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Excaliber wrote: Motion activated lighting to illuminate intruders' approach after dark

Security window films to delay forcible entry

Alarm systems that include glass break sensors to alert us of perimeter intrusions in remote parts of the house
...

I am trying to learn the above subjects and upgrade. Where or how is the best way to learn what is junk, and what is overpriced etc?

What is "window film"? Is that a layer that prevents the glass from cracking/falling out easily? Sort of like improvised safety glass?

Glass break sensors: Do you need one of these for every PANE? Every window? (I was thinking bout just putting a motion sense in each entry point, but of course that means the intruder is already (at least partly) inside...

I am pretty sure that I want a phone dialer to call all my numbers and alert me.

galvestonredneck wrote:WOW!! I had no idea there were so many books that would apply.

Thank You to everyone for the information. My friend and I went to Houston and he bought a Baby Eagle. I wanted him to stick with a 9mm to save on ammo and we could shoot a lot, but he really liked the 45. We then went to the Texas City range and shot a couple of boxes. My friend shot a good groop on 3 targets and is a lot less nervous than the last two trips (as I said, he had never fired a gun of any type). He loves his new pistol and wants to continue shooting weekly. He was the one who ask me about a book to read.

That is one of the really good reasons for a 9mm -- big enough, cheaper than .45, available pretty much everywhere

galvestonredneck wrote: I will get the Army manual right away, it will give him basic knowledge. I had no idea you could buy it. I will also get in touch with ElGato about spending a hour with my friend, I hesitate to contact him just now because he has a lot on his plate the last several weeks.

Free's good and the Army AND Marine manuals are really good on the basics.

galvestonredneck wrote:
All of the sugestions are good ones. I will print out this thread and get my friend to read the books starting with the simple and moving into the more complicated. He is a reader and I am sure he will jump right on them. I will continue to do the best I can to instruct him.

Thank You again for your advise.

Galveston Redneck

If he is a reader, remind him not to overlook the library (system) -- sometimes they don't have the latest books and usually not the more specialized, but a big library system can order a lot of stuff that would surprise you, especially if you use the online catalog. Free is good. And if you or your friend really like a book you can always Amazon it.

Or trade the books back and forth with each other.

If you get serious, you will want some seriously good training too.

seamusTX wrote:Shooting is hardly as complicated as playing the violin or tennis. You can see that you either hit the point of aim or you didn't, and the causes and solutions to various problems are well-documented.

The Army manual is written so that a relatively raw recruit can learn from it. The cost is effectively zero (though I printed a copy and had it bound).

I think a few formal lessons and consistent practice will keep most shooters at a practical level.

It's a small investment for a skill that can save your life and the lives of your loved ones.

- Jim

My biggest problem with "books" is there are really very few astounding volumes on the actual shooting technique and mechanics. A few like Brian Enos' books really stand out, but it does so largely because there is no serious competition.

And I was REALLY hoping that someone would suggest some newer (or other) books that I don't know about, that are really good on mechanics: improving accuracy and speed. For now, it is just PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

As you say, the Army manual is free (or a few bucks if you print it off) and it has an accurate and understable description of what to *do*. And perhaps it is that shooting (firing the round) is a relatively simple activity, easy to learn, but always offering room for improvement in either speed or accuracy, that that makes the super book unlikely.

This used to be the case with martial arts books, there were few at all, and almost no great ones.

I usually don't recommend "video training" for most things, but martial arts and shooting are coming out with some really good titles.

I didn't think that D.R. Middlebrook's Fist-Fire was a good place to start a beginner (but I could easily be wrong about that) or I would have affered his book and his video -- neither alone was quite perfect but together they were worth far more than the cost. Highly recommended.

