Gunspinning refers to the Old West tradition and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

legend of a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

gunslinger twirling his handgun around his trigger finger. Gunspinning is a Western Art such as

trick roping Floreo de reata or trick roping is a Mexican entertainment or competitive art involving the spinning of a lasso, also known as a lariat or a rope. Besides Mexico and Mexican charrería, it is also associated with Wild West shows or Western arts in ...

, and is sometimes referred as gunplay, gun artistry, fancy gun handling or gun twirling Though there isn’t an official competition. World Champions have been determined based on a performers skill and artistry. Former World Champions in this Western Art form include Rider Kiesner, Howard Darby, Rudy Uresti and Will Roberts. . Gunspinning is seen in many classic TV and film Westerns, such as '' Shane'' and ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (, literally "''The good, the ugly, the bad''") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach a ...

''. The majority of gunspinning is seen as a precursor to putting the gun back in its

holster A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be atta ...

. It may be used as a flashy ending to a trick shot, or just to impress or intimidate an opponent.

Notable examples

Some modern day Western performers and actors such as Dony Robert and Joey Rocketshoes Dillon can spin guns in each hand, and even incorporate juggling and tosses over the shoulders and around the body. Dillon is a multiple world champion at this craft. In 1942, former boxer Ben Foord played a

practical joke A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. The perpetrat ...

on his wife by sneaking up her with a

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

and pretending to be a desperado. Foord attempted gunspinning in the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

style and accidentally shot himself in the face, killing himself.{{cite web, url=http://theboxingbulletin.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/dark-mirror-when-max-baer-met-ben-foord.html, title=When Max Baer Met Ben Foord, publisher=theboxingbulletin.blogspot.co.uk, date=31 December 2012, accessdate=1 January 2013

References

Firearm techniques Shooting sports

Notable examples

See also

References