2 comments about Battle Blades: A Professional'S Guide To Combat/Fighting Knives.

1. By the subtitle of this book you are lured to think that this is work was aimed to be used by professionals, whose job puts them in dangerous situations,
   and it can do that, but at the conclusion of it the author admits that this book is intended for civilians, and there is nothing wrong with that, except that I would have preferred to have the entire book written for professionals and to include a chapter to address civilian's matters. This book really covers the basics and provides you with valuable information, but I do feel that sometimes some concepts that needed more detail were left unexplained. It seems like the author tried to bank on a trend in the market, this produced a regional and highly dated book instead of one that could be used trough time and worldwide; several sources are listed, but half of them must be obsolete by now and more in the future, but as another writer puts it, trying to provide contacts is a never ending chore; one of the things I really dislike is that it might mention a knife because of its qualities but not include a picture of it, this is very disappointing.
   I do like when the author reviews knives, even though that I might never be able to get one them for any reasons, but by doing so he gives
   guidelines for features to look for in the ones I have available.
   For the author the best fighting and combat knife might be a 9 to 10 inches bladed knife, with a clipped double edged point that in USA is known as a "Bowie", for purely combat/utility chores he recommends a 6 to 7 inches knife, single edged.



2. As a beginning knife enthusiast...I found that the book provided valuable basic information in choosing a knife, but the book is a bit outdated. Due to new knife manufacturing technology, there are more knives to choose from, improvements in quality, better handles and blade materials, and upcoming bladesmiths entering the field. Overall, a good book, but maybe Mr. Walker can come out with a millenium edition on Battle Blades.

3 comments about Guns of the Old West: An Illustrated Guide.

1. Since this is a reprint of a 46 (1961) year old publication my main criticism is that it was just copied and all of the original omissions and mistakes are presented again, just as they were in 1961. As a collector of 19th century Smith & Wesson's and it's predecessors, this book misses the factual marks of that manufacturer repeatedly. It lists the products of the first Smith & Wesson company (1852-1854) as being produced by another company (Volcanic Arms) and it plays down the significance of the development of self-contained cartridge firing handguns by Smith & Wesson throughout it's presentation. It truly glorifies the development of the cartridge firing revolvers by Colt's and almost ignores those by Smith & Wesson even though the number of Smith & Wesson revolvers produced prior to the turn of the 19th century was far greater than the number produced by Colt's. No wonder most uninformed people believe that the Single Action Army revolver was the only gun popular in the Old West when there were far more Smith & Wesson's produced and sold during that time period.
   
   The sections on pre-Civil War arms was well done except I did notice the very limited mention of the U.S. Model 1841 so-called Mississippi Rifle which was very important during both the War with Mexico and the Civil War.
   
   If you are looking for a definitive reference on the Guns of the Old West, this really isn't it, however some of the background information and stories are wonderful.



2. Overall a good book with lots of information on the subject. A few of the pictures in the book were labelled with the wrong descriptions. Otherwise, worth the money.



3. Firearms played an important role in the West, guarding against animals and outlaws alike. Guns Of The Old West is an informative survey which will interest a wide range of readers; from those interested in early firearms, to others who want an accurate narrative of those who used them. Descriptions accompany black and white drawings of rifles, revolvers and other weapons. The history is lively and well done and will interest a large audience.

2 comments about Jim Carmichel's Book of the Rifle.

1. I like the author's writing style and his ability to tell storys. This makes this book a very enjoyable reading.
   
   This book covers a wide selection of topics that I find to be very useful. It tends to be quite heavy on varimint rifles though; this is fine with me.
   
   Some area of this book are kind of overlapping with his another (older) book called "Modern Rifles". If you have to choose between these two books, you may want to choose this book.



2. Chapters: Those twisting grooves called rifling, Building today's sporting rifle, Today's rifles-how good?, Rifle stock-more than a handle, Custom rifle stock, Triggering a revolution, Rifle ammo(past & present), Understanding ballistics, Lessons in trajectory, Wind-the shooter's challenge, Bullet performance on game, Varmint rifles-the super accurate hunters, Rifles for Africa's dangerous game, All-purpose rifle-hits & myths, Rifle sight-past & present, Telescopic sight, How to sight-in a rifle & have in stay that way, Teaching yourself to be a crackshot, The accuracy game, Is handloading for you?, and The ageless .22 rimfire.

No comments about The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2009.

1 comments about Pistols of the World: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to the World's Pistols and Revolvers.

1. It is a definitve reference book for anyone who likes to know more about pistols. Lots of history and data of each individual pistols. A very comprehensive coverage of pistols from different countries.

2 comments about Field Guide to Flint Arrowheads & Knives of the North American Indian: Identification & Values.

1. The book contains excellent, black and white actual-size photographs of points and blades from the Eastern United States. The photos are labeled with the point name, approximate archeological period, typical states in which found, and approximate value to collectors.

   There are only four pages of general information text. There are no descriptions of material types associated with the photos.

   For someone interested in information on point methodology, material types, or significant historical information, the book will be a major disappointment. Additionally, though the title is "Flint Arrowheads & Knives of the North American Indian" I could find only three pages containing point types found in the Northern Western United States.

   For Eastern US collectors, the photos may be of some interest, but for a novice artifact hunter out West, information in the book is virtually non-existent.




2. Compared to other books in this field, this one is lacking for the avid collecter. It is a very good book for the beginner because it covers the most common types of points pretty well. The pictures and discriptions are as good as most in this field.

No comments about The Gun Digest Book of Deer Guns: Arms & Accessories for the Deer Hunter.

No comments about Counterfeiting Antique Cutlery.

2 comments about Muskets of the Revolution and the French & Indian Wars.

1. Muskets Of The Revolution And The French & Indian Wars is an extensive reference, history, and discussion of the smoothbore longarm musket as used in Early America. Covering British, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and American weapons, Muskets of the Revolution is filled with black- and-white photographs of sample muskets on virtually every page, and the thoroughly researched and detailed history is supplemented with footnotes, a bibliography, and an index. A "must-have" resource for collectors, historians and gun aficionados, Muskets Of The Revolution And The French & Indian Wars covers its topic with singular depth and brilliance.



2. Perhaps I am a bit spoiled having been lucky enough to acquire a copy of George Moller's American Militery Shoulder Arms but I do think that though this work is overpriced and does not measure up to that standard it is still an excellent source of information on the shoulder weapons of this period and would serve as an excellent companion to George Neuman's Battle Weapons of the American Revolution. Another great book to go with it would be the excellent work of Flintlock Fowlers by Tom Grinslade. Its own section on Colonial fowlers though good would be well augmented. It also provides insights into some of the fighting men of the period. It certainly could use a little work on the French section as well as German but none the less is an excellent book.

No comments about Gun Digest Annual Edition.