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Old September 19, 2018, 08:09 AM   #1
ManyMag
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One hand shooters

Out of curiosity, are there any other handgun users in this group that make their way with one wing?
I lost my right arm to cancer in '74 and took up handgun hunting the following year.
I never see any others with similar issues or even hear much about other one hand shooters.
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Old September 19, 2018, 08:28 AM   #2
NoSecondBest
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Manymag, congrats on not giving up on shooting because of your misfortune. I admire people who stay in the game. I've been shooting handgun for over fifty years and for almost forty years hunted deer almost exclusively with handguns. That being said, I still have two hands to work with. My point is going to be that I don't think for a minute you need to have two hands to use a handgun to hunt with. Some of my good friends are big time bullseye shooters and they can shoot really, really well using one hand to shoot with. I've seen them time and again shoot groups out to fifty yards that wouldn't handicap them a bit if the target were a deer. With practice and persistence you can do it and continue to enjoy the sport you love.
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Old September 19, 2018, 10:08 AM   #3
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YEP ! I'm 72 and lost the use of my left arm at a 18 mo. old, car mishap. No I was not driving. Back in those days you were a handicap and would never amount to anything. In my early 20s I was introduced to shooting and really enjoyed it, handguns specifically. Worked up to 44 mag in mid 70s and did take mule deer. I was a hunter and could get close I would not take a shot over 25 yds. Passed up many shots at ELK. Now all I do is target shoot and plink. My right shoulder needs to be replaced and I have torn muscles in my shoulder but none of it will get fixed because of the obvious. I still shoot my 44s and better than anything else I have, now I use a 327 Fed Single 7 but can not shoot it as well as my 44s. I am a handgunner thru and thru.
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Old September 19, 2018, 10:26 AM   #4
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Not me, but one of the guys I used to compete against in the Thursday night mini-combat shoot competitions had lost his left arm about midway above the elbow. He shoots a 1911, and he's very competitive.
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Old September 19, 2018, 11:51 AM   #5
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I shot Conventional Pistol (Bullseye) outdoors for years where the slow fire target is 50 yards and everything is shot one handed. Routinely a decent shooter will keep all shots in the black, about 8" circle, with a 45. Try it, take your time, and focus on accuracy first; speed second. Instead of shooting 20 shot drills, shoot 5 hit drills. Good luck and hope this helps.
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Old September 19, 2018, 12:03 PM   #6
mete
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My first handgun deer was taken with my right hand [ strong side ] as my left was in a cast . No problem. That with a 44mag .
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Old September 19, 2018, 01:24 PM   #7
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Still in one piece, but I learned to shoot practicing Bullseye with a 22, lately firing my Browning HP and M1911s with my Ciener units.
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Old September 19, 2018, 08:01 PM   #8
Drm50
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I can't shoot one handed any more, age & bad back is killing me. If I couldn't
use to hands I would have to quit. My dad had a friend in town that lost his arm
in a stamping plant during WW2. He was a crack shot with his K38 and shot in
matches. He was also a fair shot on trap. He had a Savage 220 single shot 12g
with a outrigger on top of his shoulder that helped him hold the gun. I was to
young to realize he must have been taking a pounding with that gun even though they were trap loads.
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Old September 19, 2018, 08:01 PM   #9
ManyMag
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I hand similar experience and treatment after losing my arm, SBH. Found out who my friends were.
I started out hunting with a Thompson Contender and used rifle calibers. Range was better and bullet choices helped.
I stayed with the single shot and revolvers for a long time but finally went to semi autos and got back into rifles.
Glad to see I'm not alone.

Last edited by ManyMag; September 19, 2018 at 08:03 PM. Reason: Left name out
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Old September 21, 2018, 07:18 PM   #10
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Good on ya, ManyMag, your still in the game. I've no doubt you'd mop the floor with most of here who've trained for the past 20+ years using both hands were we restricted to your methods.

I run some one handed drills here on the farm, from time to time for both my strong hand and the weak one as well and have found that I actually shoot the weak hand a bit better...trigger break is truly a surprise since I use is so infrequently. Best of luck Rod
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Old September 21, 2018, 08:46 PM   #11
ManyMag
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Thanks for the kind words, rodfac, and thank you for your service.
I bought out a gun shop who was going out of business years ago that helped a lot. 10,000 rounds of 22 shorts through an old K22 and just like magic I learned a little. I really have to focus to manage recoil and trigger to this day.
The biggest lesson for me was learning to find equipment that complemented my strengths and not waste time trying to scratch my butt and my head at the same time.
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Old September 24, 2018, 07:34 PM   #12
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I have always practiced with one hand,,, not sure why, guess just cause. I can outshoot a youngster who often shoots with me, and he always uses the correct two hand hold...I’m right handed, have been training myself to shoot left handed, just for fun.
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Old September 24, 2018, 08:57 PM   #13
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I have practiced one handed, both weak and strong side. I actually practice strong hand only fairly often and am as accurate as with a two hand hold (albeit much slower). Why? Well, I may end up like you one day. Or wounded during a SD shooting. Or any number of what if's.

