For me, Grant Cunningham's book Defensive Revolver Fundamentals was a mixed bag. Before I go further with this, intellectual honesty--a trait that I find sadly lacking in some--demands that I make one correction to something I said somewhere else and that was that Cunningham does not seem to believe in unsighted fire. He does, but doesn't put a lot of stress on it, and he says that whenever possible we should use our sights. That is a sensible approach, because we won't always have time to get a good sight picture.
Cunningham stresses using the body's natural reactions in a fight and his (and I presume Pincus' as well) approach seems to take advantage of and use these reactions.
On accuracy, Cunningham tells us the difference between accuracy and precision when engaging in a fight, Using the example of an 8" circle in the COM he defines accuracy as a hit anywhere in that circle. OTOH, precision (a 3" or smaller circle or a much tighter group) is not needed as it is a matter of degree. I tend to agree with him on this. Accuracy is not graduated; it either is or isn't. You hit the 8" circle or you don't.
I agree wih this.
What I don't agree with is his almost worshiping at the altar of efficiency. One statement in the book is that our main goal is to be efficient. I take issue with this. Granted we should streamline the process as much as we can but this is simply a means of arriving at the real goal which is to stop the threat.
Cunningham stresses training with a partner. This partner does not have to a be a shooter but is simply a means of adding a degree of randomness, chance or unpredictability to our practice. I did this many years ago in Seattle by making six circles on a large board and I would draw and shoot at the circle whose number he called out. Cunningham says, and it stands to reason, that since real-life 'events' are almost never predictable, our training should not be either. He goes on to give other examples of good practice. Something else that I go along with is his views on what we train for and that is the most likely event.
In short, Cunningham's book is excellent even though I don't agree with everything in it and it presents the revolver as a still-viable choice for self-defense today. Much to my surprise, I found that Rob Pincus agrees with this.
It is a book that is very worthwhile and I am glad to have it in my library.
Cunningham stresses using the body's natural reactions in a fight and his (and I presume Pincus' as well) approach seems to take advantage of and use these reactions.
On accuracy, Cunningham tells us the difference between accuracy and precision when engaging in a fight, Using the example of an 8" circle in the COM he defines accuracy as a hit anywhere in that circle. OTOH, precision (a 3" or smaller circle or a much tighter group) is not needed as it is a matter of degree. I tend to agree with him on this. Accuracy is not graduated; it either is or isn't. You hit the 8" circle or you don't.
I agree wih this.
What I don't agree with is his almost worshiping at the altar of efficiency. One statement in the book is that our main goal is to be efficient. I take issue with this. Granted we should streamline the process as much as we can but this is simply a means of arriving at the real goal which is to stop the threat.
Cunningham stresses training with a partner. This partner does not have to a be a shooter but is simply a means of adding a degree of randomness, chance or unpredictability to our practice. I did this many years ago in Seattle by making six circles on a large board and I would draw and shoot at the circle whose number he called out. Cunningham says, and it stands to reason, that since real-life 'events' are almost never predictable, our training should not be either. He goes on to give other examples of good practice. Something else that I go along with is his views on what we train for and that is the most likely event.
In short, Cunningham's book is excellent even though I don't agree with everything in it and it presents the revolver as a still-viable choice for self-defense today. Much to my surprise, I found that Rob Pincus agrees with this.
It is a book that is very worthwhile and I am glad to have it in my library.