1 comments about The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices (Official Gun Digest Book of Guns and Prices).

1. I'm very disappointed in this book. The information is old... not updated as it claims and it has no photos.

1 comments about Colt Scouts, Peacemakers and New Frontiers in .22 Caliber.

1. This book is an absolute "must have" for the Colt single action rimfire collector. This book covers all details including: production numbers, dates, and correlating serial numbers. It also includes rare and limited production models. Lots of pictures and great historical commentary.

1 comments about The New World of Russian Small Arms and Ammo.

1. If you are interested in the latest developments in Russian firearms, this book is a must. It covers everything from rifles to grenade launchers, to new ammo. Even, underwater weapons are covered. This book is more of the coffee table type, but it serves as a good reference from people who know firearms!

No comments about Guns Illustrated 1999 (31st ed).

1 comments about America's great gunmakers (Shooter's Bible).

1. All the major American firms are well covered, along with a few newer companies that have made a contribution to the gun industry in the U.S. A biography of each company founder is provided to a moderate level to explain how and why the company started, but not too much so that this is not only a book about individuals. Rather, the industry beginnings and how each firm started, including financing, are included, along with the key firearms and product lines and successes and failures of each company. One thing I found particularly interesting is how the many inventors of firearm designs not only competed but also worked for each other (for example, Smith and Wesson worked for and helped develop the lever action for Winchester before starting their famous company). Another aspect of history that is fascinatingly covered by this book is how patents help shaped the destiny of not only these companies but of the history created through firearms. America's Great Gunmakers is a good place to learn about not only the firearms industry in America but also what the times in the 1800's and early 1900's were like in this country. This book has whetted my interest to learn more about some of these companies and their founders in books specific to them. My only criticism is that the book falls short in some technical explanations by using terms that may not be familiar to the reader. A chapter describing modern gun actions and ammo sizes could have helped increase an understanding of some of the differences between the many models of guns discussed.

No comments about Hunting Weapons from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century: With 288 Illustrations.

1 comments about Rifles and Cartridges for Large Game: From Deer to Bear--Advice on the Choice of a Rifle.

1. This was my first book I've read by Layne Simpson and I'm impressed. Having read his articles in various magazines over the years, his style of writing has been carried over into this in-depth look at rifles and everything about them. Simpson does a great job going over all the different calibers available at the time of printing as well as interjecting just the right amount of personal experience with them. Add onto that the additional information on how rifles can be made more accurate, how rifles are manufactured, popular rifles old and new as well as information specific to using rifles on deer, elk and other classes of game and you have an excellant reference. About the only detractor of this book is his - at times - arrogance. It's apparent that he has favorites within the rifle industry and it comes across as such sporadically throughout the book. I don't know if Layne is aware or intended to come off as a bit high horsed during his writing but it was just enough to make me realize he is a bit of a company man.

4 comments about The Colt Armory: A History of Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc..

1. The book isn't about the Colt Armory at all. It's a rambling travelog of life and times in 19th-20th century Hartford, with almost no mention of Colt or the Armory. I returned it.



2. Excellent book on this extraordinary man, Samuel Colt, who gave us the ultimate revolver. A book which reads as a novel and does not just give "dry" facts. Highly recommended!



3. I just finished reading the Colt Armory a 232-page book by Ellsworth S. Grant.
   
   This book features the complete manufacturing history from Samuel Colt's first attempt at starting his own firearm business under the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company in 1836 all the way through the leadership of president Ronald C. Whitaker in 1994.
   
   This book entails quite a bit of information about how it all began when Samuel was a young man and came up with his first idea of the repeating revolver. It describes his family that was a little troubled back in that era. For example how his older brother killed a guy with a hatchet then tried to dispose of the body by stuffing it in a packing case and later tried to ship it to New Orleans.
   
   The book paints a picture of how life was back in early Hartford, CT and how much Colt played in the economic stability and grow of the city.
   
   It also goes through the struggling times of natural disasters (floods, hurricanes) and the battles with the manipulative and power hungry unions.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to gain insight of the history and survival of the Colt



4. The Colt .45 was perhaps the best known handgun and most popular handgun of its day. The Colt Armory: A History Of Colt's Manufacturing Company, Inc. is much more than a dry and obscure history Colonel Sam Colt's industrial corporation. It is a riveting story of the factories, the products, and the people that combine to offer the reader a wealth of humorous stories, exciting adventures, and a heart-warming nostalgia for an American yesteryear. Ellsworth Grant combines an historian's attention to detail with a born storyteller's knack for vivid presentation. The Colt Armory is not only informative, it is a genuine reading pleasure and highly recommended to students of the American frontier and the guns that tamed the west.

No comments about Sixty Years of Rifles.

2 comments about The Heritage of English Knives.

1. The author has mixed lots of fakes with some very good knives. He also can't tell myth from fact when it comes to American history.



2. This book is second only to the Sheffield Exhibition Knives book published a few years ago. Mr Hayden-wright is obviously well versed in the history of knife making in Sheffield and has woven his knowledge very well with the many fine examples pictured.
   
   My only complaint is that it would be great to see more detailed pictures of some of the more important pieces, but overall my thought is that many collectors and makers will be inspired by this book. Well worth the price for the serious collector and maker.