Books & more: Shoot the gun!

You can't learn shooting from a book! I've heard the same thing about playing the guitar - nevertheless, I occasionally play a few songs around the campfire, quite decently in my opinion.The Austrian Milizverlag once again takes on the topic of "pistol shooting." The Milizverlag had previously addressed the art of shooting with a (military) handgun in its first book: The experienced IPSC shooter Ronald Riedel compiled his knowledge on the subject in a slim book back in 1992.

That was 25 years ago and a lot has changed since then: IPSC is no longer an umbrella organization for practical shooting, firearms and ammunition have undergone significant developments, the shooting performances of top shooters have risen significantly - and, last but not least, the shooting training of the military and police has undergone significant changes.

Christian Maier now presents compactly and precisely the new pistol shooting: Starting with important information about firearms and ammunition up to a detailed, practice-oriented "user manual" in handling handguns, the book offers extensive and visually rich reading for beginners in pistol shooting, which is also up to date.

A whole third of the 150 pages is dedicated to shooting practice - target shooting, dot drills, clearing malfunctions, and dry-fire training - the nice compilation of topics along with an easily understandable text and good graphic presentation make it a worthwhile investment for beginners.

But even experienced shooters will find this book interesting, offering background information that may have been unknown to them before. In comparison to other introductory works, it is only noticeable that the topics of psyche and mindset are not addressed - whether they really belong there is a matter of personal preference. But otherwise, Mr. Maier, good job. Conclusion: Recommended purchase for beginners and shooters who want to reflect on their actions.

“Pistolenschießen” by Christian Maier, 160 pages, DIN A5, Austrian Milizverlag, Salzburg 2017, 24 Euro. The book can be ordered HERE directly from the Milizverlag.

Here's a quick look at the table of contents.