Every Insult & Indignity: The Life, Genius & Legacy of Major Patrick Ferguson. Roberts, Brown.
An exploration of the care and feeding of Patrick Ferguson's Breech Loading Ordnance Rifle. Looking at the evolution and development of the firelock. And we share tips to make reproduction Ferguson Ordinance Rifles shoot like the 18th century assault rifle it was! We explore Patrick Ferguson the man and his life. Including never before seen evidence of the Ferguson Ordinance Rifle at the Battle of Kings Mountain SC.
Text Book of Small Arms 1904
A great reference book on British firearms. Includes a history of rifles up to the introduction of Magazine Arms, description of the small bore rifle of each power, the wounding effects of bullets, revolvers and automatic pistols; their advantage and disadvantages, and much more.
Westley Richards 1812 - 1913. Taylor
Reprint of 1913 brief History
A brief history of Westley Richards from 1812-1912 by Leslie B. Taylor
Leslie B Taylor (1863-1930) was a great pioneer in sporting guns, rifles and ballistics during what many consider to be the Golden Age of Gunmaking. He spent his entire working life at Westley Richards and amongst other things saw the titanic transition from black powder to nitro powder which in itself revolutionized gun and in particular rifle ballistics and development.
This book provides an official account of the personal characteristics and business qualifications of the successive heads of the Westley Richards Firm.
Pattern Dates for British Ordnance Small Arms. 1718-1783. Bailey
A heavily illustrated guide to pistols, carbines, rifles, and muskets carried by British soldiers sent to North America in the 1700s. With detailed descriptions of all hardware, markings, and measurements this book provides a system for identifying these firearms. A excellent book for those interested in Brown Bess Muskets. has tear to cover.
The Birmingham Gun Trade. Williams
Birmingham has been a key innovator in the gun trade since the seventeenth century and the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof house operates to this day. Between 1855 and 1861 six million arms were testing and proofed here - many of them destined for the USA. Those who worked in the Birmingham Gun Quarter were at the forefront of this incredible industry. This book tells the story of the technology and history of gun making. Covering the period 1720 to 1950, it sees the mechanical engineering technology of the 'lock, stock and barrel' firearm change significantly. David Williams, an engineer and academic, has studied the battle between the manual processes of manufacturing using the dexterity of many pople and the clumsy but tireless machine, and here examines this complex relationship in gunmaking, paying particular attention to interchangeable military firearms manufacture and the growth and decline of the Birmingham military and sporting gun trade. Accompanied by over 130 illustrations, "The Birmingham Gun Trade" is more than a narrative of gunmaking in Birmingham through the years: it is a thoughtful comment on craft skills, the use of machines and, most significant of all, the effect of having changing technologies on people's jobs, livelihoods and locations.
The Birth of the Boxlock Shotgun. Campbell
The Birth of the Boxlock Shotgun–The Inside Story of Anson & Deeley, Westley Richards, Harrington & Richardson, and the Perfection of the Hammerless Action
The story of three 19th-century English gentlemen and the guns they made and how these remarkably creative men sired a shooting heritage that most of us take for granted today. They were amazing craftsmen, businessmen, and artists. But like all of us they led personal lives fraught with hope, tragedy, victory and defeat. What caused the brilliant engineering alliance between William Anson and John Deeley to devolve into a seemingly obscure end? The surprising answers, and more, can be found in this book–much of it previously unknown, and unpublished. It all adds up to a mesmerizing tale of genius, ambition, triumph and travail!
British Boxlock Gun and Rifle. Hadoke
Explores the era in which the Anson & Deeley boxlock, the first truly successful hammerless gun, emerged. Learn how to evaluate a boxlock's age, origin, original quality, handling characteristics, value, & history, & the book gives tips on intended use, maintenance, & working principles. Colour & B&W photos; 224 pgs.
The boxlock is largely dismissed in shooting circles as a "trade gun"-a mid-to-low grade tool that is worthy but dull. Few people appreciate the boxlock's excellence in terms of its mechanical simplicity, reliability, and safety; this is a wonderful Victorian invention with numerous derivatives. The boxlock has been produced in greater quantities as both shotgun and rifle than any other single break-open, sporting-gun design-in all qualities-for over 130 years, and it is still going strong.
