Gun Fanning

[pablo113]

Did they have special designed guns or altered guns in order for them to be able to fan easily like that? I have a Navy colt .36 caliber, and its difficlult to fan. If they did, can you get your gun altered to fan easier?


Pablo

[cigar joe]

They bent the hammer backwards so that it didn't stick up as far. They also sometimes completely removed the trigger and guard and strengthened the hammer spring so that the only way to fire was by fanning.

[Smokey]

If your navy colt hasn't been converted to cartridges I don't think you'll get it to fan very well. Pieces of
fired caps always seem to clog up the mechinizem on my .44 cap and ball.

[cigar joe]

Regardless you definitely will have to modify it. Another thing I heard is that you will hurt the edge of your palm if an adequate callous is not built up, this is the reason you see some gunslingers do the ritual of (in films & TV) putting on a leather glove to protect the edge of the palm it may also be part of the reason Manco wears that wrist brace if it has an extension to protect the edge of his palm. We'd need a screen cap of it.

In Manco's case it (the brace) may be on the hand he shoots with, the one he normally DOESN'T fan with. I would assume the one he normally fans with would already have the built up callous.

Its on the hand he shoots with:



Anyway waiting for Thanksgiving dinner I've had some time to search out some images The first shows an unmodified Colt Army note how the hammer tab sticks straight up.



This Colt SAA Peacmaker below has the hammer tab laid back for fanning.

[Novecento]

Is that why in "Cemetery Without Crosses", Robert Hossein puts a leather glove on the hand he doesn't shoot with? Curiously you never see him "fanning" the gun in any case.

If I remember correctly, Hossein said in the interview that it was a little quirky touch he added, although he never really mentioned a purpose for it. I'll have to watch the interview again to check.

[cigar joe]

Its used by Jack Palance in Shane it may have been an homage also.

[The Firecracker]

Is that why in "Cemetery Without Crosses", Robert Hossein puts a leather glove on the hand he doesn't shoot with? Curiously you never see him "fanning" the gun in any case.

If I remember correctly, Hossein said in the interview that it was a little quirky touch he added, although he never really mentioned a purpose for it. I'll have to watch the interview again to check.

I could've sworn Hossein fans his gun in the saloon shooting.

[pablo113]

Why is there no re-coil when eastwood fans the gun?


Pablo

[Sundance]

Fabio Testi protects his hand in Anda muchacho spara at several times if I remember correctly. Near the end when he confronts the 4 or 5 men, he can be clearly seen to put in place the leather thingy whatever he keeps in his wrist.

It is somewhat visible in this image (this is not the end scene). I'm too lazy to get the disc and get a better image right now.

[cigar joe]

Why is there no re-coil when eastwood fans the gun?

Because Joe is very good at it.  Lets say Joe practiced like a weight lifter would  to negate the recoil in movie reality.  In actual reality it was probably filled with blanks.

[pablo113]

I agree, guns were probably modified to make fanning easy and then add in the BLANKS!

Pablo

[iceman]

Guys,
           Just how accurate can you shoot fanning?? Would hitting the hammer not disturb the accuracy of the direction of the barrel. Also how accurate can you aim when shooting from the Waist/Hip.......over what distance?

One last question....when do you fan and when do you pull the trigger...my theory is....... more than one opponent..you Fan...one opponent you use the trigger. If I remember in the Trio he doesn't fan when he shoots AE, and in the bombed town when he shoots the gang one at a time he seems to use the trigger.
Am I right?

ICE

[cigar joe]

Check this out:

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=hnu4P0Y-JAk&NR=1

[Smokey]

Yep, and I've seen others do it too. These guys can't have regular jobs though because they probably have to practice this 10 hrs a day!

[Dust Devil]

These guys can't have regular jobs though because they probably have to practice this 10 hrs a day!

lol, it did cross my mind too!