ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” ~ Sir Isaac Newton

      Early in the process of writing this book I realized that I’m not half the genius I thought I was. Everyone I’ve come into contact with over my lifetime shaped who I am and how I look at the world, and were I to be honest with myself I’d simply say “thanks, everybody!” and get on with it. There are some, however, who have been particularly important.

      I note that most authors thank their spouses last. I can’t do that, because my wife Chris has been the most important person in my life for over twenty-five years. She puts up with my sometimes moody attitudes, never thinks my crazy ideas are as crazy as they probably are, and never fails to serve as my rock when everything around me is crashing into the sea. I love her more than life itself, and without her there would be no me. I hope our next quarter century together is as good as the last.

      To Massad Ayoob goes thanks for my initial entree into “the business.” It was Mas who first noted my small talent and exposed it to the world. Were it not for him I’d probably still be working in corporate management. Mas has always been a professional, even when our opinions were not in complete synchronization. That alone is reason enough to thank him.

      Gila Hayes, author and teacher par excellence, co-founder of Firearms Academy of Seattle, showed me the need to consider the student first: what’s best for them, what they truly need. Gila is also responsible for introducing me to the editor of her book, who in turn championed this project at the publisher. I suppose you could say that this whole thing is her fault!

      Rob Pincus impressed upon me that it is the message which is important, that I have an obligation to tell the truth, that I should question with integrity, and most importantly that what I have to say is valuable. My ability to articulate how shooting should be done took a dramatic leap forward because of our association. Sapere Aude, indeed.

      C.E. ‘Ed’ Harris, engineer and formerly of Sturm, Ruger Company, is the guy I go to for extensive technical information. Ed carries in his head the most amazing amount of data, detail and trivia, and thankfully he lets me siphon some of it off now and again.

      My editor, Corrina Peterson, deserves great thanks for wading through my prose and making the necessary changes to get it through the publication gauntlet. She also weathered my email requests for advice, from which I’ve determined that ‘editor’ is not one of the jobs I would have any patience to perform. I’m glad someone can do it, as long as I don’t have to.

      Special thanks to the folks at LaserLyte, Crimson Trace and Tucker Gunleather for supplying some of the products featured in this book.

      Finally, my best friend Georges Rahbani is one of the most patient and professional firearms instructors that I’ve known. It was he who got me to teach, who convinced me to write my first article, and who first suggested that I needed to write a book – long before I even had a topic about which to write. We make fun of each other, pull jokes on each other, question each other’s parentage, but at the end of the day there’s a lot of respect and admiration. (Same to you, buddy!)

      Grant Cunningham

      February 2011

      GunDigest^® Book of the

      REVOLVER

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

       Title Page

       Special Offers

       DEDICATION

       ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

       FOREWORD

       INTRODUCTION

       CHAPTER ONE: Why the Revolver?

       CHAPTER TWO: The Perfect Fit

       CHAPTER THREE: Calibers and Ammunition

       CHAPTER FOUR: Sights and Sighting

       CHAPTER FIVE: Mastering the Double Action Trigger

       CHAPTER SIX: Putting it all Together Shooting Accurately in Double Action

       CHAPTER SEVEN: Reloading the Revolver

       CHAPTER EIGHT: Emergency Malfunction Clearing

       CHAPTER NINE: One-Hand Reloading

       CHAPTER TEN: Maintenance

       CHAPTER ELEVEN: Customization and Modification

       CHAPTER TWELVE: Carrying the Revolver

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Special Issues of the Snubnose

       APPENDIX A: Cleaning and Maintenance Kit

       APPENDIX