set in the late 70's. SWPL mistakenly retired the match, just assuming noone would ever beat Bill French's time. this was an average of 5 draw and hits, on 12" circle at 7 yds. It was done with an "open front" holster, a mere shelf that lets the gun fall on the ground if the shooter just shrugs a shoulder. The hand start positon was "visible hand distance" between hand and gun. that means, the palm was hovering just off of the butt, by maybe 1/4". French tried annually, for 8 years, until he finally got 5 straight hits, using a one hand point.
I had Bob Arganbright make me such a rig, and within an hour's practice, I was averaging in the low .40's, with a one handed point, and in the low .50's (seconds) if going to Weaver.
The open front is actually faster than holding the gun in your hand, because you can overcome the inertia of your hand only, then use the momentum of your moving hand to help you overcome the inertia of the pistol. If you are holding the gun, you have to overcome both the inertia of your hand and that of the gun, from a dead stop. Of course, such open front rigs are completely impractical for actual carry of a gun.
I had Bob Arganbright make me such a rig, and within an hour's practice, I was averaging in the low .40's, with a one handed point, and in the low .50's (seconds) if going to Weaver.
The open front is actually faster than holding the gun in your hand, because you can overcome the inertia of your hand only, then use the momentum of your moving hand to help you overcome the inertia of the pistol. If you are holding the gun, you have to overcome both the inertia of your hand and that of the gun, from a dead stop. Of course, such open front rigs are completely impractical for actual carry of a gun.
