Archive for Books
The World’s Assault Rifles Book
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The World’s Assault Rifles is an in-depth exploration of the origins and evolution of the modern assault rifles. Released in April 2010, the book, written by Gary Paul Johnston and Thomas B. Nelson, is more than 1200 pages with almost 2000 photos and illustrations.
Gary Paul Johnston was on Tom Gresham’s GunTalk radio show on May 30, 2010 discussing The World’s Assault Rifles. GunTalk is available as a free podcast if you are interested in hearing the interview.
No Second Place Winners: Found Good Deal
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While scanning Amazon.com tonight, I discovered someone is selling Bill Jordan’s classic book “No Second Place Winners” for only $12.45…and that’s for a new condition copy. I don’t know how many they have, but I picked one up for myself.
The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry by Massad Ayoob
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Prolific gun writer Massad Ayoob is recognized around the world as one of the foremost experts on the concealed carry and use of firearms. Not only has he written for more than three decades on the subject, he has also taught citizens on the use of deadly force through his Lethal Force Institute. Additionally, he has been called as an expert witness in trials all across the United States of lawfully armed citizen who have been wrongly accused of using force.
Who better is there to write a comprehensive book on concealed carry?
The Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry was written by Massad Ayoob is designed to be a reference manual to the citizen who has decided to carry a firearm for protection. Ayoob covers a wide range of topics including hardware, mindset, and the law.
I’ve carried a concealed firearm for more than 15 years, and I found this book to be a fresh look at carry methods and gear. For the citizen brand new to concealed carry, this book should be one of your first purchases. It can likely save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in holsters, belts, and even firearms. Where no such book existed when I started carrying, I tried virtually every holster and carry style before finding out (the expensive way) much of what Ayoob discusses in the book.
Defensive Living: A Self Defense Book by Lovette and Spaulding
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Defensive Living is a short, but very well-written book, by Ed Lovette and Dave Spaulding that is written to preserve “your
- Defensive Living by Ed Lovette and Dave Spaulding
personal safety through awareness, attitude, and armed action.” This book, now in its second edition, is an excellent primer for anyone taking responsibility for their own safety.
Covering many of the basic aspects of self defense inside and outside the home, the authors of Defensive Living speak from obvious experience. Defensive Living is easy to read, but makes a significant impact to your mindset. Read More→
Gun Gifts: Christmas Shopping Ideas For The Firearms Enthusiast In Your Life
Posted by: | CommentsTrying to figure out what to buy the gun-guy or -gal in your life for Christmas? Here are a few ideas:
Less Than $20
In the Gravest Extreme
Most ammunition can be purchased for less than $20/box. For a single box, your local dealer is probably the best vendor. For a larger quantity or for harder to find calibers, an online vendor like Natchez Shooters Supply, AmmoMan, or Midway USA is the best bet.
Speaking of ammunition, quality AR-15 magazines can still be had for less than $20. My favorites are the Bownells with the Magpul anti-tilt followers, but I also like the Magpul PMAG polymer magazines. Brownells is shipping as quickly as they come in, so if you order ASAP, they will likely be shipped before Christmas.
Bore brushes, cleaning patches, solvents, and oils are always needed and a good idea as a stocking stuffer.
Less Than $50
A NRA membership is perhaps the most important gun-related gift anyone can give this year. $25 includes a magazine of your choice plus all of the standard benefits such as firearms insurance, life insurance, legislative updates, and much more.
Handgun magazines are a useful gift. (The metal/poymer kind, not the paper mailed to you monthly kind.) With the run on all-things-gun, certain magazines, such as the Glock, have gotten more expensive ($25-30 tyically), but almost all common hangun magazines can be had for $35 or less.
More Than $50
A high intensity flashlight such as the inexpensive SureFire G2 Defender or the ultra-compact SureFire E1E are excellent choices for tactical lighting.
If your someone special owns a J-frame Smith and Wesson revolver, the Crimson Trace LG-405 Overmold Grips
While an AR-15 is certainly more sexy, the ubiquitous .22 rimfire rifle is a fun rifle to shoot plus it is inexpensive to purchase and keep fed with rimfire ammo. Nearly every rifle maker has at least one .22 rimfire in their line. Ruger’s 10-22 is pretty much the gold standard, but I really like the inexpensive, tube fed Marlin 60, which can be had for less than $150 at your local dealer or even WalMart.
