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Boston's Gun Bible - Revised with 2008 D.C. v. Heller
A wonderful reference book for anyone who owns a gun or wishes to purchase one.
848 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
About the author
Boston T. Party
14 books15 followersAmerican author known for his libertarian stances on privacy and arms.
He is also one people behind the Free State Wyoming project whose goal is to bring people of "demonstrably ethical character" to the state of Wyoming in the western United States to encourage "political liberty, free trade and voluntary cooperation."
He is also one people behind the Free State Wyoming project whose goal is to bring people of "demonstrably ethical character" to the state of Wyoming in the western United States to encourage "political liberty, free trade and voluntary cooperation."
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 24, 2010
I might as well write a review now, since I will never be "done" with this book. Anyone with any interest whatsoever in guns/self defense should pick this up posthaste.
A good 1/4 of these 800+ pages is dedicated to discussing and comparing military battle rifles. I can't comment on this information, since I am not experienced with these weapons (yet). Handguns get about 50 pages, and shotguns get less than two pages.
There is so much food for thought here that I don't know where to begin. Here is a brief overview of the topics covered:
Guns/self defense:
Terminology, safety and handling, self defense and the law, tactics and training, women and guns (dudes need not skip this section; there is a lot of good info here), how (and why) to become a rifleman, how to buy, sell and trade, gun laws in the 50 states and D.C. (some of this info is outdated, though).
Political philosophy/second amendment:
The real goal of "gun control", Letter to a Columbine Student (this alone is worth the price of the book), creeping citizen disarmament, increase in crime rates after citizen disarmament, registration, confiscation.
As I said, I will never be finished with this book. This is not a "cover-to-cover and done" deal, it is a reference text that can (and should) be reread and contemplated often.
Just so I don't come across like Boston T. Party's press agent, I will point out a few flaws:
There are no page numbers. The numbering is done by chapter and page, so the fourth page of the tenth chapter is page 10/4. Weird and pointless.
There is no index.
Boston might want to employ a copy editor. There are quite a few boo-boos. Most are simple spelling/grammar gaffes, however the worst one I found was under Rule #2 of safe gun handling: "Do wave your muzzle past people." NO! Do NOT wave your muzzle past people! Anyone with half a brain will figure out what he meant, however I think it is important to be precise, especially when discussing a topic as serious as gun safety.
None of these flaws prevents this from being essential reading. If my copy of Boston's Gun Bible was lost or stolen, I would pay triple the price to get another one if necessary.
A good 1/4 of these 800+ pages is dedicated to discussing and comparing military battle rifles. I can't comment on this information, since I am not experienced with these weapons (yet). Handguns get about 50 pages, and shotguns get less than two pages.
There is so much food for thought here that I don't know where to begin. Here is a brief overview of the topics covered:
Guns/self defense:
Terminology, safety and handling, self defense and the law, tactics and training, women and guns (dudes need not skip this section; there is a lot of good info here), how (and why) to become a rifleman, how to buy, sell and trade, gun laws in the 50 states and D.C. (some of this info is outdated, though).
Political philosophy/second amendment:
The real goal of "gun control", Letter to a Columbine Student (this alone is worth the price of the book), creeping citizen disarmament, increase in crime rates after citizen disarmament, registration, confiscation.
As I said, I will never be finished with this book. This is not a "cover-to-cover and done" deal, it is a reference text that can (and should) be reread and contemplated often.
Just so I don't come across like Boston T. Party's press agent, I will point out a few flaws:
There are no page numbers. The numbering is done by chapter and page, so the fourth page of the tenth chapter is page 10/4. Weird and pointless.
There is no index.
Boston might want to employ a copy editor. There are quite a few boo-boos. Most are simple spelling/grammar gaffes, however the worst one I found was under Rule #2 of safe gun handling: "Do wave your muzzle past people." NO! Do NOT wave your muzzle past people! Anyone with half a brain will figure out what he meant, however I think it is important to be precise, especially when discussing a topic as serious as gun safety.
None of these flaws prevents this from being essential reading. If my copy of Boston's Gun Bible was lost or stolen, I would pay triple the price to get another one if necessary.
May 14, 2008
AWESOME! If you want to learn a lot about guns, this is the book for you. It has a few gun-nut anti-government chapters which can be disregarded, but the amount of information is amazing. Focuses on assault weapons and gives a thorough review of most of them. Also provides excellent advice on which guns one should own. The author's writing style is VERY easy to read. The book actually went very quickly, despite its length.
March 15, 2018
Its a pretty good resource on firearms.
February 27, 2019
The most comprehensive gun book I’ve read since Hatcher’s Notebook. A great reference.
December 16, 2020
Good stuff
Comprehensive and wide ranging, gun data plus philosophy and politics. A treasure. Eight more words required. Four more words required...
Comprehensive and wide ranging, gun data plus philosophy and politics. A treasure. Eight more words required. Four more words required...
