2 comments about Springfield Armory Shoulder Weapons 1795-1968.

1. Robert W.D. Ball is well known to military history buffs for his carefully researched, beautifully illustrated books and SPRINGFIELD ARMORY: SHOULDER WEAPONS 1795-1968 is no exception. This book surveys the contributions of the Springfield Armory to American freedom from the time of its independence to 1968.
   
   American soldiers carried Springfield rifles for most of this country's history. A veteran himself, Ball understands this and his determination to do justice to this once-great national arsenal and the arms it produced is admirable.
   
   This would make a great companion to Lieutenant Colonel William S. Brophy's classic THE SPRINGFIELD '03 RIFLES. I like Ball's work and am happy to give him five stars and my highest recommendation. This is a great book for anybody interested in firearms, military history, or the Springfield Arsenal and its impact on the history of our country.



2. This is a highly detailed, full-color illustrated history and description of the Springfield Armory's output. For serious reference or just enjoyable reading, I recommend it highly. It's a bargain at the price!

2 comments about The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide: Successful Hunting With a Rife or Shotgun.

1. Small (6.5 X 4.4 X 0.5 inches), but packed with handy, clear, concise and useful info in 160 pages. Even if you are only partial to a deer hunt, you will find a lot of TIPS for the curious, suggestions into getting familiar with your firearms, marksmanship, safety, ballistics, hunting locations, deer behaviour and habitat, comfort and survival, field dressing and butchering and your ethical responsibilities in the woods...among others. It is an invitation to get out there into the wild and how to prepare and enjoy the adventure. If you think that hunting a deer is easy, think again...and this book helps one to understand there is more to it than meets the eye, from tracking to transporting and preparing the kill. It helps one to face reality head-on.



2. A compact and pocket-sized instructional reference, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide: Successful Hunting With A Rifle Or Shotgun" by expert hunter Stephen Carpenteri provides a wealth of thoroughly 'user friendly' information, advice and tips for preparing and conducting a successful hunt for the white-tailed deer. In addition to the basics on selecting rifles and shotguns, Carpenteri offers expert counsel on marksmanship, gun safety, deer cartridge performance, deer behavior and habitats, hunting locations, deer stands, ground hunting, and scent control. Of special note are the sections dealing with field dressing, butchering, and the trophy deer. Essential for the novice and offering an invaluable refresher for the seasoned hunter, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide" is confidently recommends as being among the best and most easily portable of all the 'how-to' books on deer hunting basics.

No comments about The history of W. & C. Scott Gunmakers.

5 comments about Gun Digest 2006 (Gun Digest).

1. Every year the new owners of Gun Digest put fewer and fewer articles in the book. 2007 seems to be the new low. Mostly it is now just a collection of canned catalog specs with many editing errors. After all, they don't have to pay anyone for that. The articles they do have are major boring. Nothing like the pre-2000 Gun Digest when Ken Warner was still the editor.



2. This book is very informative. Information is easy to find on the subjects. Well worth the time to look it over.



3. As a very long-time GD reader, I have seen good issues and fair issues. This is the first issue that I would consider poor. Editorial content is weak to the extreme, and there is little of interest for the gun enthusiast beyond updates of what's new on the market. The first article is about the .400 Brown Whelan (Why should anyone care?) The second is about modification of a Ruger #1 to .32-40. This is a pure vanity piece, of no interest unless for some strange reason you want to do the same. The third article is entitled "The Automatic Question," which sort of covers the development of semi-automatic sporting arms, touching on the question of advantages over other types of arms over the years. It's only mildly interesting. The next is a long story about the Bowie Knife. Maybe I'm mistaken, but this is not the "Knife Digest." Following is a story about "Premium Bullet Performance." The conclusion is simply that they are all pretty good. Ho-Hum. Next is a long picture piece on engraved weapons. Fine if you like pretty pictures, otherwise, a yawner. Next is a very long article covering the last 60 years of revolver development. It's moderately interesting. I think you get the idea. Anyway, it seems the effort was more on publishing a lot of slick pages in full color than in offering interesting articles that used to be GD's stock in trade. If I could return my copy to Amazon for a refund, I would. My assessment is simple - donate the cost of a copy of GD 2006 to the NRA. Your money will be much better spent.



4. If you have a copy of the 2004 or 2005 editions of Gun Digest, definitely don't bother with GD 2006. If you have none at all and need to browse the market for guns, the 2006 edition is a start -- but be aware, it's a limited one. The cover states; "Since 1944, GD has delivered the very latest in firearms product information..." Well, GD may try, but it simply doesn't (any more!). Mainly, it is incomplete, but it also contains errors.
   
   I was really disappointed to have spent money on this book. I usually buy the year's GD every two years, to keep up with what's going on. But browsing the lists of available rifles, shotguns, handguns etc in the 2006 edition it felt, this time, as if I was still reading the 2004 edition -- the one that has had to suffice this past two years. It read like the same data, the same guns with, often, the same prices. It's as if the editors added a few color-paged articles and photos at the front, and then just hit the "Print 2004 edition" button on their printing press. They certainly haven't reviewed their old data this year.
   
