I put a few decades into researching this edition of Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, and am happy that it has been so well received.

37 COMMENTS

  1. Off-topic but the readers of this blog may want to keep an eye on this story:

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justin-peoples-black-navy-veteran-white-couple-charged-hate-crime-murder/

    From the way that the Anti-American Media attack dogs are foaming-at-the-mouth, screaming “racism”, and rushing to judgment, I suspect that they smell another “George Floyd” opportunity to exploit in this case. Another golden opportunity to play the race card and paint all whites as “Supremacists”. Another chance to push the Left’s divisive narrative and keep the “Elites” in power.

    Do not believe the narrative that the media is trying to paint. I don’t know the facts, yet, but I know how the media lies. I already suspect that there is a lot more to this story then the “canvas” that the media is rushing to painting.

    I hope the couple, who have already been arrested, can get good legal representation. If not, the Left will have no problems “railroading” them into prison for life (just like with the Arbery shooting scapegoats). The left will exploit them, railroad them, and utterly destroy them purely for their propaganda value.

    Truth, Justice and “Innocent until Proven Guilty” mean NOTHING to the American Left. Only “The Narrative” matters to the Leftists.

    • You’re totally off topic and admit you don’t know what you’re talking about.

      I have a very low opinion of the media too, having been on the short end of a couple fights with some folks who bought ink by the barrel.

      However, let’s stick to topic and wait for the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.

      • Walt,

        I think TN_MAN is trying to predict something that will happen. In order to do that, he has to mention it now, to see if his prediction comes true.

        Yes, we do get off-topic. But sometimes those tangents are pretty interesting.

        Some cultures would prefer the symmetry of comments all on one topic. Some cultures are more free form. America is free form, and it has served us well. As Rush used to say, we run circles around nations and cultures that are much older than we are. Freedom is chaotic, but it works for us. Also, at the same time, it doesn’t work. Some Americans are pretty messed up because they are so free they make bad choices.

    • Well Walt, you have totally missed my point. So let me try again.

      First off, I did not “admit that I don’t know what I am talking about”. I have posted to this blog for many years and I think that the other long-term readers will testify that I have not and (given my nature, would not) EVER make such an admission. Please don’t put false words in my mouth.

      What I actually said was “I don’t know the facts, yet”. Which is true. All I know is that the media is “rushing to judgment” (again) which ALWAYS makes me suspicious since, when the media does that, they have (historically) been completely wrong nearly 100% of the time.

      I do know that we, here in America, are SUPPOSED to be “innocent until proven guilty”. Therefore, I don’t like to see the media set themselves up as “Judge, Jury and (too often) Executioner”.

      So, the point of my above post was (A) the media is going off “half-cocked” again and is trying to condemn some people in the “Court of Public Opinion” rather than let the Justice system handle it in a “Court of Law”, (B) I don’t like such behavior and recommend that the readers of this blog be mindful of the “wrongness” of it, and (C) we all should wait for the facts to come out rather than be “led by the nose” into a racist narrative spun by the lying, biased media.

      I make the above points under my rights of “Freedom of Speech” which the Left has not (yet) completely abolished here in America.

      As for me being off-topic, I admitted that at the start. So, if you are so adverse to off-topic material, you could have (and probably should have) just skipped the rest of my comment right away. You would not have “hurt my feelings” by doing so! 🙂

      Finally, I would point out that this is Mas’ blog. If he feels that my occasional “off-topic” comments are straying too far afield, then he may tell me so himself. I respect his feedback. It is not your place, as a fellow reader, to become the “Blog Police” and lecture me as to when, and when not, I may comment.

      I have been commenting in this blog for many, many years now. Certainly far longer than you. So, if anyone “has seniority” here, it is surely I!

    • I went to the link that you provided and read the CBS article along with another article that was also written by CBS. Both articles were poorly written and gave readers almost no actual information about what happened. I don’t know why I expected any more out of CBS. They lived up to their usual low standard of reporting most everything they write or broadcast.
      Thanks for the links. I do appreciate it.

  4. How might the content differ from your 2011 Combat Shooting (which you signed for me at a MAG40 🙂 )?

  5. Mas,

    I’ve followed you for decades and greatly appreciate your articles, stories and expert advice! I feel more able to think about how to properly handle situations. I also am able to help others understand safer and legally safer self defense. You also enlightened me to appreciate (and own) Glocks. Lol. Many thanks!