This book explores the era in which the Anson & Deeley boxlock, the first truly successful hammerless gun, emerged. It illuminates the inventors who developed the idea and outlines the types of boxlock actions that were adopted by the major British firms. Any shooter interested in British guns, be they boxlock or otherwise, will discover much here.
British Boxlock Gun & Rifle will open the eyes of both the casual reader and the gun enthusiast to the variety and beauty of this unsung hero of the sporting field.
High-quality color pictures were used throughout a concisely written text, and the book was printed on large paper, enabling the collector, shooter, or potential buyer to appreciate clear details of the guns. The book's goal is to let those interested in the boxlock know that he holds in his hand not "just another boring boxlock," but a fine sporting gun with a proud history.
Thomas Horsley. Gunmaker of York. Baker
Published by the author. 2006 1st edition. Large 4to. Pp207. Colour & b/w photographs, line illustrations, bibliography.
"'All the gentlemen in Yorkshire shoot with Horsley guns': so wrote a correspondent to the Field in the late 1860's. This was no idle boast. A glance at the gun sales register of the time reveals a list of purchasers that reads like a Who was Who of Yorkshire". Detailed account of the life and career of one of the nineteenth century's most notable gunmakers. Ever innovative, Horsley registered a number of significant patents in the nineteenth century, expiring only in the 1950's. "In so many ways, Horsley's story represents that of the English gun trade in miniature".
The Brown Bess. Goldstein, Mowbray
THE BROWN BESS. An Identification Guide and Illustrated Study of Britain's Most Famous Musket
A pattern by pattern, full-color guide to the muskets of the Red Coats!
Learn to identify and understand Brown Bess muskets quickly and easily.
Useful features include:
• quick identification guide
• 959 detailed photographs
• straightforward explanation of common Brown Bess markings
• illustrated bayonet guide
Rebounding Lock for the Side Hammer. Cherepy.
The first patent for a rebounding lock was issued in England in 1866. This was followed by a more practical English design in 1867 and a similar American design early in 1868. The rebounding lock quickly became an essential feature of all breech-loading hammer guns. The author has traced the rebounding lock by illustrating all of the American & English patents & he has included a photographic catalogue of specimens.
British Military Flintlock Rifles. 1710-1810 Bailey
BRITISH MILITARY FLINTLOCK RIFLES 1740–1840
De Witt Bailey, Ph.D.
Historians have always been intrigued by Riflemen and the special weapons that they carried. This fascination even extends to the general public, as can be seen by the popularity of such books and television shows as Sharpe's Rifles.
Unfortunately, until now there has been little solid information available about the rifles themselves and which units carried them into battle. In this exciting new book, respected author De Witt Bailey will answer all of these questions and more! Starting with the Seven Years War, he tells the whole story right through the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Age and to the end of the flintlock era. Each rifle is illustrated (exactly where it is discussed in the text) in truly exceptional photographs, 320 in all, with the important details shown in large, clear close-ups.
The types of rifles covered are too many to list, but include such famous weapons as the Ferguson, the Pattern 1776 and the rifles used by German mercenaries and royalists in the American Revolution. Naturally, a large portion of the book is dedicated to the most famous British flintlock rifle of them all - the Baker.
No matter whether you are interested in military history, marksmanship in the British Army, accoutrements and ammunition, or flintlock rifles themselves, this book will be sure to thrill you. Even such unexpected topics as the rifles given as gifts to American Indians in British service are carefully explained and illustrated. And it is all documented by decades of archival research and the inspection of countless surviving rifles throughout the English-speaking world. Whether you are a military historian eager to learn about the exciting story of Riflemen in the British service, or an antique firearms enthusiast who needs help identifying a rifle in his collection, this book will quickly become one of your most trusted references.
British Single Shot Rifle. Rook, Rabbit and Miniature Rifles. Winfer, Rowe.
BRITISH SINGLE SHOT RIFLES, Vol. VII
Rook, Rabbit & Miniature Rifles, Early Types & Hammer Models
Wal Winfer & Tom Rowe
Book one of a two-volume set that chronicles, in great detail, the story of the most popular of all the single shot rifles. These are the early models, air, percussion, needle fire and the centre hammer types.
Scottish Arms Makers. Whitelaw.
Secondhand
Scottish Arms Makers: A Biographical Dictionary of Makers of Firearms, Edged Weapons and Armour Working in Scotland from the 15th Century to 1870.