   Several of the latest (and existing) guns are unmentioned, to my knowledge, and probably more that I don't know of are also overlooked. I needed the spec's and prices of, for example:
   -- the new Beretta Cx4 Storm rifle
   -- the Blaser K95 single shot rifle
   -- the new Sako Quad rimfire with interchangeable barrels
   -- the full line of Hammerli target pistols (only two shown)
   -- the Kimber Tactical 1911 handgun
   -- the Anschutz 1720 in WMR
   -- the new Remington bolt action in 22LR
   -- etc., etc., etc. They don't exist in GD 2006.
   
   And there are errors: the Kimber Super Match II is shown as having a "7-shot magazine" when it is an 8-shot, or a 10-shot with the relevant mag. The so-called "Reports from the Field" which are intended as a rundown of what's new this year, are a once-over-lightly, incomplete reviews, that at times are just vehicles for the reviewer to show several shots of himself on his latest safari beside dead animals plus the rifles he used -- even though they often have little or nothing to do with the new products of that year!!
   
   The glossy pages are fine, but only if they're filled with something valid. Most articles cover mainly arcane topics -- interesting to some no doubt -- but frankly, I am not that interested in the 400 Brown Whelen "maverick" rifle, or the Remington 700 in 8mm Mauser. I thought the articles on 60 years of ammo development, and the one on custom engraving were interesting but could have done with a mainstream article or two as well.
   
   One final grouch! Seems the publisher doesn't use his own books after they are published. If he did, he'd notice that the plastic glazing on the front and back covers shrinks once in use, hand warmth causing the covers to curl up in the most annoying fashion. This is not the first year of this problem. If you do buy this year's GD, keep a heavy weight on the cover to keep it flat -- temporarily. But it'll curl up again soon enough.



5. The tag line for the Gun Digest is "The World's Greatest Gun Book" and that pretty well sums it up. This is the bible of the gun hobby. It has a series of articles that range from an analysis of the 400 Whelan, to a major article on the Bowie knife. As usual, 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.
   
   One really big change in this year's edition is that the front half of the book with the articles is printed on slick paper and in color. This really improves the appearance.
   
   As for changes in the guns themselves for this year, the big news is the sunset laws that removed the Assault Weapons Ban. This means that large (or as the Gun Digest says) full capacity magazines can now be sold again, and the evil appearing nasty looking rifles can be sold again.
   
   The one complaint that I might voice is that in the pistol section there appears to be nothing but 1911's shown. Regardless of the manufacturer, these all look the same. I'd like to see some of the more unusual guns pictures. For instance: the Olympic Arms .223 pistol, the Steyr, the Wilkinson Sherry and Linda. I guess what I'm really saying is that we need another hundred pages or so.

No comments about Gun Digest Handbook of Collectible American Guns (Gun Digest).

No comments about The identification of firearms and forensic ballistics.

No comments about The International Blade Collectors Association Price Guide to Commemorative Knives 1960-1990.

1 comments about Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World.

1. A short but some what detailed history of Fighting knives. A fun and enjoyable learning experience.

3 comments about Standard Catalog of Winchester: The Most Comprehensive Price Guide Ever Published.

1. If there is an interest in all manner of Winchester products, "Standard Catalog of Winchester" is an okay black and white price catalog of all sorts of items sold under the Winchester name. Even if you are not a Winchester collector, the contents are interesting to thumb through.

   The firearms section is approximately 120 pages, which are virtually the same Winchester pages that appear in other Krause Publications such as "The Standard Catalog of Firearms" and "Fladerman's...", only expanded though the use of larger versions of the same pictures and illustrations. I only mention this duplication of content because, if you already have any of these other Krause publications, this book does not offer expanded or new information relating to firearms.




2. An excelent book for any Winchester fan! I found stuff I had no idea Winchester had manufactured. Highly Recomended.



3. This brand new, year 2000, 752 page softbound reference work contains everything you'll need and want to know about Winchester products. There are more than 90 very arge, sharp, full color photos and more than 2,500 great black and white photos. 2,500 major products are included and current values for more than 10,000 items. This is more than a picture-price guide. It's loaded with useful information for the Winchester enthusiast. Topics range from Winchester History, Firearms, Engraving, Cartridge Boxes, Shotshells to Reloading Tools and Supplies, Junior Rifle Corps, Pocket Knives, Fishing Equipment, Sports Items, Farm and Garden Tools, Axes, Carpentry Tools, Mechanic Tools, Kitchen and Household Appliances, Padlocks, Flashlights, and more and more. Wow !! There are even sections on Calendars, Posters, and Advertising and Trench Art. A Winchester enthusiast's dream come true. Items are easily located. I don't know what else could have been included in this book. Get it and enjoy, enjoy . . .

No comments about Firearm Design And Assembly: The Inletting Of Gunstock Blanks And Modifications Of The 1903 Springfield.