Was pistol dueling mostly luck, or was skill very important? If skill was important, were there those who intentionally provoked duels with the intent of removing an opponent/competitor in a socially acceptable manner?

by cantgetno197

It's my understanding that success was largely based on the speed of the draw, as aiming was often frowned upon, but given the low accuracy of pistols of the day, it seems pretty random regardless. However, if there was skill, were there things like courtiers that were "duelists for hire"? Were there those who found great political/business success based largely on their dueling skill alone?

jabberwockxeno

Follow up question

as aiming was often frowned upon

Can somebody provide more context on this?

Georgy_K_Zhukov

I must apologize as I only just saw this post, and unfortunately, am not in a position to give it the full answer it deserves! You are in great luck though, as I have answered some of your questions previously though, so you will likely find these to be of great interest!.