"Why is the dual wield pistol/weapon such an iconic image?" Topic

While watching anime today I could not help but be entrhalled by a mecha dual wielding two pistols, the same goes for a previous anime with a swrodsman who used two shorter blades. Now I have always been drawn to the John Woo two pistol hero as opposed to the guy with a huge weapon. In westerns it is always prefered to see the guy with two wrin revolvers shooting away instead of the guy calmly picking his shot.

So I ask why is this image/style so popular. Is it the symetry, the motion?

It is just the opposite for me. I loved the scene in Unforgiven where Clint Eastwood misses with the pistol and then goes and gets the shot gun and blasts it off of the fence. To me, in a movie, the most effective thing should usually come out on top.

If there is a reason for them to have two weapons, like in the matrix or they are super somehow then fine, but I would think that shooting and aiming two pistols at the same time would be pretty hard.

It doesn't annoy me as much as fist daggers though.

but I would think that shooting and aiming two pistols at the same time would be pretty hard.

Never mind reloading…

It scores style points (sometimes) in my books, such as the Matrix. But generally I think it borders on silly.

or robots that can't aim

I think aiming with two weapons isn't any more difficult. If I were SF, you bet I would have two sidearms on me. :)

Isaias

In a mecha with a targetting computer, probably not any more diffucult. Meatbag without any implants to guide the shots, much more difficult.

Yah, shooting with two guns is tough. I did it today with two HK USP .45's. Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside. But it was fun. :)

I think the issue is that some people carried two guns in the past. Not to shoot at the same time, but as insurance from jams and to get more bullets off before reloading.

Hollywood, being Hollywood, assumed that you could acually usefully fire both at the same time. So the myth was born.

"I think aiming with two weapons isn't any more difficult"

It is pretty difficult, try it sometime. You need to practice, and there are various different grips etc you can use.

It does make reloading a tad tricky.

"why is this image/style so popular"

Because our inner child knows we have two index fingers, and should be able to go "bang bang" with both of them.

Not sure why it's so iconic/popular, but I'd say it has around the same appeal as the semi-auto rapid-fire that I used to see some guys on the range try to do (most failed badly).

As a collector of six-guns back in the day, I did a two-gun range shoot when I was still stationed in Germany, and did quite well (but then, I was actually trying to aim, not just empty my pistols as fast as possible).

Rate of fire, and also the intimidation factor. "Uh-oh, he's got two guns and I've got only one! I'm in trouble!"

Can speak for guns, but twin short swords can be very effective, especially against oponents using spears and other "long" weapons. Getting past the points can be tough, far easier against one opponent than several but once you are in, its a giggle. Against other weapons, it gives a lot of options, turning a parry or feint into an attack very quickly. If you are not that good, a sword and shield is a much safer combo though.

Phil

Have you seen Shoot 'Em Up? you think aiming two guns is bad, you try aiming a handful of bullets….

Everyone knows, that if one is good, two is better…

eastwood did it first in the outlaw josey wales, even getting the camera behind the two pistols as they were deployed and fired alternately. great fun.

what bugs me is the modern (borrowed from anime no doubt) penchant for shooting handguns sideways, it has corrupted all action film gunfights in the last five years or so. bleh.