99 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A must of for your library, December 9, 2002
Having read Massad Ayoobs books and articles for 25 plus years, I know he has accumulated a vast amount of pertinent knowledge on combat handgunnery and he has pretty well put it in this book. There are space limitations and he recommends reading the previous editions by other writers as well, (for night shooting & malfuntion clearing, etc., both covered in Chuck Taylor's 4th Ed.). The Table of Contents is almost useless, as there are many sub-chapters in each chapter not referred to, (Ayoob intended them to be chapters as stated "we'll cover that in the next chapter"). I will be writing these in on my copy, because some of them stand above the rest and I want to be able to flip there quickly. I underline and mark up personal copies of books, and this one has been marked up a lot!
If you want to cover your bases, buy the 4th and 5th Ed. Chuck Taylor and Massad Ayoob agree on more than they disagree, although they come from different views, (Taylor: Vietnam combat veteran, founder of S.W.A.T magazine and American Small Arms Academy, won 7 handgun fights, worlds first 4 weapon combat master, has a South West -AZ- U.S. view. Ayoob: veteran street cop, writes very much from cop's perspective, pioneer of post shooting information on what happens to you now, founder of Lethal Force Institute, has a North Eastern -NH- U.S. view). There are other writers, but you can do no better than these two.
Regarding specific strengths of Ayoobs edition, the section on buying a used gun is worth the purchase price. Ch. 8 on carry and draw is much more thorough, especially on CCW , than Taylor's. Ch. 11 is a stand out with CCW faux pas, CCW and the routine traffic stop and deadly force decision errors. Ch. 13 Beyond the Stereotypes gives excellent coverage to women, minorities and young people in relation to combat handguns. As always, Ayoob satisfies the knowledgeable reader with lots of trivia and great quotations.
I also saved by buying it from Amazon.com and got it as soon as it came off the press. Bottom line, if you care about the how and why of proven self defense with a handgun, then this is a must have book.
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53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, March 1, 2003
I agree with the previous poster...this is a great book! It informs, it shows you what's important, covers the basics and more, a book to read twice through.
A lot of gun writers just blow hot air, bragging about themselves or going on and on about their favorite style gun. Ayoob is one of the best known gun writers and gun enthousiasts out there and I like his style. I don't get the impression that he's pushing his ego, but rather that he is trying to show us what to look for, what to think about, what to consider with regards to handgun handling and shooting. I don't agree with everything, but I learned a lot from this book and I'm not a novice to handguns. Ayoob writes honestly and informs the reader as a genuine teacher and one who has much to offer and wants to offer it.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting a good overview of the basics and more on handgun handling, competitive and combat shooting, defensive ammo selection, concealed carry, handgun self-defense techniques etc.
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Overview, April 23, 2006
Massad Ayoob provides an excellent overview of combat shooting. He covers the latest techniques, equipment and accessories. In addition, Ayoob does a good job of discussing most of the controversies: revolver vs. pistol, SA vs. DA, stock vs. modified, point shooting vs. aimed fire, etc...
After reading the book you will feel as though you sat through a week long class on handguns. Although Ayoob will state his preferences, in most cases, he presents both sides of the argument and leaves it to the reader to decide what is best for them.
Recommended for anyone who is considering becomming active in the shooting sports or getting a concealed carry license.
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