5 comments about British Enfield Rifles, Vol. 4, the Pattern 1914 and U.S. Model 1917 Enfield Rifles.

1. Excellent. This is the definitive coverage for both of these rifles. Has been a tremedous asset in evaluation of rifles on sale.



2. Having used this rifle as a cadet back in the mid-seventies, and also as a member of the shooting team at school, the book held strong memories for me. But more importantly, it helped me to identify the recent purchase of a No.4 Mark I/2. The book is easy to read, I would have preferred more photos and diagrams because those unfamiliar with the rifle, may find discriptions difficult to follow. For the collector, this book is a must, to add to the others in the series.



3. For anyone who owns a No.4 or No.5 Enfield this book is invaluable. Very well written with lots of easy to understand drawings and detail. This is the place to start if you are interested in the history or in working on one of these great rifles. I found more information in this one book then I did in a couple of months of online research.



4. Very comprehesive work.



5. A wealth of basic collecting information for the beginning collector, good descriptions of various parts and has serial number tables.

5 comments about Gun Digest 2004: The World's Greatest Gun Book.

1. The tag line for the Gun Digest is "Essential Information for Shooters, Collectors and Students of the Gun" and that pretty well sums it up. This is the bible of the gun hobby. It has a series of articles that range from the hunt for Bonnie and Clyde to reviews of new gun offerings, it has a summary of what's new in handguns, rifles, shotguns and accessory items, and finally it has a complete catalog of all of the offerings of all the gun companies. I have each annual volume of Gun Digest in my library going back more than 50 years. I can't imagine doing without them.



2. If you have the 2001, 2002 or 2003 copies don't buy it, very few changes from those editions, otherwise, the book is an essentisl reference and I like the colored section on custom guns.



3. One of the world's greatest handguns is the Wildey, it isn't even mentioned in the handgun section, in the WEB directory Wildey is mentioned as Widley !! It's a same.
   Another well known handgun and beatifully designed is the Tanfoglio (www.tanfoglio.it), it is only mentioned once in the Manufactorer's Directory.
   In the rifles section there's no mention about the Accuracy Precision Rifles (one of the best sniper rifles in the world).
   The front page is different on the one I got at home and the one shown on Amazon.com Why is that?
   The front page also says 'Complete Illustrated...' well it isn't complete at all



4. The gun digest has been the premier firearms publication since 1944. No other annual has covered the field consistantly for this amount of time. There are many interesting articles from many contributing authors over its 60+ year span that are timeless in their relevance. Buy and collect gun digests where you can find them and you will have a wealth of information at your fingertips. Especially the gun digest treasuries editions. Those are truly gold. They contain, besides reprints of the best articles, a thoroughly indexed cross reference by author or subject of all the articles published in the various publications of the gun digest up to the date of publication of the treasury edition. The last treasury, the 7th was from 45 years of gun digest. I'm hopeful that the current owners, Krause books will come out with a new treasury edition soon. If you view the gun digest as a cumulative work or as a single standalone issue, you can truly appreciate its command of the firearms and shooting dicipline fields. The 2004 edition continues this fine tradition.



5. This is a good book, but clearly not the greatest gun book.

2 comments about Guns of the Wild West (Buffalo Bill Historical Centre).

1. A very good book.Full of interesting facts.Could have been a bit more comprehensive, but its a must have for any western ethusiast.



2. The curator of the firearms museum of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, David Kennedy, has written a masterful but all too slim volume about the guns that won the Wild West.
   
   Included here are the Sharps Buffalo Rifle used in great effect in the tragic decimation of the buffalo, the LeMat Revolver and Carbine, used in varying degrees of success by the Confederacy during the Civil War, the 1866 "Trapdoor" Springfields, which were used by Custer's men at the Big Horn, the "pepperbox" pistols (so small they could fit in a pepperbox...and sometimes so dangerous even to the user, as all four shots could go off even if the owner intended on firing only one), the oh-so-familiar Colt Navy Revolvers - used mainly by Army Forces! (I have a replica of Confederate 1860 Navy Colt in my possession), and so many more.
   
