One of the fastest gunslingers that you’ve probably never heard of is a guy named “Jelly” Bryce.
He was a 32-year law enforcement veteran known for his shooting speed and accuracy.
It was rumored he spent eight hours at a time practicing his draw in front of the mirror.
He started his career in 1928 after participating in a gun shooting contest and impressing a member of the Oklahoma City Police Department.
On Bryce’s second day of work, he encountered a thief hot-wiring a vehicle.
The thief pulled out a gun when Bryce tried to stop him.
But Bryce beat him to the draw and killed the man first.
In the 1930’s the FBI was hunting gangsters.
The problem was that the agents were better known for their suits and less for their marksmanship skills.
So, the FBI recruited Bryce.
In fact, Hoover himself waived the FBI’s college requirement to hire Bryce.
Officially, Bryce was known as a “special negotiator.”
He would talk to suspects and try to end things peacefully.
But unofficially, he was also there to take the shots that needed to count.
He could drop a coin from head level, draw, fire, and hit the coin before it passed his waist – that’s less than two-fifths of a second.
Bryce survived 19 gunfights and trained a generation of gunfighters.
The part of his story that might surprise you is that Bryce trained to shoot from hip level.
Based on his recommendations, the FBI changed their holsters and required agents to keep their weapons concealed under suit jackets.
In addition, agents were taught to shoot from the hip level if the threat was closer than 10 yards.
And when the FBI changes techniques most local law enforcement follow the lead.
As you’ve seen in Hollywood, hip firing was a common shooting stance from the 1930s to the 1970s.
The reason this was popular is because most shooters focused on speed, not accuracy.
And Bryce could do both.
In the 1970’s, modern shooting techniques such as a two-handed grip and weaver stance came into play, replacing hip firing.
But, while shooting from the hip has fallen out of favor, here are a few things to know about the stance.
Why was hip-firing popular?:
The biggest argument for firing from hip level was that it was faster than bringing the gun up to eye level.
Plus, most people who shoot from the hip use one hand.
So, there isn’t time wasted getting two hands on the gun.
Another benefit was that most shooters are bent down in a crouch when firing from the hip, making them a smaller target.
Lastly, many lawmen in the early 1900s wore suit jackets, and it was easier to clear the jacket during the one-handed draw if you were crouching.
Why hip firing is a bad technique:
First, accurately firing from the hip is hard to do.
People like Bryce who are accurate have incredible eyesight.
His eyes were better than 20/20.
Also, Bryce could process visual information quickly, and he could “see faster” than most people.
He even said he could see the rounds leave his gun and watch them hit the target.
Unless you are gifted with superhuman-like skills, then hip shooting could be challenging.
Why you should try shooting from the hip:
I’m not saying I would ever plan to fire your gun from the hip position.
So, if you’re going to practice at the range, you should fire with your gun pointed at the target, at hip level, after you clear the holster.
This is the type of position you should fire from if there was no time to punch the gun out in a two-handed stance.
Bryce was able to master this firing position because of his skills and constant practice.
He spent hours at the range and even more hours in front of a mirror dry firing.
While shooting from the hip is something to try, it should be a secondary firing position.
You need to know how to do it, but it should be a last resort for when space is tight, and you can’t perform a full draw from your holster. (In other words, if you’re in extreme close quarters.)
