The Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning [Paperback]

Chuck Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1996

All aspects of combat handguns and their use are covered in this complete manual. Hundreds of photos show the proper use of handguns, preparing the handgun for combat, caring for handguns and handgun stopping power. An important firearms book for combat handgun owners.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873643275
• ISBN-13: 978-0873643276
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A classic, but not a very good book, September 4, 2003

By 

Seppo Vesala (Helsinki, - Finland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning (Paperback)

The author, Chuck Taylor, is a legend in the field of defensive handgunning. This, however does not automatically mean that a book written by him would be any good. A fact that is emphasized by this book, although it is a classic. When this book was first published in -82, it may have been the cutting edge of combat handgunning, but so much has changed since then.

If a book is supposed to be "the complete book" of just anything, and the page count is less than 300, I became very suspicious. In this case, there are less than 180 pages, and only about 140 of those comprise the real text part (including pictures). The rest is filled with glossary and appendixes.

The book starts with the history of handgun. Next it handles care and cleaning of the gun. In my opinion, you should not learn the maintenance of your weapon from a book like this; you should stick to the instructions the manufacturer has provided (for liability reasons mainly). Next the author discusses customizing the gun. Now this is a thing I do not understand: Why buy a gun that is not ready to use out of the box? But then, I shoot Glock. Well, Taylor is a fan of Colt 1911, and it shows in this book. After this, there is a chapter on holsters, which is fine but the age of the book shows here somewhat. Next is a chapter on stopping power; a chapter that should have been left out. As I said, Taylor is a fan of Colt 1911 and .45. After all this, Taylor finally gets to the shooting part. There is pretty much all the basic stuff on gun handling, but it is presented in such a hurried way that you are not really supposed to learn anything from this? Or are you? For example, Taylor uses full two pages to present different shooting styles with a flashlight. Is that adequate or what? Then there is ten pages of tactics? Enough said on that. There is also a chapter on mental conditioning. In favor of Taylor, he is one of the few gun writers who have the courage to say that the color code of readiness (condition white, yellow, orange and red) was not invented by Jeff Cooper. The last chapter is about training and handgun competitions. And that's it, folks! 140 pages makes "the complete book".

I believe I made it clear that the contents of this book don't match the title. That still doesn't mean that this book is worthless. You just can easily find books on the subject that are better than this. This book serves best as an collectible for those who are interested in the subject, and not as an instruction book for those who are worried about their safety.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The all time classic on the subject. Must reading., December 29, 2002

By 

HappyDaze11 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning (Paperback)

As someone who has attended some classes instructed by Taylor, you realize that out of thousands of columnists and gun writers, he is clearly 'been there and done that'. Now there may be many people with as much combat experience as he has attained, however Taylor refined his technique, and has done so for a very long time. He is not out there teaching the Swiss Army, La Legion, or Seal Team Six because he is a couch crusader. Taylor is also set apart from most because he can write. Taylor has distilled the majority of his experience and techniques into this book. This book is the original Combat Hangunnery Book, and it is already to its Fourt Edition. Now naturally some material in this book is dated, but I have this along with the current edition because it fills in some of the theoretical underpinning of his current techniques. It also lets you see that the techniques have not changed all that much in the last 10 or 15 years. I wish I had bought this book when I first started to practice with hanguns as I would not have necessarily bought the same guns. I now, of course, use a 1911, as does everyone else eventually.

Get this book, dry practice, then go take a Taylor course, you WILL NOT be disappointed. He will stop you from wasting time and ammo developing bad habits, and rapidly improve your skill, yes even cops could learn for Taylor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic basic guide to combat shooting by a true expert., September 14, 2009

By 

Joseph J. Truncale "warriorwriter" (Vernon Hills, Il) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning (Paperback)

Even though this book was first published in 1982; nevertheless, most of the information in this classic is just as valid today in 2009. The book is clear, concise and informative. The ten chapters cover a wide variety of topics. The first chapter gives a brief historical reference to handguns. The second chapter explains the purpose of the handgun. The third chapter tells how to properly clean and care for your gun. The fourth chapter gives tips on how to prepare your handgun for combat. The fifth chapter details types of holsters and ammunition carriers. The sixth chapter gives information on handgun stopping power. The seventh chapter is on the techniques of combat shooting and chapter eight provides vital information on combat tactics using the gun. Chapter nine deals with mental conditioning and the final chapter covers training and competition.

In conclusion, this is a book for anyone interested in combat shooting.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Use of the Monadnock Straight Baton).