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Originally Posted by SpitfireIX
Human reaction times vary from about 0.1 - 0.2 seconds; Detectives Leavelle and Graves were in their mid-40s at the time, so theirs would likely have run toward the higher end of that range. Therefore, they had, at best, about 3/4 of a second to react.
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Actually, I'd say that 0.1 to 0.2 second time would be at the very high end for a conscious reaction. Pulling back from a hot iron, or maybe an well trained althete, like a sprinter, reacting to the sound of a startign gun they knew was coming. But to see a situation, understand it, and form a reaction to it I would think takes longer. Add to that the fact that they were expecting a clear path to the car, and instead found the place packed with press and cameras. From the video, I'd say they actually reacted pretty quickly.
In the self defense pistol copetitions we used to run at my dad's range we had one set up where we had to draw and fire one round. Shooter skill ranged from novice, to people that participate in officially run statewide matched for prize money. The fastest I recall was 0.97 seconds. This is drawing the gun without clothing over it, and starting anywhere from 1/2 to 2 seconds after stating READY!. The timing device starts when it beeps (the signal to fire), and records the elapsed time of the last sound loud enough to be a shot. Average was in the 1.5 to 2 second range. My city has the most dificult pistol qualification requirements in the state. One of those is an afficer must be able to draw and fire 2 shots in 2 seconds or less. It would have taken an exceptional person to beable to draw and fire in the amount of time available.
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Originally Posted by SpitfireIX
Here are some relevant statements by Leavelle and Graves about the shooting.
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Originally Posted by above post
Detective James Leavelle (Report on Oswald's Shooting)
out...came the figure of a man with a gun in hand. He took two quick steps and double actioned a .38 revolver point blank at Oswald. I Jerked back on Oswald, at the same time reaching out and catching Jack Ruby on the left shoulder, shoving back and down on him, bringing myself between Ruby and Oswald. I could see Det. Graves had Ruby's gun hand and gun in his hands.
Detective L. C. Graves (WC)
Mr. GRIFFIN. Will you tell us what you remember Jack Ruby doing from the time you saw him and while you wrestled with him and so forth?
Mr. GRAVES. Well, I grabbed his arm by the wrist with my left hand, and grabbed right over the gun with my right hand simultaneously.
Mr. GRIFFIN. You grabbed the arm holding the gun?
Mr. GRAVES. Yes; and jerked it down and across my leg and turned my back to him, and, of course, he was trying to pull back, and was squeezing on that trigger like so [indicating].
I had his wrist here [indicating], and I could feel it, and I remember saying, "turn it loose. Turn it loose." You know, like that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, you are making a motion like you are twisting his arm?
Mr. GRAVES. Yes; I was. See, I had it like this, and I had got that arm and then twisted that gun like that [indicating], right out of his hand, see.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me indicate for the record that you have shown that you twisted his arm 180°.
Mr. GRAVES. Until he released it.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Until he released the gun?
Mr. GRAVES. Yes.
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In terms of a revolver, a single action means the hammer is pulled back then the trigger is pulled. This is how the old west revolvers worked. Like in the cowboy movies. As the hammer was pulled back, the cylinder with the 5 or 6 rounds rotates the next chamber to be inline with the barrel. once the hammer is pulled back, the gun will fire if the trigger is pulled. Older ones will go off if they are dropped.
Double action revolvers can fire this way, or they can fire by simply pulling the trigger a second time. In a double action situation, the trigger is puled while tha hammer is in the down position. The effort of pulling the trigger rotates the cylinder and pushes the hammer back most of the way. Before it gets to the place where it locks back, the hammer is released. If either the cylinder, or tha hammer, can be prevented from moving, the trigger cannot be pulled, and no live round will move into the firing position. This can be done by one hand by simple squeezing the cylinder between the palm and fingers. Usually by comming over the top of the gun, as GRAVES states he did with his right hand. Hence, no second shot. From there, the gun can be twisted toward the centerline of the shooter, putting pressure against the thumb to pry the gun from the hand, or away from the centerline of the shooter to break the index finger in the trigger guard. From the description, I would say it was the former.
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Originally Posted by SpitfireIX
3) The reason that Ruby only fired one shot is most likely that Detective Graves grabbed Ruby's gun hand before he could fire a second.
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Yup yup yup
Edit for Word induced muli-spacing issues.