October 04, 2023

Best Books About Guns

Pt. 2

We received a lot of good feedback on our first overview of our five favorite books about guns. We continue the list. Enjoy!

1) Shoot: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition - Julie Golob

If you have ever wanted an inside look at what it takes to be an elite competition shooter, you need to buy her book Shoot: Your Guide to Shooting and Competition.

Julie is the first person to win national titles in all seven USPSA divisions and has been kicking ass and taking names on the competition circuit for a decade now, so there are few people more qualified to talk about improving as a competition shooter.

The book deals with some safety and fundamental issues to start with, but quickly delves into handling the stress of competition and being on the clock, how to set goals for yourself in the areas you may be struggling with, how to track your progress and improvement as a shooter, and of course all kinds of drills and practice techniques to help you perform better.


2) Dryfire: Reloaded + Drills and Skills Reloaded - Ben Stoeger

Ben is and IPSC World Champion and a multiple USPSA National Champion who competes and teaches classes all over the US.

He has also written what is without a doubt the definitive guide to dryfire practice and training at home. Few of us can spend as much time at the range as we want, either due to life getting in the way, or just the cost of ammo, so dryfire practice is extremely important for keeping skills sharp in between matches.


3) Violence of Mind: Training and Preparation for Extreme Violence - Varg Freeborn

Another book that is not for the faint of heart or if you have pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure. And if you're squeamish - good luck.

Violence does not come naturally to most people, so for many of us it can be hard to understand the fight or flight response. Really, it isn't something anyone can understand until they have experienced it, but this book at least can describe it the best.

Dealing almost exclusively with mindset and preparing yourself for a fight that will hopefully never come, Violence of Mind is a first-hand experience driven narrative into the depths of brutality.


4) Glock: The Rise of America's Gun - Paul Bennet

Based on fifteen years of research, Glock is the riveting story of the weapon that has become known as America's gun. Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike.

Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time. Law enforcement agencies had concluded that their agents and officers, armed with standard six-round revolvers, were getting "outgunned" by drug dealers with semi-automatic pistols. They needed a new gun.


5) Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds's fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds - the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother.


Thanks for reading,

The Editor

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