Poll: Favorite Books for CCW / HD Knowledge?

[bradsteen]

Looking to expand my library of firearms-related books, specifically those geared towards home defense and concealed carry. Any recommendations?

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[titsonritz]

Jeff Cooper - Principles of Personal Defense is a mindset book not a how to book and should be read by all who own a gun for SD.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I don't have a favorite...which is odd....'cause I love to read.

I do have some suggestions however.

When reading books like those in the poll...it may be wise to remember :

When the book was written....times and attitudes change....

Just what are the author's experiences....He may be very good at something or have a lot of experience , but if that skill or experience does not apply to you or your situation...it may not be helpful.

The author may be biased towards some things....which can at times . "blind" them to other firearms , ammo , methods , etc...that also work for what he is writing about.

When reading a book that is well known....read it carefully and be sure that you are not reading into it...
Or applying what as been quoted / misquoted , misrepresented...to the author's text.

At the end of the day...no matter who wrote what....
It is simply their view...which may work for you...or not.

Please note that with my above statement , I am not disparaging any of the books or authors in the poll.
Nor am I saying that I know better than them about anything....
Learning from others is a good a useful trait / skill.

I am saying that they wrote about what they liked , experienced and what worked for them , in situations that they were in...
Which may or may not be the same for you.
Andy

Edit to add :
It is also good to not let the author's bias become your bias.
And to not fall into the trap of :
Since a famous author uses this....or said this....I must also use the same or always do the same.
Life will play by its own rules...not yours or some famous author's.

 

[P7M13]

My education was the school of hard knocks, in an ugly city and an ugly time.
As far as HD, my experiences taught me that simple security measures can be taken that will make it a lot harder to breach the premises. Then once in, things that will alert you that an intruder is present. And, I'm not talking about a "home security system".
You want to do anything and everything that will buy you time.

Out in the open, situational awareness is everything. IMO, that, you learn by doing.

 

[bradsteen]

I don't have a favorite...which is odd....'cause I love to read.

I do have some suggestions however.

When reading books like those in the poll...it may be wise to remember :

When the book was written....times and attitudes change....

Just what are the author's experiences....He may be very good at something or have a lot of experience , but if that skill or experience does not apply to you or your situation...it may not be helpful.

The author may be biased towards some things....which can at times . "blind" them to other firearms , ammo , methods , etc...that also work for what he is writing about.

When reading a book that is well known....read it carefully and be sure that you are not reading into it...
Or applying what as been quoted / misquoted , misrepresented...to the author's text.

At the end of the day...no matter who wrote what....
It is simply their view...which may work for you...or not.

Please note that with my above statement , I am not disparaging any of the books or authors in the poll.
Nor am I saying that I know better than them about anything....
Learning from others is a good a useful trait / skill.

I am saying that they wrote about what they liked , experienced and what worked for them , in situations that they were in...
Which may or may not be the same for you.
Andy

Edit to add :
It is also good to not let the author's bias become your bias.
And to not fall into the trap of :
Since a famous author uses this....or said this....I must also use the same or always do the same.
Life will play by its own rules...not yours or some famous author's.

Good points, @Andy54Hawken - I always read with the context of the author in mind, and definitely have found specific recommendations or opinions in these books that I don't agree with or aren't necessarily relevant to my personal situation. For example, I just finished "The Tactical Advantage" by Gabriel Suarez - there's a lot of good info in there on how to properly clear rooms, hallways, stairs, etc., so I would recommend it just as a general "how to" on those specific things. However, several topics he covers are geared toward law enforcement, so while they are interesting to read about, they are not really relevant in a civilian-involved deadly force encounter.