C. E. Whitelaw, spent thirty years searching the surviving Burgh and Guild records, both published and unpublished, as well as the local directories, histories, memoirs and account books, extracting the names of individual craftsmen together with details of their training and experience. He listed not only the gunmakers, armourers and swordsmiths, but also the founders and hiltmakers, the lorimers, bowyers and bucklers and such specialists as the gun-stockers and the makers of Steill bonnets, brigandines, halberds and worms for guns. The major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow furnish the largest number of craftsmen and crafts, but Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth and Stirling all add substantially to the total, and at least the names and occupations of a surprising number of craftsmen from small towns and villages have survived in the records.
Small Arms of the British Forces in America 1664-1815. Bailey
From noted researcher De Witt Bailey comes this long-awaited guide to the British firearms and accoutrements carried on the battlefields of North America. The French and Indian Wars, the American Revolution and the War of 1812 are all covered in amazing detail, as are the age of colonialism and peacetime years. So whether your topic is Braddock’s March, Bunker Hill or the Battle of New Orleans, the information you are seeking will be found here. Weapons of all the land and sea forces are included – with detailed photographs that allow individual examples to be identified and dated quickly and easily.
Also included is a true mother lode of issue data taken directly from Ordnance records. If you are trying to figure out “which regiment got what,” then this book is sure to thrill you with the amount of previously unpublished information that it presents. The end result gives the reader a unique understanding of the relationship between British military weapons and the men who carried them. Nothing this ambitious has ever been attempted before and the results are nothing short of spectacular.
• From Brown Bess Muskets to Rifles, Carbines and Pistols, this Groundbreaking Study Covers it All!
• A Whole New System for Identifying and Dating British Weapons
• Decades of Research in Ordnance Records Are Now Revealed
• A “Must-Have” Resource For Revolutionary War Enthusiasts
British Shotgun Vol 2 1871 - 1890. Cudgington, Baker
The British Shotgun, Volume Two 1871-1890 is the second volume of the definitive work on the evolution and manufacture of the British shotgun—a superb example of the British heritage of craftsmanship, ingenuity, and artistry.
The main purpose of the book is to provide the reader with a reference tool so that any British-made shotgun of the period can be identified and its place in the evolution of the gun understood. Experts in the subject, Ian Crudgington and David Baker have extensively researched the developments of the period by a careful investigation of the records of the Patent Office, which is the only reliable contemporary guide to what would otherwise be a daunting mass of material. In addition, they studied the records of the time, both magazines and booka. Quotations from these sources provide informative background material and add to the atmosphere of the book. Of even greater importance has been the study of actual surviving guns, both from the authors' own collections and those of friends at home and abroad.
Where possible, the authors have shot with the guns concerned and this aspect has yielded valuable insight into how practical developments evolved. This very important period covered by the book includes almost all of the features introduced in the side-by-side shotgun we know today.
British Single Shot Rifle. Rook, Rabbit and Minature Rifles. Later types and hammerless. Winfer, Rowe. Vol 8
BRITISH SINGLE SHOT RIFLES, Vol. V111
Rook, Rabbit & Miniature Rifles - later types and Hammerless Models
Wal Winfer & Tom Rowe
The completion of a two volume study of the British Rook, Rabbit & Miniature rifles. These rifles were the most common of all British rifles but have been little known until now. They were made in all grades from the cheapest models made on the continent to true gems of the gun maker's art. This volume covers the later types including the hammerless models, double rifles in rook calibers and Martinis. Also included are the ammunition and loading tools used in these rifles as well as reloading and shooting the Rook rifle today.
The Classic British Rook and Rabbit Rifle. Greenwood
Secondhand, G Cond, O/P
Fascinating book traces the history of rook rifles from their beginnings in the late 1860s to the period between the 1880s & 1910 when they were in their heyday. It also considers their decline in the period between 1910 & 1930s where they were displaced by cheap but efficient .22 rimfire rifles. 292 Color & B&W photos; 200 pgs.
More Information:
In the late nineteenth & early twentieth centuries the rook & rabbit rifle was one of the mainstays of British gun making, & were produced by every gun maker of note, although very little has been written about them.
This fascinating book traces the history of rook rifles from their beginnings in the late 1860s to the period between the 1880s & 1910 when they were in their heyday. It also considers their decline in the period between 1910 & 1930s where they were displaced by cheap but efficient .22 rimfire rifles.