And I WOULD like to take a course with D.R. sometime its jut so awkward to get to eastern Virginia and find the time and money at the same time. http://www.tacticalshooting.com/faq.html They have a forum (like this one) but it doesn't have as much general information and "friends" conversing as here. It's more focused on just their "products" (training, books, video, method) and they lost the archive due to a hack attack so it doesn't go back very far.

boomerang wrote:

HerbM wrote:Few of us will have the opportunity to train with really world class shooters or world class coaches -- for those of us lucky enough to do that, it probably will not be at our first training nor right at the beginning of our own development.

That's true but go back and read the original question by galvestonredneck.

He didn't say his friend had been plinking for years and now he was interested in getting a CHL and competing in IDPA. He didn't say his friend had been shooting for a few months and wanted to know how to take it to the next level. His friend is a rank beginner. Someone who has never shot a handgun before (or shot once or twice) does not need world class instruction to learn the basics. There are many NRA instructors who can set his friend on the right path and help him avoid learning bad habits. There are competent amateurs who can do the same thing for a friend. I think some of the recommended books are good for someone who already knows the basics but might overload and confuse a new shooter.

And many books that will be as good or better than the "average" instructor, for those who read and model atheletic performance well -- not everyone can do that, but for those who can, the book is usually at 10 or 100 to 1 economic & skill advantage -- especially since a small amount of training (anything up to a week), is going to be followed by months of careful practice according to the recommendations from these trainers themselves.

They main key no matter how you get the training, it so not be practicing bad habits. Some people can self-analyze (or working in the partner team these two are setting up) IF they have the correct info.

Some can't.

But if a performer cannot self-coach (and doesn't have a coach) those one shot trainings are going to be just a problematic. For someone on the Army team, or in a sport where you can afford and find an ongoing coach this is easily overcome, but most people can neither find nor afford an daily or even weekly shooting coach, unless it is a partner shooter.

Books work as well or better for some people. Depends on the person, but if someone is asking for a book, chances are they are one of those people.

boomerang wrote:

HerbM wrote:Few of us will have the opportunity to train with really world class shooters or world class coaches -- for those of us lucky enough to do that, it probably will not be at our first training nor right at the beginning of our own development.

That's true but go back and read the original question by galvestonredneck.

He didn't say his friend had been plinking for years and now he was interested in getting a CHL and competing in IDPA. He didn't say his friend had been shooting for a few months and wanted to know how to take it to the next level. His friend is a rank beginner. Someone who has never shot a handgun before (or shot once or twice) does not need world class instruction to learn the basics. There are many NRA instructors who can set his friend on the right path and help him avoid learning bad habits. There are competent amateurs who can do the same thing for a friend. I think some of the recommended books are good for someone who already knows the basics but might overload and confuse a new shooter.

And many books that will be as good or better than the "average" instructor, for those who read and model atheletic performance well -- not everyone can do that, but for those who can, the book is usually at 10 or 100 to 1 economic & skill advantage -- especially since a small amount of training (anything up to a week), is going to be followed by months of careful practice according to the recommendations from these trainers themselves.

They main key no matter how you get the training, it so not be practicing bad habits. Some people can self-analyze (or working in the partner team these two are setting up) IF they have the correct info.

Some can't.

But if a performer cannot self-coach (and doesn't have a coach) those one shot trainings are going to be just a problematic. For someone on the Army team, or in a sport where you can afford and find an ongoing coach this is easily overcome, but most people can neither find nor afford an daily or even weekly shooting coach, unless it is a partner shooter.

Money spend on books is almost never wasted IF you read them. Money and time spent on live training in any field is almost always a poorrer investment and you are typically going to lose a lot more. Especially if you are just dealing with a typical, mediocre trainer.

Most of time you do the book first, THEN you have the knowledge to select an instructor or a particular training that will meet *YOU* at the level you can reach quickly on your own.





Books work as well or better for some people. Depends on the person, but if someone is asking for a book, chances are they are one of those people.

Few of us will have the opportunity to train with really world class shooters or world class coaches -- for those of us lucky enough to do that, it probably will not be at our first training nor right at the beginning of our own development.

