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 martial art of the rifle and pistol October 20, 2008
Hal Herring
Other reviewers here have compared McKee's The Book of Two Guns to Bruce Lee's classic Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and it is an appropriate comparison. Like Bruce Lee's book, too, BOTG chronicle's a warrior's journey to the heart of the most serious game of all. More focused than Lee, though, McKee has created a training manual for armed martial artists, based on his own years of direct experience as student and instructor in some of the best tactical firearms schools in the US. The Book of Two Guns (uniquely hand written and drawn) is a handbook of what works, and no higher compliment can be paid to the book than this: it takes an art that is very complex and daunting, and makes it understandable and accessible.
I have trained at McKee's Shootrite Academy, before and after reading the BOTG, and the book remains my first reference to keep the skills that I acquired there, and to try and learn new ones. When I was working on my own book on historical firearms I used the extensive Shootrite library as a primary source. It is the library of a serious student of gunfighting, just as Shootrite Academy is a serious student's resource for the most effective modern fighting techniques. The Book of Two Guns, which is deceptively simple like all the best martial arts, is the result of a lifetime's apprenticeship to the martial art of the rifle and the pistol.
Hal Herring
Author of: Famous Firearms of the Old West
Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History
JEET KUNE DO of Gunfighting July 10, 2008
Prof. CJ (North FL, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
McKee's BOOK OF TWO GUNS reminds me a lot of Bruce Lee's classic TAO OF JEET KUNE DO. Like TJKD, BOTG chronicles a man's learning experiences across a broad range of techniques. Also like Lee's book, McKee's is presented almost as a journal, full of the author's own sketches and with an organizational style that can be described as "freewheeling." Last, like Lee, McKee is interested in techniques, pragmatically borrows and modifies from different "schools," and is concerned not just with combat itself but with the philosophy and mindset behind it. As such, McKee makes postmodern gunfighting into a full-fledged martial art. (Which makes sense and is fair -- after all, in the glory days of the samurai, their swords and bows were the pinnacle of extant weapons technology in their world, the equivalent of autoloading rifles and pistols today.)
This book is mostly composed of technique and philosophy/mindset. Unlike most "gun books" out there today, this book is refreshingly NOT obsessed with equipment. Yes, the author briefly describes why he prefers the AR15 carbine and the 1911 pistol, and also explains what modifications and accessories he thinks are worthwhile (and those are minimal -- this guy is not a gadgeteer who puts thousands of dollars worth of space-age optics and lasers and whatnot on a fighting gun, which is also a refreshing change from the norm.) However, though he clearly has his preferences, in another welcome departure from most "gun books," McKee is not dogmatic or insistent about them -- he readily admits that other firearms can work just fine and accomplish the same tasks, too.
While he quotes a lot from the usual suspects like Jeff Cooper, Clint Smith, Bill Jordan, and Fairbairn & Sykes, he also brings in intellectuals, philosophers, and academics such as Sun Tzu, von Clausewitz, Martin van Creveld, and yes, Bruce Lee (who, if you didn't know, had a postgraduate education in philosohy.)
For what it is -- a collection of the highlights of a journal from one man's education in combat -- the book is very good. It is, admittedly, presented almost 'as is' from Mr. McKee's notes -- the text is handwritten with occasional spelling/grammar errors, and the sketches, while mostly pretty good/more than adequate, are not the polished work of a professional artist. Some would call this crude, others would call it honest or authentic. If you're interested in the techniques, philosophy, and mindset of combat, rather than just in the gear, you'll enjoy and learn from this book.
Great note taking April 29, 2008
W. Kersey (usa)
Being a note taker myself I fully appreciate Tiger's method. I do this in my classes and this way I can feed off of someone else's experience. Fantastic idea, who cares about the misspelling, you should see my notes. The real treasure is in the text, his ideas behind etc. Spend $25.00 on the book or spend $10,000 and take the classes and read the books that have exerts in this book. Then you can make your own note, or do both but the book has a place on anyone's bookshelf who is defensive firearm minded.
Maybe the best "beyond the basics" shooting book April 15, 2008
Currahee (South Mississippi)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Getting instructional information on practical shooting from a book is pretty hard. It is a "hands on thing" and there is no way of escaping this. But, Tiger McKee makes a good job of it here. The book is basically his observations from taking classes from and teaching practical rifle and pistol marksmanship for many years. There is a lot of interesting "mindset" and psychology of combat information up front that I really liked. Then the book gets down to business and covers various shooting, malfunction and tactical drills. While the book is mostly about the 1911 pistol and the AR carbine most of the skills will apply to any rifle/pistol combo. If you read and then practiced what he says you will learn much faster than just practicing on your own. Some people might not like the format, basically the book looks like a classroom notebook, hand written and all, but I think it's pretty clever.
1* July 6, 2007
1* (texas)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you carry or just own a firearm for self-defence this book is a must.It is more than just training by putting ammo downrange.It's about the attitude you need to come out on top. It makes you think.
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