Rating: 
Summary: A Must for Every Man Calling Himself a Free Citizen
Review: Colonel Jeff Cooper compresses volumes of information into one well-written, informative, and entertaining volume. He shares his experiences and philosphies with the reader as a father would share them with his son at the fireplace.As a "Generation Xer" it is a great relief to know that this country will eventually be taken back by those who followed the Ten Commandments, read the Constitution, learned shooting from their fathers, and read Col Jeff Cooper's writings. Read the book and see.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a "gun book"
Review: Cooper, a tireless advocate of self responsibility and personal virtue, gives this book enough adventure and colorful history to fill two lifetimes. Although it will be mostly read by the shooting public, this work is recommened to any who feel that our society has lost it's vision.
Rating: 
Summary: City Boy Recommendation
Review: I am a harsh rater; so I prefer a ten point rating system rather than Amazon's five. Given ten points, this book rates an eight. I generally will grant a seven if I deem a book not a waste of time. So, why the eight? First, Cooper writes well. Despite my extreme ignorance about firearms--my last handling of an M-1 was in basic training three decades ago--I found his information difficult, but unambiguous. Clearly, the man has a very deep understanding about firearms, their purpose, and efficacy. I rate a book a nine, if I would spend the time to read it a second time. Of this I felt less certain. The last fifty pages were tangential to the main subject. The last ten pages pages--about the author's experience crossing the Atlantic by ocean liner--had nothing to do with the subject of the book. While I found the chapter fascinating reading, I have no idea why it was included. Lastly, absent further understanding about pistols, one concludes from Cooper that 9mm pistols have little efficacy for personal defense. This may be so, but I am hesitant to accept his conclusion without corroboration. In sum, the book is very good, written well, and will satisfy the most critical reader looking for a book about personal protection with firearms, pistols, rifles, the use of firearms in hunting, and a personal philosophy that suggests--correctly, I believe--that the person in the morning mirror has responsibility for his life and that of his loved ones.
Rating:
Summary: I thought it was a How to Shoot Book... It is and It Is Not
Review: I get this book to help my shooting skills. The book did that. But it's not a book on shooting skills. It's a book on shootting but also on personal defense. But it's ALSO a book on defending your home. But it's ALSO a book that is designed to create real men, not the Hollywood lie but real men who are honest, who defend honor, and who know how to protect their families and themselves. The book is a pro-active defense book meaning that it teaches you how to KEEP from becoming a victim. But it also shows you how to change your mindset to be a better man. This book reads like a book of short stories. That's what it really is, although some of the "stories" are detailed instrictions on what it means to protect one's family and exactly how to do so. I didn't shoot until I had read this and then I shot a lot. As you may have read in my Disabling America (ISBN: 0785262253) I have many problems with my hands. As you'll also read there, I overcome them and Jeff Cooper and his training and the people around him have (and will) continue to help me learn how to use what I have to defende what is right to defend. I strongly encourage you to read this if you are a man... or if you want to become a real man.
Rating:
Summary: I thought it was a How to Shoot Book... It is and It Is Not
Review: I get this book to help my shooting skills. The book did that. But it's not a book on shooting skills. It's a book on shootting but also on personal defense. But it's ALSO a book on defending your home. But it's ALSO a book that is designed to create real men, not the Hollywood lie but real men who are honest, who defend honor, and who know how to protect their families and themselves. The book is a pro-active defense book meaning that it teaches you how to KEEP from becoming a victim. But it also shows you how to change your mindset to be a better man. This book reads like a book of short stories. That's what it really is, although some of the "stories" are detailed instrictions on what it means to protect one's family and exactly how to do so. I didn't shoot until I had read this and then I shot a lot. As you may have read in my Disabling America (ISBN: 0785262253) I have many problems with my hands. As you'll also read there, I overcome them and Jeff Cooper and his training and the people around him have (and will) continue to help me learn how to use what I have to defende what is right to defend. I strongly encourage you to read this if you are a man... or if you want to become a real man.
Rating:
Summary: City Boy Recommendation
Review: I've enjoyed Cooper's magazine column, seen him profiled on "televisor", and quoted or alluded to by gunwriter after gunwriter. Now I know why. The essays in this book hold the attention of the reader. Cooper's technique and technical knowledge have changed tactics and policy for law enforcement agencies worldwide. Manufacturers produce rifles and handguns to his specs. High-ranking members of the military and those charged with the protection of VIP's all over the world have been trained by him. All this combined with the fact that he is a great writer make this book a necessity. There is far more than instruction here.
Rating:
Summary: Wealth of information and entertainment
Review: I've enjoyed Cooper's magazine column, seen him profiled on "televisor", and quoted or alluded to by gunwriter after gunwriter. Now I know why. The essays in this book hold the attention of the reader. Cooper's technique and technical knowledge have changed tactics and policy for law enforcement agencies worldwide. Manufacturers produce rifles and handguns to his specs. High-ranking members of the military and those charged with the protection of VIP's all over the world have been trained by him. All this combined with the fact that he is a great writer make this book a necessity. There is far more than instruction here.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book- to some!
Review: If you are a military officer, a hunter or interessed in self/home defence, this is the book for you. Cooper digs deep in the nature of the handgun, explaining every diferrent situation of use. This book I read for 30 hours from cover to cover.
Rating:
Summary: 20 years with the Colonel, and still going strong!
