Customer Reviews

Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun

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

 

 

"Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun" is a book on equipment and techniques. Massad Ayoob explains the difference in Chapter 24, and writes that "Stressfire II" is a book of technique-not tactics.

I was fortunate enough to read this book when it first came out in 1992. One concept that hit me in the face was that the shotgun was "heavy artillery." I have a military background and I had to shift mental gears; the heaviest police weapons are the lightest military weapons. Shotguns are devastating on unarmored personnel in the open at short (hand grenade) ranges. Between pages 15 and 30, Ayoob provides a series of photographs showing what the shotgun does to human bodies and 7-yard shot patterns. The problems of shotgun retention when the bad guys try to take your gun away are addressed. Shotguns are more prone to malfunctions than the military rifles and pistols I deal with-the recommended "immediate action drill" for a jammed shotgun is dropping the gun and pulling your pistol. It won't always be an option-many people have only a shotgun, no handguns! In that case, the hand-to-hand combat techniques (using the shotgun as an impact weapon) may come in handy; they're based on military bayonet fighting techniques. In my experience, the two most-common shotgun malfunctions are short-stroking the pump gun and failing to pick up a shell from the magazine (fixed by pumping it again) and running the magazine dry (reloading fixes that). Sometimes the shot shells just hang up-which takes a few minutes to fix. Ayoob's recommendation to use a secondary weapon-even if that's simply using your shotgun as a club-makes sense in the split-second world of hand-to-hand combat. "Stressfire II" also has tips on using cover (protection from bullets) and managing the shotgun's stiff recoil. On the latter, Ayoob recommends the 20 gauge autoloading shotgun-or the then-new low-recoil "tactical buckshot."

The equipment recommendations are still valid, even if some of the guns Ayoob mentions are only available second-hand, on the used gun rack. One thing that wasn't available when this book was written was an efficient white light mount for the shotgun. The gun-mounted light is for target identification and to dazzle the target-I'm sure that Ayoob teaches proper management of the shotgun-mounted light in his shooting school. "Stressfire II" is a textbook on techniques and equipment. I recommend going to a shooting school-but read the textbook first and know your equipment before going. Your school should teach both technique and tactics. "Stressfire II" can help you choose your school by showing you what techniques work and what doesn't.

...this is the best of what is out there. However I found many of the discussions did not live up to the title's name. It was simply a review of basic shotgun handling with a light touch to introductory tactics and addresses the homeowner/civilian and left out the police/military folks. Also like others he seems to fixate on the Remington 870 to the point of addressing the double feed jam which is highly unlikely (but still possible)in the Mossberg 500 since the shell trays that feed the live round to the bolt operate exactly opposite of each other. Ususally the round on the Mossberg drops to the ground.

On page 145 he talks about the StressFire Star and references photo's that you do not see until a few chapters later on page 193/4.

On page 158 he addresses two methods of operating the slide pump when wounded but leaves out "jacking" the firearm up vertically while holding the slide then rapidly moving the slide down and back up using the momentum of the firearm to do the work.

There is not much out there on combat/tactical/defensive shotguns. Overall I enjoyed the book and respect the author and recommend you buy it but be aware that is somewhat dated in what accesories are available.

Stressfire is an excellent follow up to Ayoob's In the Gravest Exreme. In Stressfire, he covers practical methods of all aspects of gun fighting from drawing from the holster to confrontations on stairs. He takes the best of several styles and blends them into a cohesive style that anyone can use. What I liked in particular, he justifies to the reader why he does things differently from others. He points out the strengths and weaknesses of different styles and allows the reader to pick what works for him.

I recommend this book to all those who carry a gun for defense.

I've read just about everything out there on tactical/defensive shotgun, and this one is among the best. Lots of info on the terminal effects, lots of info on real-world use, and plenty of little tidbits that fills in the blanks from other books on the scattergun. I like the way he covers tactical stances and movement and have modified my drills on the range as a result. I now practice dropping into and moving out from the combat crouch instead of always going to the kneeling position to return fire or after taking cover. I've also experiemented some with the carry and presentation methods I use and am now trying to shoot more from my weak side, and doing so using vertical and horizontal objects for stability. There are a lot of little things like that I've not read elsewhere, and that's one of the things that make this text so valuable.

The book is a little bit older than some (from the 80s, iirc), but there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the basics of the defensive shotgun. With Suarez' shotgun text and this one you'll have all you really need to get going. All that remains is to get out and drill, drill, drill. When the SHTF you'll fight like you've trained, for better or worse. So don't just read it. Go out and practice.

