The Bob Munden Story | Shooting USA

Bob Munden you know him from his appearances on shooting USA doing what we call impossible shots and what he comes up with always is impossible until he does it but there's a lot I'm betting you don't know about Bob and Becky Munden who have been entertaining with their guns for 40 years Mike Irvine has the assignment to report the story of the fastest gun who ever lived Bob Munden welcome to Big Sky Country where the mountaintops carved the land and the sky with the Lady of praise standing high above the small mining town below this is Butte Montana and this rustic land isn't just home to the mining operation it's also home to one of the great gunsmiths of our time but you'll recognize them as the fastest gun who ever lived Bob Munden is one of the great characters in all the shooting sports if you don't believe us just ask him I'm not perfect like I tell people all the time in jest I'm not perfect I'm just a closest thing you're gonna get to it now that's what I tell you know and they all in jest of course oh I have fun with it but all jokes aside bob is the most decorated fast-draw competitor of all time with nearly 20 World Records to his credit a feat that earned him the title the fastest gun who ever lived the Guinness Book ripley's and so on and that title was given to me it was that because I have shotguns gone and fired guns from leather that's what anybody in history in competition to do the world fast draw association international fast gun league and so on and to this day those records still hold for years Bob dominated fast draw competitions but after a while winning wasn't enough so he looked for another outlet to showcase his talents so the showman was born from cap guns to the real guns of competition to show business in that order when you win everything there is a wedding competition where you go from there do it over and over and over again and I did that over again for a lot of years of not decided well I'm gonna go somewhere else with it so Bob went out on the road performing in front of anyone who would watch these old home movies show him performing at a Cowboy Action Shooting event and as you can see Bob doesn't work as a solo act wherever he is his wife is not far behind you'll never find Bob without Becky my life has revolved around my wife my wife Becky I don't do anything without her and I can't I can't I don't even want to do anything without her since the beginning Bob and Becky have remained at each other's side Becky remembers the early days when they first started to tour with their show started traveling performing in 1969 so it's been quite a few years and we started out in a station wagon and we had our two daughters with us four years old and two years old and we put them in the back with their toys and we had of all of our equipment in the middle seat you know and then we were in the front and we did school assembly programs Becky is a shooter in her own right and plays a role in their shows and if nothing else she may be the only person who can keep Bob in check I guess that's why I'm around to it humble him a little bit once in a while so he's you know his hat doesn't get too tight together Bob and Becky have brought the shooting sports to an audience that might never have been exposed to guns without them using blanks and their six guns the mundanes have performed in convention centers malls and car dealerships we've done shows at amusement parks in New Jersey in New York and they had no idea that you could shoot a gun and not kill somebody I mean really it's astounding but they're out there so we're able to talk to people and Amaury soften the image of the of the handgun we're proud that we can represent the shooting sports in our own way and maybe introduce them to people that don't even know they're out there because we do go to the public a lot we do our stage show anywhere we go to shopping malls and and sports shows and we're right there on stage talking to people we're shooting our guns and Bob's reach goes even beyond their stage show the fastest man who ever lived first became a TV celebrity in the 1970s here's a clip from the Mike Douglas show the most feared man was a fella with the fastest draw to show you what we mean we have the fastest man when they gan to whoever live here from the Guinness Book of Records and it was a real chore getting them out of there is Bob Munden nowadays Bob and Becky spend less time on the road and more time in their Montana home this open land is the perfect place for the London's to do what they do well first of all we got the freedom to do what we do there's nobody saying well you can't do this can't do that California it's not illegal it cost you as an example the open land also gives Bob a chance to practice you'll find him under the blue sky shooting anything he can constantly challenging himself to make the impossible possible that's why I do what I do that's why I'm here on shooting USA that's why I do it what is called impossible shots that's the challenges to do something that is theoretically impossible nothin you could never do that well I won't know that until I try whether it's trick shooting or fast draw Bob learned early on he would need the right equipment to keep up with his talents and in true London fashion bob was going to get better equipment by building it himself so through the process of trial and error and changing the gun around the lock system and so on then I learned how to build gun for my own purpose first and then other people have started asked me to do their guns because my guns are so efficient those other people included fellow shooters and worldwide known celebrities including NBA Hall of Famer Kareem abdul-jabbar and country music singer Randy traps mmmm you see Randy Travis's bus going down the highway and he stopped walk up this and he by here Bob bunt and build your gate got any of those guns with you and he'll show me I'm sure if he's got him with him for more than 40 years