The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning [Paperback]

John S. Farnam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000

Destined to become a classic in the field of defensive shooting, The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning authoritatively examines the principles of mental preparation and tactical handgun operation. These principles are not just John Farnam's opinions but principles that are backed by years of experience in seeing what actually works in real life deadly force encounters. There is an amazing amount of information here: chapters that cover defensive weapons, use of force, personal tactics, interaction with law enforcement officers, defensive handgun mechanical systems, tactical handgun operation and ammunition recommendations. No gimmicks, just plenty of information that will allow you to dramatically improve your defensive shooting technique.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

DTI Publications is honored to have worked with John Farnam over the past year as he's written and refined The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning. We believe it's been well worth the wait. Farnam knows this subject like no one else!

About the Author

John Farnam is president of Defense Training International, Inc. and has been teaching defensive firearms courses for over 25 years. He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, a major (Retired) in the U.S. Army Reserve and a police officer with many years of practical experience. Mr. Farnam is the author of three books :Streetwise, The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun and Rifle Shooting and The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning. Each year, he travels across the country teaching the latest defensive firearms techniques to police departments, federal and state agencies as well as foreign governments. He is recognized as an acclaimed and prominent lecturer, expert witness and consultant. The American Tactical Shooting Association awarded John Farnam the "Tactical Advocate of the Year" in recognition of his commitment to presenting dependable tactical information to those attending his training programs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Defense Training International Publications, Inc. (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965942228
• ISBN-13: 978-0965942225
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent manual of self-defense, August 31, 2000

By 

Kirk Webb (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning (Paperback)

From the title, one might think that this is just another book about the mechanics of loading, aiming and firing a pistol or revolver, of which there are many examples on the market today. This book is much more, however. The first half is more about the "why" of defensive shooting with the "how" very well presented in the second half. There are excellent chapters on the legal justification of using lethal force, as well as practical aspects of self-defense situations such as how to interact with the police afterwards. What are the common physical reactions that self-defense shooters suffer? Mr. Farnam lists and describes them. How much do you tell the responding officers after a shooting, and what are the pitfalls for you? Mr. Farnam covers these in detail.

Coverage of the draw from a holster, grip and stance, as well as loading and unloading, are covered in exhaustive detail, with separate sections for different models. Revolvers? Manual decockers? Colt Government models? Double Action Only? All covered clearly and thoroughly. Lots of pictures add clarity also.

For anyone who wishes for a worthy successor to Massad Ayoob's "In the Gravest Extreme", an excellent book that desperately needs updating, this is it, in my opinion. No longer do I have to recommend Ayoob's classic with the admonition "just ignore the firearm descriptions; they're way out of date". Now I can just recommend John Farnam's handgun book with no hesitation. I think it will be a classic, too.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed information on defensive handgun operation, March 2, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning (Paperback)

In this book, established and well known firearms instructor, John Farnam gives very detailed instruction on how to operate handgun in defensive purpose. There is also some discussion about tactics, and even of such less-discussed subjects (in this context, anyway) as information security and the like.

The book starts with chapters on mental toughness, personal tactics, law and other "mental skills". There is also chapters on different defensive weapons, first aid for gunshot victims and instructions on dealing with police in case you have to defend yourself with a firearm. This is interesting stuff, although I found it a bit strange that this information was the fist thing in the book. Usually, these things are discussed only after instructions on how to operate the gun. But it is a matter of opinion if this arrangement is good or not. What really strike me as odd, was that Farnam seems to have somewhat paranoid attitude towards police and legal system. That is especially strange concerning that Farnam has a backround in law enforcement.

After that there is a very detailed instruction on different handgun operating systems, mechanical systems and general technical details of a handgun. For someone interested in technical details, this might be interesting reading. But I suspect that an average reader is not this much technically oriented, and therefore this information is too detailed for a book like this. After all, I suspect that there are not that many people who go to a gun store to buy "a rotary barrel handun for self defence", rather they might ask for a Beretta, for instance. Therefore I feel that most of there pages devoted for technical detail, would have been spent better if they had been used for discussing tactics.

The last part of the book handles the basic operation of handgun. As with the previous part, the information is very detailed. However, in this subject there is really need for detailed information, as not all people carrying a handgun get hands-on instruction from a qualified instructor. Therefore, this part of the book can be recommended for a novice shooter.

If you are a novice handgunner, and are buying only one book on the subject, this fills the bill very well. In addition to instructions on basic handgun operation, there is lots of material on laws and other aspects of the issue. If the mechanics section does not interest you, you can always skip it. What really bothered me was that Farnam has somewhat paranoid attitude towards society in general, and law enforcement in particular. But you can decide yourself, how you feel towards those things. For more advanced student of defensive handgunning, this book can still offer some interesting pieces of information.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Anyone Interested In Personal Defense, September 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning (Paperback)

John Farnam has created in this book an encyclopedia of information for the student of personal defense. John Farnam is recognized as a world-class firearms instructor. A survivor's perspective and years of teaching experience have given him the tremendous ability to analyze, distill and describe the latest advances in defensive training. Although Farnam has written two previous books on this topic, this one contains much new information and is anything but an update.

Much of the lifestyle and tactical advice in the book applies to everyone. Even to those who do not own firearms. The guidance on interaction with police officers and the criminal justice system alone is worth the book's cost. Much of this information cannot be had from any other source.

John Farnam brings an engineer's perspective to the technical descriptions and analysis of all common handgun action types. His distilled non-diagnostic approach to handgun manipulation is widely accepted and taught within the law enforcement and civilian training communities.

This book is a must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in personal defense. The beginner will gain a comprehensive and easily understood foundation. Serious students will benefit from all of the new advances.