Electronic Cylinders Allow for Safe, Indoor Shooting

Whether you're a cowboy at heart or practice shooting for sport, fast draw is probably a part of your life. A new invention is making the craft of fast draw not only safe, but a sport that can be done "wherever."

Fast Draw Mercantile, which is based out of Irvine, CA, has come up with a safe alternative to fast draw. It combines real guns with electronic configuration.

"You take out the existing cylinder [of the gun] and put an electrical cylinder in its place," said Bill Spencer, who was promoting the safe sport at Ramona's on July 28. "It's quick draw practice that's safe."

The mechanism, which works on single-action army guns, installs with just a click of the cylinder and the plugging in of a laser light. After installing the device, which doesn't harm the gun, you point it toward an electronic timer which signals you to draw and times your response. No bullets are fired but your draw and shoot time are recorded.

"Cowboy fast draw are between three-tenths and four-tenths of a second," Spencer said.

Walt Johnson, a sales representative for E.M.F. Company Incorporated, said the true cowboys can do it even faster.

"The big boys do it in less than two-tenths of a second," he said.

Spencer said the new invention is the perfect way to safely teach kids about guns, as no one is ever put in harms way with the electronic device.

"It's a great way to teach kids without the big bang," he said. "It's a great way to get them integrated into firearms safely."

Once you're done practicing your fast draw, both the electronic cylinder and laser light plug-in are easily removed and the gun's original cylinder can be replaced without any hassle or damage.

"This system allows you to do quick draw in a home without any noise," Johnson said. "With these systems, you can shoot wherever."

Spencer and Johnson are working together, as E.M.F. Company is looking to invest in the electronic cylinders and market them toward there buyers. A prototype of the cylinder at National Day of the American Cowboy allowed interested cowboys to test out the system and their fast draw skills.

If you're a cowboy at heart and have a love for fast draw, you can contact Spencer at 949-261-6611 and ask about ordering one of the electronic systems. Spencer said all items have a lifetime guarantee, but make sure to call to make sure your fast draw gun is compatible with the cylinder.

"Things like this are really beneficial," Spencer said.