The Ultimate Handgun Training Manual - The Modern Day Gunslinger

As a firearms instructor for police and civilian, this book is a great tool. This book covers the fundamentals needed for defensive shooting. Easy to understand and real world methods. I could not be happier with the purchase.

I am not a huge book reader but this book is an awesome read. There are tons of great tips in here and a lot of knowledge that many people don't pocess but will be enlightened when they read this book.

I have taken some tacticle shooting classes and was suprised to find that they were all just summaries of THIS BOOK. This is a great refresher or a manual for someone who prefers to train by themselves. Buy this book.

The "Modern Day Gunslinger: The Ultimate Handgun Training Manual" is by far one of the most detailed compendiums on pistolcraft I have read in a longtime. The book covers a lot of information not covered in most pistol books; topics range from the mental aspects to the hardware, as well as the dynamics and mechanics of gunfighting and advanced marksmanship. If I was to make one complaint of the book it would be in the quality of the paper the book is printed on, which is flimsy and not a quality durable paper found in most other books. But I bought the book for the information not the quality of the paper. I highly recommend this book to military and law enforcement personal as well as the concerned and armed citizen.

This book covers things from the very basics of Safety and how to hold a firearm, to advanced techniques for shooting, accuracy, and self defense. Very informative no matter what level you are or what you are looking for, there is something for you in this book.

I am a Multiple Gunfight survivor / winner. I have had armed confrontations in several locals including Colombia! I have trained with many of todays best combat instructors and have also served as a firearms / combat instructor in several foreign countries. I thought i had i was pretty squared away. Then i read The modern day gunfighter! Wow, just Wow!! I was blown away by the debt of the instruction, both Technical and tactical. The practical approach to gunfight instruction has me awestruck. I am planning on sending a link to thgis book to my friends in the tactical community. We all can learn something from this book! Only a fool stops learning! My friends at the US Marshals service, The D.E.A. and Ejercito Nacional De Colombia are all getting a copy! Its that good!! I have been a student / Instructor and active participant in armed confrontations.............. nothing i have seen to date comes close in explaining whats needed to prevail in a gunfight. If your serious about study and training in this art........... this book is a must! Vincent Savage : Popayan , Cauca , Colombia

Great book, full of awesome information and tips for both the beginner and the expert. Written by one of the best in the industry. Highly recommend for anybody who is into the sport and lifestyle. Wish i had come upon it sooner!

The old stuff tended to be a bit boring, but bear in mind, I have been doing this kind of thing for over fifty years. There were a few things that I had forgotten, and I did appreciate the reminder. What are my qualifications to make these comments? As long as I have been at it, I have never had to shoot anybody. Sent a lot of them to jail however, peacefully. When asked how I managed that, my Reply is simple and direct, "Suicide is not nearly as popular as some tend to think it is."

I found that this book contains a tremedous amount of information about shooting, carring conceled and many other items too numerous to mention. I highly recomend this book to anyone shooting, carrying etc. any type of gun.

I saw the NRA advertisement for the book and bought it. After reading some of the reviews for this book I would have to agree that this book was poorly organized and has issues with the illustration. I felt that after reading this book I learned very little and that the book was more cliché and anecdotal than factual. It was not helpful in improving my shooting. This is not the ultimate handgun manual. "Code black" on this book.

First this book opens with a big "mindset" section that is nothing but an advertisement for the works of Dave Grossman ("On Killing" and "On Combat.") If you like those books fine, but I didn't buy this for a rehash of stuff I have already read and are not directly related to the topic.

Finally we get into the meat of the book, which I found to be poorly organized and poorly presented. He describes a process and then drifts into other subjects. The subjects are not arranged in what I would consider a logical order. For example, he discusses things like different draw strokes before he gets into basic marksmanship. The pictures are not arranged to give support to what he is talking about in the text and frequently there will be a picture showing the same basic thing, from the same angle, but with a different model. The material presented is nothing but a rehash of older books and presents very little new stuff. There are little inset "tips" spread throughout the book that lend no value to the process and follow no logical pattern.