  7. I have both the original 1st edition and your most recent. But my favorite book of yours is The Truth About Self Protection.

  8. Well now, I read “In the gravest extreme”, which lead me to “Combat Handgunnery.” That was ‘back in the day’ and since then, have read every book written by you. Read them a few times, each.

    The most recent books have bigger font, don’t know if it was for editing purposes or because Mas’ eyes were in need of “adjustments.” Nonetheless, I don’t have a favorite, but do advocate reading the books written.

    Sage knowledge!

  9. A book with seven editions, and on the second printing of its seventh edition? What a blockbuster! This is fantastic!

    All that negative news out there; different variants of the Chinese virus, inflation, crime in the cities, defunded police and pro-criminal judges, the war in Ukraine, which could escalate, possibly into WWIII, and now a new form of warfare for the twenty-first century, cyber war, fentanyl and homeless bums living in tents on the sidewalks, “white supremacists” attacking Asian ladies, even one using his own feces! Horrible news!

    But, people are buying guns and getting educated. John Farnam even wrote that Europeans are starting to form rifle clubs and militias, in case Vladimir RasPutin crosses the border into their country. They must be playing hockey in Hell. Who ever thought Europeans would get into guns in a big way?

    Thanks for the good news, Mas. I needed to hear that. This really is a good time for self-defense, firearms and women and minorities exercising their Second Amendment rights.

  10. I have a comment on the topic of “Combat Handgunnery” but not on the specific book referenced above.

    In a previous blog comment, one reader (Steve Long) referenced a book called “The Gun That Wasn’t There” by retired Texas police chief Russell S. Smith. The book sounded good so I downloaded the Kindle version and have just finished reading it.

    The title of the book refers to an incident that occurred on November 4, 1965. In summary, West Texas (that year) was dealing with a “Mexican Bandit”. A man who lived in the wild country and made his living by burglarizing the homes and businesses of local residents. He even, a few months previously, pulled off an armed robbery and shot one of the local residents in the leg.

    This bandit lived in various camps and caves in the remote countryside. He made occasional trips back to Mexico to dispose of his loot and visit a prostitute that he favored.

    Well, a local ranch hand, Alfredo Gallegos, happened to find a cave that the bandit sometimes used. He relayed the information to the local Sheriff, Bill Cooksey. So, Sheriff Cooksey went to the site to investigate it. He took Gallegos along to show him the cave and two other locals, Lewis Cash and Benny Ray Ross, also tagged along.

    The sheriff normally carried a S&W Model 27 revolver in a strong side holster. However, that day, he happened to be armed with a Browning .380 semi-auto pistol tucked into his waistband. The only other person armed was Ross who had a Winchester 30-30 carbine.

    Well, to make a long story short, the bandit was home (to their surprise). He crawled out of the cave (all smiles) and pretended to surrender to them. Then, suddenly, he pulled a .38 revolver, shot the sheriff (wounding him badly but not killing him), got the drop on the others, tied Cash and Ross up, and made Gallegos take him to their vehicles and drive him down near the border where he escaped. When the Bandit drew on the Sheriff, Cooksey “slapped leather” on his strong side but, because he had a different gun in a different carry location, he came up dry.

    Therefore, the lesson that everyone takes from this incident (and gives the title to the book) is to be consistent with your carry gun/location.

    After reading this book, I think that is the wrong (or is, at least, a secondary) lesson to be learned. The true failure (in my opinion) on that day was a lack of combat mindset. None of them expected the bandit to be home. Once they realized he was there, none of them expected resistance. They walked up to that cave in “Condition White”. The guy with the rifle did not even have a round chambered so it proved useless. They should have had a plan in case the bandit was home. They should have been in “Yellow” as they approached the cave. As soon as they realized the bandit was home, they should have been in “Orange”.

    After all, this bandit had already shot one local resident. He should have been considered as “potentially armed and dangerous”. Instead, he was not considered a threat until he had already put lead into the Sheriff!

    The real failure that day was lack of combat mindset. The “Big Lesson” that everyone draws, about carry gun and carry location, is really (in my opinion) just a side issue.

