I feel a lot of folks "preach the gospel" without really "reading the book".

One can never have too much gun safety but we can have too much "oversight" if that makes sense.

I had heard that the combat handgun sports such as Action Pistol had gravitated to requiring "covered trigger guard leather". If that is so I guess I won't be shooting it.

All my leather is exposed trigger guard. I think it is safe enough.

It is interesting how shooters decry the "one incident" of a bad/accidental shooting that causes the lawmakers to pass a sweeping, invasive law. Then the same shooters pass a rule such as the holster rule just because one, or a few, person(s), somewhere, was careless.

And I don't buy into the comment: "Well if it saves one life.........." If that's the case we should all stay home and have our neccessities delivered to the door. Otherwise we would be taking great chances with our lives and others.

BUT....I do agree firearms safety has come a long and better way than it was even when I started shooting in 1971/1972. Not all that has transpired is "bad".

 

[NE450No2]

Yes, ALL this finger off the trigger "stuff' is fairly new.
It is a good thing IMHO, but I am old school from back in the day.

We could run after a Felon, climb a fence or three, tackle the low life, and pistol whip him, all with our finger on the trigger, with not an errant round fired... Well most of the time any way... I never let one go...

But...
Truth is things change. We learn and get safer, we wear bullet resistant vests, wear seatbelts, don't drink and drive, etc...

 

[keith44spl]

Boys,
I don't give a hoot how many devises for safety is installed on a piece of machinery or how safe ya try to build it's encasement...

All the operation is in the hands of the operator. Safe or unsafe.

All ya newbies mind yur muzzle and don't squeeze that trigger till get that front sight on...

As for packin' a pistol I sumtimes use a holster with a covered trigger guard, like so.
As I might be carrying it cocked.

For with a revolver, I don't care for it, covering up the trigger & guard that is.

If anyone can pull the trigger double action in one of my holster to the point of discharge,
I'll kiss yur behind and give ya thirty minutes to draw a crowd.

That is all for today...

Su Amigo,
Dave

 

[WR Moore]

Speaking of the days when fingers weren't so safety concious................

Both Charlie Askins and Bill Jordan have written articles that detailed just how many AD/ND/UD events took place just in the Border Patrol in the 1930's-50's. I'm sure Jordan specifically mentioned only the funniest ones. However, that was back before lawyers were a dime a dozen and peoples attitudes were entirely different about many things.