Best Tactical Pistol Book?

A

alienbogey

New member
Since I've yet to win and all-expenses-paid trip to Gunsite, I'm looking for a good, actually the best, book on tactical pistol shooting. Some time spent at Amazon has led me to narrow it down to three choices:

Tactical Pistol Shooting
by Erik Lawrence

Surgical Speed Shooting: How To Achieve High-Speed Marksmanship In A Gunfight
by Andy Stanford

Tactical Pistol Marksmanship: How to Improve Your Combat Shooting Skills
by Gabriel Suarez

Any comments or suggestions (preferably by folks who have actually read one or more of the books)?

Any suggestions of a different book than those listed?

Thanks in advance.
 
As nobody else has answered, I'd say go with Andy Stanford. Haven't read the others, and one of them I would not read at all, but I have read Andy's book and I've seen him do his thing, and can recommend him.
 
I haven't read any of those 3 but Massad Ayoob (?sp) has a good book out called something like, Combat Handgunning. I apologize for not remembering the title positively but I'm at work. Good luck. There are also some good videos on youtube for free.
 
Please do in this order.
1. In the Gravest Extreme, Ayoob.
2. Stressfire, Ayoob.
3. Combat Handgunning, Ayoob.
4. Tactical Pistol Marksmanship, Gabe Suarez. (Anything else he writes)
5. Anything by John Farnahm.
6. Anything by Charlie Petty.
7. Anything by Todd Jarret.
 
Tactical Reality and More Tactical Reality by Louis Awerbuck

Also, IMHO The Principles of Personal Defense, by Jeff Cooper, while not about shooting per se, belongs on any complete self defense reading list.
 
I'm not familiar with Lawrence's book.

I've read Stanford's book and found it to be a very good melding of the techniques by Rob Leatham ("How to Shoot Fast and Accurately") and Brian Enos ("Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals"). Stanford plucked the key shooting processes as described by these two competitive shooters and packaged them very nicely into a concise, informative and instructive format.

Stanford's book focuses soley on shooting technique. IIRC (I'm on travel and don't have acess to my copy of his book) he does not address combative weapon manipulations.

I suggest you consider the book by Jeff Gonzales: "COMBATIVE FUNDAMENTALS an Unconventional Approach." It is the best "tactical pistol" book I've encountered so far. Jeff advocates commonality of technique, to minimize mental effort and maximize economy of movement, with all weapon manipulation processes. See: https://www.tridentconcepts.com/index.aspx?page=store I adopted Gonzales' technique as my own, and I use his technique as the gold standard to which I compare the effectiveness others.

Cheers!
 
I'm not sure of the tiotle either but Chic Gaylord's Combat Gun Fighting, etc., is very good even if it is outdated.
 
I haven't read any of those 3 but Massad Ayoob (?sp) has a good book out called something like, Combat Handgunning. I apologize for not remembering the title positively but I'm at work. Good luck. There are also some good videos on youtube for free.
Click to expand...

Am reading it now very good for a beginner. The full name is:

'The Gun Digest Book of COMBAT HANDGUNNERY' I have the 5th edition and if it will help the ISBN is 0-87349-485-7
 
The Book of Two Guns, The Martial Art of the 1911 Pistol and the AR carbine, by Tiger McKee. Probably not for everybody, but I was impressed by it.
 
To provide follow up, I bought Tactical Pistol Shooting by Erik Lawrence.

I was able to leaf through a number of books at a bookstore and most on the subject spent a lot of time on reasons to carry, selection of weapon, types of holsters, etc. In my specific case all that was of little or no use to me, although it could be to others.

Chapter One, Mindset, was provided by Jeff Cooper of Gunsite, I found very valuable in thinking about the threat environment and potential combat.
Chapter Two is Nomenclature and Terms which, although relatively basic, is necessary so that the follow on chapters will convey unambiguous instruction.
Chapter Three is Safety.

The following chapters cover exactly what I'm looking for: Shooting Fundamentals, Shooting Positions, Reloading Techniques, Malfunction Drills, Combat Marksmanship/Training Tips and Drills, Shooting While Wounded, Left Hand Dominant, and Shooting Schools.

