Story Of The Sporting Gun

Traces the history of hunting with guns, looks at the development of the shotgun, and describes changes in game shooting and management

Traces the story of game shooting from the first development of the shotgun to the present day. The captivating text is illustrated with beautiful color paintings.

The period 1850 to 1900 witnessed the most far reaching changes sporting gun and rifle design had ever experienced. Prior to this, changes had been pedestrian and the muzzle-loader still ruled the day in 1850 as it had done for previous centuries. In this major work the author details the many changes that occurred. He describes at length the pinfire, centre-fire and hammerless developments along with all the ancillary changes made to sporting guns. Likewise with rifles he outlines the many developments such as the superseding of the two groove muzzle-loading Express rifle by the multi-groove, breech-loading rifle of smaller calibre.

The best hunting guns hold a unique place in the pantheon of sporting equipment. Objects of great beauty, agents of immense force, these rifles conjure images of wild safari runs, upland game hunts, and still mornings spent huddled behind a duck blind, accompanied only by a trusted retriever. Highly prized by hunter and non-hunter alike, the great guns and their storied past are explored fully in this enthusiastic, colorful survey. Combining the lore of the hunt with exquisite historical images, Legendary Sporting Guns offers a double-barreled approach to the subject. A thorough, anecdotal opening text relates the long saga behind the creation and refinement of these arms as well as many rich stories of their use in the field, from the moors of France to the expansive veldts of Africa. Then a brand-by-brand catalog examines the finer points of the most exquisite guns in use today, providing specifications on action, barrel, engraving, weight, stock, and caliber (or gauge), along with illustrations featuring both the complete gun in profile and a detailed view of its action. In tracing the international odyssey of the gun -- from the historic manufacturing centers of Liège, Birmingham, and Saint-Etienne to the unparalleled gun makers Purdey, Holland and Holland, Francotte, and Lebeau-Courally -- Legendary Sporting Guns also tells the story of hunting itself.

Shotguns - Their History and Development (Shooting Series - Guns amp Gunmaking) This important work on the Shotgun was first published in London 1923 in limited numbers, and is now a rare find in its first edition. READ COUNTRY BOOKS have now re-published it from the original text incorporating the photographic illustrations and many fascinating gun makers advertisements. One hundred and fifty five pages are divided into eight detailed chapters: - The History of the Shotgun. - The Selection of a Gun. - Game Guns, Wildfowl Guns, and Small Bores. - Repeating, Automatic and Miscellaneous Guns. - The Shotgun Cartridge. - Ballistics. - The Gun-Room, Accessories and Dress, etc. - Shooting. Etc. Also included is a 12 page appendix on Shotgun Data and Tables. The contents are interspersed with numerous vintage photographs and other illustrations of shotguns and equipment. The author was a well known sportsman whose many years of practical experience with guns and their usage have made this book a valuable contribution to the history of shotguns, and also a recommended addition to any shooting enthusiasts library. Many of the earliest sporting books, particularly those dating back to the 1800s, are now extremely scarce and very expensive. READ COUNTRY BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Watch a 700-year history unfold, from the medieval "hand-gonne" to today's technologically advanced assault weapons. Discover how gun design influenced warfare, from the 15th century when the arquebus defeated swordsmen, to the 20th century when the submachinegun gave the military vastly increased firepower. Guns: A Visual History shows in unique visual detail on how gun design evolved. It features more than 300 iconic examples, including the military AK-47 assault rifle and the pistol used by many police forces - the Glock 17. Each weapon is shown in close up with details of its design, barrel, calibre, and firepower. This comprehensive volume also features sporting guns, anti-tank weaponry and concealed assassin spy guns, such as the umbrella gun that killed Georgi Markov in 1978. It takes you inside iconic firearm firms such as Biretta, Colt and Lee Enfield, and tells stories of infamous sharpshooters from Dick Turpin to Al Capone. Whether you collect firearms or enjoy field sports and military history, Guns: A Visual History is an unmissable reference title.

A firearms expert “traces the history of the ‘one hand gun’ from its 14th century origins . . . surveying changing technology, techniques, and design” (Midwest Book Review). Ideally suited for both attack and self-defense, handguns have gotten smaller and deadlier. But the earliest pistols had a tendency to misfire. This was cured by the cap-lock, which proved a massive success in the American Civil War, with hundreds of thousands of cap-lock revolvers used on each side. Self-contained metal-case cartridges were to bring a fundamental change to handgun design: not only by allowing the introduction of revolvers that ejected automatically or were easily reloaded, but also by paving the way for the automatic pistol. World War I provided the handgun with a proving ground. At the end of the hostilities, with so much surplus weaponry, work on the handgun could have ceased; instead, a new developmental phase was begun by the nations that had emerged from the crumbling Imperial empires. During World War II, the efficiency of well-established designs was confirmed and new designs, such as the Walther P. 38, showed their potential. The emergence of the submachine-gun in 1945 reduced the status of the handgun—but only temporarily. The need for efficient self-defense shows no signs of lessening; and the rise in shooting for sport, particularly with the revolver, has sharpened the quest for efficiency. The never ending search for advanced production techniques shows that the handgun has as much a future in the twenty-first century as it had in the heyday of the Wild West, or in the trenches of Passchendaele.