Like riding a bicycle or baiting a hook, some things are not forgotten even though we may never do them again. Shooting a single-action revolver is much the same, although some would argue that there is no inherent skill needed, once you know the fundamentals of handgun shooting in general.

Ruger's new 50th Anniversary .44 Magnum Blackhawk combines the smaller XR-3 grip of the original with the New Model transfer-bar system.

That, of course, is a totally erroneous statement. A single action comes with its own set of guidelines comprising some very basic but often critical do's and don'ts.

During the 19th century, and prior to the 1870s--before the widespread advent of the double-action revolver--there was no trick to shooting a single action, for that was all there was. You either did it correctly or ended up literally shooting yourself in the foot, or worse. But even with the growing acceptance of double actions, most gunmen of the time still preferred to cock the hammer before squeezing off a round, as the longer, stiffer trigger pulls of those early wheelguns made accurate bullet placement pretty much a single-action situation.

As handguns evolved, double actions and semiautomatics began appearing in more holsters. By the middle of the 20th century, unlike bike riding or fishing, knowing how to shoot a single action had become relegated to the same fate as knowing how to drive a horse-drawn buckboard or using button hooks to fasten high-topped shoes. Though these tasks were once considered part of everyday life, no one knew how to do them anymore.

The long hammer throw of the single-action revolver demands a steady hold to keep the gun on target during let-off.

That began to change in the 1950s with the small-screen phenomenon of TV westerns and the subsequent fast-draw craze. This, in turn, begat the return of the single-action revolver, most notably early replicas from firms such as Hy Hunter and, soon afterward, with Ruger's Single Six and Blackhawk revolvers, followed by Colt's reintroduction of its famed Single Action Army. Later, German and Italian clones were added to the mix.

In the early years, fast-draw specialists such as Arvo Ojala and Rod Redwing made their livings--and reputations--by instructing actors--and, indirectly, the public--in the forgotten skill of sixgun shooting. Thus, a lost art was rediscovered by a new generation of shooters.

In the interest of showmanship, however, a number of improbable--and impractical--techniques were exploited during the television western/fast-draw era of the '50s and '60s. The most notorious was "fanning" a single action, in which the hammer was slapped back with the off hand while the gun hand kept the trigger depressed. In this way, a number of rapid-fire shots could be fanned dramatically faster than thumb-cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger for each shot.

However, while fanning looked spectacular on screen with five-in-one studio blanks, it was highly inaccurate and exceedingly dangerous with live ammo, as recoil would send the bullets all over the terrain. Additionally, the practice played havoc with gun parts.

Another potentially dangerous single-action ploy was the art of fast draw itself. Typically, this was only done using blanks in tandem with specially designed metal-lined holsters (which did not exist in the 19th century) made by craftsmen such as Ojala, Andy Anderson, Dee Woolem and, years earlier, Ed Bohlin. The metal lining enabled the hammer to be cocked while the gun was still in the holster. Thus, the single action was ready to fire the instant the muzzle cleared leather. Of course, nobody in his right mind would ever attempt this technique with live ammunition--an invitation to disaster.