I found the text easy to follow and the sequences of black and white photos very clear. The author, while clearly outlining his preferred techniques, at times presents alternate methods and invites the reader to go with what works best for the himself.

I'm not saying this is the be-all end-all book, I'm saying that it is just what I was looking for - a book that would clearly explain good techniques so I can start practicing right, not wrong.
 
Recommended Reading

Here is a list of some of my favorite books on armed self defense:

THE STREET-SMART GUN BOOK by John. S. Farnam

THE FARNAM METHOD OF DEFENSIVE HANDGUNNING (new 2nd edition) by John. S. Farnam

THE FARNAM METHOD OF DEFENSIVE SHOTGUN & RIFLE SHOOTING by John S. Farnam

TEACHING WOMEN TO SHOOT: A LAW ENFORCEMENT INSTRUCTOR'S GUIDE
By Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam

WOMEN LEARNING TO SHOOT: A GUIDE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
By Diane Nicholl & Vicki Farnam

IN THE GRAVEST EXTREME: THE ROLE OF THE FIREARM IN PERSONAL PROTECTION by Massad F. Ayoob (written in 1980 and needs to be updated, but still useful)

THE TRUTH ABOUT SELF PROTECTION by Massad F. Ayoob
(written in 1983 and needs to be updated, but still has much useful information)

ARMED RESPONSE by David S. Kenik

THE LAW OF SELF DEFENSE: A GUIDE FOR THE ARMED CITIZEN by Andrew F. Branca (out-of-print and hard to find!)

FIGHTING SMARTER by Tom Givens

SURVIVAL SHOOTING by Tom Givens

SURVIVAL SHOOTING FOR WOMEN by Tom Givens

DEFENSIVE USE OF FIREARMS by Stephen P. Wenger

DEFENSIVE HANDGUNNING: A TREATISE ON HANDGUN CARRY AND USE
By Glenn Rehberg

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT by Trey Bloodworth and Mike Raley

THE CONCEALED HANDGUN MANUAL: HOW TO CHOOSE, CARRY AND SHOOT A HANDGUN IN SELF DEFENSE by Chris Bird

THE BOOK OF TWO GUNS by Tiger McKee (M1911A1 & AR-15)

COMBATIVE FUNDAMENTALS: AN UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACH
The Comprehensive Guide to mastering the pistol and carbine
By Jeff Gonzales (LOTS of information. Written like a textbook)

THE BOOK OF TWO GUNS: THE MARTIAL ART OF THE 1911 PISTOL AND THE AR CARBINE by Tiger McKee

THE GUN DIGEST BOOK OF COMBAT HANDGUNNERY (various editions)
There have been multiple editions of this book. The 3rd edition was written by Chuck Karwan, The 4th edition was written by Chuck Taylor and the 5th edition was written by Massad Ayoob. (I found the editions written by Taylor & Ayoob to be the most useful)

IN THE LINE OF FIRE: A WORKING COP'S GUIDE TO PISTOLCRAFT
By Michael E. Conti

TACTICAL PISTOL SHOOTING by Erik Lawrence

COOPER ON HANDGUNS (1974 edition)
By Col. Jeff Cooper

HANDGUNS FOR SELF DEFENSE: A SOUTH AFRICAN GUIDE
By Gerry Gore

THE MODERN TECHNIQUE OF THE PISTOL
By Gregory Boyce Morrison
 
Question: Is Ayoob's book "Ayoob Files: The Book" a collection of articles about times when a weapon is needed or does he go into 2A and other topics? Was thinking this would be a good stocking stuffer this Christmas.
 
Question: Is Ayoob's book "Ayoob Files: The Book" a collection of articles about times when a weapon is needed or does he go into 2A and other topics? Was thinking this would be a good stocking stuffer this Christmas.
Click to expand...

It is a collection of stories he has written for the American handgun. I don't own, it but I would think it would be similar to those. A couple paragraphs describing what happened then a few more detailing the aftermath. (courts, police, lawsuits etc..)
 
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