   Kennedy has also opined that Custer and his men were done in by sheer numbers of Sioux and Cheyenne, not that the single-shot weapons used by the 7th Cavalry, or that the majority of Braves had repeating rifles. In fact, according to Kennedy, only 30-50% of the Sioux and Cheyenne even possessed firearms. Custer and his men were done in chiefly by the bow, the arrow, and muzzle-loading trade guns.
   
   Kennedy also adds interesting and intriguing vignettes about the owners and users of the guns of the Wild West, from George Custer to Buffalo Bill to Gary Cooper, from Frederick Remington to Dick Cheney, the notorious - Wild Bill Hickok, John Wesley Hardin, and William "The Kid" Bonney, and the great - Annie Oakley.
   
   My only problem is that the volume, while chock full of facts and data, and very informative trivia, is too slim - and does not enough period illustrations. Still, it is deserving of a five-star review.
   
   Required reading for those visiting the wonderful "Guns and Gamblers" exhibition at the Desert Caballeros Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona.

4 comments about Handbook of Handguns: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Military, Police, Sporting and Personal-Defense Pistols.

1. First of all, the title was misleading, second, the author threw in a few chapters of instructions on making guns trace-proof, how to make zip guns, and other extreamist rightwing jargon. On the other hand, the rest of the book is informative, and provides a nice overview of handguns in general. So, its a good book to have if you are thinking about aquiring a pistol, but not for details about specific guns.



2. This book is quite disappointing. It's title is misleading, since it is in no way "A Comprehensive Evaluation of Military, Police, Sporting, and Personal-Defense Pistols." Mr. Mullin does not evaluate any particular pistols. He does go into the history of the pistol in general and he discusses certain points about revolvers and automatics and calibers, however, this book promises a lot and delivers little. Anyone with a basic knowledge of handguns will find little new or worthwhile here.

   The "chapters" of the book often consist of a page or two and offer no real useful information or advice. The author also loves to speak about himself and even includes himself in his list of "shooting notables"...a highly questionable inclusion! One definately gets the impression that Mr. Mullin loves himself and Smith & Wesson, but he doesn't give shooters new to handguns what they need.

   I don't want to bash a fellow gun-lover, and Mr. Mullin does offer a few points of interest, but anyone looking for good info on handguns is better served elsewhere. If you are looking for a real evaluation of handguns, try books by Gene Gangarosa Jr. Also, a great book on almost all other aspects of handgun shooting, training and concealed carry is "The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery" by Massad Ayoob.

   One reviewer here (Midwest Review) quoted the back of the book and then gave it 5 stars. I think it gives every book it reviews 5 stars...I would question that and would suggest that Amazon check into that reviewer's practices and (fake?) reviews. I give this book 1 star.




3. Useful for the reader, like myself, who knows nothing about handguns. But wordy, poorly organized, and assumes knowledge of guns (&gun acronyms) that novice readers don't possess. Still, this is apparently the only up-to-date reference available on all aspects of handgun ownership, so worth owning for that reason.



4. In Handbook Of Handguns: A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Military, Police, Sporting, And Personal-Defense Pistols, Timothy Mullin presents a comprehensive and authoritative discussion on all aspects of handguns. This invaluable and informative reference will enable readers to choose the right pistol for their purposes; shoot a handgun accurately with both the strong and weak hands, as well as with two-handed grips; learn the gunfighting rules that give the best shot of surviving an gunfire exchange; arrive at the proper handgun/ammo combinations for specific scenarios; determine which modifications can make a handgun better (and which are best left undone); whether or not to carry spare ammo and/or a spare gun; considerations for carrying concealed weapons; selecting an appropriate carry method for any situation; setting up a shooting school curriculum; and even collecting handguns for fun and profit. If you are contemplating obtaining a pistol, or how best to care for and employ and pistol you already own, the Handbook Of Handguns is an invaluable reference and highly recommended reading for your safety and well-being.

1 comments about Upper Chesapeake Bay Decoys and Their Makers.

1. great history of the old timers and younger decoy carvers and hunters, what a history to read, thats how it all started and is still alive to day, for time takes no toll on this art. the carver may pass over the bar but the decoys shall remain into the future.