Price Is No Object
If price is not a consideration, a trip to Gunsite or Lethal Force Institute is one of the best Christmas gifts you can give. Nothing beats professional training, and these schools are the best at what they do.
The Mosin-Nagant Rifle by Terence W. Lapin: Excellent Resource Book on the Russian Rifle
Posted by: | CommentsLike many gun enthusiasts, I enjoy shooting, collecting and studying military surplus rifles. I find the Mosin-Nagant rifles to be a great value for the shooter and budget hunter, and very enjoyable as a collector’s piece. Each rifle tells a unique story and the stories of some of these rifles travel back to the 19th century.
The Mosin-Nagant Rifle
To research this book, Lapin has traveled to many eastern European countries and gone through old imperial and communist-era records to discover as much accurate information about the Mosin-Nagant as possible. Now in its fourth edition, Lapin’s research has uncovered production numbers, arsenal manufacturer information, and a lot of significant details regarding the evolution of this gun from the Tsars to post-WWII.
Most Mosin-Nagant collectors know about the rifle’s general history in Russia and Finland. Many collectors know how these rifles relate to Poland and the United States. Lapin has sections on other countries and their involvement with the Mosin-Nagant rifle such as Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, China, Germany, North Korea, Spain, Turkey, and others.
I found The Mosin-Nagant Rifle
Lapin includes chapters on parts, bayonets, accessories and the 7.62x54R cartridge. Experimental models and rare examples are detailed in the book.
There is a lot of information about the Mosin-Nagant rifles that have been lost to time. Lapin does an excellent job in finding what information is still out there and piecing together an excellent history. Lapin is very clear regarding fact and supposition in his book. If he is surmising that somthing may be true based on the research, he indicates that information as his opinion and why he thinks that way.
If you own a Mosin-Nagant rifle and are interested in knowing more about its history, The Mosin-Nagant Rifle
Brownells Mails 61st Catalog: New Features and Gun Gear
Posted by: | CommentsBrownells has started mailing the new, 61st edition of their annual catalog. Up to a whopping 576 pages, the new catalog offers new gun products from Brownells, plus some tweaking to help you find what you want.
The new catalog now features color-coded ‘tabs’ on the end of the pages to highlight the different sections. If you have the 60th edition, the ‘tabs’ at the end of the 1911 and AR-15 sections have been added to all of the sections of the catalog. So sections like “Rifle/Shotgun Sights” and “Metal Finishing” are labeled for easy reference.
Also, Brownells has started to label products that are made in the USA. Unfortunately, Brownells states in the forward that the research of all of their prodcuts was not complete at the time of publication, so the catalog may not show “Made In The USA” for some products that rightfully deserve this designation. Brownells states their website is current.
The catalog is $5.00, but if you hold a Curios and Relics (C&R) license, or tell them that Tom Gresham from Gun Talk sent you, they’ll ship you one for free.
I recently picked up the second edition of Modern Reloading
As many loading manuals are, Modern Reloading is divided into two basic parts. The first half of the book is devoted to explaining the process of handloading cartridges and
shotshells, as well as describing bullet casting. The second half of the book is devoted to load data.
Richard Lee, the founder of Lee Precision, does an excellent job in walking the reader through the steps in reloading a cartridge. Lee’s causal writing allows the reader to easily grasp an understanding of headpsace without bogging down into unneeded complicated explanations. Although I have been reloading for some years now, I still found the front half of the book to be an enjoyable and informative read.
Modern Reloading claims to have the “world’s most comprehensive load data.” I do not have any way of proving or disproving this claim, but I can tell you that I found a lot more load data than I expected to find on some less common cartridges such as the 7.62x54R (3 pages) and 7mm Shooting Times Westerner (2 pages).