  11. I am ordering the 7th Edition for my favorite public library tomorrow. I imagine that the book has a section on how to prevent gunfights through measures such as de-escalation, diversion, and other shooting-prevention strategies. Meanwhile, I will be grateful for what I can learn from a great authority about necessary, appropriate, and timely combat shooting.
    You know, back in the day any firearm smaller than a real cannon was called a “hand-gonne.” Let us not leave at least the short 12-gauge off the list. The recent thread about “Chesty” Puller reminded me of the challenge Chesty offered one time to have a shotgun shoot-out at ten paces with a certain nuisance-type fellow. Which makes me think me of the expressed penchant of Former Vice-President and President-At-Least-For-Today Joseph Robinette (“Sleepy Joe”) Biden, Jr of intimidation via shotgun blast. Which reminds me that maybe the rampant, bloody Russian Dictator-for-Life Vladimir Vladomirovich (The New Stalin?) Putin would consider a Shotgun Shoot-Out Challenge in place of slaughtering or displacing unlimited babies, pregnant women, elderly people, and myriad other creatures, with military ordnance. Which makes me think that instead of facing Vlad off with a goofy, wanna-be “global leader” and fugitive grifter firmly in the clutches of our enemies, we could produce a fairer fight by opposing Vlad with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (“The Brave”), maybe on Fox News, with fair and balanced referees, in the Coliseum in Rome. Then we would not even have to think about psycho Vlad trying to attend the G-20 in Bali in November.

    • A nuclear confrontation like the one Dmitry Peskov has recently presented is very much like a High Noon with sawn-off shotguns at 10 paces. Both shooters are fairly guaranteed to be mortally wounded. Rattling a nuclear saber is directly comparable to wielding an overloaded 12-gauge that will blow up in the shooter’s face when the trigger is pulled. That is, any initiation of nuclear strikes is equal to suicide. If any nuclear power is actually crazy or stupid enough to commit hari kari by launching nukes, it thereby provokes its own annihilation. Let us not be held hostage by a bunch of bluffing fanatics. We have lived with the threat of nuclear war too long to be afraid of it. Putin will be dismissed shortly.

  13. Follow up for a previous blog. Back on February 17th, we discussed the Curtis Reeves trial and the issue of disparity of force. This case was about the retired Police Captain that the media nicknamed the “Popcorn Shooter”. Reeves was in his 70’s, at the time of the incident, and was attacked by a much younger and stronger man. He killed his attacker (with one shot) from his .380 ACP carry pistol.

    Both men were white so the media could not play the race card on this one. Still, they hate guns and they hate citizens who defend themselves with them. So, they played the story for its gun control propaganda value: “Those crazy gun owners as so bad, you see, that they will ‘gun down’ an unarmed man for no more reason that throwing a piece of popcorn”.

    That was the tone of their anti-gun propaganda.

    Since the other man was not armed with a firearm or other lethal weapon, the State pursued charges against Reeves. The case dragged on, in the courts, for eight (8) years.

    It turns out that the Jury did recognize the disparity of force issues here and they did uphold Curtis Reeves claims that he acted in self-defense. The jury found Curtis Reeves “Not Guilt”.

    I just happened across this information. I did not see a peep about this result in the media although I gather that a few outlets ran a story on it. Fox News did one:

    https://www.fox13news.com/news/curtis-reeves-murder-trial-jurors-reach-verdict

    Anyway, since we did have a previous blog on this case, I thought that I would post a comment on the final results.

    • Thanks, TN_MAN. I’m ditching my 1911 in .45 ACP and going with a .380 ACP pistol. I’ll still be better armed than James Bond who only has a .32 ACP caliber Walther PPK and I want some butter with my popcorn.

      • @ Tom606 – If you are careful to put your first shot right through the heart of your opponent, like Curtis Reeves did in this incident, then you can use just about any caliber of pistol that strikes your fancy. 🙂

        Problems with the “mouse guns” only become apparent when that first shot is poorly placed. Of course, poor placement can cause problems even with your .45 ACP.

        Some people do take that approach. They use small caliber guns on the theory that the lack of recoil allows them to precisely place their shots into vital areas whereas they cannot be so precise with a “hand cannon”.

        Like everything in shooting, it depends upon the abilities of the shooter and his or her skills and tolerance for recoil. There is no such thing as a “Dangerous Weapon”. There are only “Dangerous People”.

      • Thanks for the information TN_MAN. I just happen to have two of the pistols mentioned in that article, a Ruger LCP purchased new for $200 shortly after it came out and a Kahr P380 I bought used in excellent condition for $250 with box, papers, extra magazine and even a nice leather pocket holster. My third .380 ACP pistol is an American made blued Walther PPK/S gotten back in the 1980’s but it’s heavier than my SIG 365 and Springfield Armory Hellcat which are in the more powerful 9X19 mm caliber.

