History Main / FiringOneHanded

* Mami from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has, amongst other things, wielded muskets one-handed and [[GunsAkimbo dual-wielded rifles]]! {{Justified}} [[AWizardDidIt because she's magical and created the guns with her magic]].

** Nero in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' fires a double-barrel revolver in which the caliber is almost that of a Smith & Wesson Model 500 revolver with ''one hand''. Revolvers of that size are normally shot with both hands to brace for recoil. Can be justified by him being a quarter-demon with [[SuperStrength superhuman strength]], much like Dante.

** Dante, likewise, always holds and fires his SawedOffShotgun one-handed; in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', he doesn't even bother putting Ebony (the left-hand gun of his normal GunsAkimbo pistols) away while using said shotgun, apparently to facilitate the "Twosome Time" ability introduced in the game that lets the player shoot two targets at once.

** A professional is also trained to hold a handgun in one hand when his other hand is holding something else, such as a flashlight. One of the more famous holds on mainstream media is the [[http://www.iwillnotbeavictim.com/flashlight_hold-page.html Harries Hold]].

** Makarov at one point in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2''[='=]s "No Russian" mission fires an M4 [[BottomlessMagazines far longer than he should be able to]] one-handed, which somehow manages to make an entire room full of security personnel [[StuffBlowingUp explode]]. Some DummiedOut content suggests that the [[GunsAkimbo Akimbo attachment]] would have been compatible with some assault rifles and the Thumper grenade launcher in multiplayer, along with the pistols and SMG's it can be attached to in the released game, although given that they were unfinished, it's not so much firing one-handed like it should be as it is your character [[GoodBadBugs growing a second set of arms to hold the left-side gun with]].

* Pre-release images for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' typically showed Snake wielding an M4 carbine one-handed, his other preoccupied with using a knife for CQC; it's the same manner as Big Boss held his M1911 in [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater the previous game]], just taken UpToEleven. In the released game, this only happens in one or two cutscenes wherein Snake is clearly intending to use the knife rather than his rifle if he encounters trouble, and in regular gameplay, while he ''does'' hold the foregrip of the M4 or any other longarm with a knife in hand that he can quickly swap to if needed, he still holds the rifle with both hands and instead uses [[PistolWhipping the stock of the rifle]] for CQC.

* ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' allows for this as a side-effect of dedicating one of the weapon slots to "sidearms" and allowing for weapons of that category to be fired with one hand from vehicles, on ziplines, or while carrying a body with the relevant skill. Most sidearms are indeed pistols and the like, including the two smallest [=SMGs=], but the class also includes a GrenadeLauncher and two different varieties of SawedOffShotgun.

* In ''Psycho-Pass'', Episode 11, [[BadassAdorable Akane]] is given a shotgun by Makishima, he dares her to shoot him, she picks it up in one hand (she had the Dominator in the other) but she misses '''twice''', and consequently, Makishima [[spoiler:kills her friend, Yuki right in front of her.]]

* In ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'', Black Phantom agent 'Beretta' wields a sniper-rifle one-handed during his first appearance. He justifies it by having [[PsychicPowers Telekinesis]], allowing him to absorb the recoil AND mentally control the bullets. And even then, he probably only did it since he was caught up in close combat - in a later appearance, when he's assassinating a target from a distance of several city blocks, he dutifully uses both hands and a tripod...

* Averted and probably played straight at the same time in ''FanFic/AeonEntelechyEvangelion''. Averted with Shinji, even when one of your Eva's arm is busted, firing a giant hypervelocity rifle one-handed is not a good idea. Implied to be played straight with Asuka, since she mentions that you need to reinforce your arm with the AT-field for one-handed firing.

* DependingOnTheWriter or DependingOnTheArtist, ''Comicbook/ThePunisher'' will shoot either one-handed or with both hands. If the writer or artist want to ShowTheirWork, they will likely have Frank shooting with both hands. Otherwise, he will fire guns one-handed, including automatics.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek''[='=]s phasers are usually held one handed, apart from the rifles. It helps that they are energy weapons with no recoil.

** [[spoiler:The Shadow Broker]] wields one of the heaviest and most deadly assault rifles in one hand and an energy shield in the other. And he is very accurate with it, too.

* In ''Psycho-Pass'', Episode 11, [[BadassAdorable Akane]] is given a shotgun by [[EvilAlbino Makishima]], he dares her to shoot him, she picks it up in one hand (she had the Dominator in the other) but she misses '''twice''', and consequently, Makishima [[spoiler:kills her friend, Yuki right in front of her.]]

* Like the aforementioned CJ, Reaper from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' is able to dual-wield shotguns.