There is good information presented here, but you have to work hard to get to it. The good is buried under pages of conjecture and opinion.

This would be the last book I would recommend to an aspiring gunslinger. I would suggest the work of Jeff Cooper, Massad Ayoob, Brian Enos Gabe Suarez or Chuck Taylor.

I was disappointed to say the least in this book. It was recommended by the National Rifle Association (of which I am a life time member), and I have to wonder who got the kick back for plugging this book.

It is simply a re-hash of some of the great teachings of Col. Jeff Cooper, with a healthy dose of over abbreviated material from the book "Armed Response" by David Kenik (Both Kenik's and Cooper's books I HIGHLY recommend).

If you've never picked up a book and defensive or tactical shooting before, maybe you wouldn't be that critical of this book. But why bother when there is so much better material out there.

The book is not even close to it's advertised status as "the ultimate handgun training manual".

I am a gun guy. I shoot guns often and have done extensive reading on guns and gun culture for the past decade and a half. Were I new to handgunning, this would be an excellent introduction to MANY facets of handgunning and related topics (carry methods, tactics, mindset, etc.). Thus, to the beginner, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

To those of you who have been around the "gun block" a few times, this book offers very little in the way of novelty. The book covers such things as the Cooper Color Codes, the Grossman "Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdog" analogies, basics of weapon presentation from open carry and concealment, basics of caliber selection, and many other topics you have seen in countless other books/ magazine articles. I found very little in the way of original thought or new approaches. It reminded me of the "Gun Digest Book of Handgunnery" volumes from the past several years only longer.

There were a couple of inaccuracies in the book, one being the author's reference to the "Hackaworth Rip" supposedly named for shooting instructor Ken Hackaworth. Unfortunately, the fellow's name is Ken Hackathorn.

All in all, I like the book and feel it is well worth the $12 or so I paid for it if nothing more than for a future reference for my son when he is old enough to begin studying the handgun and its use. For a newbie, it is WELL worth that price as it brings to one tome a great deal of beginner knowledge and basic technique. For that accomplishment, I applaud the author. For me, however, I was a bit disappointed in the fact I already had most all of this information in other books published many years before.

This book is in desperate need of an experienced editor. It's too long by half, at least, and reads like an early draft rather than a finished book. It appears the author (who claims he took 12 years to write this hefty tome!) is more interested in weaving a meandering tale involving gunslinger lore and characters, lots of pictures of himself posing with guns, and -- oh, by the way -- a few handgun use tips buried along the way. All could be forgiven if the instruction portions of the book had value. Alas, no. All of the actual handgun instruction is so poorly written as to be worthless. The author fails to employ some simple techniques commonly used in manuals (checklists and bullet points come to mind) as he rushes past the presentation of instructional material; and yet he repeats almost verbatim entire paragraphs of the introductory and concluding remarks in each chapter as though he were a hack being paid by the word. This book's cover promised a "manual," not a campfire story! What a waste.

While there is some valid information in this book it is riddled with dated and incorrect information and techniques. Maybe I expect too much after teaching firearms and tactics for 22 years, but when you can't even get the name of a technique correct let alone the description of several others I have to suggest potential customers pass on this book. A neophyte will certainly pick up some information, but that is off set by the errors and dated techniques.

This is not the "ultimate handgun training manual" it claims to be. For one thing, Mann is not a careful writer. His language isn't always precise and his thoughts are poorly structured. His experience in teaching is verbal, not written, so he isn't as practiced in the nuance of writing, I suppose, and so doesn't fully account for the differences in presentation. The book could have been written with more care to suit meticulous readers. Frankly, the book is a mess.

