Effective Handgun Defense: A Comprehensive Guide to Concealed Carry

By Frank W. James

Book Overview

Personal protection is a hot issue in today's changing world. Currently, 42 states have some form of concealed-carry legislation. Now holders of concealed carry permits, law enforcement officers,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873498992
• ISBN13: 9780873498999
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Gun Digest Books
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

waste of a lot of paper

And my time. Should have reviewed the reviews. If you want some practical guidelines on how to properly and accurately use a handgun for self defense; this is not the book for you. Two-thirds of the book is devoted to every imagined caliber and bullet out there- some that haven't been made in over 50 years. Or if you want the names of some high-end custom manufacturers or gunsmiths; you are in the right place. The book should have been limited to two chapters for recommended self defense pistols- a discussion of 9 mm and larger autos and .38 special and larger revolvers. Then a 100 pages could be devoted to how to shoot 'em efficiently and accurately.

For Gun Nuts Only!

I buy non-fiction books because I want another's opinion on some subject. I'm experienced with firearms, but I don't know everything about guns. My recomendation that "Effective Handgun Defense: A Comprehensive Guide to Concealed Carry" is for gun nuts only is that Frank James addressed the serious gunman. Most people who want a gun for self defense want a simple guideline. Frank James covers gunfighting history--which most would think a waste of time. I liked the history. I gave this book only four stars because I found some of James's prose convulted and confusing. I make grammar and spelling errors, too, but I hope that my editor gets me to clean up my act so that my writing is easy to understand. I thought this book was a good value for me because it is like getting a series of gun magazine articles without all of the advertising fluff periodicals stuff between their pages. The chapter titled "Carry and Concealment--a brief look at fashion and holsters" alone was worth the cost. Warning--this is not for people who just want to have an expert select the holster system for them. Frank James states his preferences and why he prefers them. He lists most of the alternatives. Chapters Two and Ten cover the all-important aspects of mind set. Page 32 has a monologue titled "the spirtual side of armed self-defense." I'm biased: I believe that I have to make up my mind before I get into a do-or-die situation as to when and why I'll shoot another human being. I don't think I'll have time to discuss the issue with my assailants, because if I had the time, I wouldn't have to shoot them. Frank James makes the reader think about this question: shoot or no shoot? Other chapters cover equipment and training and tactics. Frank James preferes revolvers because not all self-defense problems walk about on two legs and revolvers can be chambered for more powerful cartridges than automatic pistols. The author freely admits that all of his defensive encounters were with the four-footed wild, feral, and domestic creatures, and he's glad that he never had to shoot another human. James demands that training be as realistic as possible. "Effective Handgun Defense" is filled with photographs of guns, holsters, and people from the gun world--in essence, a permanent gun magazine. However, this is not a stand-alone training manual on self-defense with a firearm. The book does address the issues involved with legal concealed firearms carry, but again this is directed at the knowledgable who will get additional information and training from elsewhere. I found "Effective Handgun Defense" a valuable addition to my gun book library, but if I were developing a training program for another, I'd want other guidebooks. There is no index, but there is a bibliography and a list of equipment vendors and schools that will be useful to anyone who will take the time and make the effort to legally carry concealed firearms.

Buy it!

This is really an excellent book. if you are new to handguns or an afficanado you will want this book. Ecellent and a great addition to any library.

A no BS review of handguns, calibers and use.

Frank James' latest work gives the reader an overview of a hard and principled man's life long use of handguns during his daily life as a farmer, firearms authority, tinkerer and experimenter. Frank's conclusions and opinions are not politically correct nor follow the latest trends but they have been proven by repeated application. The book is worth the time and money. Some parts need to be read and then re read at a later date-after they jell a bit in your mind.

Thoughtful, Articulate and Extremely Useful!

EFFECTIVE HANDGUN DEFENSE is a must-buy for any person considering the daily carry of a handgun for self-defense, which has become more and more common as states adopt a "shall-issue" form of permitting. James brings an objective, learned eye to the many issues involved in carrying guns, and he does so with style and excellent writing. Frank James is a throwback to the old days of outdoor writing, when the person doing the writing was assumed to live the life of an outdoorsman. James has been a lifelong farmer, hunter, trapper, private investigator--he knows of which he speaks!

What does an Indiana dirt farmer know about this stuff?

Plenty! I had the rare treat of participating in one of the early National Tactical Invitationals with "Farmer Frank" James, back when no one knew what was going to befall a practitioner, not even the event organizers, because the complex scenario props often failed, and you had to solve whatever problem was thrown at you to survive! At the end of this particular event... I think it was in '92 or '93... among all the Big Time firearms instructors and tactical trainers with high line rigs and heavily-customized semi-autopistols, there was Frank James in second place with his .41 Magnum revolver in a funky holster of his own devise, the same set-up he wore on a daily basis riding a tractor in his soy bean fields at home. James has been a shooter and outdoorsman since he was a kid, and knows a thing or three about surviving on his own on the land... he used to run trap lines in the wild as a teenager, when it was too "Wintery" to farm. From his book, Effective Handgun Defense, it's readily apparent that he'd have had no problem making his way in an urban environment either. He has a keen mind for the requirements and nuances for "concealed carry" and personal defense, and a fluid style of presenting his material that is neither awkward nor "precious." He is what he is, a man of the soil for whom a handgun is part and parcel of his daily "kit." There's ***nothing*** fancy, or forced, about Frank or his book. This is a terrific volume.