History Main / GunTwirling

A character spins a gun by the trigger around the finger. [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace Breaks pretty much every rule of gun safety at once]], but at least it [[RuleOfCool looks cool]].

* In the {{KingoftheHill}} episode "Soldier of Misfortune" Dale talks about a phony story about how he supposedly performed a hit on a man to his gun club, upon finishing his story he twirls his pistol he had used to tell the story he ends up dropping the gun and it discharges hitting a cash register.

* Revolver Ocelot of ''MetalGearSolid'' does this, seeing as how his weapon of choice is a single action revolver. He does it during his ''entire'' introductory speech in ''MetalGearSolid'' game, and in [[MetalGearSolid3 MGS3]] he's seen twirling his original service pistol, and a ''crossbow'' at one point, and then with three pistols at the same time in some crazy UpToEleven varient of Russian Roulette.

* Link, the hero of ''TheLegendOfZelda'' series, does this in Twilight Princess both while locked onto enemies and as a end-of-battle flourish. As well, many times in the series he uses the Spin Attack, where he spins in a circle while swinging his sword.

** Also the scene on the street when Doc is called a Drunken Piano player and told he's probably seeing double, he pulls his second pistol and spins them in opposite directions with his [[spoiler:tin cup]] still in his hand (a very difficult trick), and says "Well I've got 2 guns, one for each of you" in a {{pre ass kicking one liner}} [[spoiler:that sadly doesn't quite pan out]]. seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_6Xhyusw94 start at 0:45.

** Also the scene on the street when Doc is called a Drunken Piano player and told he's probably seeing double, he pulls his second pistol and spins them in opposite directions with his [[spoiler:tin cup]] still in his hand (a very difficult trick), and says "Well I've got 2 guns, one for each of you" in a {{pre ass kicking one liner}} [[spoiler:that sadly doesn't quite pan out]].

** Also the scene on the street when Doc is called a Drunken Piano player and told he's probably seeing double, he pulls his second pistol and spins them in opposite directions with his tin cup still in his hand (a very difficult trick), and says "Well I've 2 guns, one for each of you" in a {{pre ass kicking one liner}} that sadly doesn't quite pan out.

-Also the scene on the street when Doc is called a Drunken Piano player and told he's probably seeing double, he pulls his second pistol and spins them in opposite directions with his tin cup still in his hand (a very difficult trick), and says "Well I've 2 guns, one for each of you" in a {{pre ass kicking one liner}} that sadly doesn't quite pan out.

*Also the scene on the street when Doc is called a Drunken Piano player and told he's probably seeing double, he pulls his second pistol and spins them in opposite directions with his tin cup still in his hand (a very difficult trick), and says "Well I've 2 guns, one for each of you" in a {{Crowning moment of awesome}}.

* An almost-ThrowItIn moment in ''The Mexican'' has Brad Pitt's character drop his gun when he tries to do it. (He actually ''did'' do it by accident on set, but that wasn't the take they used in the film -- just the inspiration.)

*** Which was then used in {{Modern Warfare}} 2 with [[GunsAkimbo Akimbo]] Model 1887 shotguns. When each round is loaded for the next shot, the user twirls the shotgun.

* The (first) Doctor does this in the series set at the "Last Chance Saloon". Ian attempts to copy him and drops the gun.

* Riddick does some fairly ridiculous-looking knife-twirling in ''The Chronicles of Riddick''.

* In PlanetTerror, El Wray demonstrates his skills by twirling a pair of revolvers in various ways. Considering that the film is a throwback to 80s Grindhouse action films, it's pretty much [[JustifiedTrope justified]].

* Chuck Connors in ''The Rifleman'' was another example of the 'twirl a lever action gun to cock it' variety.

* On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy would twirl a stake.

* The one episode on RedDwarf where the crew get trapped in a Western virtual reality game, the Cat does this - with a gun in each hand.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In an effort to subvert this trope, Western writer Louis L'amour had one of this characters twirling his gun and accidentally killing a man. When he's hung the townspeople put a sign around his neck saying "This was no accident".
* Parodied in ''[[{{Discworld}} The Colour Of Magic]]'', as the head of the Assassins' Guild does this trick with a short blowpipe after firing off a poisoned dart.

** In MetalGearSolid3, Ocelot uses his twirling guns for a practical purpose: to protect himself from a swarm of hornets. He spins them as they fly at him and they fall down dead.

* Fox [=McCloud=] does this when finishing up his B special in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', whether after one or (spam) shots. Don't most blasters lack even a trigger guard (which might be useful)?

* In AdventRising, this is how the character reloads his guns. All his guns. Yes, even the ''rocket launchers''.

* "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Duckaroo My Little Duckaroo]]": Daffy Duck twirls his gun and ends up shooting himself in the head, showing why this is a bad idea.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* Frank Gallop's ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2A9f9nK7bM The Ballad of Irving]]'' has the eponymous character meeting his end this way.
-->Well, finally Irving got three slugs in the belly
-->It was right outside the Frontier Deli
-->He was sitting there twirling his gun around
-->And butterfingers Irving gunned himself down!
* Brian Johnson of AC/DC fame does this with his microphone.

* A ''[=~M* A* S* H~=]'' episode has Frank Burns attempting this in a very clumsy fashion; he then hands the gun to Radar, who does it expertly.

** There's also a popular glitch that allows him to twirl his ''gatling gun''. Makes you wonder what they put in that sandvich...

** Not much of a modification. Even with a stock it is very easy to spin-cock these guns with just a little practice.

**Which was, in turn, inspired by [[JohnWayne John Wayne's]] customized Winchester carbines which he also cocked by twirling one-handed, most famously seen in the two ''Rooster Cogburn'' movies.