Vintage Guns: Collecting, Restoring and Shooting Classic Firearms

If you have any interest at all in old shotguns - especially British made guns - do not buy this book. The author is a self described "shotgun enthusiast" and claims to be no expert. He is clearly a liar. Perhaps his claim was almost true when he started writing this book, but no more. Since 2005 Diggory Hadoke has run Vintage Guns in the UK and was, for a number of years, managing director of one of the finest surviving old British gun companies, Atkin, Grant and Lang. In this book Hadoke shares his infectious enthusiasm and expertise on buying, shooting, collecting, restoring and maintaining old guns. Not everyone is interested in hunting pheasants with a 100 year old shotgun. Unfortunately, this book will (and has) widened the audience for such firearms. There is something of a tradition in British sporting literature of making strong arguments defending an eccentric or non-intuitive position. Hadoke makes a strong case for actually using vintage guns in the field; especially guns made by unknown makers with non-standard chamber sizes and perhaps with exceptionally long or short barrels. Such guns used to be rather reasonably priced but, thanks to Hadoke, prices are on the rise. It's a matter of supply and demand, with low supply and rising demand, prices for British shotguns continue to climb. This book is good for his business, it's not good for the underfunded sportsman who shares his interests. Hadoke has a new book coming out in September 2012 entitled "The British Boxlock Guns & Rifle" - without even seeing it I can recommend not buying that one either.

If you have any interest in British doubleguns this book belongs on your bookshelf, more so than some "classic" reference on the subject. I would describe it as the best general guide and reference available for the collector of such guns. You won't find a lot of detail on particular makers but that's not what this is about; for that go to Brown's references or other specialized one-maker books. Dig does an excellent job of presenting a lot of information on guns from types to proof marks that is scattered across the gun world and adds some I've never seen. It's all presented in a fairly coherent manner that puts everything into context. I found it easy to read through the whole book and frequently find myself checking a few details. The only frustration I have is with the chapter/index structure that makes it a little hard to find particular items leaving me hunting for something with the thought "I know I've seen that somewhere". When you've read this book you'll know more than a lot of folks selling these guns.

Wow , what a great read & a great reference book . Hadoke , like all of his peers touts the big names in British gunmaking - nothing new here you say . Well , he then goes on to explain that you can find many , if not all of these features on guns from lesser known (not lesser quality) makers at a fraction of the cost . There is quality info on what to look for & what to avoid when on the hunt for a quality double . How to restore if that is your thing . Most importantly for me are his thoughts on how to appreciate a quality double gun - USE IT ! I've taken his advice & use some fantastic doubles from various Birmingham makers for both clays & the field . The best part is I could afford to buy these guns & the money I saved buying them means I can afford to use them in the field . This is the most important thing to me .

Required reading for the British gun enthusiast. Valuations and fads come and go, so some of the material is somewhat dated as in most print books of this genre. Diggory is very active in the field and understands trends as seen on his web site.

I have several of the quality shotgun books mentioned in the reviews and recommended by the Amazon list; each has its merits. However, in my opinion this is one of the most useful books of all, as it gives very real and practical information for those interested in acquiring a vintage gun. Included is some basic history of gun development and major gunmakers, but it is just enough to be informative; the rest of the book is dedicated to gun analysis and things pertinent to purchasing a quality gun by an English maker. After reviewing this material, I completed a satisfying transaction by purchasing an 1898 William Evans boxlock.

I thought this was a very good book on the subject of buying and using vintage shotguns. It covered a lot of interesting history on the different designers, makers, and action types. It is written by an Englishman for a primarily British audience, so don't expect to find a lot of information on American made guns. Also, while the title mentions "restoring & shooting", this is not a gunsmithing book, nor is it a book about reloading. There are lots of great pictures to drool over and I found it very "readable".

I bought this book before i started communicating with the author. I thought it was the best book on the subject before speaking to him and now that I have worked with Dig it makes me like it even more - honest man, expert in his field and nice guy. Very enjoyable to read ~ loads of great pictures and catagorized for easy reference.. If you buy it ~ you won't regret it.

Vintage Guns: Collecting, Restoring & Shooting Classic Firearms (Also titled Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot (in the USA edition). An excellent modern work. Has the authority of knowlege of Geoffrey Boothroyd or Sir Gerald Burrard. If you are planning on owning or hunting with a shotgun, this book will sharpen your perspective in ways no other book or article that I have ever read has done.

A Great Book !

I would throughly recommend this book to anyone starting out in the world of Shotguns. Very clear format and easy to understand. The book goes right back to basics for the begginer. I have been shooting a long time and there were things in this book I did not know and having bought this book I have now purchsed my first English Shotgun.

This is a very engaging and well presented book . It was recommended to me by Mike Yardley , a superb writer himself and has not disappointed. The content is fascinating and the photos well presented. Dig is clearly a man with a passion and it's infectious. Needless to say I'm on the lookout for a nice old hammer gun now !Buy this and enjoy the writer's enthusiasm but make sure you've got room for another gun because you will be buying one.

thank you