Fighting Handguns

by Jeff Cooper

In Fighting Handguns, author Jeff Cooper not only takes the reader through the development of this weapon from its beginnings in mid-16th-century Europe through the various iterations of single- and double-action revolvers and semiautomatic pistols, he also discusses some important aspects of carrying and shooting a fighting handgun under combat conditions.“For good or ill, man is a fighting animal. While most feel that this is an unmitigated evil, it may, like most aspects of nature, have its positive side. Certainly man’s combative nature is responsible for most of the massive tragedy of history, but it’s possible that history of any sort just wouldn’t have happened had it not been characteristic of the race to struggle against its environment. And man’s environment, of course, includes man. A placid, gentle, contented creature—a koala, for instance—is nice to contemplate but does not progress, and if it encounters a challenge it simply dies. Whether progress, at the price of a fighting disposition, is worth it is a question, but it’s a bit on the academic side. Man is the way he is, and gets along as he must. Being human, we are involved in strife. Much as we may deplore this, we must master the techniques of strife or perish.“This book is devoted to one of these techniques—the one-hand firearm as used by man against man.”—Jeff Cooper

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2018

About the author

John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was recognized as the father of what is commonly known as the Modern Technique of handgun shooting, and one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms.

Cooper was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II he served in the Pacific on the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), and then was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, resigning his commission as Lieutenant Colonel in 1956. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford University and, in the mid-1960s, a master's degree in history from the University of California, Riverside.

In 1976, Cooper founded the American Pistol Institute (API) in Paulden, Arizona (later the Gunsite Training Center). Cooper began teaching shotgun and rifle classes to law enforcement and military personnel as well as civilians and did on-site training for individuals and groups from around the world.

Cooper died at his home on the afternoon of Monday, September 25, 2006 at the age of 86

Reviews

[Andy Herzfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Col. Jeff Cooper is an excellent writer and makes a somewhat dull subject interesting. I read this book quickly because he made this subject so interesting. He seeds this with common sense and reality of what people really do rather than unrealistic scenarios. This is a man with combat experience who has actually used handguns in combat situations and trained thousands of troops in the military. His information on current handguns is dated because this book was written eons ago but surprisingly not much has changed. He goes into the history of the handgun dating back into the real dark ages and bringing it up current to his time. We worth the read.

[Nat and Ryan Petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth Reading

This book is outdated as far as equipment is concerned, but I really enjoy Jeff Cooper’s style of writing and totally agree with the philosophy he expresses regarding self defense, which is as applicable now as it was then regardless of what handgun you happen to defend yourself with.