Building/improving my firearms/mindset reference library

[Flamingo]

I am looking to add to my firearms/mindset reference library. I have a start on some, but I was curious as to what most people think as "required" books for the library.

My last couple of purchases were:

Concealed Carry Class - Tom Givens
Strategies and Standards for Defensive Handgun Training - Karl Rehn & John Daub
Long Range Shoothing - Ryan Cleckner
Chassepot to FAMAS - Ian McCollum
Thorneycroft to SA80 - Jonathan Ferguson
The Reluctant Partisan Volume I - John Mosby

A buddy recently gave me an old copy of Brownell's Gunsmith Kinks, and I have several other old books by Jeff Cooper.

What should I add?

[Guerrero]

Straight Talk on Armed Defense by Massad Ayoob

[LHS]

Guns, Bullets & Gunfights - Jim Cirillo
Shots Fired in Anger - John George
A Rifleman Went to War - Herbert McBride
Leadership & Training for the Fight - Paul Howe
Unrepentant Sinner - Charles Askins Jr

[Flamingo]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep them coming.


Guns, Bullets & Gunfights - Jim Cirillo
Shots Fired in Anger - John George
A Rifleman Went to War - Herbert McBride
Leadership & Training for the Fight - Paul Howe
Unrepentant Sinner - Charles Askins Jr

I have and like, A Rifleman went to War!
Unrepentant Sinner is out of my price range. It is $250-$3000/

[DMF13]

Into The Kill Zone: A Cop's Eye View Of Deadly Force (https://www.amazon.com/Into-Kill-Zone-Deadly-Force/dp/0787986038)

[pangloss]

Sentinel by Pat McNamara

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[LHS]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep them coming.



I have and like, A Rifleman went to War!
Unrepentant Sinner is out of my price range. It is $250-$3000/

Holy shit. I think I paid like $18 for my copy on Amazon a few years back.

[Flamingo]

Holy shit. I think I paid like $18 for my copy on Amazon a few years back.

I'll give you $25....

[Wondering Beard]

Jeff Copper's Principles of Personal Defense (https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Personal-Defense-Jeff-Cooper/dp/1581604955).

[Flamingo]

Straight Talk on Armed Defense by Massad Ayoob

Ordered this, Thanks for the recommendation!

[Flamingo]

Guns, Bullets & Gunfights - Jim Cirillo
Shots Fired in Anger - John George
A Rifleman Went to War - Herbert McBride
Leadership & Training for the Fight - Paul Howe
Unrepentant Sinner - Charles Askins Jr

Ordered Shots Fired in Anger. Found it on ABEbooks.com for $4.00.

[1slow]

" No Second Place Winner", Bill Jordan.

Chuck Taylor's Books, on: Combat Handgun, Combat Rifle, Submachine Gun and Shotgun.

Major Plaster's Books on sniping.

[DDTSGM]

Developing SA, all can be bought used:

The Gift of Fear: And Other Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence - https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Fear-Survival-Signals-Violence/dp/0440226198

Just Two Seconds - https://www.amazon.com/Just-2-Seconds-Gavin-Becker/dp/0615214479 (pricey)

Left of Bang - https://www.amazon.com/Left-Bang-Marine-Combat-Program/dp/1936891301

[Flamingo]

" No Second Place Winner", Bill Jordan.

Chuck Taylor's Books, on: Combat Handgun, Combat Rifle, Submachine Gun and Shotgun.

Major Plaster's Books on sniping.

Thanks for the recommendations, I have Major Plastor's book. I will look for the others.

[Guerrero]

Justin over at the Swift, Silent, Deadly blog just posted his book list. Worth a look:

https://swiftsilentdeadly.com/james-bond-night-school-badass-reading-list/

[William B.]

“Violence of Mind” and “Beyond OODA” by Varg Freeborn.

[okie john]

Straight Talk on Armed Defense by Massad Ayoob

Plus everything else that he ever wrote on the subject.


Okie John

[BigD]

Lots of good books already mentioned. I'll add the following:

Deep Survival - by Laurence Gonzales

The Unthinkable (Who survives when disaster strikes and why) - Amanda Ripley. If Deep Survival is case studies in wilderness survival, the The Unthinkable is about natural disasters.)

98.6 Keeping Your Ass Alive - by Cody Ludin (yes, the barefoot, pig-tailed guy from the Discovery Channel - but it's not a bushcraft/primitive living book. Much more practical. The only "survival" book 99% of us need to read.)

Green Eyes & Black Rifles - Kyle Lamb. (Been around a long time but I'm not aware of a better book for the AR.)


I'll add some more in a later post.

[Oldherkpilot]

While their writing is not firearms specific, any books from Mark MacYoung or Rory Miller will be worth the read.

[Flamingo]

Any suggestions for firearms maintenance/simple repairs? I am going to pick up Stephen Camp's Hi Power book. Is there a good book on Glocks (up to and including Gen 5s and the single stacks) ?

[Sig_Fiend]

A few random books that come to mind:
The Strategies of Low-Light Engagements - Ken J. Good
Every article Ken J. Good ever wrote
Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals - Brian Enos
Training at the Speed of Life, Vol. 1: The Definitive Textbook for Police and Military Reality Based Training - Kenneth R. Murray
Everything from Mike Pannone, Paul Howe, and Kyle Lamb
Every Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual

Defense-oriented authors:
Ken J. Good, Ken Murray, Mike Pannone, Paul Howe, Kyle Lamb, Pat McNamara, Andy Stanford, Jim Cirillo, Louis Awerbuck, Massad Ayoob

Competition-related authors:
Brian Enos, Steve Anderson, Ben Stoeger, Mike Seeklander, Saul Kirsch, Ron Avery

[1slow]

Lots of good books already mentioned. I'll add the following:

Deep Survival - by Laurence Gonzales

The Unthinkable (Who survives when disaster strikes and why) - Amanda Ripley. If Deep Survival is case studies in wilderness survival, the The Unthinkable is about natural disasters.)