Review: If you're a sporting enthusiast, whether a hunter or a shooter (shottist, to use Col. Cooper's term...), the name of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC, RET. is probably a familiar one. I was first exposed to the Colonel's work as a young infantry officer. The Marine Corps has a vested interest in developing their troop leaders. Professional reading is always encouraged. I read a short, easily read paperback listing "Principles of Personal Defense". The author was a retired Marine named Cooper. (If you haven't read that one yet, add it to your list! ) I was amazed at the volume of eminently practical and sound theory put forth in that book. As a Grunt, I was skeptical of anything that sounded far-fetched. I'd heard my share of war stories. That slim volume caught my interest. The Colonel earned my trust by simply and plainly telling the truth about combat.
I spent quite a bit of time teaching Marines about combat. I hadn't actually been in combat, yet... still, an infantry platoon commander's job is to make sure his troops are prepared for combat.
Enter this book.
I got my first copy in the late '80's. Cooper's discussion of the Combat Mind-set earned the immediate approval and acceptance of every combat vet I spoke with. The young Marines I was priveleged to instruct received the information enthusiastically. For the last twenty years or so, I have been continuously involved in training, first with the Marines, through Desert Storm, and on to Police recruits, Police In-service, Corrections Officers and Tactical Response Teams. And the young fighters still receive the Colonel's ideas as enthusiastically as ever. My fifteen years of SWAT experience says that these theories work operationally, as well. The coverage in this work, while limited to a few short chapters, will constitute the very best investment you can make to cultivate your mind to walk easily in a troubled world. The chapter discussing how to deal with terrorism, written twenty years before 9-11-2001, ought to impress the most jaded skeptic.
But Combat Mind-set is just a small portion of the book. Colonel Cooper has an amazing knack for describing highly technical subjects such as terminal ballistics, weapons systems, bullet construction, etc. Subjects which are normally difficult to grasp come alive in varioius chapters so dedicated.
Have I left out you hunters? I've enjoyed hunting almost longer than I've enjoyed fighting. And I absolutely love a well-told hunting yarn. The last half of this book is dedicated to hunting, with a myriad of detail not normally associated with "sporting literature". From hunting "losl" in Norse woodlands, and the full panopoly of African antelopes, to the sometimes lethal encounters with his favorite game animal, syncerus cafer, the Colonel shares details that make those hunts come alive. His writing is just that good.
Is there anything critical to say about the Colonel's book? Yes. If you're offended by someone who tells the plain, unvarnished truth, if you're jealous of those who really have " been there-done that", and who write so well, that you think you went along for the trip, you may have a tough time digesting this book. "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth" is not for the timid. Of the half dozen copies of this book that I own, I hope that one of them gets returned to me so I can sit by the fire and read it, once more, after this hunting season ends!
Rating:
Summary: 20 years with the Colonel, and still going strong!
Review: If you're a sporting enthusiast, whether a hunter or a shooter (shottist, to use Col. Cooper's term...), the name of Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC, RET. is probably a familiar one. I was first exposed to the Colonel's work as a young infantry officer. The Marine Corps has a vested interest in developing their troop leaders. Professional reading is always encouraged. I read a short, easily read paperback listing "Principles of Personal Defense". The author was a retired Marine named Cooper. (If you haven't read that one yet, add it to your list! ) I was amazed at the volume of eminently practical and sound theory put forth in that book. As a Grunt, I was skeptical of anything that sounded far-fetched. I'd heard my share of war stories. That slim volume caught my interest. The Colonel earned my trust by simply and plainly telling the truth about combat.
I spent quite a bit of time teaching Marines about combat. I hadn't actually been in combat, yet... still, an infantry platoon commander's job is to make sure his troops are prepared for combat.
Enter this book.
I got my first copy in the late '80's. Cooper's discussion of the Combat Mind-set earned the immediate approval and acceptance of every combat vet I spoke with. The young Marines I was priveleged to instruct received the information enthusiastically. For the last twenty years or so, I have been continuously involved in training, first with the Marines, through Desert Storm, and on to Police recruits, Police In-service, Corrections Officers and Tactical Response Teams. And the young fighters still receive the Colonel's ideas as enthusiastically as ever. My fifteen years of SWAT experience says that these theories work operationally, as well. The coverage in this work, while limited to a few short chapters, will constitute the very best investment you can make to cultivate your mind to walk easily in a troubled world. The chapter discussing how to deal with terrorism, written twenty years before 9-11-2001, ought to impress the most jaded skeptic.
But Combat Mind-set is just a small portion of the book. Colonel Cooper has an amazing knack for describing highly technical subjects such as terminal ballistics, weapons systems, bullet construction, etc. Subjects which are normally difficult to grasp come alive in varioius chapters so dedicated.
Have I left out you hunters? I've enjoyed hunting almost longer than I've enjoyed fighting. And I absolutely love a well-told hunting yarn. The last half of this book is dedicated to hunting, with a myriad of detail not normally associated with "sporting literature". From hunting "losl" in Norse woodlands, and the full panopoly of African antelopes, to the sometimes lethal encounters with his favorite game animal, syncerus cafer, the Colonel shares details that make those hunts come alive. His writing is just that good.
Is there anything critical to say about the Colonel's book? Yes. If you're offended by someone who tells the plain, unvarnished truth, if you're jealous of those who really have " been there-done that", and who write so well, that you think you went along for the trip, you may have a tough time digesting this book. "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth" is not for the timid. Of the half dozen copies of this book that I own, I hope that one of them gets returned to me so I can sit by the fire and read it, once more, after this hunting season ends!
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