Mann shirks some topics and spends better time on others. Safety, the combat mindset, and tactical handgun handling are the substance of the book. He's perfunctory on discussion of hardware: the handgun, ammo, and holster. This isn't a book on concealed carry, per se. It's on gun handling during a self-defense emergency. So getting the gun from holster to hand, and what to do physically from that point on - how to reload and respond to malfunctions, and how to fire, reload and clear malfunctions when only one hand can be used - are what Mann teaches.

The chapter on dry-fire practice (chapter 2) has no training advice whatsoever other than safety concerns to insure an unloaded gun and a safe backstop if a cognitive error (my terminology) has occurred. The possibility and danger of cognitive errors are the reason for all of the obsessive checking and rechecking of firearms for a loaded round or magazine, for the removal from the room of live ammo during dry-fire practice, and for treating every firearm as a loaded gun, and thus for keeping the muzzle always pointed away from anything you don't want to fire upon. Mann certainly expects dry-fire practice to involve techniques taught later in the book, although he doesn't say this. Why he put the chapter so early in the book isn't stated, although it's likely he was expecting some readers to be tempted to pick up a handgun and start some impromptu trigger pulling. He wanted to give enough safety advice early to avert negligent firearm handling.

Even though the book is focused on the self-defensive employment of a handgun, Mann has little to say about self-defensive handgun or ammo choice. Look elsewhere for useful advice.

The chapter on holsters is non-committal, and no brands are mentioned. Mann discusses each holster type and lists the advantages and disadvantages. A disadvantage he missed on the small-of-the-back holster is that the firearm is over your lower spine, and a fall or hard push backwards onto a solid surface could force a strong impact of the holstered gun upon your spine, possibly causing extreme injury. He also has no discussion of retention holsters or the levels of retention a holster might have. Safariland (especially) and Blackhawk come to mind. So-called "duty holsters" and specialized competition holsters are not mentioned. The intent of the chapter is to discuss holsters for concealed carry.

Something often missing in books on shooting is discussion of the scientific reason explaining why a particular technique or method is used. Typically what we get is a commanding do-as-I-say approach, with no validation beyond the purported authority of the author, often through appeal to a military or tactical-cop background. Of course, serious combat experience counts infinitely more for expertise in firearm tactics than armchair imagination or amateur, gun-range aptitude. To learn about gunfights we rely upon those who've been in them. To learn how to shoot well under stress, we rely upon those who have done it. Yet physics, human biomechanics and psychology are what underlie our stance, grip, aim, trigger use, reaction to recoil, and recovery of stance, grip, and aim, as well as our fight-or-flight reactions to a threat or attack. There is a reason this stuff works and the reason is scientific, not esoteric and manifest only to elite tactical-gun gurus.

One book I know of that includes scientific discussion is Competitive Shooting: Techniques and Training for Rifle, Pistol, and Running Game Target Shooting, by A.A. Yur'yev. The English translation from 1985, published by the NRA, is from the 3rd Russian edition of 1973, the 1st edition having been published in 1957. Note the date: handgun shooting is one-handed only. Another noteworthy book, quite different from Competitive Shooting, but an excellent, even profound, discussion of handgun shooting, is Practical Shooting : Beyond Fundamentals, by Brian Enos, published in 1990. Neither of these is concerned with real-world tactical shooting, which is the only concern of The Modern Day Gunslinger. In fact, Mann almost sneers at shooters practicing for extreme accuracy from seven yards (page 84), because from a tactical training viewpoint that is not a complete preparation for a real self-defense emergency. His criticism makes sense, but it is indicative of his attitude, and of the purpose of the book, that he dismisses such practice for precision of hits and doesn't cover accurate shooting at all beyond "combat accuracy" (hits within an eight inch circle, regardless of range).

"Combat accuracy does not require tight groups. All that is required to stop a threat with handgun rounds are hits to the central nervous system and/or hits that drop the blood pressure with large and/or numerous cardiovascular system injuries." (87)

Incidentally, Brian Enos "highly recommend[s]" this book "to everyone, from novice to seasoned pro". On the contrary - Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals by Enos is one book every handgun shooter should study. The Modern Day Gunslinger: The Ultimate Handgun Training Manual isn't. If this is as good as it gets (as the effusive endorsements over the initial five pages of the book proclaim) then the standards of quality and substance in the tactical community need to be raised.