98.6 Keeping Your Ass Alive - by Cody Ludin (yes, the barefoot, pig-tailed guy from the Discovery Channel - but it's not a bushcraft/primitive living book. Much more practical. The only "survival" book 99% of us need to read.)

Green Eyes & Black Rifles - Kyle Lamb. (Been around a long time but I'm not aware of a better book for the AR.)


I'll add some more in a later post.



Deep Survival - by Laurence Gonzales.
The huge thing I got out of this book is: If the map in your head does not match what is actually going on you are so screwed.
This can refer to terrain, location, situation, proximics, people etc.....

[Flamingo]

What are the thoughts on Christopher Bartocci's Armorer's Manual AR15/M16/M4 Family of Weapons (https://www.amazon.com/Armorers-Manual-AR15-Family-Weapons/dp/1520470800)?

[Flamingo]

I bought Jerry Kuhnhausen's book on Ruger Double actions.

[TNK]

I read Unrepentant Sinner in the early to mid 1990s. I obtained my copy, published by Paladin Press, at the OKC gun show at the fairgrounds. I would not consider Askins' memoir as one for a model of proper mindset. Throughout the text he makes racially charged remarks, details rather honestly the questionable use of lethal force that even 90 years ago was doubted by authorities, and his temperament is not that of a man in control of his violent emotions. That said, the stories about law enforcement in the early Forest Service (challenging illegal loggers) and working with the early Border Patrol to stop smuggling across the Mexican border are fascinating for how dangerous, remote, and exhausting it was assert Federal authority at a time when it was still a novelty. The one time his bad temper served him well was when he fought Nazis in World War II. The bastards deserved every pain he inflicted upon them. In later life, when he was a popular gun writer, his story about sneaking into the former Soviet Union to do a bear hunt is good stuff. The man had no problem with breaking rules. As I said, it is not good now for a model of proper mindset, but it does make for fascinating reading. Enjoy the book if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Flamingo]

Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals - Brian Enos
Every Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual


I have Beyond Fundamentals, and thanks for the Kuhnhasusen recommendation!

[HCM]

Any suggestions for firearms maintenance/simple repairs? I am going to pick up Stephen Camp's Hi Power book. Is there a good book on Glocks (up to and including Gen 5s and the single stacks) ?

If you run small revolvers Mr. Camp’s snubby revolver book is worthwhile as well.

[HCM]

" No Second Place Winner", Bill Jordan.

This book is something of a mixed bag. The endorsement of drop guns and altering crime scenes makes me hesitant to recommend this book.

[elsquid]

“Small arms of the world”, Smith

Multiple editions of this book, dating back many decades. Prices all over the map depending on version and book condition.

Here’s one entry on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Arms-World-Walter-Smith/dp/0880296011/

~900 pages chock full of pictures and info. Primary focus is military small arms. Not hugely useful in a practical sense but fun to browse through. Latest edition is 30+ years old, so not current. Looks impressive on the shelf. :)

— Michael

[Jason M]

For use of force for law enforcement but has a lot of value for non-le too!

https://cap-press.com/books/isbn/9781611636826/In-Defense-of-Self-and-Others-.-.-.-Third-Edition

The third edition examines the issues through a post-Ferguson lens.

[LHS]

I read Unrepentant Sinner in the early to mid 1990s. I obtained my copy, published by Paladin Press, at the OKC gun show at the fairgrounds. I would not consider Askins' memoir as one for a model of proper mindset. Throughout the text he makes racially charged remarks, details rather honestly the questionable use of lethal force that even 90 years ago was doubted by authorities, and his temperament is not that of a man in control of his violent emotions. That said, the stories about law enforcement in the early Forest Service (challenging illegal loggers) and working with the early Border Patrol to stop smuggling across the Mexican border are fascinating for how dangerous, remote, and exhausting it was assert Federal authority at a time when it was still a novelty. The one time his bad temper served him well was when he fought Nazis in World War II. The bastards deserved every pain he inflicted upon them. In later life, when he was a popular gun writer, his story about sneaking into the former Soviet Union to do a bear hunt is good stuff. The man had no problem with breaking rules. As I said, it is not good now for a model of pro can be red CCW tper mindset, but it does make for fascinating reading. Enjoy the book if you can get your hands on a copy.

Examples of what not to do can be every bit as valuable as examples to emulate.

[Flamingo]

I ordered The Shooter's Guide to the Browning Hi Power - REVISED EDITION by Stephen Camp. Looking forward to getting this one.

[Flamingo]

Is there a good book on the GP100? I am looking for a book similar to Kuhnhausen's Shop Manual for the Double Action Ruger Revolvers (which covers the -Six series revolvers).

[dtw]

I didn't see "Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca.


Very good, I'd recommend it to anyone who carries.

[Erick Gelhaus]

For use of force for law enforcement but has a lot of value for non-le too!

https://cap-press.com/books/isbn/9781611636826/In-Defense-of-Self-and-Others-.-.-.-Third-Edition

The third edition examines the issues through a post-Ferguson lens.


In Defense of Self and Others is an excellent book! I know of attorneys who've been given copies by their client for educational reasons.

[Erick Gelhaus]

And, my apologies for not putting this in my first post.

Awerbuck's writing, not only the collections of the SWAT columns but his other books as - Defensive Shotgun and Hit or Myth;

Both Greg Morrison's book The Modern Technique of the Pistol and Reitz's offering The Art of Modern Gunfight. Together, there's a real good feel for the evolution of one methodology.