The only reasons this doesn't get 5 stars are: 1) The book has numerous typos and similar errors, as noted by other reviewers, and 2) The author spends much less time than I desired on discussing ammo selection and terminal ballistics. After all, terminal ballistics are the biggest reason to choose a shotgun.

The book is not for the faint of heart, and contains several graphic autopsy photographs in one chapter. I wasn't prepared for that. It's very disturbing stuff.

Contrary to the opinions of certain other reviewers, I never felt that any one model of shotgun was getting any undue attention. The Remington 870 is discussed frequently, and with good cause. When the book was written, it was by far the most popular police shotgun, and generally regarded as the best pump action available for defense. If anything, Ayoob fawns over semi-autos too much, especially his beloved Benellis, but this is only to be expected. He is being paid to render his expert opinion, and his opinion is that the semi-auto is generally preferable to the pump, and that the Benellis are the best of the bunch.

Ayoob also makes a very specific reference to the use of the pump gun's momentum to cycle it with one hand (as in the final scenes of Terminator 2). He does not recommend this technique.

Use of the shotgun for defense and police combat is examined in thorough detail, and MANY popular models are discussed. The strengths and weaknesses of each are explored. Ayoob covers every aspect of the riot gun in more detail than I would have thought possible, and it is all recorded in his unique prose style, which I love.

Ayoob does indeed recommend a transition to the sidearm if the shotgun malfunctions. This is probably the best course of action in most cases, but I must beg to differ with him in refusing to offer any other solution to the malfunction problem. He ignores the possibility of the shotgun being the only available weapon. While it is prudent to employ a secondary weapon, not everyone can do so at all times, and a brief discussion of fixing malfunctions would have been appreciated. Of course, most of the problems that can REALLY choke a pump gun are the kinds of things one cannot repair under fire.

A wonderful read, and highly recommended for anyone contemplating the use of a shotgun in defense of life and limb!

Practical guide to improving shooting technique by using the stress of combat or competition situation. Where most advocate trying to overcome stress Ayoob realizes this is not always realistic.

A highly respected police officer and shooting instructor Ayoob know of what he speaks. I found this to be one of his best written. I have been able to get quite a bit out of it to improve my shooting and hope to see more improvement with practice of his methods.

As with all of the titles by Massad Ayoob I have read to date, I am very impressed with the content, style, and tone of this book. There are differences between skeet, trap, bird hunting, game hunting, and self defense. While I never mastered skeet and trap and haven't hunted since I was in my twenties (I'm way past that now) I am still interested in being able to defend myself and my family. This book was recommended to me and initially I almost didn't buy it because I thought it was solely a "cop" book. Not so -- while directed towards the police training crowd, it also covers all of the things the individual needs to know about self defense.

A shotgun is truly a formidable weapon, from the perspectives of both the user and the bad guy. If it drives the bad guy away without a shot being fire, so much the better.

Very good instruction on the basics and some advanced tach. training. Full of info and invaluble for the home or business defence. You will not think a pistol is such a good home defence tool after you read this. Well written by a noted expert in the field. Get it and learn from the best.

After having read Ayoobs first Stressfire book I was anxious to read this one. While the info is very good the presentation is disorganized and seems rushed. All the images are at the end of each chapter and some chapters completely lack their corresponding photos, which appear much later in the text. Also at least two of the chapters are out of their intended order as the first makes reference to the "preceding chapter" and the second mentions the "upcoming chapter." Also the name of at least one technique is different in the text than what it appears as in the captions at the end of the chapter. As I said the information is mostly good although he talks more about techniques rather than tactics for the most part and the book's age shows some. All in all it would be far more worth the cost if the content were organized and presented in a more user friendly manner.

* I am a TRUE martial artist, meaning that I train in the ways of war. I was in the military during the Cold War, and served in combat, so I have a reason for that focus. I also survived some brutal streets that offered more consistent threat than I ever saw in Desert Storm or Bosnia. Additionally, I've also been a correctional officer and patrol cop, earning the rank of lieutenant and serving on special response teams.
* With all that in mind, I NEED books and vids that cover more than just punch-and-kick/ throw-and-grapple fighting. Massad Ayoob does an excellent job of not only presenting firearms info, but also of relating that info to the martial arts. He does not favor one traditional method of firearms application or other, but provides you with a complete scope that allows you to meet all threats with flexibility and assertiveness. Equally important, his MA insights make it clear that aikido (his apparently preferred art) and any other MA art goes beyond far more than just hand-to-hand.
* In modern times, we need to focus on modern weapons that we will encounter on the streets or can carry on our person. Swords and spears don't fit that criteria... making Stressfire and such books all the more important for the modern MA man or woman.