What I liked:

1. This book has a lot of pictures: crucial for learning about complicated motions like how to properly clear a malfunction, etc.

2. It's a quick read. Even though it's over 400 pages, I read it in a week. That's partially because it had a lot of pictures.

3. Mann writes clearly; the book has been well-edited.

4. The back of the book has a great list of suggested drills for practicing handgun shooting. This list makes the book valuable as a reference book. I have actually carried mine to the range.

5. Mann's military and security training career give him the authority to write a book like this.

6. There are some interesting nuggets of wisdom on subjects I wouldn't have thought much about, like the best way to hold a flashlight when carrying a handgun.

What I didn't like:

1. It's inherently difficult to write a book about an athletic motion like handgun shooting. You can learn so much more by watching a video or getting in-person instruction. However, Mann did a decent job of addressing this problem by including a lot of detailed pictures.

2. Mann spends very little time discussing different firearm models and ammunition types. If you are looking for a detailed analysis of the Glock vs. 1911 debate, look elsewhere. That said, this is a handgun training manual so it basically assumes that you have already made a decision about your equipment.

Other observations:

1. Mann frequently quotes Brian Enos in this book. It might be worthwhile to get Enos' book, too.

2. The reference value of this book cannot be over-stated. Buy it in paper (as opposed to a kindle version) because you may want to take it to the range or the woods.

For an aspiring handgunner who is not well read in the material of the trade, this is an excellent primer. Imagine a gunowner who owns and shoots handguns periodically, reads guns and ammo and gun digest every year. He knows a fair amount about the mechnical aspects of guns but is not "well trained." There comes a point where some will trasition to doing it seriously, getting trained, reading, studying. This is a good book to make that tranistion to a software focused shooter.

Much of the material is a rehash of the material of others and his explanations are sometimes a bit simplistic. A certain amount of this is expected since he is, for example, condensing two books of Grossman into a chapter of his book. However if you have not read the works of Grossman, Ayoob, Cooper, Cirillo, Brian Enos, etc. this book is a good place to start...and should be followed with these source works that the author cites.

I am not disappointed that I got it and intend to get this as gifts in the future for buddies who seem to be on the verge of making that transition from plinker to serious shooter.

Disappointing layout and many layout errors. Entire paragraphs and pages are repeated in other places, out of place. Many photo captions are wrong and do not apply to those photos. Numbers are omitted where they are needed, such as in the 5-step draw. It looks like no one went through the book before publication to catch the obvious, like whether numbered steps are numbered, or whether the captions match the photos.

While this book covers a wide range of topics it is far from the ultimate source. Numerous other reviewers noted that it is poorly organized and provides mostly general info that has been covered earlier.
My biggest issue with the book occurs on pages 37 and 38 where the author discusses being asked to consult on the John Kerry campaign. The author notes that Mr. Kerry was a "Vietnam war hero" (very questionable considering he wrote his own decoration papers), a "SEAL" (this is beyond belief!), and the most glaring error is in stating Kerry earned the Medal of Honor-this is a total insult to anyone who ever wore a uiform). These observations colored my entire read as it calls into question all the other "fact-checking".
Totally unimpressed poorly organized, for 12 years research this is a huge disappointment.
25 years active duty Air Force - five (5) tours in Vietnam in Air Rescue, 41 years licensed gunsmith and weapons instructor.

although I do recommend this book for beginner to intermediate shooters. As well as anyone who enjoys an easy reading firearms book written by a like minded person.

