Love or hate Lindybeige, he does have a way of explaining military history, and militaria. NB...he will probably irritate the crap out of some who may watch this Youtube clip; Lindybeige refers to cartridges as bullets...but that aside, it's quite a clear explanation.
That was one of the most annoying f'ing things I have seen in ages...fanning.... perhaps in a Spaghetti Western....LOL And I think he took too much speed before he tried to record it.
Perhaps in some things he may not be as gifted an amateur than in others...his Youtube clip on 'The Platoon' contains a very elementary error, and some of his explanations don't pass muster when checked against official doctrine and contemporary military literature. A platoon commander's 2ic a 'Sergeant Major'??? Perish the thought! That persnickety criticism aside...his explantions are substantially reasonable. As to the 'fanning' technique of rapidly re-cocking a single action revolver....the dime store pulp fiction western has done much to mythologise the art of the pistolero which has consequently inspired Hollywood, and popular culture to romanticise that, and other inauthentic nonsense.
There is nothing reasonable about anything he said,the man knows very little about guns. But stupid people will believe every thing he said.
Well, if there was nothing reasonable about nothing that he said, then the things that he did say, must have been reasonable...I think that is how English grammar works; well, usually...that double negative thingy making a positive...well, it got Donald the magnificent out of a little hot water some while back....anyways, lets not get hung up on didactic expositions of the minutiae of English grammar.... I appreciate your insightful observation of Mr Beige's knowledge of single action and double action guns....but it is just your opinion, if that counts for very much. And you are right: stupid people will believe just about anything they are told....which accounts for unwavering belief by people wearing patriotic hats at their dear leader's rallies and speaking engagements....and people having unwavering faith in their sacred texts or political orthodoxy. If you care to indicate which particular explanations were wrong in Mr Beige's video (no credit points for pointing out incorrect usage of the word bullet (instead of cartridge), or his explanation of 'fanning' single action revolvers), then perhaps, we may have a more interesting discussion, and perhaps learn something? I guess I should have added YMMV at the end of my OP introduction.
Ah....your irony meter must need recalibration, and your capacity to detect when i am having a joke at my own expense needs a little more fine tuning.
For those that know firearms there certainly were some "errors", but for general run of the mill not so smart public it was a pretty decent explanation. Think of it as first grade as compared to college level courses that many here know. "Look Dick", said Jane, "see Spot run." is not a Pulitzer winning story line, but it is a start for a 6 year old.
They didn't achieve that level of skill without a serious amount of training and practice....much more than a plummy speaking British toff whose familiarity with revolvers and auto pistols is any more impressive as some monkeys' familiarity here with elementary grammar is. It would be a mistake to assume that the majority of cowboys back in the day were as competent with their sidearms as some trick shooters in travelling carnivals and wild west shows. Not that you are making that suggestion. For most, their pistols and long arms were workingmen's tools, and for most, they only needed sufficient skill to put food in the pot, despatch varmints (two or four legged) and put injured stock out of their misery. Ammunition probably wasn't often frittered away to master fancy trick shooting.
So, Your making fun of my grammar knowing in south Louisiana we bastardize it on purpose in order that many can't follow what we say or really mean? Bless your heart, Come here and I'll bring you out to do a bit of fanning,hahaha
Well, I got six months in jail, my back turned to the wall Fannin' that thing was the cause of it all So fan it, fan it, gotta fan it and cool it Honey till the cows come home Willie Nelson sed it.
Willie was also prone to indulge himself in a certain illicit weed...fannin' his fanny with that alight in the wrong place at the wrong time'll get one six months of fan dance time....Willy may have been using a little artistic licence with his lyrics.
Well, it wasn't his sixgun he was fannin' (or even talkin' about. Dunno how that one got past the censors.)