bob has made friends everywhere he's been he's become a world champion an entertainer and leave behind one of the greatest legacies in all the shooting sports known by shooters and non shooters alike as the fastest man who ever lived thanks Mike and after that report there is no question here bob is a showman but he's also a master gunsmith whose work on single action six guns is in big demand coming next bob shows us how he makes a sick colt runs smooth as black shooting USA is brought to you by Smith & Wesson safety security protection and sports and by Crimson Trace laser grips the world's only grip integrated laser sights you're watching shooting USA awarded best outdoor program by the National Shooting Sports Foundation he calls his work six gun magic and if you are lucky enough to get a Bob Munden Action job you will absolutely agree but what are Bob's tricks to turn an ugly factory action into magic well since you want to know it's our job to find out nowadays Bob spends most of his time in this shop behind his home working his six gun magic on single actions what started out as building up his own guns became one of Bob's favorite hobbies and a second career when I pick up a gun I pick it up and I think well you've got some problems your project kind of feel like a doctor a surgeon when I pick up a gun and save okay baby you've got problems but I'm gonna fix you I'm gonna make you perfect we want this baby right it's going to be so now I'm going to go send this out a little bit here the guns bob is received in his shop don't technically have a problem they just haven't had a Munden action job yet but when they come out of the fact we remember the factories their job is just to get them where they work safely and right out of the factory but that doesn't mean they work right it doesn't mean they're they're just they're just guns that are good a production gun this time it's a Colt single-action about to be work done it's gun right here is an absolute genuine Colt 45 colt single-action this nickel-plated four and three-quarter and it's 45 caliber long cold and I'm gonna tear this gun to stock now you know this gun I'm gonna tear this gun down and do an action trigger job on it right now this colt has a six pound trigger and is dependent on the pressure from the mainspring to operate when Bob's done it will have a two pound trigger pull a custom fit bolt and trigger spring and Bob will trim down the mainspring lightening the pressure the less pressure means there is no room for error in setting the timing and tolerances of the rest of the gun well when you do an action trigger job or slick little plate should be then the gun has to be perfect or a will not function because it doesn't have the high-pressure springs in there pressing them as Bob starts stripping this six gun down you'll notice one thing as he works everything is done freehand I do it by hand so I can feel everything as I go by feel and just with the big time you know other words it takes touch to build one of these guns you can't just throw them together the first step is filing down the cylinder stop this small bolt controls the cylinders timing making it a key component to the gun this is the heart of the gun this motion it's a very very important part of the gun a series of hand files and grinders are used until Bob has found the perfect fit for the cylinder stop and that same technique is used for the hammer here it is right out of the gun rough sides jagged edges all of them need to be smoothed out it's a trial and error process taking off little by little until the hammer [ __ ] smoothly a mundane Action job is after all about improving the gun parts not replacing them that would be a cheap out just to use a new part every time on everything you have but I can make that part work efficiently then I will use those part but I have to correct them and set them in place right yeah those parts are ready to go in that gun there might be some adjust as possible but I've done so many of these it may not be necessary because I just know by looking at them how far to go and this and then with the trigger back in place Bob moves to replace the Bolton trigger spring with a piece of piano wire the wire has to be custom fit to each gun looked like it might be right on the money piece by piece part by part Bob files grinds and trims down nearly every piece of the colt until he can dry fire the gun without any friction or flaws in the action absolutely perfect only then does Bob consider this pistol part of his six gun magic you know ie I use the term six gun magic because it's almost like magic you know when I'm done with the guns it's uh you know it's really a pleasure to have them a known them and they last and last and last I'm very proud of them that's why I don't have anybody working in the shop with me they work for the money I work because I love to do it the money is an extra bonus you know but I like doing it like making them right take pride in it and for those of you who have sent a gun to Bob you're probably wondering if this colt is yours well bob has the answer belongs to Michael net1 ne T la nd he lives in Duluth Minnesota he sent this gun for me to do for him and here it is boy you're gonna love this but you're gonna kiss me right on the lips and you get this gun you say no well good you passed the test so I guess we owe Michael net land a DVD copy the show since it was his gun and you probably want to know what Bob charges for his action job what you just saw cost $290 but be prepared to wait he is in big demand and so is Todd Jarrett teaching tactics this

Channel: Shooting USA

Views: 1,708,017

Keywords: Shooting USA, Jim Scoutten, ShootingUSATV, Bob Munden, Fastest Gun Who Ever Lived, Munden, shooting, guns, fast guns, speed shooting, 2a, cowboy, firearms, outdoor channel

Id: LQo2Or1PuEI

Length: 13min 46sec (826 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 07 2010

Reddit Comments

[u/South_Oread]

$290 seems like a steal for that service.