Everything You Probably Need to Know About Handguns

“You can get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than a kind word alone.” Al Capone
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INTRODUCTION

Get close and personal. Handguns fill this role well. In the world of firearms handguns are like a good crescent wrench; it might not be the right tool for the job but it will get it done anyways. Much like swords became smaller so they could be easily carried in a more civilized society, so too has the firearm become smaller. Modern handguns have a decent ammo capacity, are light weight and are small enough to be easily concealed.

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ANATOMY

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Here is a brief description and break down of a pistol's main functioning parts. We start with the “action”, which is the mechanism that draws the firing mechanism to ready, and chambers a new round. In a semi-automatic this would be the metal part on top of the gun that surrounds the “barrel”. On a revolver it would be the “hammer” and “cycling” assembly. The barrel is the tube from which the bullet fires. On the end of the barrel on the inside of the gun is the “chamber” where bullets feed in from a “magazine” to be fired. On a revolver, the chamber is the revolving mechanism where bullets are directly fed into. The bullet is fired when the “firing pin” strikes the primer on the rear of the bullet. The firing pin is activated when it is struck by the “hammer” that is released when the “trigger” is pulled. In semi-automatics the “ejector” removes the exhausted bullet from the chamber and tosses it out of the gun. The recoil of the fired bullet pushes back on the inside of the receiver compressing the “spring”, setting the hammer, and loading another bullet from the magazine after ejecting the spent shell. In a single action revolver the hammer is physically pulled back in which it revolves the chamber to the next round and locks the hammer back. In a double action revolver, either pulling the hammer or the trigger will revolve the cylinder and draw the hammer.

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TYPES OF HANDGUNS

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Caliber
Caliber refers to the size of the bullet. The caliber of the gun makes it more or less useful for certain activities. Small calibers are for shooting at close range, or at small game. Large calibers are more for military and law enforcement, and the largest calibers are for hunting.

Pistols
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Metal Frame Semi-automatic Pistols, as the description says, are all metal semi-automatic pistols. The majority of metal frame pistols were created as service guns for military and law enforcement. It wasn't till the early 1980's that the idea of carrying a self-defense semi-automatic pistol really became popular.
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Polymer Frame Semi-automatic Pistols are known as the plastic pistol, and are a relatively new invention in the firearms world. Plastic frame pistols have lighter frames but heavier barrels and receivers. With a lighter gun, drawing and target acquisition is easier and faster. Less long range accuracy and more muzzle flip are two factors that turn shooters away from Polyframes.

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Compact and Subcompact are one of the 2 previous types, only smaller. A good compact or subcompact are exactly like their big brothers, and use the same magazines. Compacts are often carried as a primary concealed handgun. Subcompacts are often used as backup guns or low threat concealed weapons. They almost always hold less ammunition than the full sized guns, and are a bit less accurate, but when push comes to shove, at least they shove back.

Revolvers
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Hunting revolvers are often called hand cannons, because of the large ammunition they fire. These guns are famous in zombie shooting games as one shot killers, because they are very accurate and are designed to kill a buffalo. These guns are also very heavy and cumbersome. These bad boys shoot ammunition like .45, .50, 454 Casull, and the massive .460. These guns require 2 hands to fire as the recoil, even with ported barrels, is usually enough to make a person step back. These are not tactical weapons in the least.

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Snub nosed pack a punch and kick like a mule. The snub nosed refers to the barrel size. Since the barrel is small and often larger calibers are chambered, these guns have high recoil, low accuracy, and lower muzzle velocities. These guns are designed for close quarters where inaccuracy doesn't matter. This type of gun became extremely popular with law enforcement in the 1930s and 40s as a back up weapon. Many police officers still carry a 5 shot .38 on an ankle holster.

Other Variants
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Derringer, also known as the pocket, purse or hat gun, is a very small handgun. They can be anywhere from a single shot breach loader to a 3 shot revolver. The most common variant is a 2 barrel breach loader. They have long been used as a last ditch concealed firearm. They do not have very good accuracy because of their small size and weight. This really is a last resort drop pistol.

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Bolt action handguns are a special variety of hunting and target shooting pistols. Often they use ammunition like .22mag, .223, .357mag, .44mag or assorted rifle rounds. These guns are made to be used with bipods and optics. They are the most accurate handguns, and also the least practical for common use.

