Captain Quigley here,
I have been a NCOWS member longer than I can remember. Joined even when the closest NCOWS shoot was a days drive from Colorado. Enjoyed what you(we) stood for and the magazine, even though I could not participate. BTW, I am also a SASS member, have been for decades. I have since moved to SC and have brought in 2 new members to NCOWS.
I would like to ask all the Territorial Congress members what providence they used to approve the Two Handed shooting method as being period correct. I read in every Shootist on how we pride ourselves on "Authenticity", "Old West Spirit", and Reenacting, per the black page of the Shootist. We frequently see on the front cover a member using a two handed grip. As a 20+ year veteran of Civil War and Indian wars cavalry, I am fairly well versed in period correct authencity and the historical research used to justify the equipment , and procedures we use. I have never seen or read a single incidence where a two handed revolver hold was taught or documented. Well, there was Mattie holding that horse pistol in True Grit, but a single incidence does not document common usage .
Now ya'll went and combined this "Creative Anachnorism" into the same class as the members who use a single handed hold as was done in the times we portray.
What has happened here? While you constantly berate SASS, you have allowed, no preferred, the same speed shooting method that the "Fastest" shooters use to win their Top Competitor competitions. There is no way the average duelist shooter can match the speed of a two handed shooting method. Were the two handed Gamers not winning enough awards to fuel their egos?
Yes, yes...you passed this change off as a method to reduce they number of classes.
Well, here is a suggestion. Eliminate the two handed shooting method, except for the young, weak or infirm. Eliminate this two handed anachronism from all shoots (except for Mattie) and truly and authentically represent the Old West we claim to portray.
Just my humble opinions and suggestion from this life long cowboy, historian, and cavalry reenact.
Captain Quigley
NCOWS L-131
aka: Terry Guriel