350 



RECREATION. 



THE DROP. 



igure *. 



a sneaking coward. Should you be com- 

 pelled to use a pistol the biggest will be 

 none too big, and its appearance alone 

 may possess such moral suasion that you 

 will not have to use it. 



In wearing a pistol learn to carry it in 

 exactly one place. Have the scabbard riv- 

 eted to your belt just where you want it; 

 or wear 2 rifle cartridges, one on each side 

 of the scabbard, and then wear the belt 

 buckle exactly as you wish. Do not have 

 the belt on the waist, but just below the 

 tops of the hip bones. Put your gun in 

 the scabbard and be sure the notch in the 

 leather coincides with the trigger guard. 

 If not, cut it out so the forefinger will 

 easily drop on the trigger, for it is by this 

 the weapon is drawn. I <io not mean a 

 double action, under any consideration ; 

 they are not sufficiently safe for a belt. Re- 

 move with a file the roughness on the top 

 of the hammer and then smooth with 

 emery. 



Put on your gun unloaded. Holding 

 your hand open, thrust your forefinger 

 through the trigger guard (Figure 1), pull 



upward and forward until the gun is oppo- 

 site the face, throw the thumb across (Fig- 

 ure 2), and give the barrel a quick flirt 

 downward, at the same time pushing the 

 arm forward. The pistol is then cocked 

 and in position for firing (Figure 3). If 

 your hands are soft and the roughness is 

 not taken off the hammer, you will have a 

 sore thumb after doing this 12 or 15 times. 

 Hold the arm well out from the body, al- 

 most but not quite straight. With an angle 

 in the elbow the arm trembles. Grip the 

 butt well up toward the hammer, incline the 

 head slightly toward the pistol, and as your 

 eye gets the sights in alignment with the 

 object make a steady pressure with the 

 forefinger until the hammer falls. Should 

 you have a cartridge in, let the recoil carry 

 the barrel up, throw your thumb as before 

 and repeat the former motions. By do- 

 ing this you make the gun work almost au- 

 tomatically. 



There is a system whereby you may dis- 

 charge a single action more rapidly than a 

 double and with more accuracy. It is 

 termed "fanning." Bring the pistol up to 

 the waist line, or a little higher, holding the 

 whole arm and hand rigid (Figure 4). 

 With the other hand open strike the ham- 

 mer briskly at the same time the forefinger 

 of the right hand holds back the trigger; 

 or it can be tied back. Better still, when 

 you are accustomed to using it that way, 

 take the trigger out. For using either sys- 

 tem described a trigger is not neces- 

 sary, but for target shooting it must be 

 used. 



Never give your revolver into any per- 

 son's hands, loaded or unloaded. 



HANDS UP. 

 Figure 3. 