Personal Defense Weapons are handguns specifically designed for carrying, for uses that would exceed the normal needs of a standard civilian. These guns are made with the intended purpose of private sector work, where the needs of a regular carry firearm are not sufficiently met. These guns generally have special safeties, fire more effective or higher power ammunition, are ported in a way to negate muzzle flip, have higher ammunition capacities, or are designed for better short or long range.

Bottleneck Personal Defense Handguns are a new hybrid weapon that takes an assault rifle and shrinks it to a large one hand variation. These are classified as handguns, and as such are not allowed to have a stock. This is a very new technology in America as it is under 5 years old. These guns pack a much more powerful payload as they use rifle rounds in a large handgun size platform.

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Anti Personnel Pistols are infamous because of gangs and criminals taking advantage the of superior rate of fire and high ammo capacity. These handguns are designed to throw lots of lead down field fast, with little muzzle flip. These guns shoot like a dream come true, but rarely were used as service weapons. They were generally used by special forces or special police for tactical assaults. As the 5.56 became cheaper and more plentiful, these guns have almost completely been dropped. In many countries these guns are banned, or highly restricted because of infamous crimes committed with them.

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Variable Fire handguns are a special hybrid of sub-machine gun and pistol. There are very few companies that make this kind of gun, and they are extremely expensive. Certain handguns have conversion kits to make them into a fully automatic, or 3 round burst handguns. These guns are meant specifically for special operations and professional protection, where overwhelming firepower doesn't have to be accurate to be useful. The problem with these firearms is that they tend to melt, seize, or become to hot to hold after only 100-200 rounds.

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AMMUNITION

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Caliber as mentioned before is important. A .312 is not an effective self defense round. A .454casull is not an effective small game round. Find a balance that is right for the intended purpose of the handgun. Range, penetration, accuracy, speed and environment of intended use should be taken into consideration, before choosing a caliber.
Hollow Point ammunition is usually lead jacketed in copper or brass with a hollow canal through the center. With weaker walls on the bullet it is more inclined to spread on impact and fragment. This makes more of the bullet's momentum stop inside the target, instead of passing through the body. Hollow points are a lighter bullet, making it less stable in the air, decreasing the over all accuracy in longer ranges. Since it is hollow it slows down faster due to wind resistance.
Jacketed ammunition are lead rounds coated in a harder, heavier metal like copper, brass, or steel. This raises the weights and aerodynamic properties of the round, allowing for longer ranges and more powerful powder charges. The rear of the bullet is still open lead, so it will deform when fired and capture more air behind it before leaving the barrel leading to higher muzzle velocities.
Full metal jacketed ammunition are lead rounds completely coated in a heavier metal. These rounds are meant for penetration and accuracy from highly charged rounds that would normally destroy a lead round inside the barrel.
+P means exceeding normal pressure loads. These loads have barrel pressures beyond the standard “Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute” rating for any given round. This round is not advisable in most firearms, as they must carry a +P rating. The round comes out faster and has longer range than normal rounds. Most +P ammunition is jacketed to help handle the excessive pressure.
+P+ also known as “High Velocity” is beyond advisable pressure loads. These rounds are not rated by the “Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute” as they exceed the safety standards and give an unfair advantage in sporting events and hunting. Unless the gun made is specifically able to handle these pressures, it can explode the breach or barrel causing injury or death. These rounds will prematurely wear the gun, especially barrels. “Personal Defense” rounds are often +P+.
Subsonic means they travel less than the speed of sound. They are designed for close quarters and covert actions. Since the round fires much slower than the normal rounds, the sound make is usually mistaken for a smaller caliber. Subsonic rounds are usually paired with silencers, or are used in special tactics teams so the energy of a missed bullet doesn't carry through a wall from a missed shot and kill a non-combatant.
Alloy core are rare in handguns, but they do exist in large hunting calibers. An alloy core round usually has an extremely heavy metal like tungsten or steel spear in the middle of the round. The spear is jacketed in lead and then a full metal jacket covers that. The few calibers that usually harness this technology are .50, .500, .454C, .460. These rounds are designed solely for maximum penetration on large game.
Armor piercing rounds are usually cone shaped stunted solid heavy metal, or a mix of heavy metals. They are usually +P rated and are designed for piercing through Kevlar armor. Since they have a smaller surface area and a sharp point, the Kevlar can not stop the rotation of the bullet to catch it's kinetic energy. These rounds are almost always stopped by a rifle trauma plate.
Plastic bullets, also known as “Black Rhino”, are a special kind of ammunition which when it impacts, it fragments into spears of tungsten and plastic. They are often also called “Crowned” ammo, because of the crown like appearance of the bullet. They are coated in Teflon to reduce barrel friction to keep it from fragmenting on ignition. These bullets are simply nasty and internationally banned. They are often rated for armor piercing.
Fragmenting rounds are made to become a mess of shards inside the target. They are similar to hollow points, but they have a soft metal exterior coating individual shards of heavier metal. On impact the hot lead is stripped back and the metal shards tumble in any direction from the the center.
Stinger ammunition is a plastic shell over a payload of small lead balls. This effectively makes your handgun into a small scale shotgun. These rounds absolutely destroy the rifling in the barrel. They are mostly used for shooting snakes and rats while sporting different game.

