5 comments about The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons.

1. I have generally enjoyed reading the previous editions of the "Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons", but this book was dismal in my humble opinion. As other reviewers have noted, there is general discordance with the style of writing, with most chapters appearing to be quickly slapped together from old articles. Most of the material is old and outdated, and most of the firearms written about in this book would not fit the current definition of "Assault weapon" that the picture on the front would convey (Ranch rifles, bolt action 'sniper' rifles, semi-auto shotguns, AR-15 type rifles, and standard handguns seem to take up most of the space). For an updated book about assault weapons, there was little information on current production models of the excellent new firearms available today.
   
   When someone sells a book about assault weapons, you would expect most of the book to be about assault weapons. This one is not. I can not recommend this book because of its poorly written and outdated chapters and subjects and a general lack of any semblance to its title. Go and read through the book at a local store before considering a purchase, it might well save you some money.



2. I have generally enjoyed reading the previous editions of the "Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons", but this book was dismal in my humble opinion. As other reviewers have noted, there is general discordance with the style of writing, with most chapters appearing to be quickly slapped together from old articles. Most of the material is old and outdated, and most of the firearms written about in this book would not fit the current definition of "Assault weapon" that the picture on the front would convey (Ranch rifles, bolt action 'sniper' rifles, semi-auto shotguns, AR-15 type rifles, and standard handguns seem to take up most of the space). For an updated book about assault weapons, there was little information on current production models of the excellent new firearms available today.
   
   When someone sells a book about assault weapons, you would expect most of the book to be about assault weapons. This one is not. I can not recommend this book because of its poorly written and outdated chapters and subjects and a general lack of any semblance to its title. Go and read through the book at a local store before considering a purchase, it might well save you some money.



3. This book is a mishmash of articles in no logical order with lots of factual errors and lots of outdated information. Obviously slapped together from existing articles. Really a disappointing waste of time.



4. This book has almost all the right things to be a hit. It has tons of pictures, gun tests, gun specifications, and hard to find information about guns never built. You can read it once and be amazed and then you can still pick it up and learn more. you can never stop learning from it. The reason I gave it four stars, though, is because of its lack in amount of guns. I understand it is the fifth installment in a series, so I can't wait for the sixth!



5. As a builder and collector of AR-15's, I purchased this book in the hopes of getting some new info on the military versions of the rifle. The cover of the book certainly caught my eye, and perhaps that was the intention. However, I found myself getting a bit "depressed" as page after page of non-M16 info was thumbed through. Finally, after reaching nearly the end, there was one story on the M4 Carbine. It was just enough to make me keep the book. That's more than I can say about a few other books I also ordered.

No comments about Famous Firearms of the Old West: From Wild Bill Hickok's Colt Revolvers to Geronimo's Winchester, Twelve Guns That Shaped Our History.

4 comments about Shotguns & Shotgunning (Firearms).

1. Some inexperienced gunners may have a hard time sunderstanding all of the teminology and info the author goes over, but I found the book very interesting and helpful.



2. Very well researched and written. The author obviously knows the sport. Detailed attention is given to all types of shotguns with plenty of advice on selecting a piece suitable for the readers intended use.



3. After almost 40 years, I am just returning to the world of shotgun bird hunting. As a kid, my uncle taught me everything he wanted me to know - and nothing else. This is exactly the comprehensive guide I needed to find!
   
   This book is about shotguns and how to use them for hunting (primarily, birds). Mr. Simpson provides a complete survey course on shotgun types and their makers, including which is good for what and how to choose. He provides the same range of information for ammunition and chokes, correlated to the shotgun type and use. He describes shotgun activities, covering all types of hunting (wild and preserve) and the various target sports. He provides not only safe practices, but how to conduct yourself politely in the field and at the range. He even dicusses clothing and accessories (e.g., glasses and ear protection).
   
   Mr. Simpson's writing style is very enjoyable and easy to understand. Even better, he freely shares wonderful stories of a long life with shotgunning. Oh, and by the way, its a beautiful book just chockful of stunning photographs.
   