As others have said OP, I admire you for sticking with life and keeping your hobby.
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Old September 25, 2018, 02:41 AM   #14
Nathan
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I’m one handed, but use my prosthesis...hook to support. I’m thinking about working one handed for a while to see if my speed improves.
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Old September 25, 2018, 06:32 AM   #15
ManyMag
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
I’m one handed, but use my prosthesis...hook to support. I’m thinking about working one handed for a while to see if my speed improves.
I tried using mine but in all honesty it got in way more than it helped. My arm's off at the shoulder and the joints weren't strong enough to hold any weight when outstretched. My attitude may have impacted.
With a handgun, speed isn't an issue so much as training for me. As to rifles, a have gone to heavy bolt actions with bipods and simply do not shoot without a rest.
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Old September 25, 2018, 07:28 AM   #16
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I still have my arms and hands but I always shoot handguns one handed unless I'm making a really long shot say 75 yards and over.
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Old September 25, 2018, 07:57 AM   #17
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A fellow that I know lost an arm due to a cannon accident. I met him when I started shooting “Free Pistol” matches (60 shots slow fire at 50 meters. 10 ring is 50 mm dia., just under two inches. WR is 583/600.)
He was using a Thompson Contender with a ten inch barrel; he always outshot me.
My favorite story is about Károly Takács a two time Olympic gold medalist in Rapid Fire Pistol. He lost the use of his right hand in a grenade accident while in the army in 1938.
He practiced in secret using his left hand and after WW2 won gold in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.
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Old September 25, 2018, 06:40 PM   #18
Nathan
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Quote:
I tried using mine but in all honesty it got in way more than it helped. My arm's off at the shoulder and the joints weren't strong enough to hold any weight when outstretched. My attitude may have impacted.
With a handgun, speed isn't an issue so much as training for me. As to rifles, a have gone to heavy bolt actions with bipods and simply do not shoot without a rest.
Mine supports pretty well and I can shoot a rifle off hand, but when drawing fast I don’t quite have a good feel for exactly where my hook is when making that connection. I’m about a 2s draw right now, but I wonder if follow up shots will be slow...
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Old September 25, 2018, 09:22 PM   #19
ManyMag
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
Mine supports pretty well and I can shoot a rifle off hand, but when drawing fast I don’t quite have a good feel for exactly where my hook is when making that connection. I’m about a 2s draw right now, but I wonder if follow up shots will be slow...
I have confidence you'll find a solution.
I'm nowhere near the speed I want but it's steadily improving. All I have to work with is my left arm now due to pacemaker/heart surgeries. I do holster drills and dry fire every day to improve and so far I haven't hit a plateau.
Onward and upward.
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Old September 26, 2018, 09:22 AM   #20
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I’m like Saleen, started out shooting bullseye.

On advice from a master class pistol shooter, I got a copy of the us army marksmanship manual. I advise that for all target pistol shooters.

To me, the biggest thing was learning how to take a correct “natural stance” where hips are aligned so that the firing arm naturally returns to the left/right position without any/much correction.

For big bore six guns that have big “pushes” or “shoves”, I find that one-handed the pistol recoils in an arc, ending up pointed very very high and I may be rocked back but each of these motions is soaking up recoil energy.

Shooting two handed isn’t what i’ve practiced, so I found the recoil rocked me back such that one foot had to shift as I was pushed back. Others make it work but I use one hand even for 454 Casull.

Now, there are some pistols I just don’t like. Glock 22 is a perfect example of this class. I find the recoil to be “sharp twisting”. It feels like the pistol is trying to twist or spin out of my hand (and the report is “Crack!”, much harder on my ears than a big bore “boom!”. For a pistol that’s light weight with short radius and quick impulse (high velocity vs big lead slug) maybe 2 handed is the thing. I just said “okay, that’s interesting. I tried it and don’t like .40” and sold the gun (for what I paid for, can’t complain at all.)

I don’t think most people have a clue how accurate master class bullseye shooters are. It’s stunning and humbling. They all use one hand for a reason. It works.
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Old September 26, 2018, 10:30 AM   #21
Nathan
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Sounds like you are progressing well....this shooting thing is not a race, but an adventure...you just have to find your area of skill and build around it.
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Old September 26, 2018, 04:37 PM   #22
ManyMag
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You said a mouthful. In addition to that,
Finding tools that complement strength beat the heck out of those that expose weakness.
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Old October 2, 2018, 11:13 AM   #23
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My left arm is contracted due to multiple sclerosis and I've been shooting one handed since 2011.
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Old October 2, 2018, 02:10 PM   #24
ManyMag
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Damn.
Are you right handed?
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Old October 2, 2018, 11:41 PM   #25
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I envy one hand shooting. I couldn’t hit an elephant in the butt with a snow shovel one handed
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