"Gun Twirling" & The Road Agent's Spin. - Patina:

 Gun Twirling is 100% bullshit or Showmanship.

Gun Twirling Showmanship:

- That reminds me of  an English joke about naming pensioners as "Twirlies" for trying to use their travel perks on London's buses before 10 a.m .. "Am I too early? (twirly)"

Western performers and some 'trick shooters' liked to end a performance with a flourish by twirling the now EMPTY guns around their trigger finger as they re-holster.

Naturally some Hollywood Movie Makers think that this looks fantastic and have their fake gunslingers act it up at least once in every celluloid fantasy .. and it's equally logical that the hard of thinking Gangsta boys will try this with their loaded shootahs when impressing mixed company. Of course the Emergency Depts retain reasonable supplies of blood and plasma ..  It is unfortunate that the run-of-the-mill thickos don't differentiate between SINGLE ACTION revolvers and DOUBLE ACTION guns - nor do they consider that twirling a LOADED firearm is somewhat less safe than playing tricks with an empty banger.

A maneuver that might be more legitimate from the Wild West is the 'Road Agent Spin' where the bad guy agrees to surrender his arm by holding it out butt forward before flicking it back into his grip for immediate discharge ..

Border Roll or Road Agent's Spin ..

John Wesley Hardin is said to have schooled Wild Bill Hickok on this potentially valuable technique ..

172 Year Old Antique Colt 1849 Pocket Model (a 1852 original)

I doubt too many cynical lawmen were caught by the road agent's spin .. certainly they would not have been fooled twice by it eh.

PATINA:

I like a feed of patina every now & then - but I don't like rust nor grot, grunge, or grubbiness .. my shooters may arrive pretending to be sticky Petri dishes growing mushrooms from toilet seats - but I clean them.

Boiling the metal bits works.

I welcome a little characterful corrosion pitting, wear and impact cratering .. but I insist on them overcoming their old age handicaps by accepting repairs & replacements where possible. I failed with this antique Colt - being a useless old fart - but an old IPSC and Antique Arms mate came to my rescue by doing what I couldn't. He got it working great.

 

A friend in need. You know who you are. A brilliant job - Thanks Mate.

Marty K.