Does the book have great technical detail with graphs and diagrams laying out ballistic ratings across calibers? No
Does the book portray a new age philosophy above and beyond anything already stated that blew my mind? No

As the Authur humbly states in his opening chapter, this is not intended as a complete answer to your handgun training. He goes on to tell us he considers himself a student first, as he is continually evolving his own skillset and encourages time and time again to get out and train with folks better than yourself.

What the author has successfully accomplished is pulling together some of the the most relevant and effective handgun training material written to date (always giving credit to the source).

I HIGHLY recommend this book as an early read for anyone considering obtainment of a CCW permit.

The book is an easy read, and is a rally cry for citizens to standup for themselves.

Some reviewers have criticized the editing, formatting, etc. I do not disagree with those critiques. Other than I did not pickup a handgun book to be wowed by editing. I picked up and read this book cover to cover in hopes of being allowedinto the mind of a great American hero with DECADES of experience, and to take away a few nuggets I can apply to my daily life and firearms training.

I strongly feel my take aways from this book were worth the invested time spent reading. Reading some of the critical reviews compelled me to write my first the store review :)

Buy this book and read it!

When it comes to combatives and the use of firearms for the purpose of self defense, I know my stuff, I keep an open mind and read everything that I can get my hands on, I've learned quite a bit over the years and have a library that looks like Patrick Sweeny's. Half way through this book, I knew that I had the worst "tactical" manuscript I've ever read in my hands... The author makes broad, general statements/claims without citing references, especially statistics. Many of the author's opinions and statements appear to be based on 30 year old, regurgitated rhetoric that is no long applicable to the subject matter as it stands today; this is best reflected in some "law enforcement" stats that he makes; they couldn't be any further from the truth and directly fly-in-the-face of every single other book with reputable authors. Anything good in this book comes in the form of quotes and teachings from others, so skip the junk and go buy their stuff... I warn anyone who is a newbie, not to buy this book, you'll think you are getting good information from a former US Navy SEAL, but truth be told, this book appears to be written by a tourist that wants to appear to be a native.

There's not a lot of information I can add to the reviews, but I wanted to add what I could.

Pros:
1) If you been in the shooting culture for a while, there is not a lot of "new information." That is not a detractor because there are LOTS of people and trainers who are drawn from, so you'll see information from Col. Cooper, Clint Smith, Rob Pincus, and others. What IS nice is that they're compiled together in a single resource.
2) The topics are quite broad and expansive, which makes it a great read but also a great reference on the shelf and a companion to either a video series or training class. It's the reinforcement that drives patterns home.
3) There are NUMEROUS pics!

Cons (very minor indeed):
1) I would've liked to see more of the technical side of Mann's teachings such as range diagrams, gel blocks showing different round penetrations, etc.
2) I would have liked to have wider margins for note-taking, but that's just a personal preference.
3) Comb binding or a larger format book would be better, but again, that's just a personal preference.
4) While difficult to not offend some, I would have liked to have seen product evaluations for newbies such as pros and cons for an against leather vs kydex holsters, 1911 designs, Glocks, SIGs, Kel-Tecs, S&W, Rugers, etc. I would imagine they are not in here because of not wanting to sound biased, and I can understand that all too well.

All in all, I highly recommend this text and will be recommending it to those who go through my NRA courses. My cons are fairly minor and nit-picking, so don't let them detract from the overall presentation of the material, the breadth of topics covered and the depth to which they are covered.

You did good, Don!

I have been a Firearms and Tactics instructor with a very large police department for many years and I am very impressed by the realistic approach that Mr. Mann brings to the table. Although the title may seem to cater to GUNSLINGERS - or irresponsible gun owners, it is clearly a training manual for safe, effective and professional firearm training. If you are seriously interested in firearm proficiency, but this book and train in a safe and proper manner.