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CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

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Basic cleaning and inspection should be done on all guns after they cycle 100 rounds or more, or are going to be stored for a long period of time between uses. A service gun should be cleaned after every use allowing it to be at peak performance at any moment.
Step one- Always make sure the gun is disarmed and unloaded. Remove the magazine or bullets in the case of a revolver. Cycle the receiver a few times making sure the gun is not loaded. Look inside the chamber to visually see that no round is in the chamber. Place a finger into the firing chamber to make absolutely positive no rounds are in the chamber or can be cycled into the chamber. Once the gun is fully disarmed close the breach and pull the trigger to make sure it is functioning properly. Then open the chamber again and leave it open.
Step two- Disassemble the firearm as recommended in the owners manual. In the case of revolvers and breach loading derringers, it is best not to disassemble the firearm if it does not have issues. Most manuals will instruct you to dissemble the barrel for cleaning. For revolvers simply leave the cylinder open, giving you clear access to the barrel.
Step three- Time to scrub barrel with a little solvent and a wire brush. Give it a deep scrub until the inside has no attached residue. Once the barrel is well scrubbed take some cleaning strips and push them through the tube, until there is no discoloration on the white cloth strips. Clean the receiver's inside with a toothbrush and solvent. Pat the residue off with cleaning cloth sheets.
Step four- Now that it's clean, oil it using those same strips. Oil the inside of the barrel, lightly on the outside, lightly on the spring and on the slide rails. Too much oil will make your firearm collect dust and dirt that will inhibit proper functioning.
Step five- Re-assemble your firearm. Wipe off any excess oil and buff the outside with a silicone cloth. Cycle the receiver 10 times and wipe off any more excess oil that might come out. Check all functions from trigger to safety for malfunctions. Now our handgun is clean and ready to store.

Field Strip will require you to read your manual and follow the recommended field stripping protocol. You should strip your gun down to its major parts for a fine cleaning and inspection every time you get done using a handgun. If you have not fired or used your pistol in 6 months, it is recommended that you field strip it and apply new oil. It is also recommended that the first thing you do after getting a new pistol is to field strip, inspect, and possibly oil your new firearm. Follow the procedure in your manual to disconnect the slide, magazine, receiver, barrel, and trigger assembly. Check for any wear or corrosion on all moving parts, especially the slide rails. You should never take apart the trigger assembly. With the gun broken down it is easier to oil all the parts of the gun that require it. Make sure to check and clean the firing pin assembly. You should only strip and clean your magazines as recommended by the factory, which is usually every 6 months or 2000 shots.
Once you have finished the cleaning inspection and oiling, replace any broken or worn parts. Do not put a broken gun back together unless you absolutely have to. After the gun is put back together follow the previously mentioned step 5.

Full strips should only be done by certified gunsmiths. Usually full strips are only done in the event of a 5k-10k shot tune up, where pins and other parts are swapped out for new ones. Or, during major repairs where many internal parts might have been damaged.

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HUNTING

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Plinking is a shooting term that often means to shoot any target usually for fun (originated at .22 shooting galleries). Small game hunting is often also called plinking. This is by far the easiest hunting method. It's usually done with small calibers like .17, .22 or .32. The targets are usually small like squirrel, turtles, small birds, rats, and snakes. This kind of prey is not very nutritious, and their hide, feathers, and bones are almost completely useless. If small game is plentiful, it would be a good idea to collect a larger number of small game and jerky the meat, as it will soak up a brine or salt, dry out fast, and keep well after smoked.

Stalking and tracking is far more common with handguns then with shotguns or rifles. The type of prey you will be looking for, you can get well within 25 yards of. Typical handgun prey that you would stalk are beaver, wolf, otter, badger, and small bear. These animals are not spooked by the presence of humans, unless they get really close. These animals also often pause to watch humans making an easy shot possible. So when fresh tracks, droppings or an animal is spotted, the hunter begins to follow it to find its general behavior and direction of travel. Masking sent, wind direction, body control and noise control are still huge factors in getting the kill.