No comments about Confederate Rifles & Muskets.

1 comments about Indian and Oriental Arms and Armour.

1. This is a reprint of a book almost 100 years old. The author was an English Peer of the realm who lived and served in India for much of his career. He collected Indian arms and armour and researched them widely. The book is part catalogue, with many excellent engravings of weapons. Because of the old style the weapons are grouped into "artistic displays" and it is sometimes time consuming to flip back and forth between plates and descriptions. In addition to the catalogue sections there are discussions of each geographic area and the weapons used and excellent introductory chapters on Indian history from the Moghuls to the 19th century. When this book was originally written the term India encompassed modern Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, etc. So the book includes many "Indo-Persian" weapons. The book contains much information which I have never found elsewhere. Overall very worthwhile for the collector, research or interested reader. (Note: I do not have the new Dover copy, but a 1990s reprint issued by an Indian publisher. Nevertheless, I assume the Dover version is just as good.)

No comments about American & British 410 Shotguns.

5 comments about Complete Encyclopedia Of Pistols And Revolvers.

1. Greetings,
   
   Nice book but there are tons of pistols and revolvers missing. The title is VERY misleading. It does not cover, as a reviewer stated the pistols and revolvers up to 2002. There are a lot missing.
   
   For example, the CZ section doesn't cover the C&R that are currently available for a very low price through military surplus. The Taurus section doesn't cover the Millenium, rosies or the 24/7 selection. The Steyr section doesn't cover the M1A and on and on and on...
   
   If you think you can find the specs of that rare pistol or revolver in that book, you will not.
   
   Thank you



2. This book contains pretty much everything you'd want to know about pistols. The glossary of different terms regarding handguns is very helpful. Models of different manufacturers are listed in alphabetical order, but I really wish the top of every page would say what manufacturer the chosen page tells the reader about. This would have made searching a lot easier. But overall, a very good book.



3. Imagine an encyclopedia of American presidents that does not have an entry on George Washington and you will start to appreciate the biased perspective of this book. For the most part, historic manufacturers are just ignored unless there is some modern company still manufacturing under the same trade name. Even in those cases, you should expect no more than 5% of the content to address the important historic models. The book claims to cover guns of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, but it fact is nearly devoid of useful information regarding handguns produced prior to 1970! For example, there is no entry at all under Luger or DMW! Ironically, although there are a few late model Lugers in the Mauser entry, don't expect any useful information about broomhandle Mausers. While there are a few old colt revolvers mentioned, there are no entries on the pre-1911, auto-loading Colt pistols. Did Savage ever make a handgun? Must be they never did, there is no such entry in this "comprehensive encyclopedia". Likewise, there is no entry on Webleys and nothing at all on Steyr or FEG pistols pre World-war 2. To anyone interesting in the history of handguns this book will be a huge disappointment.



4. First of all let me say this is a beautiful book. Its coffee table quality, if a bit small for that.
   
   The book gives a small history of firearms, handguns and then gives a small review of safty issues and how to care for your firearm.
   
   It also has serveral nice exploded diagrams of pistols & revolvers and then goes into list of the makers of pistols and revolvers and gives pictures and technical readouts for those shown. Over 400 photos in the book, nice glossy pages and clear photos.
   
   A great review of pistols from 2002 and before. But at 8 dollars I couldn't let it go. Very useful for giving a general feel of what each complany makes.



5. A great overview of firearms manufacturing companies and the weapons they make. Numerous international brands are listed, many that I have never heard of before; Feinwerkbau, Gaucher, Gamba, Moravia, Sarsilmaz, etc... All the common name companies are listed as well; Colt, S&W, SIG, GLOCK, etc...
   
   The pictures are fantastic, the pages are glossy heavy stock and the descriptions are mostly error free. Each company listing starts with a short history that includes their location, company logo and a summary of the types of equipment they make.
   
   This is a quality coffee table book that is worth it's cover price. It's not a detailed book for experts, but a great overview of what's available in the market.

No comments about Co2 Pistols & Rifles.