Okay, PF thread drift time.
As I am re-reading this book, I have some thoughts on the protagonist John Kelly and Clancy's writing that I did not have the last time I read this book. Mainly because I know a lot more about guns, ammo and tactics (and medicine). Discussion below contains spoilers. I have attempted to use a spoiler tag, hopefully it works.
This is just a fun discussion starter with random thoughts.
Spoiler (highlight to read):
I am only up to where he is in the hospital post shotgun blast.
WTF, Kelly's wife lasts total: 5 paragraphs!!
Kelly hits the cans with a 45, reloads, hits them again. Nice. Eight then seven.
On preparing the pistol for duty, Clancy correctly describes field stripping it. However, Kelly loads, racks a round, replaces the round in the magazine and then manually decocks the hammer. No mention of the safety, no mention of cocked and locked. Clearly Clancy did not go to Gunsite in the 70s-80s.
Car-under seat holster: Just say no. In defense of it, Kelly seems to keep the 1911 on his person holstering and un-holstering it in the car.
Kelly gets over confident in both his skills and his gun talisman. This gets him in trouble and gets Pam killed. Bonehead move from one of the great fiction heros. Hopefully he will learn from it.
Kelly does a great job using his vehicle as a weapon and playing to its strengths. Enjoyed the chase.
Ambush trumps skill at arms most times.
Clancy does a decent job at the medical stuff describing a trauma center in the 60s. No way, no how a neurosurgeon is leading the team on a gunshot wound, however.
He identifies #7 shot by looking at it? Please. Maybe for an avid reloader.
Clancy correctly identifies that the lighter weight shot is not at all appropriate for killing humans leading to dramatic, but ultimately not terribly penetrating wounds and saving Kelly's life: No birdshot in social shotguns.
That is all for now, will add as I read. Please cover spoilers beyond this point if possible. I kinda, but don't really remember the book.
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