Ambush on an elevated platform is common for deer, bear, boar, turkey, and moose. When it is known an animal is in the area, a group of hunters will make a large circle and set up in a tree or under cover. A few of the hunters will fan out and basically make a clock like formation and walk in a circle making as much noise as possible. This drives the game away into the outer circle, where hunters(or in the case of boar, dogs), take down the prey.

Charge is by far the most dangerous form of hunting, often employed on very large game like bison, moose, and large bears. Buffalo Bill was famous for this hunting method in the systematic slaughter of entire bison herds. The charge usually works in one of two ways: with the charge or against the charge. Against the charge means that as the beast charges at you, its vital organs line up. When you have a clear shot you unload the entire revolver into its breast and neck. The flash and sound in most cases scares the animal into changing direction even if you managed to miss. Many unlucky hunters trusted that the animal would turn, but they don't always turn, so be prepared with a back up weapon and move to the side as it charges and hit it in the flanks. Large animals can not turn when running so they make a big circle to come back at you. If you missed the first time and pissed it off the second time find some cover fast, because you are in over your head. Bears recover from a stop fast and do not make large circles. Type two, with the herd, is done while mounted. The group of hunters circles the herd creating anxiety. Once the herd is huddled in a defensive posture all the hunters circle to one side and scream and fire rounds into the herd, to spook them into a stampede. As the chaos of a stampede begins the hunters ride with the stampede and aim at the base of the skull and spine as they ride up on the beasts. The herd is in a panicked state and do not react to the rear of the herd being shot and killed. The beasts are concerned only with getting away, so your mount being kicked or gouged is far less likely than if you just rode up to the beast normally.

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COMBAT TACTICS

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Most handgun action will be 5-15ft according to the IDPR (Illinois Department of Professional Regulations). According to police recruit training in Close Quarters Combat, the gun should not be unholstered if the attacker is within 12 feet. This is called the 12 feet of death, because unless you train extensively in hip fire and quick-draw, the attacker will be on you before the gun can come to aim. Also from Police CQC you should never allow attackers to get outside of 45 degrees to your front in either direction. If they start circling, it will take too long to spin around and aim at an attacker coming from the rear. Paul Castle has many similar principles, but his system does not believe in the 12 feet of death, as the firearm is held close to the body making it impossible to immobilize or strip.