It illustrates the full range of rook rifles from those that were basic & functional to those that were supreme examples of the gun maker’s art. Wherever possible the author seeks to establish who actually made the rifles. Well illustrated with over 290 photographs, some in full color, this is essential reading for gun collectors, gun makers & those interested in firearms & their history.
The British Single Shot Rifle Holland & Holland's Cartridge Paradox. Winfer
BRITISH SINGLE SHOT RIFLES, Vol. V (I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII)
Holland & Holland, Holland's Cartridges Paradox
Wal Winfer
The fifth volume of the series covers the activities of Henry John Holland and how from humble beginnings, developed a firm that is today, second to none. He started in 1835 and as his fame grew he turned his attention to building guns for the top end of the London market. Holland had little interest in target rifles, devoting his efforts to building the highest quality sporting guns and rifles.
British Single Shot Rifle. Gibbs. Vol 2 Winfer
BRITISH SINGLE SHOT RIFLES, Vol. II
George Gibbs
Wal Winfer
A detailed study of Farquharson and other rifles made by this famous British maker. Rifles, actions, patents, cartridges, etc., are all covered.
Paradox Vol 1. Baker, Lake.
2010 1st edition. Pp281. Colour & b/w photographs & illustrations. Pictorial boards. Author David Baker. This first volume of a planned two-volume set is a detailed examination of the work of Colonel G.V. Fosbery, especially his invention and development of the Paradox gun, produced commercially by Holland & Holland. The Paradox was designed for both shot and bullet. Essentially a smooth-bore, it was provided with an inch or two of rifling at the muzzle. With shot, the makers claimed performance comparable to the best cylinder bore shotguns ofthe time, and with bullets, the same accuracy as an Express rifle at 150 yards. The forthcoming second volume covers "other ball and shot guns made by other British and American makers. The making of the Paradox and other Holland & Holland sporting guns. .Technical aspects of the Paradox. Howthe Paradox was marketed and sold by Holland & Holland. .Notable customers and famous hunters. the evolution of the Holland & Holland and the impact of the Paradox on the company's fortunes. The Paradox today including the development of the re-introduced Paradox and the uses of the Paradox today." A thorough and interesting treatment of a little-known subject
Hammer Guns: In Theory and Practice. Hadoke.
Collecting, maintaining, and shooting classic firearms.
Vintage gun expert Diggory Hadoke (author of Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot and The British Boxlock Gun & Rifle) has now produced a major work on the subject for which he is best known: the hammer gun. With a fascinating mixture of historical analysis, practical application, and personal reflection, he makes a robust case for the Victorian hammer gun as the finest sporting gun available today, just as it was a century ago.
The reader will discover all that is worth knowing about the subject: how the guns were devised, crafted, and used, how they were perfected, and how they work. Modern applications are given equal weight to historical ones, and subjects such as the selection of suitable ammunition, stripping, refurbishing, and customizing will prove invaluable to anyone contemplating taking a hammer gun into the field and using it as they would a modern gun.
This is the fullest and most practical account of the development of the breech-loading centre-fire hammer gun and its many variations yet written, with a guide for owners and collectors that will prove invaluable when buying and maintaining their guns.
British Single Shot Rifles. Jefferys and the Trade Farquharsons. Winfer Vol 3
BRITISH SINGLE SHOT RIFLES, Vol. III
Jeffery and the Trade Farquharsons with Notes on Nitro Cartridges
Wal Winfer
In this third volume, Wal Winfer relates the intriguing story of W.J. Jeffery and the Trade Farquharsons. He chronicles Jeffery's reintroduction of the Farquharsons in England. Also includes notes on Nitro Cartridges.
British Falling Block Breechloading Rifle from 1865. Kirton.
THE BRITISH FALLING BLOCK BREECHLOADING RIFLE FROM 1865
Jonathan G. Kirton
Tables of serial numbers on all makers. Thirty five years of collecting, researching and recording data from existing rifles, original manufactures, records and catalogues. It is based largely on the patents used by many of the original makers. Expanded and revised edition.
British Shotgun: Volume 1, 1850 - 1870. Crudgington, Baker
A tribute to the ingenuity & craftsmanship of the British gun trade. Color art; 7.5x10 inches, 256 pgs.
Many unrecorded designs and artifacts, including the single trigger, the over and under gun, and the single barrel or the classic side-by-side gun.
The complete story of the evolution of the British shotgun.