* Nero in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 4'' fires a double-barrel revolver in which the caliber is almost that of a Smith & Wesson Model 500 revolver with ''one hand''. Revolvers of that size are normally shot with both hands to brace for recoil. Can be justified by him being a quarter-demon with [[SuperStrength superhuman strength]], much like Dante.
** Then again, a look at the modifications shows that both barrels are ported, which would greatly counteract the muzzle-flip and recoil of the gun.
** Dante, likewise, always holds and fires his SawedOffShotgun one-handed; in ''2'', he doesn't even bother putting Ebony (the left-hand gun of his normal GunsAkimbo pistols) away while using said shotgun, apparently to facilitate the "Twosome Time" ability introduced in the game that lets the player shoot two targets at once.

* None of the many Desert Eagles in the ''Film/CharliesAngels'' movies is ever fired two-handed. And yes, this does require the RuleOfCool to keep those {{Hand Cannon}}s from spraining people's wrists or knocking out their teeth like they would do in RealLife.

* In RealLife, one of Eliot Ness' Untouchables, an American Indian ex football player, used a shotgun one handed. The Untouchables: the GIJoe of their time.

* Originally designed for persons with disabilities in mind, the firearms industry in the US has developed a [[http://preparedgunowners.com/2017/04/27/atf-reverses-opinion-on-ar-15-short-barrels-with-braces-again/ stabilizer brace]] that allows an AR-pattern pistol to be fired with one hand, which is placed on the buffer tube in lieu of a stock. Since it is not legally a buttstock, and is on a gun with a barrel shorter than 16", it is legally still a pistol and sidesteps the ATF's regulation on short-barreled rifles.

* The firearms industry in the US has developed a [[http://preparedgunowners.com/2017/04/27/atf-reverses-opinion-on-ar-15-short-barrels-with-braces-again/ stabilizer brace]] that allows an AR-pattern pistol to be fired with one hand. Since it is not legally a buttstock, and is on a gun with a barrel shorter than 16", it is legally still a pistol and sidesteps the ATF's regulation on short-barreled rifles.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', the Protagonist, Ryuji, Ann, and Goro fire their guns with only a single hand, despite using pistols, sub-machine guns and ''shotguns''.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' was the first entry in the series to feature the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M79_grenade_launcher M79 grenade launcher]] ''as a handgun'', and it has appeared largely unchanged in every present-day game since. Needless to say that this is a weapon meant to be fired with both hands, but Jason/[[VideoGame/FarCry4 Ajay]]/[[VideoGame/FarCry5 Rookie]]/[[VideoGame/FarCryNewDawn Captain]] can all use the beast one-handed, even while driving a car or boat full throttle.

* In the cutscene that plays when launching ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', Francis does this with a shotgun while aiming out of the corner of his eye. Could be considered a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.

* In ''VideoGame/XCom'', weapons that do not automatically take up both hand slots can be fired one-handed, but you get an accuracy bonus if you leave your other hand empty. The character models, however, will always show your characters firing them one-handed.

* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'':
** In ''Film/TheTerminator'', the Terminator shoots one handed with assault rifles and shotguns.
** The T-800 from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' does this multiple times due to being a super-strong robot. Examples include in the canal chase sequence (where he shoots and cocks a shotgun one-handed[[note]]If you look carefully, you can see that the Winchester 1887/1901 shotgun has a much larger lever-loop to allow for flip-cocking. If you tried for the stock lever, you'd break your fingers, like Arnie nearly did when he once grabbed one of the standard firing props rather than the lightened one with an enlarged lever loop.[[/note]]) and his firing of a grenade launcher at Cyberdyne Systems (to disable multiple police cars). So do all of the undisguised T-800s we see in the future. Makes sense, since they don't need to manually aim or steady their weapons.
* At one point in ''Film/{{Tombstone}},'' Wyatt Earp blows away a fleeing enemy with a double-barreled shotgun, one-handed, while riding on a horse at full gallop.

* Umibozu from ''Manga/CityHunter'' has fired a machine gun and even a ''bazooka'' one handed, in at least one occasion ''both at the same time''. Then again, he's so huge the machine gun looks like a submachine gun in his hands...

* Averted and probably played straight at the same time in ''FanFic/AeonEntelechyEvangelion''. Averted with Shinji, even when one of your Eva's arm is busted, firing a giant hypervelocity rifle one-handed is not a good idea. Implied to be played straight with Asuka, since she mentions that you need to reinforce your arm with the AT-field for one-handed firing mention above.

** In ''Film/TheTerminator'', the T-800 uses both a shotgun and an assault rifle one handed.
** Near the end of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', Sarah does this with a shotgun. Then again, her other arm didn't seem to be in any shape to help. Much more famously, the T-800 uses a lever-action shotgun one-handed while riding a motorcycle.

