HAMMER GUNS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. By Diggory Hadoke.

(2016) 2016 1st US edition. 4to (223 x 282mm). Ppviii,216. Colour photographs throughout, b/w photographs and illustrations. Black boards, spine titled in gilt.

"I believe that nothing made in the twentieth century compares favourably with the best hammer guns made by the real artisans of the British gun trade: made in the days before celebrity engravers signed their work or CNC machinery standardised every part. What I invariably pick up and take shooting is an 1870s under-lever hammer 12-bore." "They remain, according to the author, the best guns ever made - and today they are still in many ways better than anything else available. ..Using hammer guns, explains Diggory, should not be seen as an affectation - if you apply yourself to their use and ownership in the right way." Chapters include: Hammer guns appreciated in literature and history; The hammer gun era, shorter than you thought; The breech loader makes an entrance; The pin-fire catches on; The arrival of centre-fire; Locking mechanisms; The Jones Screw Grip; The real 'Golden Age' of gun-making; Emi-hammerless guns; Bar-action or Back-action?; Non-rebounding and Rebounding Locks; The classic lock makers of the era; Factories and aritsans; US gun-making heroes; Hammer ejectors; Self-cocking hammer guns; Chambers, bores and barrels; Parts of the hammer gun; Whitworth one-piece steel barrels; Hammer guns - pigeon shooting; Double rifles; Famous hammer guns and their owners; The intrinsic qualities of the hammer gun; The glory of the 'No Name'; Selecting appropriate ammunition; The proof house; Auctions; Victorian small rifles; Chamber sleeving; The future of lead shot; Where have all the gunmakers gone?; Travelling overseas with hammer guns; Hammer gun stripping and assembly; To restore or to preserve?: Restoration - a case study; Barrel browning - getting it right; Trouble shooting - what to look for; Customisation - possibilities and limitations; Hammer gun syndicates; Obsolete calibres and Section 58; Collecting for investment; Researching your hammer gun's history.