   This is a great book, and the best of the dozen or so shotgunning books I've recently read!



4. Covers too many subjects. I was hoping for a book more about shotguns and less about shotguns and hunting.

No comments about Warman's Civil War Weapons.

3 comments about Knives 2006.

1. I have every edition of the "KNIVES" annuals since the first one came out in 1980. As a knifemaker and collector I like to keep up with the state-of-the art knives that these amazing makers present in this book. The photos are plentiful and the paper quality of these softcover books has greatly improved since editor Joe Kertzman has taken over the helm. If you like knives in all their glory, then all of these books are highly recommended. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I feel that Mr. Kertzman gets a little "ornate" in some of his descriptions. Let the knives speak for themselves, Joe. Hee hee.



2. Not the book I wanted. I wanted a book listing Case and Buck knives values. My mistake.



3. I decided to buy this book basing on the pictures of the knives inside. Once received, the pictures are worth more than the price I have paid for. Details with each knife is the extra bonus to the owner. Very good especially for custom knife collectors, and myself as a trader on ebay's -unclevit- listing store. I will buy more from this writer, perhaps every year. Recommend. Good Value.

1 comments about Home Workshop Silencers.

1. This book has only one piece of new information than his prior book
   the book states the safety in construction and tollerences important dims are given also but no new info. could have put this in prior book with less than 10 pages

4 comments about Old Guns and Whispering Ghosts.

1. Nice to see a well written and researched book such as this. There are so many stories of the west to be told that one wonders how the author could narrow it all down to the ones he selected. Not written in the style of a history book, but more like a conversation over a cup of coffee on a winter afternoon. Might have liked to have fewer "personal" comments and drawings and more of the real thing. My one last comment comes from one with weakening eyes and the font of this large book is too small for me to comfortably read. I wish that publishers would take into consideration the aging population of the real readers and make sure that the font is readable. In a book this large with this much space it could have easliy been acomplished. There are better historical books out there, but this is a book to be added to any historian's collection.



2. For those interested in the early West people and firearms, this book is for you.



3. If you like old guns and western history you will love this book. I highly suggest this if you are cowboy minded.



4. I am fairly new to the cowboy action shooting scene. I have a specific interest in American western history and how firearms were an intricate part of the history of the western expansion. Old Guns and Whispering Ghosts is truely a masterpiece of literature. Jesse Hardin presents a beautiful narrative document of the old west and some of the best firearms ever made in a finely printed hard cover book. The pictures are wonderful and the prose outstanding. From the start of the book one can not help but note the authors love of the subject. For those of you who love old western firearms, the history of the west and wonderfully presented narrative, this is the book you must add to your library.

5 comments about Shotgunning: The Art and the Science, Second Edition.

1. This book is a great book containing lots of useful information. I would recommend this book to beginners and advanced shooters alike.



2. Shotgunning: The Art and Science provides a good basic introduction to almost every aspect of shotguns and should prove especially beneficial for new shooters. That said, it comes up short in any substantial discussion of wingshooting technique--which was my primary need. And while the very detailed empirical discussions of ballistics and patterning are thorough and illuminating, much has changed in shotgunning technology since this book was published 30 years ago, and, of course, none of those changes are reflected. For instance, the move away from lead shot for virtually all waterfowling applications has had a profound effect on choke recommendations. Also, the birth and development of sporting clays has rejuvenated many shooters and brought countless other new shooters into shotgunning. Sporting clays is perhaps the most popular clays game being shot today, but it arrived after this book did.
   
   In short, buy this book for its focus on the immutable fundamentals of shotgunning, but look elsewhere for a discussion of technique or a more up to date overview of new and emerging technologies.



3. I thought Brsiter's work was very well written and showed how dedicated he was to the sport. For me, a person relatively new to shotgun sports and wing-shooting, this book is an excellent introduction to shotgunning fundamentals and why shooting a shotgun is so different than any other type of firearm.
   
