Fast Draw Tips
This page has been developed to boil down the tips found in the Fast Draw 101 videos, and provide direct links to those specific clips. Click the video icon 
to view more details on the tip.
TIPS INDEX
Guns
The Draw
Practicing Without a Timer
Wax Bullets
Blanks
Miscellaneous
Submit Your Own Tip
Guns
.45 caliber is the size to buy for your Fast Draw gun. Some organizations only allow .45 caliber so that all shooters are using the same equipment, and also because the host supplies the ammo at many of the large contests. In addition, when shooting blanks you'll want to have as much powder in the shell as possible to break the balloon, and the .45 is the largest shell allowed in the sport.
Howard Darby
You can still try Fast Draw if you already own a smaller caliber single-action revolver. You can buy shells and wax bullets for .30, .32, .357, .38 or .44 caliber revolvers, and try it with the equipment you already have on hand.
Howard Darby
4 5/8" (sometimes called 4 3/4") is the barrel length most Fast Draw shooters will want. It's the shortest length allowed in the sport, and the shorter the barrel, the faster your draw. However, you can compete with longer barrels, so if you already have one you can use it in competition.
Howard Darby
If buying a Ruger Vaquero make sure to get the "Ruger New Vaquero" (this will be stamped on the frame). It has a smaller frame than the original Vaquero, and will hold up better to the stresses of a fast rotating cylinder.
Howard Darby
Make sure you know the rules on modifying a gun before you start working on it. Check the rules of the association you want to compete in. If you're using the thumbing style you won't want to do any changes other than a tune job and maybe smoothing the hammer groves and removing the front sight.
Howard Darby
The Draw
Minimize the motion of your hand, arm, and body to speed up your draw. The less unnecessary movement in your draw, the faster it will be.
Howard Darby
Understand your hand creep. Record yourself or have someone watch you as you're waiting for the light to come on to know if your hand is creeping away from the gun, or the index finger is entering the trigger guard while you're waiting for the light to come on.
Howard Darby
Learn from your shots - both the hits and misses. After you fire a very good or very bad shot, make sure you pause a few seconds to understand what you did right or wrong.
Howard Darby
Make your training sessions as much like competition as possible. Wear your cowboy boots so you're used to the feel and slight differences from other footwear, and make sure to have background noise so you're used to blocking that out while waiting for the light.
Howard Darby
Trust the draw you've practiced. I often see new shooters line themselves up when they get ready, miss a shot, then move around to compensate. Trust the draw you've practiced, and don't immediately change your stance on one miss.
Howard Darby
Clear your mind to get the fastest times. If you can go into an almost trance-like state while waiting for the light you'll find you'll get faster times than concentrating intensely.
Howard Darby
Practicing Without a Timer
Use a random start signal to become accustomed to drawing on command. There are a number of ways to create a random start signal to practice your draw:
- Use your cell phone to record a few minutes of video with a light going on and off
- Use the scene changes on your TV
- Have a practice partner give you the "Set" signal, then turn on a light
- Use a blinker in the circuit for your light
Howard Darby
Grey Archer (Grey Gun) (cell phone recording of the light)
Use a laser to practice your accuracy. A laser that fits in a chamber of your cylinder is a great way to know where your shots are going without actually having to fire wax bullets or blanks.
Howard Darby
Wax Bullets
Treat shells with wax bullets with the same safety procedures you would a normal round. Wax bullets can still cause a lot of damage when not used correctly, so please use all normal firearm safety procedures.
Howard Darby
Many shooters prefer Rio 209 primers, but Fiocchi, Nobel Sport and Cheddite are others that often work well. You may find other types of 209 primers back-out and jam your cylinder, but buy a packages of 100 primers from different manufacturers to find what works best in your gun.
Howard Darby
Don't bother making wax shells with black/gun powder - that type of shell will only be used in contests where the host provides the ammunition. Stick with practicing with 209 shotshell primers, as it's easier and cheaper than making powder loads.
Howard Darby
You can convert a Lee Handloader into a wax bullet loader - use the video link to view details. It makes loading wax a breeze, and eliminates sore thumbs from stubborn wax.
Shawn Murphy
Blanks
Shells for blanks should have an enlarged flash hole to prevent primer back-out that can jam-up the cylinder.
Howard Darby
Use a .45 shell full of 1F black powder for your practice blanks. I've tested many different types and recipes of powder mixtures in my blanks, and tested on large paper targets to determine the effective pattern that will break a balloon, and there is no detectable difference between a blank with 1F powder, and one with a faster burning kicker. A blank with a kicker at the bottom may be slightly faster than a blank with only 1F, and many people use them in competition, but for practice you can stick with the 1F that's easier to manufacture.
Howard Darby
Fingernail polish will keep the wads in place. In humid conditions a sticker can come lose in your blanks, but a few spots of fingernail polish will keep them in place.
Howard Darby
Use a .45 ACP box for your blanks instead of a regular .45 box (sometimes called .45 LC) so the shells don't bounce around as much.
Howard Darby
Use wax bullets and a round target to practice blanks. Place the target centered at the same height as you'd shoot the balloon. It's easier to use wax bullets than blanks since it doesn't require you stuffing the balloon after every shot, and uses quieter and easier to make ammunition. However, make sure to try some practice shots with your blanks before going to a contest to get used to the louder sound, and to make sure your blanks will successfully break a balloon.
Howard Darby
Miscellaneous
Compete in a Fast Draw contest for a priceless learning experience. As Nick Quick says, attending a contest is like a hundred practice sessions.
Nick Quick
Video Index:
