Has there ever been documented dual wielding gun battles?

[CountGlockula]

I got onto Google and only found video game references.

But how effective is dual wielding in a gun battle? Any military documented events? Are there tactical courses that teach a shooter to use both guns effectively?

Let's start a discussion. Thanks.

 

[rcmodel]

Very few people could hit Diddly Squat with either gun shooting two guns at the same time.
Mainly because you can't use the sights on both or either at the same time.

Then there is the sticky issue of reloading quickly, or clearing malfunctions with a gun in each hand.

Fogadaboutit!

It's for the movie hero's & video gamers.

rc

 

[Officers'Wife]

If you were being attacked by two barns @ 30 feet you might have a 50/50 chance of hitting both with the first shot(s).

 

[RevolvingGarbage]

I would bet that back in the days of blackpowder muzzle loading pistols, dual wielding was a sound a legitimate tactic, and could have conceivably been so until about the adoption of the metallic cartridge revolver. Once reloading the gun in your one hand became fast enough to be done while in a gun fight, having the second hand occupied with another gun would loose its usefulness.

That said, many people believe if you are going to use a small "J frame" type revolver for personal defense, a second identical gun accessible by your weak hand could be brought to use much faster than a reload or the first gun.

You could say that "dual wielding" does still hold a small amount of tactical sense in some situations. but generally speaking, its hollywood/video game nonsense.

 

[W.E.G.]

Its Bill Ruger's fault.

 

[happygeek]

I tried this one time on private land with a mountain as a backstop. The man size target was about 10 yards away. At that distance and standing still while attempting this, it's not hard to hit most of the shots. It's about the same as shooting one pistol at a time, one handed, without using the sights. Like most, I'd say it's less effective than using both hands on one pistol and actually aiming. I know I'd be hard pressed to make any hits using two pistols on a target at 20 to 25 yards.

I also tried shooting a 22 rifle from the hip that day, also at a man size target about 10 yards away. Accuracy was similar to the two pistols experiment. Again, much more effective to actually aim.

I'd say both techniques are just hollywood. Heck, the only reason I tried them was to see how well movie style shooting works. Forgot to mention, also tried holding the pistol sideways that day.

 

[murdoc rose]

you might be able to hit someone if you had a shotgun in each hand otherwise it would take years of dedicated practice and thousands of rounds to even come close to having a skilled shot

 

[testosterone]

Jerry Miculek can, at least at about 5 yards or so, but he will probably also be remembered as the greatest shooter of all time.

 

[N003k]

I have no proof of this (And for the life of me can't even find it on google now.) but, I once HEARD, and fairly sure read, that Russian officers would dual wield M1895 Nagant revolvers and fire from the hip, but, it was supposed to be more for just throwing a a bunch of rounds down range at once, not for hitting anything.

Once again, until I can find proof though, it's just something I heard awhile ago, so, don't take anything from it.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

A detective on a robbery stake out in Akron, Ohio, engaged a robber by himself with a 6 shot Colt snubnose in one hand, and a S&W 5 shot in the other. He fired 11 shots, and I believe he hit the guy all 11 times, but I could be wrong on that. It was at a Lawson's (later became "Dairy Mart"), on W. Market St. near Merriman Rd. in the late 1970's.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I would say it's pretty effective nut useless with te advent of high capacity pistols.
However if you want to train for it go for point shooting with either hand and take it from there.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

It was a common practice by mounted partisans during the Civil War. "Bloody" Bill Anderson used two(ala,Josie Wales) revolvers while holding the reins between his teeth. The resulting "slobber" is what led to the myth that he foamed at the mouth when fighting.

 

[Owen]

http://www.pt103.com/PT_Boat_Components_Browning_50_Cal_M2_Twin_Mount_Mark_17.html

probably not what you are looking for...

 

[earlthegoat2]

If it was me and I had two guns, you better believe I would shoot one until empty and then take up the other with my strong hand and repeat.

 

[j-easy]

I am sure this has happened somewhere in a gang related shooting, and I too have heard they used to do this in the days of the black powder pistols.

 

[buy guns]

 

[owlhoot]

One of the competition categories in cowboy shooting ("gunfighter") calls for double wielding. However, the revolvers are fired alternately and may not be fired simultaneously. Most of the shooters are quite accurate and fast with their weak hands.

A more difficult task is drawing and firing two guns simultaneously at two different targets. This is, of course, strictly a point shooting endeavor. I've seen a few who are quite good at this

 

[Cromlech]

Real life? No idea. In something like the Matrix (where they are plugged into a huge video game for life, basically), Neo having eleventy-billion guns under his coat makes (relative) sense.

Say you have a couple of Glock 18s that are expendable and you need a massive amount of rounds in a short space of time, in a confined area. You could dump 33 rounds from each of them and then drop the suckers.

/videogameandmoviekiddy

Seriously though, I'm sure that having an MP5K or an UZI with a few spare mags would be more practical.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Movie guns have no recoil, either.

 

[BHP FAN]

in the black powder era using two pistols was fairly common,and for a couple of good reasons.First,because of the slow reload,as a couple of other members mentioned before me.The other,is that BP revolvers are prone to jamming due to cap fragments.Think how embarrassing that could be in a gunfight! It just made sense to have another gun to continue the fight...

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

there sure have:

hollywood guns don't kick lol

 

[jeffmack]

If you are facing 12:00 and you point both guns at 10:00 and shoot without thinking, you are very likely to shoot yourself in the left hand.

 

[Cosmoline]

Back in the flintlock days, I believe it wasn't unheard of to wield two pistols. With repeaters there's no real point to it. If anyone did it IRL it would probably have been one of the crazier bank robbers from the 20's or 30's.

 

[FenderTK421]

Speaking of the BP days (primarily flintlock days) there are reliable accounts of men, particularly naval men, who would carry a brace or 'bandoleer' of pistols. Perhaps 4-6 being common. The idea was that when one weapon had expended it's only shot; that weapon would be discarded for the next. As to whether they were fired simultaneously from both hands, I highly doubt it. The revolving BP percussion guns of 50-100 years later offered more firepower and accuracy; if a 2nd was carried it would be used as just that - a back up in case shreds of cap jammed up the action, or you expended your ammunition from the 1st gun. While studying the Civil War I have never heard of an officer carrying a 2nd pistol, but that doesn't mean it never happened. I would say 'dual wielding' is a Hollyweird and video game fetish with little to no historical or practical grounds.

 

[isp2605]

Oct 2, 1996. We had a federal fugitive hiding out in a local hotel room. As soon as our breecher hit the door when our team tried to make entry he opened up with a TEC-9 in one hand and a Colt Mustang .380 in the other just as fast as he could work the triggers. In just a couple of seconds he fired 11 rds. It sounded like he was running full auto. The computer reconstruction of the event showed that our point man should have been hit 4 times, the #2 in the stick hit twice, and I should have been hit twice. How we all missed getting hit is still a miracle.
He was standing about 3/4 of the way into the room. Forget the exact distance in feet. It was just a typical, common size room with 1 bed, a desk, chair, and TV so he wasn't far.