 

[dangerranger60]

I have read quite a few books on your list. I would add "the Gift of Fear". It had a couple good points in it about listening to the little voice in your head, Why BG's do what they do, and how not to become caught up in it!
And add In the Gravest extream. DR

 

[bradsteen]

I have read quite a few books on your list. I would add "the Gift of Fear". It had a couple good points in it about listening to the little voice in your head, Why BG's do what they do, and how not to become caught up in it!
And add In the Gravest extream. DR

The Gift of Fear is a great one - couldn't agree more. Have recommended that one to a number of friends and family members, lots of good info there. Have not read "in the gravest extreme" yet, will check it out. Thanks!

 

[po18guy]

No Second Place Winner - Bill Jordan

 

[L84Cabo]

Branca's book is well worth the read. It's pretty dry but the info is solid and important. If memory serves, I think I paid $10 for the E-book version.

 

[WillametteWill]

Cool thread. I was just considering launching a regular "book review" series of postings since I read topics on the pretty regularly. My recommend list includes (many noted by others):

• Deadly Force - Massad Ayoob, there is a reason this is listed as number one. (Disclaimer, I'm a MAG certified instructor but this was still number one on my list prior)
• Straight Talk on Armed Defense - Edited by Ayoob but numerous authors, great perspectives
• Law of Self Defense - Andrew Branca, this is an absolute must read to prepare for the aftermath of a shooting
• Deadly Force Encounters 2nd Edition - Alexis Artwohl & Loren Christensen (retired PPB officer)
• Principals of Personal Defense - Col. Jeff Cooper, a good annual read for mindset
• Other books by Ayoob (note, some info will be dated in older books)

There are many others that have bits of good information depending on where we were at on our self defense study journey. I have also read many books which did have some good information but also contained many flaws. As a result, I don't recommend these to my students since they may not have the level of understanding to understand the difference.

I'm going to be in the minority here but Gift of Fear by de Becker is one of these. Yes, there are some useful tidbits. I know he is the guru of executive protection. But to me, much of the book is directed to protecting Taylor Swift, not my bride (although I think my wife is much hotter...and she also is very competent at protecting herself). He is also anti-gun. Read appendix three on Gun Safety in the book (available for free btw if you have Amazon Kindle Unlimited...which is a good way to get many books on this topic). From this section:

"I propose that we hold gun manufactures to the same product-liability standard we require for every other consumer product."​

Or this gem while talking about tamper resistant pill bottles:

"while gun makers knowingly and enthusiastically produce products which kill five hundred Americans each week and we don't require a single safety feature. Does it make sense to you that manufactures who sell products specifically designed to inflict tissue damage, to do it efficiently, rapidly, portably and lethally, have fewer safety requirements than virtually every other product you use?​

Notice the product, the gun, kills 500 people each day (emphasis above was his) and apparently my trap shotgun was designed to inflict tissue damage. This section is not on gun safety, it is on why guns are bad. To me this MASSIVELY taints his perspective on actual personal protection for us mortals, not his clients, like Jeff Bezos. Of course I respect those who found the book useful.

 

[bradsteen]

Yeah, I agree that his position on guns is terrible, and he gets a little preachy in places. That being said, his insights on situational awareness and behavioral indicators of threat actors are 100% solid, so I have to give credit where credit is due. Heck, even Massad Ayoob lists him as recommended reading in "Straight Talk".

My wife's friend started dating one loser in particular, and when she started complaining about it I checked off most of the red flags on de Becker's list of behavioral indicators and told her to send him packing. She hemmed and hawed, so I gave her a copy of the book to read. Sure enough, she read the book, dumped him the next day, and hasn't dated another loser since.

Most of the people I've recommended it to are females in the dating scene - which strikes me as the intended audience, frankly. I tell them to read the first couple chapters of Gift of Fear, then watch that 20-minute Jeff Cooper video on the Color Codes of the Combat Mindset, followed by Jeff Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense. I just tell them "Gavin de Becker will help you identify bad people and try to avoid them, and Jeff Cooper will help you deal with them when they don't go away."

 

[Member 53328]

Glad to see Left of Bang in the list. Mindset and awareness are key to survival.