One unique aspect to the Modern Reloading load data is the inclusion of powder measurement by volume in addition to weight. All other load manuals list powder measurements exclusively in weight (grains). Modern Reloading also includes the volume measurements for reloaders using the powder dippers
Modern Reloading is one of the least expensive load books on the market. I suppose that I should expect that it would be, as Richard Lee built his company for the value-conscious buyer. Frankly, I would suggest this book at double it’s price, so at $17.93 on Amazon
Jessica Brooks of Barnes Bullets Inc. announced on Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk radio program that the fourth Barnes Bullets reloading manual, Barnes Reloading Manual Number 4, is set to arrive in two months. So, by April, we should see a newly updated and expanded loading manual for all of those innovative bullets Barnes has been producing.
Barnes is taking pre-orders for the book on their website. For $49.99 you get a hard bound edition of the book, plus they are including their ballistics program, a hat, and access to more data on their website.
Barnes Reloading Manual Number 4, an all-new reloading manual from Barnes Bullets, will be available in 2008. Full color illustrations appear throughout the manual, which has a distinctive embossed and debossed cover.
More than 200,000 rounds were fired in testing the new loads. Extensive loading data provided in the new manual covers the full range of Barnes Triple-Shock™ X Bullets® (TSX™) and Maximum-Range X (MRX™) hunting bullets now available. Loading data is also offered for the new Barnes Banded Solids™ for dangerous big game, as well as for the recently introduced Varmint Grenade™—a highly frangible varmint bullet developed from military technology.
The new manual features loading data for many recently introduced cartridges, including Winchester’s Short and Super-Short Magnums, .338 Federal and the .375 Ruger. It also contains data for bigbore dangerous game cartridges like the .470 and .500 Nitro Express, .505 Gibbs and .577 Nitro. Extreme-range accuracy loads for Barnes’ .50 BMG bullets are listed for Very High Power shooters.
New load data is also offered for Barnes’ greatly expanded selection of XPB™ pistol bullets, including those designed for .460 and .500 S&W revolvers. Recommended loads for Barnes’ Expander MZ™, as well as the long-range Spit-Fire MZ™ and TMZ™ muzzleloader bullets appear in a special section.
Customer accounts of Barnes Bullets’ performance in the hunting field are included. As a bonus, noted gun writers like Craig Boddington, Sam Fadala and Brian Pearce share their expertise in feature articles.
Armed Response: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Firearms for Self Defense by David Kenick
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the books I got for Christmas this year was Armed Response: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Firearms for Self-Defense
Armed Response is an excellent book that introduces the reader to the use of firearms in self-defense. The author, David Kenik, does a superb job in discussing the relevant issues in self-defense and the carrying of a firearm.
Kenik starts off the book with the Misconception of Police Protection. While some readers may be startled by such a statement, the fact is simply that the police cannot be everywhere, protecting everyone at all times. If they could, there wouldn’t be any crime. However, the majority of the public has the notion that the police will protect them. The reality is that people have to survive long enough for the police to arrive.
As radio host Tom Gresham says “When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.”
Massad Ayoob explains in the forward “…[Kenik] is being frank…law enforcement is necessarily reactive… If there is a crime of violence, the potential victim needs the wherewithal to stop the deadly danger and stabilize the scene until [the police] can get to the scene and do their job.”
Once Kenik discusses the need of the individual citizen to be an active participant in his or her own survival, he moves into the practical areas of self-defense and the use of firearms. Chapters include information on the reasonable use of force, body alarm reaction (the fight or flight reflex), action/reaction, Tueller Drill, safe gun handling, malfunction drills, reloading drills, realistic shooting practice, holster selection, back-up guns, post-shooting actions, and
much more.
Armed Response
In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection
Ayoob wrote this book as an introduction to the defensive use of firearms. Ayoob discusses the legal implications and practical aspects of owning and using a firearm for self defense. Although this is not a book to teach you to be an expert with a firearm, In the Gravest Extreme is one of the best first steps anyone can take to learn to defend themselves.
The book is written to a broad general audience. The information that Ayoob provides is equally useful to the armed citizen and the sworn law enforcement officer.
I often find myself in discussions with other citizens in my city regarding self-defense and the use of force. I try to offer them a broad understanding of the use of force as it applies in my state. I always suggest they read this book.
Massad Ayoob has distinguished himself as a master trainer, marksman, and writer. I have found all of his work to be worth every penny. Without hesitation, I recommend In the Gravest Extreme to anyone owns or is thinking about buying a firearm for self protection.
