Rating: 
Summary: Solid material, but too much technical data
Review: Before I begin: I'm a cop, I carry only the guns I'm issued, and I have tremendous respect for Jim Cirillo and his experience.That said, this book is solid, but there is still too much discussion of the relative merits of different calibers, loads, and accessories. This book is of greatest interest to other cops who want to learn about deadly force situations. The material that's in here on those subjects is good, but there's too little of it. I really don't care about .44 Special versus 9mm, etc. Most cops have very little latitude about picking their firearms. Cirillo's discussions of different shootings he's been in are great - but give me more. What the market needs, but lacks, is a book dedicated solely to combat case studies and breakdowns of different shootings, the tactics employed, what worked and didn't, etc. This was a step in the right direction, but we're not there yet. Don't let this put you off, I own the book and I recommend it to anyone else, but I can't give it more than 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Cirillo is the real deal
Review: Cirillo has been in numerous gunfights and is now a healthy guy around 70 yrs old. It is rare to have the opportunity to learn from someone with this much real world experience. His movie on vhs tapes is very helpful. He talks about the psychological and physical aspects of gunfights and how a police officer or citizen can defend himself. He discusses correlations between caliber and velocity and stopping power. America needs more heroic individuals like Cirillo. Thank God there are talented, intelligent brave men like Cirillo out there protecting law abiding citizens from criminals. Police departments in general deserve more support from the citizenry.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad advice from a bad cop
Review: Cirillo is a perfect example of a dirt bag that would be behind bars if he didn't have a badge. His boring and repetitive accounts of his actions on the NYPD hit squad called the stakeout squad are doubtlessly embellished to sate his inflated ego. This makes for a difficult read. Then after attempting to impress the reader with the size of his you-know-whats, he tells us the we, the simple citizens of the USA do not deserve to be able to defend ourselves with firearms from the thugs out there. Frankly, I'm glad he's retired, because bloodthirsty cops like him made it difficult for the rest of us.
Rating:
Summary: Jim Cirillo an excellent model for all law enforcement
Review: Cirillo's book is in the top five books that I have read over the years dealing with deadly force and the proper methods to use. I think his best chapter is "Selection of the gunfighter" and the traits needed. My only hope is that Cirillo will write a follow up book detailing more case histories from the stakeout squad. All in all, lots of practical information for the everyday police officer.
Rating:
Summary: Jim Cirillo an excellent model for all law enforcement
Review: Cirillo's book is in the top five books that I have read over the years dealing with deadly force and the proper methods to use. I think his best chapter is "Selection of the gunfighter" and the traits needed. My only hope is that Cirillo will write a follow up book detailing more case histories from the stakeout squad. All in all, lots of practical information for the everyday police officer.
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable Advice from a Master Gunfighter
Review: During Jim Cirillo's years with the legendary New York City Police Stakeout Unit (strangely enough, everyone I've ever seen or heard refer to this unit, in print or person, calls it the "Stakeout Squad" - except Jim Cirillo who tells me it was actually called the "Stakeout Unit") he participated in many of the most harrowing of its 252 armed encounters. Later, Cirillo spent more years as a firearms instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Since retiring from law enforcement, Cirillo has conducted periodic firearms training courses on an itinerant basis. I feel privileged to be a graduate (with a 100 percent "survival rating") from Jim's Close Quarter/Tactical Handgun Course. Cirillo has also penned numerous articles for gun magazines. Much of the content of Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights was first published as magazine articles.
Subtitled "Tales and Lessons from a Modern-Day Gunfighter" this book includes chapters covering all of Jim Cirillo's many areas of firearms expertise. Cirillo is one of the few men in the modern era with a depth of experience sufficient to have a legitimate claim to the title "master gunfighter" so his thoughts are of significant interest to anyone who owns and/or regularly carries a gun for self-defense.
"Part One: Guns" includes two chapters, "Averting the Unintentional Shot" and "Hybrid Weapons" addressing, respectively, how to safely practice with and store guns in the home, and Cirillo's experiments over the years customizing a variety of handguns in search of maximum performance.
"Part Two: Bullets" includes "The Two Primary Functions of Handgun Bullets" and "Are Hollowpoints the Way to Go for Stopping Power?" It's interesting to note that the opinions of this master gunfighter, who's "been there and done that" more times than most people have shot gelatin blocks, is quite at odds with conventional wisdom on these topics.
