Best Guns

This is Michael McIntosh's classic book on fine shotguns, in a fully revised and expanded form—covering gunmakers who have become prominent since the first edition was published in 1989 and McIntosh's continued research into the nature of the shotgun and the people who make them. McIntosh divides hisThis nearly encyclopedic gathering of gun knowledge deals with the world of shotguns into two distinct sections. The first is devoted to the best shotguns ever made in America, “American Best,” looks at each of the finest guns made in the United States during the Golden Age of gunmaking. Names from the past such as Parker, A. H. Fox, L. C. Smith, Ithaca, Lefever, and others are treated in greater detail, including newly manufactured American classics that bear those same names.once were more than simply names on old guns; they were people and companies, inventively vying for a share of a growing gun market. Their efforts created guns of lasting value and fame. In the second section, McIntosh explores the revivified world of gunmaking abroad—in England, Spain, Italy, and elsewhere, places where traditional craftsmanship and modern technology have combined to make the turn of the twenty-first century the most vibrant and exciting period in fine gunmaking in nearly a hundred years.“The World's Best,” Michael McIntosh explores the world of fine guns as it exists today, country by country, commenting on guns whose intrinsic merit qualifies them as “best” guns. He looks at the gunmaking centers of England, Italy, France, Belgium, and Spain and talks of the names that warm the hearts of those who appreciate the workmanship, dynamics, and “feel” of a fine gun—names such as Purdey, Holland & Holland, Granger, Fabbri, Piotti, Arrizabalaga, and others. McIntosh offers practical advice on buying, shooting, and collecting older guns—what to look for and what to look out for, all based on long experience. McIntosh also offers advice on buying and shooting older guns—what to look for and what to look out for. As interest in fine double guns reaches a new high in this country, Best Guns serves as both a guide for the uninitiated and a standard reference for the experienced collector and shooter, all written with the precision and seamless grace that is Michael McIntosh's trademark style..

A former English professor and Shakespearean scholar, Michael McIntosh was also widely known as one of the best-known gun and sporting writers in the world. His writings appeared in numerous shooting and gun-dog magazines and he wrote more than a dozen books, including A.H. Fox, Wild Things, Robert Ruark's Africa, and Shotguns and Shooting. He died in 2010.

Foreword Introduction Part I: America's Best 1. Parker: The Legend of Old Reliable 2. A.H. Fox: The Finest Gun in the World 3. L.C. Smith: Sweet Elsie 4. Lefever: Uncle Dan's Doubles 5. Ithaca: The Guns from Fall Creek 6. Remington Model 32: The Hard-Times Wonder 7. WInchester Model 21: The Last American Classic