Fast Draw

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Fast Draw is a sport based on the romanticized art of the gunslingers in the American Old West, using traditional single action revolvers. Unlike Cowboy action shooting, Fast Draw is shot with special blanks or wax bullets. While some competitions are strictly against the clock, with the fastest time winning, many are set up as head to head single or double elimination matches.

In a fast draw competition, shooters must start with the gun holstered, and their hands not touching the gun. A signal, usually both audible and visible, signals the shooter to fire. A timer is started when the signal is given. The shooter fires at either a metal plate (for wax bullets) or a balloon (for blanks). The timer is rigged to stop on the sound of the wax bullet hitting the plate, or the balloon popping. Different types of match can use one or more targets, and the shooter can fire from a standing position, or while walking towards or backing away from the target(s).

Fast draw is one of the fastest sports. A world class competitor can draw and fire a shot in under half a second; the current world record for open style standing blanks is 0.208 seconds--and that includes the time to react to the signal. Given that the average human reaction time is around 0.2 to 0.25 seconds, the round is over before most people can react. The reaction times of the best fast draw shooters is 0.145 seconds, which means that the gun is cocked, drawn, aimed (from the hip), and fired in just over 0.06 seconds. To establish a World Fast Draw Association record, a second shot must be fired in the same competition that is no more than 0.03 seconds slower than the first; this is intended to prevent a shot that anticipates the start signal from setting a record. In competitions where two rounds must be fired, at separate targets, less than 0.10 seconds separate the shots.

Records

Here are some examples of world records, from April 1st, 2006, from the World Fast Draw Association:

Record times (in seconds)		MEN				WOMEN
		Single Shot	Event Total*	Single Shot	Event Total*	Single Shot	Event Total*	Single Shot	Event Total*
Standing Blanks 4" @ 8' (Index)	Open Style	Ernie Hill	.219	Howard Darby & Ernie Hill	1.180	Linda Mastro	.255	Joyce Tryon	1.409
	Traditional Style	Howard Darby	.252	Howard Darby	1.334	Peggy Franks	.294	Nicole Franks	1.624
Standing Blanks 4" @ 8' (Elimination)	Open Style	Ernie Hill	.208	n/a	n/a	Linda Mastro	.246	n/a	n/a
	Traditional Style	Ed Thielke	.236	n/a	n/a	Nicole Franks	.263	n/a	n/a
Standing Wax 15' (Index)	Open Style	Joe Nelson	.240	Ernie Hill	1.371	Lucy Fair	.319	Sharon Wenrick	2.144
	Traditional Style	Rich Parmentier	.280	Ron Phillips	1.854	Jan Barry	.357	Dinah Elrich	2.644
Double Blanks 4" @ 8' (Index)	Open Style	Bob Mernickle	.377	Bob Mernickle	1.246	Dee Wiwchar	.494	Lucy Fair	1.591
	Traditional Style	Rich Parmentier	.404	Cal Elrich	1.309	Peggy Franks	.509	Rita Guerra	1.926

See also

• Cowboy action shooting
• Bridgeport rig
• Gunspinning
• Nicole Franks, Women's World Champion
• Bob Munden, former Guinness record holder

External links

• Ohio Fast Draw Association
• Cowboy Fast Draw Association
• World Fast Draw Association
• Online reaction time test