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JSGlock34
04-02-2011, 09:33 AM
http://www.vikingtactics.com/images/MasterCoverFINAL.jpg

Last night my copy of Stay in the Fight!! (http://www.vikingtactics.com/book.html) - A Warrior's Guide to the Combat Pistol by SGM (Ret) Kyle Lamb showed up. This is Lamb's follow-on to Green Eyes Black Rifles, focused on combat shooting with the pistol. It is similar in format, style and quality to his first book, and over 150 pages longer, hence the higher price. I'll preface my review by stating I have no relationship with SGM Lamb or Viking Tactics.

The variety and quality of photographs are even better than the first book, as Lamb and his 'models' demonstrate both proper and improper technique. I especially liked that the models appear in civilian, law enforcement and military kits to demonstrate the various techniques. Unsurprisingly, the increasingly popular Smith and Wesson M&P is the most common pistol depicted in the demonstrations, but Berettas, Glocks and 1911s make the occasional appearance.

Lamb's introduction makes clear that he is discussing 'A Way' but not the only way, and that his focus is prevailing in combat, not competition. He intends for his students to WIN gunfights, not just survive them.

The book is broadly broken up into three parts - Core Skills, Tools of the Trade and Intermediate/Advanced Skills. Core skills covers the fundamentals of stance, grip, sight picture, presentation, the draw, reloading and clearing malfunctions, along with common errors. Some drills appear in the Core Skills section, such as the classic 'ball and dummy'. An occasional sidebar column goes in depth on a particular topic, such as 'Position Sul'. The section on grip and sighting discusses the merits of various sight options and grip modifications, so there is discussion of equipment too.

Tools of the Trade discusses not only equipment selection, but training mindset. Lamb covers selection of a pistol, as well as recommendations for flashlights. He discusses common parts breakage, extended controls for the Glock and 1911 pistols, lasers, compensators and shooting with gloves.

The Intermediate and Advanced Skills section covers a lot of ground including driving the pistol, shooting on the move, survival manipulations, weapon retention, low light, unconventional positions...I'll be rereading this section again as there is so much to cover. He also discusses drawing from concealment and covers several techniques (including appendix carry for those that favor this method).

Lamb sprinkles anecdotes and humor throughout the text - the narrative remains interesting throughout. I surely haven't absorbed it all yet, but like his previous book, it'll be a reference that I'll return to before working on a skill or attending a class. I've also used Green Eyes with new shooters to illustrate a point and found it very useful - I'm sure Stay in the Fight!! will also serve well in that role. Overall, I think this is another winner from SGM Lamb and a worthy addition to my growing professional library.

Perhaps the one thing I thought was missing was some more advanced drills for shooters to work on their skills. Well, I also ordered the VTAC Pistol Drills Part I DVD (http://www.vikingtactics.com/vtac_dvds.html) which is the perfect companion to Stay in the Fight!! I think this is the best of the various recent VTAC DVDs, as the production quality is far better than the first two rifle offerings. It covers a number of pistol drills (Bill Drill, Half and Half, 1-5, etc), some of which are familiar and some which are new to me (which is the best part as my pistol routine has been getting a little stale and will benefit from something new). The video also covers pistol fundamentals, making for an excellent companion to the book. At $14.95, this is a worthwhile addition, especially considering the price of other DVDs from top trainers.

BCL
04-02-2011, 10:00 AM
I am looking forward to reading/watching the copy I ordered as well, which should hopefully be by Monday.

It sounds like the book should be as good as Green Eyes.


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dirt_diver
04-02-2011, 12:30 PM
Thanks for the great review! I plan on ordering both today.

Frank B
04-02-2011, 02:28 PM
I've tried to order the book and the DVD, too. Unfortunately, they denied to send the items to Germany.


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Odin Bravo One
04-02-2011, 10:38 PM
Frank,

I can get you a copy and hand deliver it this summer. You have to drive to me though....I prefer to stay out of Berlin when possible.


As with most books of this type, they are a great initial read, especially when the weather is crap, or we are not able to get as much range/training time as we would like. But where they really shine is when we go back and re-read them. Then again. I used to read books of this nature, and if I thought they were good, I would pass them on to other shooters/interested parties. I have learned over the years though, that a once through read is barely scraping the surface of most of the quality books out there, and my dumb ass can only absorb bits of information during the first trip through.

I find myself constantly going back into Kyle's previous book, along with a few from Cooper, Jeff Gonzales, Louis Awerbuck, etc.

Looking forward to picking Kyle's new book.

Now if they would just start making some of these available for the Kindle I would be set.

Frank B
04-04-2011, 02:14 PM
Sounds good, thanx alot!


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Odin Bravo One
04-04-2011, 03:19 PM
No problem.

I will get them picked up, and will be in touch as it gets a little closer to mid-summer and we can arrange a link up somewhere.......... OR............ Berlin is a haul if I recall correctly, so I'll see about having it mailed inside the local postal system.

Frank B
04-04-2011, 03:25 PM
We can sort it out, for sure.

GLOCKMASTER
04-05-2011, 06:35 PM
My copy arrived today and I'm very much looking forward to getting neck deep in it.

part-time shooter
04-09-2011, 09:01 AM
thanks for the tip on the drill DVD, it's well worth the money. The book is more than I expected as well, it's much larger than I anticipated so the pictures are not tiny and his writing style is very casual and not overly wordy. He also covers the little details well and that's not something I've found in other texts on this topic.

And if you're ever curious about what the sight picture of the VTAC sights looks like it's all over both.

Arclight
04-09-2011, 09:09 AM
I have to say, I don't really have anything substantial to add to this. Excellent review.

I would say that Green Eyes and Black Rifles and Stay in the Fight!! should be one of the first things aspiring shooters add to their collection. Yes, before cool guy gear.