* Infamously used multiple times by [[Franchise/{{Rambo}} John Rambo]], even in the comparably understated [[Film/FirstBlood first installment]]. As badass as it looks, it's not entirely due to RuleOfCool; the M60 series he's fond of using are [[{{BFG}} full-blown squad machine guns]] and not assault rifles, so [[JustifiedTrope he needs one free hand to feed the loose ammunition belt into the gun or else it would jam]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audie_Murphy Audie Murphy]] once, when surprised by an enemy, whirled around and fired his M1 Carbine one handed to lethal effect. Mind you, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_carbine M1 Carbine]] (no relation to the M1 Garand [[MoreDakka Semi-automatic rifle]]) was initially designed as an intermediate weapon for issue to tank crewmembers, artillerymen and other troops who needed an EmergencyWeapon; its ammunition produces comparable recoil to .44 Magnum, and in fact a number of handguns chambering it have been made.

* Many ordinary assault rifles, such as the venerable M16, can be fired one-handed given sufficient training. This requires a bit more arm strength than the average human being can muster, but not by much; most trained soldiers would be able to accomplish such a feat, especially given that the recoil levers the barrel up and thus counteracts the front-heavy balance of the weapon. The real problem, of course, is that the lack of accuracy for no readily apparent gain makes one-handed rifle shooting CoolButInefficient. (Also, if you try that at the shooting range, you're likely to find yourself on guard duty for the rest of your military career.)

* As shown by Creator/FPSRussia [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOoUVeyaY_8 here,]], the AA-12's design absorbs 90% of it's recoil, making it surprisingly easy to fire single-handed. Or two at once. Accuracy is a moot point when you have two automatic shotguns dispensing buckshot everywhere infront of you.

** This was actually {{Lampshaded}} in one occasion, where a child wanted to learn how to fire a gun to defend his teacher only to floor himself by firing Ryo's Colt Python one-handed. Ryo promptly pointed out he was still too light and weak to fire ''any'' gun one-handed (and admitted that, [[ChildSoldier when a child himself, he could only shoot two-handed]]), taught him the correct technique, and had him switch to a less powerful gun.

** Near the end of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', Sarah is doing this with a shotgun. Then again, her other arm didn't seem to be in any shape to help. The T-800 used a shotgun one-handed while riding a motorcycle.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'''s Bolters/Boltguns are fully automatic weapons that fire rocket-propelled, armor-penetrating, explosive rounds. They have a pistol grip, however, so sufficiently badass characters have been known to shoot them one-handed; this was a special rule from older editions called "True Grit." Only two examples come to mind: the Literature/{{Space Wol|f}}ves, who are heroic [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Vikings in space]], and Plague Marines of Nurgle, who are so bloated with disease that their bulk allows them to absorb the considerable recoil. [[{{Retcon}} These days]], bolters aren't seen being used one-handed terribly often, though it's conceivable that they can: their construction and intended use isn't too different from an SMG (including a pistol grip), and recoil is mitigated by firing two-stage propelled round, along by being most commonly used by a power-armoured super soldier.

* Dante from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' fires a ''SawedOffShotgun'' one-handed. Some of the more demonic firearms (Nightmare-Beta and Artemis) justify this by literally wrapping to his hand.
** The shotgun can also be justified by Dante having [[SuperStrength superhuman strength]].

* Pre-release images for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' typically showed Snake wielding an M4 carbine one-handed, his other preoccupied with using a knife for CQC; it's the same manner as Big Boss held his M1911 in [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater the previous game]], just taken UpToEleven. In the released game, this only happens in one or two cutscenes wherein Snake is clearly not intending to actually ''fire'' said carbine one-handed if he encounters trouble, and in regular gameplay, while he ''does'' hold the foregrip of the M4 or any other longarm with a knife in hand that he can quickly swap to if needed, he still holds the rifle with both hands and instead uses [[PistolWhipping the stock of the rifle]] for CQC.

* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', a [[http://dulfy.net/2013/06/28/swtor-bounty-broker-association-reputation-rewards/#5 recently introduced pistol class weapon]] uses the same model as one of the smallest rifles, essentially carrying it one-handed.

* Ashelin from ''Franchise/JakAndDaxter'' usually wields her handgun single-handedly, as does Veger.

* In ''The Last of TheUntouchables'', treasury agent Paul Robsky wins a shooting contest with his partner after noticing he only shoots two-handed, which Robsky attributes to being raised in the country with rifles. As Robsky was taught the one-handed military technique during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, his partner underestimates his prowess.

** ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'' allows the player to use any two-handed weapon with one hand while on horseback in the "Old Wounds" campaign mission, up to and including a .50 BMG {{Gatling g|ood}}un.

* In ''Film/TheBourneSupremacy'', Jason Borne is unexpectedly hit with a gunshot. Cut and camera pan back to Krillik, standing on a bridge that turns out to overlook the walkway where Borne was hit an unknown distance away, holding the gun one-handed. The most memorable scene in that movie for this Troper.

* TabletopGames ''Spycraft'' actually has a character option that lets you do this, albeit at a penalty to hit.