May 31, 2013
This book is a wealth of knowledge! Seriously, tons of great information. A little too much in some cases. The book is monstrous! I recommend reading this book with a highlighter and pad of sticky notes. You will definitely be coming back for information you will want to research later.
The author offers up a plethora of recommendations and thankfully also includes his reasoning in most cases. The book is a bit dated and some of the advice and reasoning may not hold as much strength as it did at the time or writing.
The author also offers up many seemingly unrelated opinions having to do with politics, etc. The book could have been much shorter and still offered up the amazing practical advice.
Not recommended for the uninitiated. This book will require a dedicated firearm enthusiast who is willing to dig for the gems.
The author offers up a plethora of recommendations and thankfully also includes his reasoning in most cases. The book is a bit dated and some of the advice and reasoning may not hold as much strength as it did at the time or writing.
The author also offers up many seemingly unrelated opinions having to do with politics, etc. The book could have been much shorter and still offered up the amazing practical advice.
Not recommended for the uninitiated. This book will require a dedicated firearm enthusiast who is willing to dig for the gems.
November 27, 2010
from the foreword by timothy j. mullin:
in 1942, when the threat of invasion from nazi and japanese forces seemed very real, charles haven and melvin johnson, jr. wrote the delightful little book, a comprehensive small arms manual. in that volume, the authors detailed a wide variety of weapons suitable for the defense-minded citizen of the period. they tested and evaluated these weapons and commented on their usefulness in opposing the designs of foreign socialists and imperialists.
boston t. party, in [this book] has done the same thing for patriots in the first decade of the 21st century.
...loaded w/valuable information, commercial-free.
in 1942, when the threat of invasion from nazi and japanese forces seemed very real, charles haven and melvin johnson, jr. wrote the delightful little book, a comprehensive small arms manual. in that volume, the authors detailed a wide variety of weapons suitable for the defense-minded citizen of the period. they tested and evaluated these weapons and commented on their usefulness in opposing the designs of foreign socialists and imperialists.
boston t. party, in [this book] has done the same thing for patriots in the first decade of the 21st century.
...loaded w/valuable information, commercial-free.
January 19, 2023
A great primer I probably read 5-6 times as a child. Most of the information about prices and specific product reviews are horribly obsolete (I still remember reading about getting “delinked 7.62x51” for 3¢ a round) but the fundamentals will always exist.
Kenneth Royce is a libertarian by every possible metric. This book is dotted with passages about mowing down tyrants and establishing the FA Hayek Utopia, complete with gold backed currency and roving “patriot militias”. Royce goes so far as to use ø instead of $ because they’re “Federal Reserve Notes” and not dollars. It’s certainly authentic, if not a little morbid
Kenneth Royce is a libertarian by every possible metric. This book is dotted with passages about mowing down tyrants and establishing the FA Hayek Utopia, complete with gold backed currency and roving “patriot militias”. Royce goes so far as to use ø instead of $ because they’re “Federal Reserve Notes” and not dollars. It’s certainly authentic, if not a little morbid
October 18, 2008
This was my primary guide to finally upgrading from a .223/5.56 calibre weapon to a MBR in .308. Finally picked a FN-FAL derivative over the M1A.
This book also inspired my switch to .40 S&W from the smaller hotter 9mm parabellum for my primary pistol.
A very handy & resourceful compendium to keep close at hand. As you can afford to do so you should buy copies to share!
This book also inspired my switch to .40 S&W from the smaller hotter 9mm parabellum for my primary pistol.
A very handy & resourceful compendium to keep close at hand. As you can afford to do so you should buy copies to share!
February 12, 2012
A fine resource on learning about firearms, with a heavy leaning on obtaining a modern battle rifle. Around 30% of the book is 2nd amendment America rah rah RAH talk, but the rest is extremely useful information about gun ownership, chosing a survival arsenal, basic riflemen skills, and other useful topics. Overall a good book for anyone interested in firearms.
July 9, 2012
Good book if you've got some basic firearms knowledge. I say that because there is a good bit of bad info in this book that a complete novice would not pick up on. Also the authors heavy handed bias for "Battle rifles" gets a little annoying at times, as if every thing else is some how totally inferior because it doesn't shoot 7.62mm.
June 19, 2012
Covers a lot of stuff that as a woman who has no interest in big calibers (but more interested in being a good shooter), it's invaluable for your firearms of choice. Plus he's just a great guy to boot! Thanks for going to all the trouble, Boston!
August 19, 2012
Now somewhat dated. Still full of useful information.
November 16, 2012
Must read for every freedom loving American :)
December 20, 2013
Desk reference
May 13, 2015
Huge amount of information on guns, but read mainly for the crazy commentary by the author.
April 17, 2016
Good book, don't agree with all of Mr. Royce's opinions on specific firearms but if you're planning on buying some battle rifles for your collection, you should read this first.
July 28, 2010
Fantastic
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews