THE BRITISH SPORTING GUN AND RIFLE: PURSUIT OF PERFECTION 1850 TO 1900. By Donald Dallas. De Luxe Limited Edition.

2008 1st edition. Large 4to (245mm x 320mm). Pp416. Colour and b/w photographs. Half maroon leather over red cloth, spine and upper board titled in gilt, all edges gilt, silk marker. Edition limited to only 100 signed and numbered copies.

"The period 1850 to 1900 witnessed the most far reaching changes sporting gun and rifle design had ever experienced. Prior to this, changes had been pedestrian and the muzzle-loader still ruled the day in 1850 as it had done for previous centuries. In this major work the author details the many changes that occurred. He describes at length the pinfire, centre-fire and hammerless developments along with all the ancilliary changes made to sporting guns. Likewise with rifles he outlines the many developments such as the superseding of the two groove muzzle-loading Express rifle by the multi-groove, breech-loading rifle of smaller calibre."