12/11/12

We Lost A Good One

RIP Bob Munden

I heard that Bob Munden passed away yesterday, peacefully and with his bride, Becky, by his side.  Bob was truly the fastest gun in the world.  He could do things with a six gun, a 1911, or even a .38 snubbie that no human should be able to.  From the early days of practical pistol shooting, to the heyday of fast draw competitions (did you know that Sammy Davis, Jr. was one of the fastest draws in Hollywood and newsman Hugh Downs was a competitor?) and the premier exhibition shooter from the 70s until now.

Bob was also an amazing gunsmith.  He performed "six gun magic" on Rugers, Colts and clones.  A number of years ago, when I was early in my SASS Cowboy Action Shooting career, a friend from work, Bobby, loaned me his Mundenized Great Western IIs and his custom rig for them for a match, just so I would know what great guns they were.  Bob had the trigger pulls smooth, crisp and light.  The cylinders spun easy and locked up tight.  They were fantastic.  Bob also fixed up quickdraw only pistols and offered quick draw classes.  Bobby had one of those pistols as well, but I only got to fondle it, not shoot it.

Bob was a frequent guest on such shows as That's Incredible, Real People, and Ripley's Believe It Or Not, as well as all of the shooting shows on cable.  His fast drawing and shooting had to be seen to be believed.  I got to see it in person at the SASS convention in Las Vegas in 2005.  It was truly incredible.  But in addition to being an amazing pistolero, a talented gunsmith, and quite the showman... he was also a heck of a nice guy.  At the convention, he took time to hang out and talk to folks, show them tips, and take photos.  He would also take emails and calls from folks wanting to ask about guns or get suggestions on equipment.

Some complained he was a bragger and had a huge ego.  No doubt about it, but I think there is nothing wrong with that IF you can back it up, and Bob Munden certainly could.


It's That Time of Year

The seed catalogs are starting to come in the mail!  Yippee!!!!

1 comment:

  1. thats a true shame about bob. saw him frequently on outdoor channel impossible shots show. hey, next time you're rubbing elbows with vdem folks or other em folks of influence, please pass this on....tell them they failed miserably getting info out to the masses in the derecho zone. i listened to the radio for 3 days, heard absolutely nothin about what was going on, or how bad it was or how long to expect power to be out. yeah sure it was all over the net, but besides having no power, the wifi tower was knocked out. tv, who has a battery tv? well i do but most don't and a lot of the pop out here is old folks. no net, no cell on a good day. it was day ten before ap power admitted they didn't realize it was so bad!! wth, doesn't the state have people for that as well? i was a ng em before i retired. my butt woulda been fired for not having an accurate assessment by HOUR 3, not DAY 10! if a real national emergency comes along, we're gonna be hurting. all that money looks like its wasted from here.

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