"Part Three: Gunfights" includes five chapters, stories of Cirillo's days in the NYCPD Stakeout Unit and the lessons he learned from those experiences:
"Selection of the Gunfighter" details the qualities Cirillo believes are most essential both to survive a gunfight and deal with the emotional aftermath, based on his personal exposure to many people who both could and couldn't hack it in the Stakeout Unit. It's fascinating reading.
"Shooting for Score or Survival?" critiques the forms of "combat pistol" competition, compared to what's needed to survive a gunfight.
"Firearms Training and the Gunfight" gets into Cirillo's recommended training procedures, including his Weapon Silhouette and Geometric Point aiming methods. This chapter is also noteworthy in that it recounts the story of Cirillo's most famous gunfight, in which he was forced to shoot three armed robbers...only two hours into his very first stakeout!
In "Stress of the Gunfight" we get a few more facts about this incident (based on which Jeff Cooper created an IPSC course of fire called "The Cirillo Drill"), as well as Jim's ideas on how mental perceptions change and are affected by the stress of a life-or-death defensive emergency. This is firsthand experience talking here.
"The Bizarre NYCPD Stakeout Squad" was for me the most enjoyable part of the book, in which Cirillo recounts many hilarious stories of his fellow gunfighters from the Stakeout Unit. I've been fortunate enough to be there when Cirillo's told many of these tales in person, and believe me, you do lose a bit of the effect when you're not hearing them in Cirillo's heavy New Yawk accent. Still, even in written form some of these stories are so funny they verge on slapstick. I defy anyone to read about the gunfight titled "Marty and Benny" without smiling - maybe even breaking into hysterical laughter.
Finally, in the book's postscript, Cirillo reduces down to a set of rules his advice on preparing for a deadly encounter involving firearms. This is all really good stuff, gang.
Rating:
Summary: A valuable summary of lessons learned in the NYPD
Review: I liked this book. In contrast to Marshall & Sanow ("Street Stoppers" & "Handgun Stopping Power"), this book is less statistical and more empirical. Cirillo has a lot of advice to give. The stories of actual gunfights are vivid and clear; he makes his points well. There was a bit of self-aggrandizement, but I guess that all falls into the category of "I've earned my right to an opinion" -- which he has! I have no trouble believing the stories he tells, and his opinions are clearly discernable from his facts. I think this book might be more relevant to law enforcement officers than to citizens. It's really more about police stakeouts (eg - tactical ambushes) than being accosted in daily life. However, there's plenty here for the average citizen and CCW permit holder. I recommend it, not as a "bible" for self-defense, but as a good addition to the shooter's library.
Rating:
Summary: chatty story about being a cop in NY
Review: I wanted a book about how a cop trains to shoot. This isn't it. Borrow a copy, it is a good quick and fun read. Stories and anecdotes about being a special operations stake out cop in New York City. Now there is value in such tales, to recruit young cops maybe. But i wanted to read about tactics, training, how to learn to use a pistol. What i got was a lot about his bullets, his gunsmithing, his shooting. But nothing i could use. He is certainly an interesting guy, but i wouldnt want to take a concealed weapon class from him based on this book. I'd rather learn how to shoot like him, then to hear about how he shot some really bad guys.
Get Suarez's Tactical Pistol set instead.
Rating:
Summary: Might be dangerous for the newbies!
Review: I would consider this book as one that is poorly written. The author seems to be adamantly arrogant which may be dangerous to new shooters and those eager to learn. I say it is dangerous because his arrogance might mislead people to erroneous judgement and analysis of gunfight scenarios, should the reader ever engage. However, the book also provides significant information on ammunition, so just check it out. It never hurts to be knowledgeable.
Rating:
Summary: Jim Cirillo speaks with ALOT of credibility
Review: Jim Cirillo is another excellent mentor for those of us who may well be involved in a deadly encounter, he is a veteran and original member of the NYPD stakeout squad, he was probably more shootouts under his belt than a shift of police officers, collectively. While the book was a little too short for my liking (it was very good), it gave some of his training ideas for combat marksmanship. Very good book. I hope he writes another sometime soon.
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