Did Old West cowboys ever use a two-handed grip to fire their handguns?

Did Old West cowboys ever use a two-handed grip to fire their handguns?

Dr. Byron Lloyd
Snellville, Georgia

Jim Roberts, top gun in Arizona’s storied Pleasant Valley War, used that stance on June 21, 1928, when two outlaws robbed the bank in Clarkdale. As they were speeding off in an automobile town marshal Roberts pulled his pistol and—using two hands—shot the driver in the head. He was nearly 70 at the time, and that was his last gunfight.

I would guess quite a number of lawmen preferred the two-hand method. As the saying goes, “Speed is fine,
but accuracy is final.” For shooters without a lot of practice, the two-hand was more reliable.