What's in your library?

OldGunner_43

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What's in your library?

OK. For those of you out there who may be seeking knowledge with regard to firearms, especially you new folks who haven't been involved in shooting for very long, here's a list of books that I have found very interesting and informative over the years. They're all in my personal library, which is by no means a complete coverage of the wealth of knowledge available in print today.

The history and development of the 1911

"The Custom 1911", Bill Loeb, 2014
The author's opinion on the best custom/semi-custom 1911 builders. It's not a definitive evaluation of "everyone out there" and it does not deal with the many "custom pistol smiths" who offer very fine guns on a limited basis

"1911, The First 100 Years", Patrick Sweeney, 2010
An interesting story of the various developments of the 1911 that were primarily driven by the needs of competition shooters (at least in my view).

"Small Arms of the World" Seventh Edition, WHB Smith and Joseph E. Smith, 1964.
It's still available in paperback from Amazon. A classic publication covering the military arms of most countries during the 1900s.

1911 Technical References

"The Colt .45 Automatic, A shop Manual", Tenth edition, Jerry Kuhnhausen, 2015
It really is a shop manual for anyone who intends to maintain, repair, or alter a 1911 pistol.

"The M1911 Complete Owners Guide", Walt Kuleck, 2010
Just about everything someone interested in buying, maintaining, or customizing a 1911 needs to know. Every 1911 owner should have this book in his/her library.

"Book of Pistols and Revolvers", W. H.B. Smith, 1967
Very old, but interesting information on handguns in the 1900s to 1960s.

" Gunsmiths' Kinks", Bob Brownell and Sons, 1969
Lots of "tips" on how to solve gunsmithing issues and problems, many of which are still valid today. If you're a DIY kinda guy, you'd find lots of good info here. You don't need the 4 volume set on Amazon, you can do very well with the "Kinks 4" edition.

"Professional Gunsmithing", Walter J. Howe, 1946

Mostly advice to anyone who's contemplating going into the business. It's still available on Amazon in both hardback and paperback versions. I'd call it a guide to choosing a gunsmith.
 

OldGunner_43

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Part 2

Personal Defense and Tactical Shooting

"Combat Shooting with Massad Ayoob", Massad Ayoob, 2011
One of the best overall discussions of defensive/tactical shooting publications that I've read.

"The Modern Day Gunslinger", Don Mann, 2010
A very good manual on defensive/tactical shooting written by a Navy SEAL with lots of illustrations. If it's not covered here, you probably don't need to know it IMHO.

"Principles of Personal Defense", Jeff Cooper, 2006
The basic manual on being ready for a real world confrontation in a life-threatening situation. The focus is, appropriately, on your mental focus and ability to do what's necessary. If you are a concealed carry person, you need to read this!

"Surgical Speed Shooting", Andy Stafford, 2001
This is a very informative book on the how and why of tactical shooting. Andy isn't a well-known person today, but a lot of what he's written is very good info for most pistol packing people. You may change your mind about trigger manipulation and short reset after reading this – I did. Still available on Amazon, but very pricey. Find a used paperback version if you can.

OK. That's my "starter" for a discussion. Add, comment on what you think are great additions to a shooter's library.
 

Rob Biedermann

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Second Kuhnhausen's books for the 1911 and S&W revolvers especially. Check out Larry Vickers' "Vickers Guide: 1911" as well...

While not 1911-centric, check out Jim Cirillo's "Guns, Bullets and Gunfights, Lessons and Tales from a Modern-Day Gunfighter." It's a bit dated, but a good read.

A great book about an event that affected so much in modern firearms is Ed Mireles' book "FBI Miami Shootout, Five Minutes that Changed the Bureau." You can get it at https://edmireles.com/product/five-minutes-that-changed-the-bureau/

Ed does a four-hour presentation on the Miami shootout that's definitely worth the time and money if you get the chance to see it...
 

OldGunner_43

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I suspect that you're not in the minority here. People don't buy books or go to the library like they used to. It would be very nice if we could make good books available online for a minimal fee. Amazon does offer this service with a limited amount of coverage on shooting related topics. Even though my mother was a single mom, I grew up with a large library of books to read and have never stopped reading. The internet is a convenient source of info, but a lot of it is pure BS with little substance to back it up. We're not progressing well in this area and I've pretty much given up on fighting the trend. End of my mini rant.
 

Babboonbobo

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I understand and like I said, I admit it. Thankfully I don't believe most of what I find online, but it can be a great source of information.
I've never read books, I just tear crap apart to learn how it works. Had a good hands on education with great parents. Dad taught me the manly stuff farmanin, cars, anything mechanical and mom taught the household chores and cooking, etc! You know what parents are supposed to do.
 

Hammer

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I have many of the books on your list. I got my first copy of Small Arms of the World when I was 11 or 12, when I left for the Army it was held together with tape.
The Art of the Rifle by Jeff Cooper is another good choice.
 

gaijin

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I have a number of the standard, reference books in "the shed" (gun room).
In the Library/Den I have mostly Nihonto reference (Japanese Sword books).

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