Gunspinning

Gunspinning refers to the old west tradition and Hollywood legend of a cowboy gunslinger twirling his pistol around his trigger finger. Gunspinning is a western art such as trick roping, and is sometimes referred as gunplay, gun artistry, and gun twirling. Some modern day western performers and actors such as Will Roberts and Joey Dillon can spin guns in each hand, and even incorporate juggling and tosses over the shoulders and around the body. Joey Dillon is a multiple world champion at this craft, as seen as a gun handling expert on the History Channel's Wild West Tech series, and biography and Discovery Channel appearances The majority of gunspinning is seen as a precursor to putting the gun back in its holster. Other times to spin the gun around include a fancy ending to a trick shot, or just to impress or intimidate an opponent. A famous and more recent example of the latter is actor Micheal Biehn's portrayal of Johnny Ringo and his gunspinning duel with Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) in the film "Tombstone." Champion Gunspinner Joey Dillon breaks down how these moves were done in an issue of True West Magazine.

Sources

*"Tombstone" dvd
*True West Magazine October 2006 issue, Joey Dillon Article
*www.joeydillon.com
*www.historychannel.com
*www.twmag.com