        I think one of those odd looking Altor 9mm single shot pistols with a Gemtech Aurora suppressor would be nice. It would be perfect for use inside a movie theater where people won’t be disturbed by loud gunfire if some scumbag makes a comment about your popcorn.

  14. Another off topic note:
    Mas, I’ve read all of your writings, and Jeff Cooper’s as well. But have never been able to ferret out any info on cooper’s “martial” use of his firearms. Other than perhaps use of a rifle, when off the ship in ww11.
    Is there any printed work on Coopers doings during the Korean War? Latin America?
    Love to see a bio of cooper during the ‘50’s thru ‘80’s era. Important to procure this info while family , witness still alive.

    • Amazon has “Jeff Cooper: the Soul and the Spirit,” the excellent biography of Col. Cooper by his daughter. It contains mention of the three enemies he killed with a pistol — all of whom had more potent weapons than his — in wartime.

    • Allan,

      In the early 2000s, I read all of the online short quips Jeff Cooper had posted. I will relate the following from my memory. I believe you should trust the book Mas mentioned, not my memory.

      What I remember reading is that Jeff Cooper said he was in three wars, and volunteered for a fourth, yet never shot anyone. He was a Marine in WWII, but was always in units which were held in reserve during the island campaigns. During the Korean War, he worked behind the scenes, blowing up railroads and sabotaging enemy supplies. He volunteered for the Vietnam War, but was told he was too old. He then volunteered for the Rhodesian War, and was accepted as a mercenary. One time he was with a small unit, above a bridge. An enemy sentry was walking his route across the bridge. Jeff Cooper got him in his sights, but his superior told him not to pull the trigger. They didn’t want to start any fighting at that time, they were on reconnaissance only. He wrote that that was the closest he got to shooting anyone.

      I apologize if I have relayed any falsehoods. I would certainly trust a written resource, especially from a family member of Jeff’s, over my recollections of his writings, which I probably read 17 years ago.

      Reading Jeff Cooper’s works is a banquet for the mind. We are blessed to have Mas, Jeff and many others from whom to learn. The subject of firearms touches on mechanics, the law, history, philosophy, existence itself, math, ballistics, metallurgy and war. I believe the most amazing stories of all are war stories.

      • Oh yeah, the subject of firearms also touches on biology and chemistry. Heck, I guess it even touches on art, because I love the way most firearms look.

  15. I am looking ahead to see if the now-President Joseph Biden, Jr leaves office before long. He is to my eyes, and to those of many others, unfortunately embodying global collapse, as well as being in significant peril of impeachment. The two individuals following him in the “line of succession” of the Presidency might be willing to bless us with their recusal of office in self-recognition of their absolute inappropriateness. And pigs might fly. Following miracles, the most prominent Presidential appointment could, with any luck, be the practical Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. God help us, however, if Biden & Co. manage only at most to continue to dwindle along at a diminishing level of economy and security. Socio-economic disharmony is already spreading from growing flocks of anti-American vultures that are gathering. Let us develop a common prayer and attitude for better times, organize at a peaceful and appropriate level, but keep improving our supply of arms, ammo, and kit. Got God, dependable-sane-militia-type neighbors, responsible police, water, food, meds, medics, fuel, portable shelter, radios, batteries, generators, fuel, etc.?.

    • Forget all that ridiculous, expensive survival stuff. According to our wise liberal leaders, if you have faith, then all you need in a collapsing terrorist infested, crime dominated world is the Koran and the writings of Malcolm X and his messiah Barack Obama. Some inspirational books by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Oprah would also help us greatly through these very dark times. 🙂

      Don’t worry. Aunt Kamala Harris or Nancy Pelosi may well turn out to be the greatest American president ever, better than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, and Elvis combined.

    • Strategic Steve,

      Good advice, thanks. During the period, 2016–2020, I remember thinking about what life would be like if Hillary had won the 2016 election. After all, she was “supposed” to win. Now I’m thinking, what would life be like if Trump was in his second term? After all, he did win the 2020 election, if it had been fair.

      It’s amazing how one President can effect life on this whole planet. And look what can happen when one man, in a powerful position, can do when he wants a war, even though no one else wants a war. Amazing power in one individual.

      This is off-topic, but we need to remember the American government is now guilty of human rights abuses. The January 6th, 2021 demonstrators have been kept in jail too long. They could be let out, and simply required to show up for a court date. They are political prisoners, held at a time when violent prisoners are released from city jails.

