The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning

by John S. Farnam

Book Overview

For more than 30 years, John S. Farnam has been teaching the latest defensive firearms techniques to police departments, federal and stat agencies as well as foreign governments. Now his classic book,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965942244
• ISBN13: 9780965942249
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Dti Publications
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good Stuff, But Not as Good As the Real Thing.

This book is an excellant introduction to the world of defensive handgunning. The book says what needs to be said to get the newbie oriented properly and fundimentally educated on the issues at hand; a Journeyman effort in this genre. What's frustrating about this book is that John Farnam is far more than Journeyman in person...he's a true Master with teaching and inspirational abilities that do not translate to the printed page. I recommend that you buy and read the book, but know that you're only getting half a loaf. To get the other half, the best half, you need to go and train with John in person.

Farnam nails it with this second edition of his classic text

"When it's least expected, you're elected." John Farnam travels the world, teaching firearms skills to the military, law enforcement and other interested citizens. I've had the good fortune of getting to participate in John's classes for about a decade now, and so have seen his techniques evolve over the years. This book is the latest compilation of his teachings. John has refined and augmented his book "The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning" in this second edition with lots of new material and photos. One would expect topics such as safety and gun handling to be covered in a defensive firearms book, and they are. However, John also covers the moral and ethical consequences of defensive firearms use and the important aspects of interacting with the police and the judicial system. Also discussed in depth are handgun operating systems, administrative and tactical operations for each system, ammunition performance, and more. If you're looking for a text that covers about everything to do with defensive shooting, this is the one book you need to have on your bookshelf.

A Must Read For Anyone Interested In Personal Defense

John Farnam has created in this book an encyclopedia of information for the student of personal defense. John Farnam is recognized as a world-class firearms instructor. A survivor's perspective and years of teaching experience have given him the tremendous ability to analyze, distill and describe the latest advances in defensive training. Although Farnam has written two previous books on this topic, this one contains much new information and is anything but an update. Much of the lifestyle and tactical advice in the book applies to everyone. Even to those who do not own firearms. The guidance on interaction with police officers and the criminal justice system alone is worth the book's cost. Much of this information cannot be had from any other source.John Farnam brings an engineer's perspective to the technical descriptions and analysis of all common handgun action types. His distilled non-diagnostic approach to handgun manipulation is widely accepted and taught within the law enforcement and civilian training communities. This book is a must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in personal defense. The beginner will gain a comprehensive and easily understood foundation. Serious students will benefit from all of the new advances.

An excellent manual of self-defense

From the title, one might think that this is just another book about the mechanics of loading, aiming and firing a pistol or revolver, of which there are many examples on the market today. This book is much more, however. The first half is more about the "why" of defensive shooting with the "how" very well presented in the second half. There are excellent chapters on the legal justification of using lethal force, as well as practical aspects of self-defense situations such as how to interact with the police afterwards. What are the common physical reactions that self-defense shooters suffer? Mr. Farnam lists and describes them. How much do you tell the responding officers after a shooting, and what are the pitfalls for you? Mr. Farnam covers these in detail.Coverage of the draw from a holster, grip and stance, as well as loading and unloading, are covered in exhaustive detail, with separate sections for different models. Revolvers? Manual decockers? Colt Government models? Double Action Only? All covered clearly and thoroughly. Lots of pictures add clarity also.For anyone who wishes for a worthy successor to Massad Ayoob's "In the Gravest Extreme", an excellent book that desperately needs updating, this is it, in my opinion. No longer do I have to recommend Ayoob's classic with the admonition "just ignore the firearm descriptions; they're way out of date". Now I can just recommend John Farnam's handgun book with no hesitation. I think it will be a classic, too.