How to Practice
The most important place to start is weapon handling. Get comfortable with the weapon. Do actions over and over again, until they become thoughtless and easy. Practice drawing the gun, lining up the shot profile, changing from close to long range shooting stances, changing magazines or speed loading, single shot loading unloading, switching hands and manipulating every lever or button on the gun on both hands. Mover into close counters techniques, like drawing and making space, quick draw and shoot (obviously start slow and build up speed only after hip shooting becomes accurate), weapon retention, single hand and double hand shooting, and triple tap (2 center mass 1 to the head). Move on to 25 yards and 50 yards in standing, kneeling, covered, propped and prawn position. Target acquisition is the next major part to work on and the most difficult without a tactical or military course. Moving targets and targets that pop up are a lot harder to shoot than one that is still.
Melee range makes aiming the pistol at the target difficult. When you are this close there are a few options. Using the pistol as a bludgeon, or contact shooting also known as punch fire.
When using the pistol as a bludgeon do not hold it any different than you normally would. Use the butt of the gun, receiver or barrel end as the contact surface. So since you hold a gun the same way you hold a fist, punch normally. As for pistol whipping, use the receiver of the gun and flip the gun receiver end towards the contacting point last second. Receivers are generally all metal. If you were to pistol whip an individual with a semi-automatic on the butt, you could destroy the magazine, or damage the magazine release. Also as the top of the receiver is also either square or rounded, catching it on a corner causes higher force levels, because of less surface area.
Punch firing literally means after you punch someone with the gun pull the trigger. Since the gun is against the surface of the body, there is 0% chance of missing the opponent. Since you do not have to see where you are firing you can pay more attention to the attacker. If the attacker backs up, you can easily aim and shoot.
When someone is within melee range your goal is to get out of melee range. Kick, punch, or off hand fight, but keep the gun away from the person attacking unless you can shoot him and retain your firearm. If the attacker grapples with you get both hands on the gun and start firing until you are out of ammo. This way even if you managed to miss an entire magazine he won't have a bullet to fire at you when he gets your gun.
Self-defense Self defense is the primary reason the handgun has become so popular. Being able to carry, without much notice, a full accurate sized firearm has a lot of appeal. “An armed society is a polite society.” (famous quote of Robert Heinlein) When everyone's life is but a trigger pull away, people tend to think more before they speak. If you ever manage to watch the T.V. Show “COPS” you will have the opportunity to see how much a person's behavior changes when confronted with a firearm. The biggest baddest criminal can be crying and begging for mercy the second a firearm is pulled. In the world of self defense gun fighting , there are two completely opposite schools of thought and both have been proven valid. On one hand there is the idea the bigger the bullet the better. On the other hand is the smaller the bullet the more rounds you can fire. This is a constant debate in the fire arms world and neither side accredits the other as valid. Here are some facts.
Attackers when met with any force are instantly demoralized.
An attacker is not going to take the time to look at the caliber you are firing at them.
Two direct hits will always do more damage than one direct hit.
When you shoot someone in self defense you use all your ammunition in one salvo. Even if you hit fire at them until there is nothing left then reload.
Any bullet will cause damage.
You don't want a bullet to go through an attacker and a fence and a wall and a dresser and hit some kid sleeping in bed.
A 9x19mm does go through a car windshield at 25 yards as well as a .40S&W or .45ACP.
A 22lr often does go through a car windshield at 25 yards.
For personal protection, the likelihood of you needing to use that gun to legally defend yourself is about 1 in 1.2 million.
Carrying any firearm makes a person more secure and confident. Confident people are rarely targets.
Entry team
Unless you are on a shield, the likelihood of being on an entry team with nothing but a handgun is rare. Entry team members often use handguns while cuffing a suspect or in final sweeps of the property. If in the event you find yourself on an entry team and all you have is a handgun, keep the gun close to your body and shadow the individual in front of you. Make sure you never put your team in the line of sight, so stick to their wing as you move through the house.
Clearing a house (solo or with a team)
Clearing a building with a pistol is pretty common. Police, security, military, or civilians will eventually find themselves in a situation where they must secure a building they believe has a hostile presence in it. Step 1 in clearing a building with a handgun is knowing where your people are. If you hear a noise downstairs and you have 3 kids, check on the kids first. If they are rummaging through your things, let them. Knowing for a fact that there are no possible friendlies in the combat area is most important. Next centralize and secure your friendlies. Get them all into one room and lock the door. If you find someone downstairs and your kid runs into the room to see what's going on, again you might kill someone you wouldn't want to. After you know for sure friendly fire is neutralized walk with your back against a wall, and keep your gun close to your body. When you come to rooms or corners, back away from the wall in an arch so you can get a picture of the room you will enter slowly and not give away your position if a hostile is spotted. Head to the suspected entry point of the intruder or the exit point of a building that is occupied. Secure or trap the exit in someway to make escape more difficult. Work your way towards the suspected location of the individual or individuals. Secure any rooms, doors, or hallways as you move, neutralizing places they could garrison and making sure someone is not in those areas. When you spot the aggressive party back out of sight and yell a cease and desist command in a different direction. If the individual is armed with a weapon, do not waste precious seconds warning them of your presence. According to many law enforcement agents I have talked to over the years most burglaries turned homicide happened when the home owner shouted something at the burglary suspect from behind. The offenders act without thinking because of fight or flight syndrome. If you feel you must warn them or your state requires a warning, fire a shot in a direction that is sure not to hit anyone, and cause the least amount of damage possible while still being in the direct line of fire of the suspect. So if you shoot the floor behind the suspect if he turns or tries to attack, the muzzle flip will assist in bringing the gun high onto target instantly. Only after you have fired from at least 15 feet away should you begin issuing commands. Lay down, make like a star fish, spread your feet and hands palm down far from your body. Never under any circumstance mention the police. Take control of the situation yourself and do not get close until police arrive. Constantly shout orders and questions. Don't let them finish answering any questions you ask, so that you can ask the same question again. Make them terrified that you are nervous. Make it very clear that you have a gun pointed at them and they are not to move under any circumstance. When the police arrive you will hear them enter the house. Inform them in this order, “I am over here and I have the suspect, I am armed and the situation is clear. I need assistance.” Keep talking until they get to you . Assure them that the danger is minimal, and that you are armed, covering the suspect. Do not under any circumstance take your eyes or gun off the suspect or suspects until commanded to by law enforcement.
Open warfare- In open warfare the pistol has proven effective as a back up weapon for when your primary runs out of ammo, or becomes entangled. Even though a side arm pistol is time tested and proven battle effective, the US Armed services have recently stopped supplying side arms to non-officers.
Team Dynamic- Handguns should be plentiful in a team dynamic. The weight allowance is minimal for handguns in general. As a group there should be some basic consensus on calibers and ammunition. Teams who use compatible firearms/magazines are able to function more efficiently during longer engagements. When one team member runs low on ammunition any other compatible member can exchange ammo and keep that member of the team fully operational. Having handguns in your team allows for individuals to switch to single hand weapon systems, so they can open doors, climb, subdue persons, or use their other hand for a myriad of other operations. Dual wielding is a poor tactical option, as you have a difficult time aiming each individual gun, have a slower rate of fire than a single gun with 2 hands, and run into the issue of reloading. Dual wielding was an important skill when people used single action revolvers, as they had to prepare the firearm manually between shots. So a person could increase their rate of fire by firing a single gun, aiming the second, and firing while resetting the first gun. In those days, the idea of stopping to reload was not possible. Cowboys and fur traders would carry 2-6 loaded pistols at a time. With magazine technologies, modern fire arms, and current tactics, the need for more than 2 pistols in an engagement is low.