   In addition, Brister takes the time to provide perspective on various types of shotguns, and even more perspective on various shotshell loads. The summaries of his shotshell tests were very eye-opening for me, as they can teach beginners how shot spreads are affected by larger payloads and higher powder charges, and also, how various loads may affect your ability to produce clean kills in the field, rather than crippling game or causing a slow and painful passing for birds.
   
   Though this book is almost 30 years old at the time of this review, ALL of the principles taught in it hold true today. Some argue that Brister was visionary when he wrote this book and I agree. Much of what is written could very well have had a huge part in shaping the shotgun and shotshell industry as we know it today.



4. I bought this book when it first came out over 20 years ago. I loved it then, and love it now. Much of what Brister wrote forms the bases for many current articles where his information is presented as "new" and he's not even credited! There's very little to criticize in the book. There's excellent chapters on guns, gauges, chokes, shooting styles, etc. It really was a comprehensive book at the time it was published.
   
   That said, the book was written before the lead shot ban in waterfowl hunting, before widespread availability of choke tubes, and before the rapid rise in popularity of sporting clays. Thus the book really doesn't address these issues, and the reader will have to look elsewhere to find current information. (Well, it does talk about choke tubes some, but at that time most shotguns still were purchased with fixed chokes while the reverse is true today.)
   
   This book should be in every serious shotgunner's library, and should be read, and then revisited every year or so, to remind the shooter that whatever recent article he/she just read was already covered by Brister!
   
   Brister's writing style is clear and concise. The book was well edited. Most topics are explained in detail, and information is presented in such a way that most readers should be able to understand. In this day and age of computers, DVD's and other communication media, though, some younger readers may prefer a different approach.
   
   I would love to see this book updated, with current photos and chapters covering some missing topics.



5. I agree with the other reviews in that this is a very indepth guide to shotguns (but with an emphasis on trap shooting). Unfortunately this is not a good book for waterfowl hunting as Bob goes in depth about *lead* shot and how it performs. While his testing methods and insights on how to shoot are good, I really would care less how #4 would perform on ducks as I can't legally use it in the US. This book was written before the ban on lead shot and hasn't been updated accordingly! This book is good for the trap/skeet shooter who can use lead shot but much less useful for the waterfowl hunter. Other than this I like the book as its a good read with clear points.

5 comments about Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons on the Frontier 1840-1900.

1. If you are as into the guns as you are the stories, this is particularly good book. Every few pages is a full color spread of authentic Old west shotguns, lever actions, pistol, and single shots. They are pictures of the actual guns used by famous outlaws, law men, and others from various western history museums - very cool! The text is good but not great. it is wirtten more from a historical perspective than a story telling one. Still a book you should own if you like anything about the old West.



2. Joseph Rosa presents us with a stunning visual collection of photographs, mainly featuring fine specimens of mid to late 19th century firearms, and vintage photos of emminent gun-fighters of the era. There are several interesting nostalgic paintings displayed as well, by artists such as N.C. Wyeth. Although the illustrations are the most striking feature of this book by far, there is plenty of interesting text as well. The chapters within cover these topics: The Violent West, Feuds and Range Wars, Cowboys and Cowtown Chaos, Law and Order: From Gun to Gavel. In general, this book is an enthralling visual catalog of the firearms, both famous and obscure, that were utilized in the American West during the years 1840 to 1900. Within you will see collections of rifles, pistols, shotguns, and miscellenous historical relics, all arranged in vivid color layouts.



3. I received "Age of the Gunfighter" last night and have only been able to glance through it's pages a few times.
   
   On the positive side, my initial impression is that the book is a gorgeous encyclopedia of photographs of famous people, towns and firearms.
   
   On the negative side, my cursory glances through the book have shown some significant historical errors. The only sub-section of the book I have any real knowledge about is the Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid. The book contains some glaring errors in this section.
   
   In a photo, the author mixes up the identities of John Poe and James Brent and states that Brent accompanied Poe and Pat Garrett to Fort Sumner when in fact, it was Tip McKinney who accompanied them, not James Brent.
   
