Can I offer the possibity that it may have started as some misguided attempt at ergonomics? Hold your arm out straight in front of you, with your hand relaxed. What is the position of your hand? It seems to me that your hand is palm down, perhaps slightly tilted palm in. If you put a gun in that relaxed hand, you’d be holding the gun gangsta style. Someone may have reasoned that this relaxed hand position would offer better accuracy, or more speed, or a faster draw, or some such. And others copied it because they believed him, and others copied them because it looked cool and different, and others copied them because it was the style gangstas used, and others copied them because they saw it in a movie.
Funny, color me skeptical, but is there a scientific physiological reasoning why one aims better with the forearm supinated rather than pronated? If this was a laser pistol with no kickback, would it matter?
I’m guessing that all you firearm experts who’ve tried sideways shooting and found it to be awkward and inaccurate are not really giving it a chance.
Put in the same hours of practice in your lifetime that you had with upright shooting as you would with sideways shooting, and then tell me which is more accurate.
It’s like right handed people trying out writing with their left hand and saying that left handed writing is ridiculous because it comes out all wriggly… not to people who’ve only written lefty.
Peace.
“You can’t speak in a non-English language with any efficacy! Why, I’ve tried it one day, and I couldn’t have any sensible communication. All those foreign speaking foreigners are just trying to look cool and aren’t communicating accurately at all!”
When firing a pistol properly, the forearm is neither supinated nor pronated. The proper grip is actually the most natural. Stand with your arms at your sides. Raise your hands in front of you to shoulder height and do not rotate your arms/hands at all. You will note that the hands are vertical, neither supinated nor pronated.
As for being able to develop facility with a daft grip, yes, it can be done. That does not mean it is ideal. I could develop the ability to do laboratory experiments hanging upside down. I would be a fool to waste my time doing so.
Actually, if the magazine is in proper working order, and you have a strong grip, it should cycle another round. Not a very accurate way to shoot, however.
People are ignorant on how important a good grip on the weapon is (I’m talking semi-auto’s here). Many police officers who get into real life shooting situations are stunned when their perfectly maintained weapon jams on the first or second shot. The reason that happens is their brain is sending oxygen to other parts of the body during “fight or flight” and their grip on the weapon is weakened. A weak grip on a semi-auto changes the energy distribution and can cause a feeding malfuction, thus jamming the gun.
I don’t think John Woo is behind this. He’s more noted for having characters hold a pistol in each hand.
Well, as an Italian lesbian who grew up in a pretty rough 'hood and hung with gangstas, I was always told the 90 degree cock was for two reasons. You do trade accuracy, but you can pop off more rounds in less time. Also, if you’re running and shooting at the same time, it’s easier to fire if your arm isn’t twisted, as it would be if you were to fire using proper aim.
I never practiced any of the above methods, and I will categorically deny any such accusations. Also, I may send a very large man by the name of Vinnie The Nose to your home, which may result in broken legs.
Wow, is the House o’ Guns offering free gift-wrapping now?
Didn’t crash Moz 1.3 on Win2k; it displayed fine. If you have an older version, maybe upgrade now?
In one of those Anarchist’s Cookbook-type books I read as a child it advocated welding a metal tube to the underside of a shotgun and then holding the shotgun sideways (holding onto the tube with one hand) while firing. This would send the “spray” sideways rather than up, allowing for a better kill ratio when firing into a group, or something.