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Upgrades (warning highly opinionated)

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Ah! My least favorite gun topic...so, self-defense semi-automatics should have a laser sight. Why you ask? So you don't have to aim that much. You will be flustered and shaky most likely, so it's best if you have a little help. Self-defense semi-automatics do not need threaded barrels to add silencers or flash suppressors. Self-defense semi-automatics do not need flashlights. If you point a gun at something, expect to destroy it. So unless you make a habit of abandoned house sweeps, or armed arrests at night, just leave the flashlight off the gun. You wouldn't sweep your own house with it. If you had a burglar it would alert him to your presence, so why do you think you need it? Detachable stock are useless unless you absolutely have to stabilize your gun for long periods of time. Double-sized magazines are fun, but not practical for the common individual. They are great if you are in personal protection or an armed force, but generally they aren't great considering the discomfort of carrying. Serpa double and triple retention holsters have to be the single best upgrade you can get. They hold the gun like a dream and release the gun instantly. They also force you to use proper trigger control. Night sights are simply a must. The tridium sights work in any condition or light value. For high power hunting revolvers optics are recommended only if the gun is originally designed for them. Clamping an awkward contraption to the gun to screw optic mounts into so you can mount a scope is simply wasteful and tacky. Be realistic on the scope. You don't need much more than a red dot or 22 scope on even the biggest handgun rounds. There are specialty handgun scopes. I recommend you use one of those as bullet drop and windage are very different on a handgun. K-bar bayonet... you will find more use duct taping a spoon to your barrel. Time to shake off the mall ninja and ask yourself “How will this help me? “How will this hinder me?” and most importantly “Do I have more dollars or sense?”

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More in the Everything you probably need to know about series

Everything you probably need to know about shotguns
More to come based on popularity.

Shooting tips from SSGTGallo

*Pistol*
*Rifle*

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Special thanks to the Editing Team and Helpers who assisted in the betterment of this article

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REFERENCES MATERIAL

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Course notes and seminars
“Center Axis Re-lock” by Paul Castle is a course designed and taught by Paul Castle or Saber-tactical for Pistol, Shotguns and Rifles. The class costs about $1500 now, and as of yet there is no major literature produced by the creator.
Illinois Department of Professional Regulations- Semi-automatic pistol qualification course notes.
Useful tactics for counter terrorism and personal protection Seminar notes.

Website articles
http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/3560-p-ammo-i-give-up-what.html
http://www.saami.org/

Looked at pretty guns on manufacturer pages
www.Ruger.com
http://www.smith-wesson.com/
http://www.taurususa.com/
http://www.glock.com/
http://www.colt.com/

Books & Magazines
“Field and Stream” magazine, January 2009 through April 2011
“Tactical-Life” magazine,January 2010 through April 2011
“Guns and Weapons” magazine, January 2010 through April 2011
“Special Weapons for Military and Police” magazine, January 2010 through April 2011
“Combat Handguns” magazine January 2010 through April 2011
Personal interviews of experts in Shotguns and tactics
Personal interview with Chief Inspector David Hughes on close combat tactic in policing and private enforcement.
Personal interview with Jerry Herbeck, NRA member and avid sport hunter.
Personal interview with Nathan Muser, corrections officer and tactical handgun specialist.
A myriad of discussions on handguns with Law Enforcement, gun enthusiasts, military personnel and tactical response units.
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