Ed McGivern:
“World’s Fastest Gun”
A Piece Of History
Ed McGivern’s record-setting S&W M&P .38 Special revolver that
will be up for auction May 2, 2025 by Rock Island Auction.
Photo: Rock Island Auction
Between the great world wars and shortly after, Americans, more than at any other time, were entertained by and enjoyed firearms. Back then, guns were considered the basic tools they are, used for protection, hunting and recreation. It was common when having dinner guests or hosting holiday parties, for men to take guests to their gun rooms to show their guns. Warm weather events allowed for recreational shooting in the backyard, if possible.
Sears & Roebuck Christmas catalogs used to list guns of all kinds in their pages, sometimes even showing them on the cover. Families were shown dressed in holiday jammies opening long rifle and shotgun boxes with pure excitement showing on children’s faces, as mom and dad proudly looked on. Those were the good old days. Gun crimes were practically non-existent back then.
Entertaining Enterprises
Traveling gun shows were also common during this era. The big companies, Remington and Winchester, each had a team of traveling professional shooters staging shooting exhibitions where they showed off their companies’ wares and shooting skills at outdoor arenas.
One of the best shooters was the least likely looking trick shooter of all. He also wasn’t affiliated with any of the big gun companies. Standing at 5 feet, 5 inches and built like a stout barrel, Ed McGivern could shoot a revolver like no one else, earning him the title of the “World’s Fastest Shooter.”
A close-up of one of the plaques on the gun’s frame with
McGivern’s times engraved on it. Photo: Rock Island Auction
A Piece of History
Our friends at Rock Island Auction have a doozy of an auction coming up on May 2. In it is famed fast gun shooter Ed McGivern’s S&W M&P — a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905 Fourth Change Double Action Target Revolver, serial #286600. McGivern used it to set the world record by shooting five shots into a one-inch group at 20 feet in 9/20th of a second. The gun is mentioned in McGivern’s book, “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting,” written in 1938. The gun is in Lot #1540 in the May Premier Firearms Auction.
The revolver has matching serial numbers on the butt, right grip panel, cylinder and barrel. The barrel has standard S&W markings. McGivern swapped the original Marble Sheard front sight for a King Custom gold beaded blade. He preferred a gold bead for the front sight. The rear sight is an adjustable “U” notch. The revolver wears a set of S&W medallion checkered walnut grips. Two plaques on the gun’s frame have McGivern’s documented record times on them.
For the actual target used by Ed McGivern in an Aug. 20, 1932, demonstration, see lot #154. As noted by the serial number on the target, this revolver was also used by McGivern to set five shots into a 1-inch group at 20 feet in 9/20th of a second, a record he still holds today.”
This record-breaking gun was shipped to the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Montana on Sept. 26, 1917. The gun had a 6-inch barrel, Marble Sheard front sight, blue finish and checkered medallion walnut stocks. Roy Jinks states that a factory letter verifies McGivern used the revolver to set his early speed shooting records, and the record times are documented on two gold plates mounted on the frame.
The gun comes with letters documenting former owners, including Col. Rex Applegate. The gun was also owned by S&W Vice President Douglas B. Wesson, who obtained it from McGivern. In 1999, the gun was purchased by Mike Priwer. It makes you wonder who the next lucky owner will be after the auction.
McGivern’s world record target is also up for auction in lot #1541.
Photo: Rock Island Auction
About McGivern
Ed McGivern was born in 1874 and died in 1957. He became fascinated with fast shooting after witnessing a shootout in Sheridan, Wyoming. A sign painter by trade, he learned this craft from his father. Perhaps the steady hand he developed painting signs contributed to his fast and fancy shooting?
McGivern worked in Lewistown from 1924 to 1949, painting for Graham’s Sign & Poster Shop before starting his own business called McGivern Outdoor Advertising. Even after gaining popularity with his traveling exhibition shooting show, painting paid the bills for McGivern.
Ed McGivern during his heyday.
Lessons Learned
Nevertheless, McGivern was a firm believer in .22s for beginners. “Less noise, less recoil, less cost,” he used to say. “The combination of recoil and noise throws the beginner off. The cost can scare him off.”
For all handgunners, McGivern left a legacy in the form of his book, “Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting,” first published in 1938 and reissued in 1957 shortly before his death.
“Positive movements, properly controlled, correctly timed and accurately directed, form the basis of success in the fast and fancy revolver shooting field,” McGivern wrote. “The main thing is economy of movement and minimizing of motions. It is easier to move your finger one inch than two or three. Once you grasp the gun in the holster, don’t shift your grip.”
Watching film footage of McGivern “fast shooting”, shows he leans into the gun so much while firing that he almost falls on his face, taking a step forward, regaining his balance, when finished. His rate of fire with a revolver was said to be faster than an AK-47.
If you’re in the market for a piece of “fast shooting” history, check out Rock Island Auctions’ May Premier Firearms Auction on May 2. It’s easy and free to open an account. Plus, there are several hundred other classic guns to look at, too.
