New Shooter Rules Question

[Colt McAllister]

I'm building a rifle and a shotgun for a new shooter. He asked a question I couldn't answer. Since I no longer shoot CAS I figured I leave this up to some expert. He wants to shoot a cross draw rig and wants to know if it is illegal to sweep any part of your own body?

 

Thanks,

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

Nope.

[Smokestack SASS#87384]

There is no rule against sweeping yourself, only other people.

[Duncan Disorderly]

you have to keep teh muzzle pointed down range (170 degree rule) so for the cross draw pistol you turn your body for the draw/reholster of the revolver.

[Colt McAllister]

Thanks

[Singin' Sue 71615]

Look in the SASS handbook...

It should give the answers.

Although it is not wise to do so, there is no call on sweeping yourself.

Cross draw is tricky....new shooters really need to get instruction on several issues.

[Carolina Gunslinger]

A lot of places prohibit "unsafe gun handling." This casts a wide and subjective net. Sweeping yourself strikes as unsafe, but it happens in drawing and reholster and has some leeway under the rules.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

I have been shooting with a cross draw holster on my left side for a long, long time now. There is absolutely no SASS rule regarding sweeping your self. There is no SASS rule against holding onto the holster with one hand to steady it while pulling the pistol, or replacing the pistol, with the other hand. Yes, I sweep my own hand every time I do it. But there is no official SASS rule against it. My hammer is down on an empty chamber, and I do not cock the hammer until the pistol is pointing down range, so where is the danger?

 

The basis for this is that with a normal straight draw holster it is just about impossible to pull the revolver up out of the holster without sweeping your own leg or foot. So why penalize the cross draw shooter for sweeping himself when almost everybody else is sweeping themselves on a regular basis? That is why there is no official SASS rule against sweeping your own self, whether it is a cross draw holster or any other type of holster.

 

There is also no official SASS rule about foot movement or 'doing the dance' when pulling or replacing a pistol to a cross draw holster, contrary to what a lot of ROs believe. The rule says you cannot break the 170. Period. So to pull or replace a pistol from a cross draw holster you may or may not have to swivel your hips a bit to keep the muzzle down range while pulling or replacing the holster. If that requires moving your feet, so be it, but the rule only states not breaking the 170, so any movement on the part of the shooter that allows him to keep from breaking the 170 is OK.

 

There is nothing 'tricky' or difficult about using a cross draw holster. As I said, I have been doing it since about 2001. You just need to practice enough so that muscle memory eventually takes over so it becomes natural. And you have to remember that wherever you are, do not sweep anybody else. That includes the loading and unloading tables. I sometimes see new comers who are not aware that muzzle control is just as important at the loading and unloading tables as it is on the firing line.

[Attica Jack #23953]

I shoot crossdraw. When my holsters were new, the guns didn't come out smooth and I hand to use my weak hand to hold the holster while drawing the gun. It was pointed out to me that I was indeed sweeping my weak hand and arm. I worked on those holsters until the guns came out smooth and not sticking. Sweeping yourself, although there is no rule against it, is and accident waiting to happen, and don't do it. Be SAFE!

[Rye Miles #13621]

I reholster my cross draw by putting it in my left hand. I think I probably sweep myself when I do that every time! The gun is unloaded so no big deal!