Where did the term “shoot from the hip” come from? Alexander F. Durvin Jr. Fort Washington, Maryland “Shoot from the hip” refers to gunmen who literally fired their pistols or rifles from the hip area, without really aiming the firearm at someone. That did not happen often—someone who shot from the hip was more likely to miss (unless their target was up close). Today it often means someone who talks or acts without thinking. They may be extremely honest—“straight shooters,” if
March 2011
In This Issue:
Western Books & Movies
- Quanah Parker Looks Promising
- Hart Ranch Reopens
- Mangold’s Texas Ranger
- True Grit
- Robert Conrad Dares Ya
- Guidebooks to Tombstone
- Sweetgrass Mornings
- Law of the Gun
- Best of the West 2010: New Stories from the Wide Side of the Missouri
- Roundup!
- The Frontier of Leisure
- Old Yellowstone Days
- The Crime Buff’s Guide to Outlaw Texas
- Lost Mines & Buried Treasures of Old Wyoming
More In This Issue
- How did John Clum’s first wife die?
- Was the large-loop lever rifle featured in John Wayne Westerns ever used in real life?
- What is the origin of “pistol?”
- Were Gatling guns ever used during the Indian Wars?
- What kind of gun did Pat Garrett use to kill Billy the Kid?
- Wasn’t there a TV program about Elfego Baca?
- Where did the term “shoot from the hip” come from?
- David Zucker
- Amarillo, Texas
- Making History on Horseback
- Cutting Through the Smoke
- 150 Places to Celebrate Kansas’s 150th Birthday
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Pony Express?
- How Did Davy Really Die?
- Full Steam Ahead
- Where the Bodies Are Buried
- Coffee with Lizards?
- A Deadly Oasis
- Cowboys & Steampunkers
- Will the Real John Clum Please Stand Up?
- Will the Real John Clum Please Stand Up?
- Who Needs a Chiropractor?