The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun & Rifle Shooting - Softcover

John S. Farnam; John Farnam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0965942201 ISBN 13: 9780965942201

Publisher: Defense Training International Publications, 1998

Synopsis

The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun and Rifle Shooting is filled with vital, gritty - yet seldom discussed - facts as only Farnam can present them. This is no comic-book kiddy text or coffee-table fluff. If you want to be a competent and knowledgeable defensive shotgun or rifle owner, this book belongs on your bookshelf! The Farnam Method of Defensive Shotgun and Rifle Shooting is the first book of its kind which explains the details of the defensive use of the shotgun and rifle and shows you exactly how each critical goal is achieved.

This is John S. Farnam's third book on the subject of defensive shooting and was written for both civilians and law enforcement officers who rely on shotguns and/or rifles for defense. Mr. Farnam is an internationally recognized firearms instructor who teaches the latest defensive techniques to police departments, federal and state agencies and foreign governments.

About this title

About the Author

John S. Farnam, president of Defense Training International, Inc. has been teaching defensive firearms courses for over 25 years. He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, a major (Retired) in the U.S. Army Reserve and a police officer with many years of practical experience. Mr. Farnam is an acclaimed and prominent author, lecturer, expert witness, and consultant. Through Defense Training International, Inc., he teaches the latest defensive firearms techniques to police departments, federal and state agencies as well as foreign governments.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Foreword: So, there you are. You are facing four gang members across the street. They are armed with knives and pistols which they are brandishing in a reckless and threatening manner. In fact, they are shouting threats as they point their weapons at you. They apparently think you may have something they want. The range is forty meters. They know, as do you, that the police aren't coming and that no one is going to help you. This is no fantasy. It has actually happened to perfectly ordinary people, and it happens all too often.

They are all standing together, and it looks as if a vicious physical attack is imminent. They start to move toward you, continuing to point their weapons in your direction. You draw your pistol and issue several verbal commands for them to stay away, but your warnings are contemptuously ignored. You are very apprehensive, not only for your own safety but for that of other family members in the house.

Option One: You draw your pistol and bring it up on target (the biggest one) and start firing. If you have been adequately trained by us or other competent instructors, you will probably be successful in hitting the first one your front sight finds, but, before firing, you will have to allow them to come within range. Moreover, even at twenty-five meters (maximum pistol range under these circumstances), and even if you are very proficient, you are still going to have to slow way down on the trigger in order to assure a first-round hit. It can be done, but it's not a cinch. If you panic and shoot too fast, you'll lapse into the deadly "rhythm of missing." Once that happens, accurate shooting is unimaginable, and victory is inevitably lost. Self control is the key.

We'll say you are successful and hit the first one! He staggers, curses you, but remains on his feet. Unfortunately, it is difficult for you to be sure whether he is fatally wounded, slightly wounded, or merely startled and not wounded at all. His surprised accomplices, seeing what has just happened, dive for cover. You, of course, move to cover also. What follows will be a protracted gun battle. You may prevail, but the skirmish will be drawn out. Pistols are suitable for typical personal defense in what we call a "domestic defensive situation," where your opponent is usually a single pathetic unorganized punk. However, as you can see, when pitted against well-armed ordered and determined attackers, you may quickly and unhappily realize just how limited handguns actually are.

Option Two: Same situation, but this time you are armed with an autoloading or pump shotgun and are holding it in what we call the "depressed/ready position." There is already a round (00 buckshot) chambered. The magazine tube is fully charged, and the manual safety is already off. The attackers once more have not been impressed with your verbal commands nor with the presentation of the shotgun nor with the characteristic sound associated with a round being chambered. They obviously think you're bluffing. They couldn't be more wrong!

You quickly bring the weapon to eye level, but, knowing the range limitations of buckshot, you again prudently wait until they come within effective range. When they cross the twenty-five-meter line, you put the front sight on the biggest one and press the trigger. The hoodlum is struck in the upper torso by your buckshot pattern. All nine pellets impact in his trunk. Once again, he staggers, but this time he drops to the ground quickly with multiple fatal wounds. He loses consciousness in a few seconds (much faster than is typical with handgun wounds). His startled companions lunge for the nearest utility pole. You do the same, but not before you recover and get off one more, deadly shot. Several of your buckshot pellets strike a second suspect, seriously injuring him.

Once again, you now find yourself in a protracted gun battle, but this time the gang of felons has been more decisively weakened than was the case with the handgun. You are still alive and able to defend yourself, but the gang, though unnerved and grievously damaged, is nonetheless still capable of additional offensive action. This time, you were able to get a second thug as he was starting to move, because, at that range, the recovery time with your shotgun is shorter than is the case with a pistol. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that you will get all of them in the initial engagement.

Option Three: Same situation, but this time you are armed with an autoloading rifle in medium caliber, 5.56mm x 45 (223 Remington) or 7.62mm x 39, Soviet. You may even be armed with an autoloading rifle in heavy caliber, 7.62mm x 51 (308 Winchester). The weapon is in the depressed/ready position and once again, the bad guys are not impressed with anything you've done so far and continue to move toward you, threatening and pointing their weapons in your direction. When you decide to fire this time, you do not wait for them to come into pistol or shotgun range. You bring the weapon up to eye level as you push off the manual safety, simultaneously locking onto the first target. He is forty meters distant. You press the trigger without delay. He is hit dead-center and goes down like a rock! Using a rifle, you recover in the blink of an eye, lock onto the second target, reset the trigger, and fire immediately. The second thug also drops like a rock; the same with the third and fourth.

It happens so fast, the astonished criminals all have fatal wounds before they can effectively seek cover or are able to get close enough to you to pose a crucial threat with their pistols. In the span of five and one half seconds, you have inflicted four lethal wounds before any of the gangsters fully realized what was happening or could return fire effectively.

Edition details

• Publisher: Defense Training International Publications
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0965942201
• ISBN 13: 9780965942201
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208