      It’s sad, and aggravating watching Democrats, {all Democrats, not just the politicians}, ruin the greatest country on earth, while the Republicans talk, but don’t act. I realize very little can be done. I myself am taking no action, just watching and waiting.

      • Above, the first sentence in the second paragraph, I guess I should have used “affect” not “effect.”

        “It’s amazing how one President can affect life on this whole planet.”

        Sometimes I look up stuff on Google, and sometimes I don’t. That was one time when I should have looked it up, “affect or effect?,” instead of guessing. English was easier before the Normans (French) mixed it up.

      • Roger, isn’t it amazing that most of the people arrested on January 6th at the U.S. Capitol who committed no crimes are in jail indefinitely while hordes of people numbering several million who illegally invaded our country are given court dates almost every one of them will ignore, are immediately released into America to do whatever they want?

        If the Crooked Joe regime continues on it’s present course, those imprisoned for their January 6th activities may soon die mysteriously in jail from fatal accidents or supposedly natural causes, or just taken into the basement to a small soundproof room covered with plastic sheets where they will receive small caliber bullets to the back of their heads in accordance to quaint Soviet traditions.

  16. Thank you sir. I don’t remember that from reading when it came out. Will have to pull off the shelf and reread!

  17. WARNING – I am about to stray off-topic again! 🙂

    Here is the latest anti-gun propaganda from the Anti-American Media:

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/dozens-of-teens-arrested-as-orbeez-tiktok-trend-spirals-out-of-hand?source=articles&via=rss

    Here is the narrative that they are crafting – quoted directly from the above agitprop piece:

    “The so-called Orbeez Challenge—which may or may not have emerged on TikTok—involves loading airguns with the gel-filled pellets and firing them at strangers…..Even if the pellets do not cause serious damage, using an airgun—which are sometimes painted or modified to look like real guns, according to police—could easily get the user killed.

    ‘Most definitely,’ retired NYPD Det. Sgt. Joseph Giacalone, who now teaches at New York City’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Daily Beast. ‘People are carrying firearms all over nowadays.’

    Orbeez shootings are occurring nationwide, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Claudio Jimenez told local outlet WSOC, which first reported on the incident at Olympic High.”

    Notice that only police in “Blue” cities (NY, Charlotte, etc.) are being used as sources and tapped for quotes.

    You see the message that is being crafted? Let me spell it out:

    A. Guns are everywhere today. Even airguns in the hands of children (Oh, the horror – Ralphie, go wash your mouth with soap! 🙂 )
    B. The people who have them are crazy and irresponsible.
    C. People are being injured and killed. It is an epidemic of violence.
    D. Conclusion – We need to ban them all. Even airguns. The people need to be completely disarmed.

    Sadly, this form of propaganda works very well on the weak-minded, weak-willed and the vast herds of sheeple among us.

    Of course, the true reason that they want to completely disarm the people is so that we can be reduced from citizens to slaves of the State and the power Elites who run the State.

    Somehow, that underlying truth never makes it into these agitprop pieces. Wonder Why?

    • All firearms must be banned from the possession of good people, so bad people who are the friends of liberals and vote overwhelmingly for them can commit crimes without worry of being seriously hurt. A disarmed population is easily controlled by the elite, who can dictate their evil wishes at will and have them obeyed at the muzzle of guns carried by their henchpersons.

      Imagine The United States being transformed into a huge plantation with over 300 million unarmed slaves lorded over by Crooked Joe or Aunt Kamala? Their heavily armed military and alphabet agencies like the FBI, CIA, NSA, BLM, NOI, etc. will enforce obedience at the point of a gun and resisters will be taken in cattle cars to the showers or Soylent Green processing plants. That is the liberals’ version of Utopia.

      • Tom606,

        In other words, the elites want America to be like China; easily managed sheeple.

        Notice how Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Mao and Putin never got assassinated. If some tyrant like them ruled in America, they would most likely get assassinated. In America, even good Presidents get assassinated. By “good,” I mean that Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy were not tyrants, even though John Wilkes Booth called Lincoln a tyrant. And, all presidents have assassination attempts made on them.

        Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanian President/dictator, did get assassinated in 1989. Notice how in nearly all wars, the leaders send the peasants out to fight, and die, while the leaders live in safety and comfort far from the slaughter and suffering.

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