Customer Reviews

No Second Place Winner

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title of the book speaks volumes. At a sporting pistol match they give a trophy to second place. Second place in an actual gunfight doesn't get a trophy, it gets a trip to the hospital or morgue. After making that point, Jordan (a seasoned veteran of many gunfights as a border patrolman) gives a wealth of practical advice on how to survive gunfights.

The book is aimed at law enforcement officers, and it focuses on the use of the revolver. When Jordan wrote, most officers carried revolvers. Times and technology have changed, but the human factors in lethal confrontations probably haven't changed since Cain and Abel. Dated as it is, the book is excellent reading for anyone who carries a firearm as a law enforcement officer.

If you want instruction on defensive revolver techniques, this is the book for you. No nonsense, no fluff, just good hard information on how to do it. Not for pistol owners, this book applies to revolvers. Methods in this book are used and referred to by instructors at a well-known firearms academy in Paulden, Arizona.

This book is extremely informative and extremely well written. The fast draw photo sequencing is invaluable. Despite being written some 40 years ago, it is NOT outdated, even in reference to the equipment used. This book is worth every penny.

I love this book because i am a revolver aficianado (probably rare for a 27 year old today) with a CCW who has an affinity for the "men's guns". ie- no nonsense, get the job done workhorses. This description aptly fits Jordan's writing style as well. I like it and wish all instructional books were this well written. He even interjects exciting and humorous anecdotes (although not quite "PC") about his career as a lawman with the Border Patrol and otherwise. This is a forum from a Type-A who has been there and done that in an *** kicking manner, and is a good read for any sports enthusiast needing the perspective of a never-say-die fighter. One quote stands out clearly, and that is, "with enough determination you can win even when you appear to be losing--just keep shooting!" I could not have said it better! Enjoy this book if you can find it--- I special ordered my copy at Batnes & Noble.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Jordan many years ago when I photographed him for an interview. I remember a soft-spoken, tall man with some of the largest hands I've ever had the opprotunity to shake. I admired him for his skill with a firearm, his reputation as a lawman and his kindness as a fine human being. I have an autographed copy of this book. I recently read it again--for the first time in many years.

He was ahead of his time as a proponent of training law enforcement officers for potential life/death confrontations. As a document that helped to lay the foundation for the training methods used today, this is important.

It is, unfortunately, a very dated document due to the multitude of changes that have come about in weaponry over the past few decades. No longer is the double-action .357 Magnum revolver the firearm of choice for lawmen. If there was a contest between the revolver and the autoloading pistol, the autoloader won by miles. Very few (if any) law enforcement agencies use revolvers today.

Skip the first half of this book. The hardware section is no longer relevant. Jump to the last half of the book, in which the other aspects of preparation for life/death confrontations is presented. This is the important stuff that is just as relevant today as it was in 1960.

A quick read that is filled with timeless advice from a legend in the shooting world. Although the focus is entirely on revolvers, many of the techniques and training methods can apply to semi-automatic pistols.

A proponent of dry fire practice and learning basic marksmanship before attempting more advanced skills (i.e. drawing from a holster). Even in today's world of fast and fancy equipment and training his standards were extremely high as expressed in this quote regarding law enforcement officers: "Until he can draw and get his hit in times shading one half second, he should not presume that he has mastered the handgun."

"Speed's fine but accuracy's final".

Bill Jordan's book is a classic. This is one of the best, and most simple books about protecting yourself. The skills Bill teaches are the skills to keep you alive. Buy this book. Read it. Practice. Practice. Practice. It is that good!

A timeless work in the arena of self-defense topics, this book belongs on the bookshelf of anyone living in our modern society who possesses enough brain matter to realize that the police do not exist to protect the populace, but to enforce the laws [which through no fault of their own are often so poorly written as to be unjust & an insult to the populace saddled with them.]

Definitely worth reading by anyone ready to stand up on their hind legs and be counted as a free individual.

I not only had the pleasure to meet Bill Jordan, I also had the honor to learn from him.
This tall Texan spoke and shot from the hip, his expertise in tactics, lives on till this day. He was one of the founding fathers of Police Officer survival, along with Jeff Cooper, Rex Applegate to name a few.
I can say I have used his tactics and I can also say that they have and will continue to save lives. This book although small in size in size is Texas big with knowledge.
Sergeant Tom Reilly

This book is a must for anyone serious about handguns. Whether you carry for recreation or as a living. While many of the topics may be outdated the information is timeless This is THE book for anyone intrested in fast shooting.