   The author correctly identifies a photo of Bob Beckwith but states that he was a follower of Billy the Kid who died when he and McSween tried to escape McSween's burning house. The fact is that Beckwith was a member of the Murphy-Dolan faction and fighting on the opposite side of Billy and McSween that night. Billy and several "Regulators" had already escaped when Beckwith called for McSween's surrender. Something went wrong and after the smoke cleared from the resulting shootout, both McSween and Beckwith were dead.
   
   Finally, the author states that Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid with a Colt Single-Action .45 when Garrett actually used a Colt Single-Action .44.
   
   I haven't had a chance to read much of the author's narrative so possibly these errors are due to someone else editing the descriptions of the photographs.
   
   For the photos alone, this book is a definite must-have for the Frontier enthusiast and based on this alone should rate the book five stars. However, the questionable historical accuracy of some of it's narrative requires me to downgrade my rating to four stars.



4. This is the best book I've ever found that extensively shows what the Old West of the Gunfighter was really like.Rosa has done a supurb job of defining all aspects of this intriguing period,roughly from 1840 till the end of the century.
   Rosa covers all the Gunfighters whose names and faces who have become legends. He also shows us many of the less known and less written about. He has included some of the best pictures of these people you can find ,and all in one volume. Here we are shown how they dressed,and the guns,rifles and tools and equipment they used. We also get wonderful photographs of the towns they inhabited,both inside views and street scenes.There are concise and factual write-ups on many of the characters and their claims to fame.
   Rosa has been consistant in providing the dates of most of the photographs.I am not sure when the photography technology was first developed that allowed such a great record;but it was around the time of the early years of this period.Just imagine,what a true representation of these days would have been impossible without this invention.
   If you read many westerns or much history of this era ,you will be forever running into the types of weapons used.You are often left with wondering what they looked like. Well,wonder no more;just pull out this book and you will see excellent photographs and descriptions of these firearms,cartridges,cleaning tools,pistol and rifle cases,watches,holsters,belts,playing cards documents,swords, knives,badges,hats,saddle bags and countless other artifacts of the time.The author also shows the musemms where these artifacts are retained.
   Also scattered through the book are beautiful examples of artwork done by famous painters of the period.Several maps are included that make stories and history of the Old West very easy to follow.Anyone who has tried to locate events of this period by using present day highway atlass will appreciate them.
   You will also be amazed with the detail that Rosa has collected,obviously verified and included in the book.Not only that,he does it in a manner that doesn't get the reader bogged down in detail. What I really mean to say is that the information is there in great detail;but the reader is able to skip over or delve into;the choice is his.
   Another aspect of this book that is also noteworthy is its high quality of construction,binding,paper stock,printing and color rendition makes this a reference book that will stand up to years of use.
   This book was first published ic 1993 and again in 2000 and as you can see,it still commands a good price.That certainly proves how good and popular this book is, and would be a very often referred to and treasured book for anyone interested in the Gunfighters and any other History of the Old West.I can tell you it is certainly a favorite of mine.
   
   
   



5. ...between the vast number of personalities discussed, and the quality & quantity of the photos included; this is the ultimate reference on the good guys, and the bad guys of the Wild West... the gear they wore, the guns they used, the circumstances surrounding what each gunfight was really about, and the ultimate fate of each legend.

2 comments about Fine European Gunmakers: Best Continental European Gunmakers & Engravers.

1. To me, this is probably the very best photographic examples of work from just a few of the finest artisans in the World of gun makers and engravers. Having an extensive library of my own, which I feel is now almost complete and after 55 years of intensive gun smithing and gun fitting around the World, I am almost ready to take a back seat and enjoy the fruits of my labours. Hence I have just started my last adult apprentice, who will no doubt benefit from this book, if not the entire collection.



2. This is how a good book on shotguns and rifles should be written and edited. Great discriptions on the mentioned guns and on the history of the manufacturers, even greater pictures. At the end there is helpful information on how to contact the different firms. Truly a great book.