By SCOTT BAUGHMAN

John Gimbel proudly displays the five gold medals he won at the South Carolina State Games in June. Gimbel was awarded four medals for pistol shooting and one for rifle shooting. He set a new national record at the competition.

Ledger Staff Writer

Amidst the smoke and flash from six rounds of gunfire, there’s a glint of metal in the air. But it isn’t lead, it’s gold dangling from the neck of John Gimbel.

A Gaffney weapons instructor for the National Rifle Association and a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division concealed weapons permit instructor, Gimbel traveled to the South Carolina State Games in June and won five gold medals for sharpshooting. Four medals were awarded for his pistol skills and one for the rifle competition.

“I’ve been involved in competitive shooting for the past 30 years,” Gimbel recalled. “And I still love it.”

Gimbel also set a new national record in one event. Facing down metal turkey targets, he bulls-eyed 14 in a row at a distance of 75 meters. The contest was restricted to those firing a hunting pistol with open sights.

“Open sights means you’re not allowed to have a scope,” Gimbel said. “You can only use the sights on the top of the gun and on the barrel. The competition this year was stiff, but I had a great time.”

In addition to his training for the SC State Games, Gimbel also participates in old west style shooting events around the nation. The 60-year-old has authentic cowboy attire and has custom crafted numerous firearms for historical and competitive events at the shows.

“This is my pearl handled revolver I use for ‘fanning the hammer’,” Gimbel said with a grin. “It may look small, but this gun represents about 100 hours of metalworking to complete the custom job. The gun fires .45 caliber bullets, but it has been drilled out to use .22 caliber charges to make it shoot faster. And, in most all your shows, everyone uses wax bullets anyway.”

“Fanning the hammer” is a term used to refer to a style of firing a revolver without pulling the trigger. A shooter merely aims the pistol, and then uses his off hand to rapidly slap the lever, or hammer, on the back of the firing chamber. The result, in skilled hands, is six shots fired faster than the human eye can see. The extensive metalworking is necessary to keep the gun from jamming and breaking when “fanning the hammer.”

“In less than the time it takes you to blink, a good shooter can empty his gun by fanning the hammer,” Gimbel added.

At a recent demonstration at the Gaffney Board of Public Works firing range, he backed up his statement with proof. Setting up a regulation timer, Gimbel fired six shots in one second.

“Now during a western competition, you’re also timed on how fast you draw the gun,” he said. “Accuracy and speed are equally important. There’s a balloon you have to shoot out. So, if you draw and fire in, say, 0.85 seconds, but you miss the balloon, your score is recorded as if it had taken you one second to draw and fire. In competitive shooting, that time difference is an eternity.”