Fanning (firearms)

Fanning is a revolver shooting technique in which one hand holds the trigger and the other hits the hammer repeatedly. This turns the cylinder and hits the firing pin, in that order, allowing for 'semi-automatic fire' of single-action revolvers. The technique does not work on double-action, which are designed to require a trigger pull for each shot. When performed very quickly, it can be very damaging to the cylinder stop mechanism. This technique is used extensively in fast draw competitions, which generally use special lightweight aluminum or titanium blank-firing cylinders, rather than the steel cylinders normally found on single-action revolvers.

The idea (as spread by old western films) that people in the "Old West" fanned their hammers in actual firefights with any regularity is considered a caricature. It was done in shooting shows (where trick marksmen entertained crowds with shooting tricks) and by many a curious target-practicer; but it was probably not common in actual firefights, because it doesn't lend itself to most real-life tactical situations, in accuracy or cover. One longtime firearms instructor, George L. Tooley,^[1] said: "Fanning is hard on the revolver, in addition to being inaccurate, and is not recommended".

A similar rapid-fire method called sliding, in which the thumb of the gun hand exerts just enough pressure on the hammer to pull it down, but not lock it into readiness for firing, is also known in many references.

A slip gun is a revolver which has been modified to disconnect the trigger from the hammer, so as to cause it to fire by pulling back and releasing the hammer. Often the hammer spur is lowered, so the gun may be fired by wiping one's finger across the hammer. The only difference from fanning is that only one hand is needed, because in fanning one hand holds the gun and pulls back the trigger while the other hand knocks back the hammer repeatedly. Slip shooting is a little slower than fanning, but more accurate and practical since only one hand is needed.
Slip guns were used for various types of rapid trick shooting in which the ability to instinctively rapid fire was crucial.

Fanning in popular culture

Novels

• The Dark Tower series
• Patricia Savage from the Doc Savage pulp novels
• Hunting for Hidden Gold from The Hardy Boys series
• Many of the J. T. Edson Western novels, in which fanning is resorted to either by bad gun-fighters who know no better or are desperate, or by good gun-fighters who need volume of fire or even a screen of gun-smoke in a hurry. Waxahachie Smith (in Slip Gun and other stories) uses a slip gun because he has suffered amputation of both trigger fingers, and to mitigate the weapon's inaccuracy he loads it with a three-ball cartridge.

Film

• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Butch and Sundance are fanning in the gunfight with the Bolivian payroll bandits.
• The Expendables
• The Wild Bunch
• The Mummy During the sequence of the burning boat, One of the American Treasure Hunter used fanning in firing his revolver to save Jonathan from a Medjai.
• The Man With The Golden Gun (by a cowboy puppet)
• The Dollars Trilogy
• Waking Life
• Django
• Django Unchained (film)
• Tombstone - a 1993 Film set in the American Wild West. Val Kilmer's character Doc Holliday can be seen fanning in the battle at OK Corral.
• The Quick and the Dead - Sharon Stone's character fans several times throughout the movie.
• Westworld Discussed by Peter and John during their trip to Westworld. Peter later does it to "save" John from a second attempt by the Gunslinger.
• Newsies - Christian Bale's character, Jack Kelly, mimics the action in a dance sequence of "Seize the Day".

Comics

• Lucky Luke (prominently on the back cover art)
• Gun Blaze West (once by main character, Viu Bannes)

Computer and video games

• Outlaws
• Darkwatch - Used on the Redeemer
• Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
• Fistful of Frags
• Metal Gear Solid 3
• Call of Juarez
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines
• Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West
• XIII
• Red Dead Redemption
• Borderlands 2
• Destiny (Effect on Hand Cannon, The Last Word)
• PAYDAY 2 effect on pistol, Peacemaker .45
• Destiny The Last Word,Handcannon
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - Secondary fire mode of the R8 Revolver

Role-Playing Games (as playable roles)

• GURPS (Basic Set, High Tech and Wild West supplements)
• Phoenix Command (Wild West Weapon Data Supplement)

References

Bibliography

• Tooley, George L. (2000), George Tooley's Beginner's Book on How to Handle Firearms Safely, Writers Club Press, imprint of iUniverse.com, ISBN 978-0-595-08873-7.