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After decades of experience
shooting and customizing guns so they can withstand the rigors of Fast
Draw and other competitive shooting sports like CAS, Bob Munden has a lot to say.
Enjoy this edition of In His Own Words and read previous articles
in the archive section below. Check back every month for more of Bob's straight talk!
TOPIC:
Bob
Munden's School of the Fast Gun - 2009
September, 2009
Q:
Tell us about the school.
Bob Munden:
Well for a long time people asked me to show them how to shoot Fast
Draw. At one point (my wife) Becky suggested I set up a school so that I
could show people, who were interested, how to shoot fast from the
holster like the television western stars. They could then, play Fast
Draw for their own enjoyment, demonstrate, “show off” in front of their
friends or compete in Cowboy Fast Draw or Open Class Fast Draw.
I put the word out to see what the reaction to the existence of a school
might be and I filled my first class immediately. That was 1993. It is a
four-day class of not more than eight students. It is here in Butte,
Montana and the cost is $800.00.
I usually schedule the school in July in between festivals and Evel
Knievel Days. Butte is always celebrating something! This year the
school was July 13th through the 16th. I had a full class of eight
students. I try to limit each class enrollment so I am able to give each
student individual attention. My 2009 students included an airline pilot
from Texas, an attorney from California, a highway patrol officer from
Kansas, a successful musician from Tennessee, a radio talk-show host and
his son from Montana, a business man retired from the USMC from Colorado
and an auto body shop owner. It was just a good bunch of guys and I wore
them out shooting, and shooting and shooting! It wore me out too!
During every school all these years, the students have had a blast, pun
intended. It is interesting. Guys who would probably never meet because
their lives and interests are so varied, come together because of this
one interest at my School of the Fast Gun, relax, make friends
instantly, have a great time and learn to shoot Fast Draw, either the
thumbing or the fanning method of draw. I go over safety big time, the
history of Fast Draw (which was invented by the dime novelists and
movies basically) and really get in to teaching these guys. I watch them
shoot, see how they react to the timer, how they move, etc. Then I coach
them all week. We have lunch at nearby restaurants, meet for a group
dinner in the middle of the week – and we provide tourism information so
students and their friends or families can check out
Butte, Montana and the surrounding areas.
Q:
What is required equipment to attend your School of the Fast Gun?
Bob Munden:
First they need a gun that can be customized to withstand the rigors,
the extreme stress on the guns. A stock gun out of the box will
absolutely be destroyed if somebody tries to shoot Fast Draw with it.
They will mess up the locks and leads-in on the cylinder, break the
trigger; even ruin the frame of the gun itself. They might get away with
a couple of shots, but the gun will be destroyed. I guarantee it. So,
when someone wants to come to the school, they must own a “Race Gun”
that I can only “build” on a Colt or a Ruger New Vaquero. I sometimes
have Colts or Ruger New Vaqueros for sale already customized. The
Italian copies of a Colt just will not hold up and/or cannot be
modified. I don’t have a problem with Colt clones for target shooting or
Cowboy Action Shooting, but not for Fast Draw. (If you want to compete
in Cowboy Fast Draw, make sure the holster qualifies for that sport.
Visit
www.CFDA.com). If you are
interested in Open Class Fast Draw with the World Fast Draw Association,
then I would recommend a holster from
Galco, International l like I use or one from Alfonso’s,
their #A2.
Q:
Why is there only one School of the Fast Gun each year?
Bob Munden:
Well, I am busy all year doing gun work for customers, doing exhibition
shooting for the television crew of Shooting USA’s Impossible Shots once
or twice a year, traveling for performances – and, if we can fit it in,
my wife and I enjoy going to Bike Week at Sturgis on our Harley.
In a separate situation from the scheduled school, if a private group of
friends of at least six, for example, wants to come to a school, I can
set up a time to do a school just for them. The school has been great. I
have had several students come back again and again, signing up right
away for the next year so they don’t lose their spot. They like living
the dream of being a cowboy shooting Fast Draw. It’s fun. I know – I’ve
been doing it all my life! -- Bob Munden
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Do you have questions about
Bob Munden's Six-Gun Magic gunsmith work on single actions, Smith &
Wesson double-action revolvers or Bond Derringers? Call
Munden Enterprises at 406-494-2833 (8am- 8pm MST), or
visit our
contact
page.
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