I will presume that anyone asking for a book is a good reader, and knows something about modeling and self-coachin based on reading. For some people this just isn't a skill they have of course.

A good example is martial arts books. Most people will get little from a "technique book" while others will use the same book to progress markedly.

There are many advantages of books, but one of the biggest is that they are available "now" while most of the really great shooting coaches are booked months ahead or we must wait to fit it into our schedule. It is far preferable to be practicing during those month, the be practicing much more perfectly rather than just practicing the wrong technique, and to be gaining the experience and background that when we finally get help from that world class coach we are at a higher level better able to process and use the subtle points rather than just the gross outline.

Also, there are very few world class teachers -- most of us will attend a lot of training without ever meeting one. World clas is not just "real good", but as rare as the Tiger Woods or Michael Jordans in sports.

Excaliber wrote:

I will look forward to seeing what others suggest.

Herb M's list is a real good start.

I would add:

Massad Ayoob's "In the Gravest Extreme"
Lewis Awerbuck's "Tactical Reality"
Jeff Cooper's "Principles of Personal Defense"
Brian Felter's "Police Defensive Handgun Use and Encounter Tactics"
Col. Dave Grossman's "On Combat"

All good with a caveat: I have On Combat on order and haven't read it yet. I have read On Killing by Grossman and can highly recommend it, so give the quality of this earlier book On Killing, and the strength of the Amazon reviews (and no Excalibur's recommendation) I am certain it is high quality also.

Currently I am reading, Into the Kill Zone : A Cop's Eye View of Deadly Force by David Klinger. It's about police deadly force incidents, but there is a wealth of information to be learned here. I cannot recommend it highly enough if you want to think about "What will the threat look like?", "Will I shoot when it is necessary, or wait too long?", and many other critical questions.

I am trying find a really good book on "police patrolling" with an emphasis on non-verbal cues and "noticing the little things" -- not so much on police procedure, but on what to watch, listen for, or notice.

galvestonredneck wrote:I have a friend that I work with that has started to go to the range with me. He has a 357 revolver but had never shot a gun of any type before he and I went to the range a few weeks ago. As it turns out he LOVES it! He has shot my CZ 9 and we have both shot the 357.

Tomorrow we are headed up north (Houston) so he can buy himself a .45 automatic.

I have found myself in a strange position with my friend. I have shot a lot of long guns over the years but the only pistol training I had was years ago in the Air Force (it was a LOT of years ago, we were still useing 38's). I am doing OK with teaching the open sights and the simple stuff but I fear I am failing to give him all the right training.

Could someone (or several someones) suggest a book on handguns that would be good for my friend?

Thank You

Galveston Redneck

Welcome.

• Complete Book Of Combat Handgunning by Chuck Taylor is worth the money. It isn't perfect as it is a little dated but it is a good start when you don't know where to start.

• Surgical Speed Shooting: How To Achieve High-Speed Marksmanship In A Gunfightby Andy Stanford

• Tactical Pistol Marksmanship: How to Improve Your Combat Shooting Skills by Gabriel Suarez

• Essential Guide to Handguns: Firearm Instruction for Personal Defense and Protection (Paperback)
  by Stephen R. Rementer, Bruce N. Eimer -- marksmanship not combat shooting per se.

• Practical Shooting : Beyond Fundamentals by Brian Enos -- an essential 2nd or 3rd book on handgun skills, Enos is one of the top USPSA/practical pistol shooters and works with some of the others too -- he really thinks about how to improve technique "on the gun".

• From the Amazon reviews, this book looks good, but I don't own it (it's newer and I haven't bought such recently):
  Essential Guide to Handguns: Firearm Instruction for Personal Defense and Protection
  by Stephen R. Rementer, Bruce N. Eimer

• You can also google for the Army and Marine pistol manuals which are on the web and quite good on basics

(Defensive tactics and staying safe are a whole other topic as well.)

I will look forward to seeing what others suggest.