Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to Handgun Marksmanship Paperback – August 5, 2013

Finally, a book that is not "politically correct." Peter Lessler's book is a breath of fresh air. The fundamentals he teaches should be memorized by everyone. Correct grip, stance, sight picture, trigger press and other fundamentals are taught in easy to understand language with copious illustrations. You can tell that Mr. Lessler is a gun guy and he does not mince words. For example "We must develop a daily mindset in which the sudden appearance of a couple of armed hoodlums not only does not flummox us, but instead activates a pre-planned sequence of well practiced actions that result in our standing over their prostrate bodies with a smoking pistol in our hands."Like all shooters that have been trained, such as myself, we are taught to avoid conflict at all costs. But, if someone is pointing a gun at you, you have the right to use deadly force. Kill or be killed. It's your choice.Other than the fundamentals he teaches us to be aware of our surroundings, safe gun handling, drawing the gun, reloading, etc.Do yourself a favor and purchase this book before you ever use a firearm. If you have used firearms odds are you are doing something wrong. Read the book and then reread it again. You will gain insight and knowledge that you didn't have before.

Good primer of handgun fundamentals. Essentials of target focus, drawing, site acquisition, support/trigger hands, and stance covered. Especially agree with author’s approach to practice trigger pulls/firing the handgun with one hand. Forces you to focus on using the finger pad, maintain stability, and avoid left/right hand twisting motions that can lead to shots that are low, to the left.Actual recoil of 9 mil handguns is low. What counts is balancing the weight of the gun, trigger pull, and trigger re-set when firing.As a newbie, once you get over the 160 decibel muzzle blast and keep your eyes on the target, then apply the concepts I mentioned. Previous review considers the book’s Weaver stance outmoded- I like it over the Isosceles which seems to use stiffer arms and tighter shoulders.Only addendum I’d add to this book is an update section on liability insurance suggestions for CCW permittees. Throughout, the author emphasizes hitting/neutralizing the aggressor target.Reportedly, the USCCA has posted (in light of SCOTUS’ NYPRA vs Bruen decision) - CCW permittees can still face civil action if they injure or kill an alleged aggressor with a gun. Livelihoods, assets/income, careers can be destroyed by a lawsuit(s). With our litigious USA, 1 million dollar coverage likely isn’t enough. Better anticipate 10-15 mill liability coverage to be safe.

Many hand gun instructional books cover a wide range of topics, such as holsters and other related equipment, concealed carry issues, ammunition/calibers, shooting incidents/legal ramifications, shooting instructing, etc. This book focuses almost entirely on shooting instruction. As a result, it is the best instructional guide of which I am aware about shooting a hand gun. It covers in detail everything from getting the gun out of the holster, grip, bringing it up (presentation) and on to target, sight alignment/sight picture, trigger management, stance, and follow through. It also covers clearing jams and dealing with malfunctions, and reloading the revolver and the autoloader. In other words it deals solely with the hand gun "in action". What makes this book stand out among all others that I have read is that after reading many hand gun books previously, the author presents a grip technique and a presentation technique of which I was not aware. These techniques are apparently not completely new, and are used by the top competition shooters. So even if you are an experienced hand gunner you may not know about these techniques. This, along with brushing up on some of the techniques you may already know, make this a worthwhile read.

The main reason I purchased was after thumbing through a few chapters at my local book store, I realized this book is not another "typical gun book". What do I mean by that? For most of us who grew up shooting/ hunting, guns are second nature and we know the rudiments of how to make an accurate shot. But, this book lays it out step by step without the Field & Stream or Outdoor Life pussyfooting that is common in many new books on marksmanship.The author clearly and concisely explains requirements to shoot pistols and revolvers accurately (and quickly). In the first chapter he reminds us that shooting is a lifesaving skill and one should not take up pistol craft w/out being ready to snuff out an assailant's life... No BS. Once one has read this cover to cover and at least put forth a token effort to practice the drills, one will be in the 90th percentile of gun owners, probably better trained than many in military or LEO. Copious photos drive home the proper stance, grip, failure drills, etc.Invest in gun knowledge!

This is a good, sound explanation of the fundamentals of handgun shooting. Chapters are logically arranged, beginning with a brief discussion of types of guns and ammunition as well as the need for gun owners to be responsible about training and safety. The following chapters explain the fundamentals of proper grip, trigger use, body stance, sight use, etc. Since the average handgun owner who has bought a gun for personal protection in the home and has not gotten involved in formal training and shooting will likely put a bullet in the floor or ground ten feet in front of him, this book is a quick and clearly explained way to help one hit his target, be it a paper target at a shooting range--or a home invader in the middle of the night. After several readings of various chapters and a few hours of practice with live ammunition, I have improved my accuracy and confidence with a handgun at least 200%. So I heartily recommend this book for novice handgun owners and as a good brush up for those more experienced. It should be required reading for every responsible gun owner. If you are not sure you can hit your target, you should not have a handgun.

An excellent overall book that gives you all the fundamentals that you need, if you take what you learn and you apply it at the range you will definitely become a better shooter. Dry-fire practice as well and you'll be amazed at how quickly your skills will improve and you'll want to share it with your friends as well.

A bit old school. Still shows people using Weaver stance, which is obsolete. Some decent material however it strays from marksmanship into live shooter discussion. So I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.

very good book for shoting reference jpnadeau