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Draw! Gunslingers compete to be the quickest

Brian Colwell of Loveland, Colo., fires his single action western style revolver during a competition at the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.
Brian Colwell of Loveland, Colo., fires his single action western style revolver during a competition at the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.Andy Clark / Reuters
By PhotoBlog
Competitors wait for the timing clock to signal, so they can draw and fire, during the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013. The timing device will automatically turn on a signal light, which starts a timer and clears the competitors to draw and fire. Depending upon the degree of target difficulty, the better shooters can record times from .250 to .400 of a second.
Competitors wait for the timing clock to signal, so they can draw and fire, during the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013. The timing device will automatically turn on a signal light, which starts a timer and clears the competitors to draw and fire. Depending upon the degree of target difficulty, the better shooters can record times from .250 to .400 of a second.Andy Clark / Reuters
Nick
NickAndy Clark / Reuters
Brian Colwell of Loveland, Colo., fires his single action western style revolver during a competition at the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.
Brian Colwell of Loveland, Colo., fires his single action western style revolver during a competition at the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.Andy Clark / Reuters
Nicole Franks of Aldergrove fires her single action revolver while competing in the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.
Nicole Franks of Aldergrove fires her single action revolver while competing in the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013.Andy Clark / Reuters
Competitors load their their guns with black powder blank cartridges while preparing to fire into the air and signal the start of the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 20, 2013.
Competitors load their their guns with black powder blank cartridges while preparing to fire into the air and signal the start of the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 20, 2013.Andy Clark / Reuters
James Weatherby, 80, of Aldergrove waits to compete in the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013. Weatherby has been competing in Fast Draw competitions for over 40 years.
James Weatherby, 80, of Aldergrove waits to compete in the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 21, 2013. Weatherby has been competing in Fast Draw competitions for over 40 years.Andy Clark / Reuters
Nicole Franks of Aldergrove wears a World Championship belt buckle along with her gun during the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 20, 2013. Franks has won multiple World Championships since 2000.
Nicole Franks of Aldergrove wears a World Championship belt buckle along with her gun during the Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships in Aldergrove, British Columbia July 20, 2013. Franks has won multiple World Championships since 2000.Andy Clark / Reuters

The present-day Canadian Open Fast Draw Championships was born from the Hollywood myth of the western gunfighter, and the idea is to draw a single action revolver from a holster, cock, fire and hit a designated target in the shortest possible time. No live ammunition is ever used, only blank cartridges or wax bullets. The targets are either a metal silhouettes hit with wax bullets or balloons that burst from the muzzle blast from blank cartridges. A light atop the timer signals the competitor when to fire and, once the target is hit, it turns the timer off, measuring the speed to thousandths of a second. --Reuters

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