This is a very well organized, nicely written and adroit manual for anyone wishing to improve his knowledge of pistol craft skills. Like any book on a technical subject you cannot learn combat shooting from reading alone. Seek out assistance to purchase a quality firearm and learn the basics for safety and manipulation of firearms. I have attended several shooting schools and well as many law enforcement training symposiums and have read considerable on this subject.
If you want to purchase just one book, this is the volume to buy. This is all meat and no side salad. This is not a compendium of anecdotes but a true training syllabus. Better yet it is written by a professional, not a gun shop commando, not a soldier of fantasy or someone with no real world experience outside of competition. Mann is the real deal, Not a promoter of a brand name. He is a pistolero who has seen the elephant and lived to tell.
I can't recommend this work high enough.

I purchased Don Mann's newest book and couldn't put it down. It contains a plethora of good, solid, proven information for all interested in improving their weaponcraft. A good read but not overloaded with minute detail. Less IS more and this book covers all the bases without getting bogged down. Good stuff!!! Highly recommended.

An excellent primer for those of us starting out in this world; the author, with an extensive, real world background, takes you through everything from basic gun handling to holsters to training regimes to low light techniques. I found it an excellent supplemental to my coursework and range practice!

Unfortunately in the earlier part of the book, the author jumps on his soapbox for 20 pages on violence in the media, and it's effect on America. Professional citations aside, this opinion has worn itself thin with a younger generation, and the book cherry picks facts to beg the question. Fallacious and lacking in logic, this self-perpetuating argument left a poor taste in my mouth. I tried hard to ignore it- I tried hard to remember the statement is from someone digging for answers and should not taint the rest of the well founded book. Don't forget it, but don't let it weigh you down either. Nevertheless, it would have been a far more enjoyable read had this political angle been left as a personal notation, and not an unexpected chapter in an otherwise manual-focused book.

Very surprised that the NRA was hawking this thing, gotta wonder who got paid for that. This book is about 150 pages of pretty basic introductory material cleverly squeezed into 414 pages of redundancy. And repetitive. I understand that the author's basic premise is "repetition, repetition, repetition makes perfect", and that's valid in handgun training, maybe not so much in the book writing game. Pages and pages of pictures that should show something, many of which I came away from wondering what the focal point was supposed to be. And repetitive. Author should have used some of those years finding a good editor. Material wasn't presented in a particularly organized way. Did I mention it was repetitive? " Ultimate Handgun Training Manual " ? I don't think so. And, a little repetitive.....

An excellent primer for those of us starting out in this world; the author, with an extensive, real world background, takes you through everything from basic gun handling to holsters to training regimes to low light techniques. I found it an excellent supplemental to my coursework and range practice!

Unfortunately in the earlier part of the book, the author jumps on his soapbox for 20 pages on violence in the media, and it's effect on America. Professional citations aside, this opinion has worn itself thin with a younger generation, and the book cherry picks facts to beg the question. Fallacious and lacking in logic, this self-perpetuating argument left a poor taste in my mouth. I tried hard to ignore it- I tried hard to remember the statement is from someone digging for answers and should not taint the rest of the well founded book. Don't forget it, but don't let it weigh you down either. Nevertheless, it would have been a far more enjoyable read had this political angle been left as a personal notation, and not an unexpected chapter in an otherwise manual-focused book.

Very surprised that the NRA was hawking this thing, gotta wonder who got paid for that. This book is about 150 pages of pretty basic introductory material cleverly squeezed into 414 pages of redundancy. And repetitive. I understand that the author's basic premise is "repetition, repetition, repetition makes perfect", and that's valid in handgun training, maybe not so much in the book writing game. Pages and pages of pictures that should show something, many of which I came away from wondering what the focal point was supposed to be. And repetitive. Author should have used some of those years finding a good editor. Material wasn't presented in a particularly organized way. Did I mention it was repetitive? " Ultimate Handgun Training Manual " ? I don't think so. And, a little repetitive.....

I think this book is fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone who knows less than a Navy SEAL with Don Mann's experience and knowledge, and I believe that would include most shooters and other students of handgun use, combat and self defense. I am rereading it constantly because I think it is very well written. Nuff said.