A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition
In this section, you’re looking at all of the book reviews and links to sources of information I use in my articles and podcasts. The simple truth is that there are relatively few new ideas out there, so it comes down to how we interpret the information before us.
John Simpson, way back in Episode 2 of the podcast, once told me that too many people are in a rush to put their own twist on things before they master the basics. My goal in sharing these resources with you is that you take the time to master the fundamentals and start forming your own ideas.
/// Resources Archive
Risk Assessment and Mitigation for Everyday Living
It's March 2020, a time when people are well and truly panicked about a virulent flu strain. Government institutions across the globe are flailing about for consequence mitigation strategies with greater or lesser success and some risk of unintended consequences. People panic because they don’t trust established institutions to handle an emergency. Institutions lose trust because they’re corrupt, incompetent, unresponsive or some combination. So we must ask the question: What’s a working man to do?
Book Review: Body by Science
I want to tell you about one of the best books on fitness and exercise I’ve ever read. In a way, it completely revolutionized how I think about exercise. I first purchased Body by Science in 2012 after a long stint of exploring better ways to live a healthy life.
Book Review: The Foundations of Sniper Marksmanship
This is a review of John C. Simpsons newest book, Foundations of Sniper Marksmanship. This is an update to an older book of his titled Snipercraft, targeted squarely at rifle shooters early in their journey. If you have never had formal marksmanship training, then this is a great read to develop a baseline before you go.
Book Review: With Winning in Mind
Every once and a while, you come across a book that totally changes how you approach things. Lanny Bassham's With Winning in Mind is one of those books for me. It totally changed how I thought about training, goal setting, and the mental game.
1963: Year of the AR-15
We're closing in on the end of our SCHV series. It's now 1963, and the battle between the AR-15 and M-14 comes to a head.
The US Air Force: Savior of the M-16
When we last left off in 1958, the Army had canceled all future funding for AR-15 development. They got the M-14, and the SALVO project was the future. But that decision wasn't good enough for one hard-nosed Air Force general who had no problem "cracking skulls" to get what he wanted.
Book Review: Total Resistance – A Layman’s Guide to Guerilla Warfare
I collect manuals and books dealing with the Cold War era. Today, I want to take a closer look at one of those books. I find this particular one relevant to the topics of community defense and working with a team to provide security.
An Effectiveness Study of the Infantry Rifle
In 1950, Donald Hall sought to explore alternatives to the full-sized battle rifle cartridge. He built upon R.H. Kent's work decades earlier, and found similar conclusions that challenged Army thought.
Norman Hitchman’s Status Quo-Smashing 1952 Report
The Hitchman report from 1952 is one of my favorite bits of Army research. Like the 1930 Kent report before it, the findings eventually led to the adoption of the M-16 rifle and 5.56 NATO cartridge.
The 1930 Report that Changed the World- Sort of
Way back in 1930, R.H. Kent proposed that a small bullet at high velocity would be as effective as the common 30-06. This report had the potential to change the direction of small arms development.
Book Review: The Modern Day Gunslinger
This is a review of Don Mann’s book, The Modern Day Gunslinger: The Ultimate Handgun Training Manual.
Resource Review: US Army TC 3-22.9 Rifle and Carbine Marksmanship
TC 3-22.9 is the US Army manual on rifle and carbine marksmanship. Every shooter should be familiar with it and what it contains. Revised in 2016 using experiences from Iraq and Afghanistan, 3-22.9 is a fantastic starting point.
Book Review: MVT Tactical Manual for Small Unit Tactics
This is a review of the Small Unit Tactics manual written by Max Velocity Tactical. In short, it's probably the best book I've come across on the topic.
Early Testing of AR-15 Performance in Combat
During the SCHV trials, and performance testing of the AR-15. The Army did a study in 1959 that showed the little rifle to be a more potent combat weapon than the larger .30 cal.
