Product Description

At the back of many a gun cabinet lurks a neglected old shotgun. This book will encourage its owner to bring it back into use. It also provides practical advice on buying the right gun for restoration. It describes the steps and potential pitfalls on the path to renovation so the gun can be used and enjoyed. The author's passion is for old guns and for their continued use in the field. He argues that the quality of craftsmanship in many old guns, as well as the sheer pleasure of handling them, makes them superior to the machine-made over/unders of the modern shooting field. Hadoke covers all aspects of collecting and restoring shotguns for use - on an affordable budget. He writes for the shooter rather than the engineer or historian, and his fascinating book is presented in an easy-to-read style.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74771 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
Plenty of practical advice for shooters who head for the auction house rather than the gunshop. --Sporting Shooter

This book is jam-packed with all manner of useful advice and information. It really struck a chord with me. --Bill Harriman, Shooting Times

About the Author
Diggory Hadoke was born in Hereford in 1967 and grew up in rural south Shropshire, near Ludlow. His interest in guns is lifelong, beginning with air rifles before graduating to shotguns. He lives in north London and runs an educational consultancy. He is an examiner for Trinity College London and the University of Cambridge. He is also a Registered Firearms Dealer, trading as vintageguns.co.uk, a business which serves the collector of English shotguns, especially those buying at auction. Diggory is a regular contributor to Sporting Shooter, Gun Mart and the Double Gun Journal, and is a member of the Tyttenhanger and North Mymms Park Shoot in Hertfordshire. When in the field, Diggory generally shoots with an 1889 Purdey sidelock 12-bore, or one of his many ancient hammer guns.

Customer Reviews

Superb read for "practical eccentrics"
A very enjoyable read which will suit a wide variety of potential purchasers/readers, from either those with a passing interest in vintage guns, individuals seeking more guidance about purchasing at auction, to "practical eccentrics" who already shoot with wonderful older guns and wish to learn more.

The book is pitched just right in terms of detail (of which there is plenty, but not in a boring or overly heavy fashion), passion (of which the author has in buckets) and practical advice (such as what to look out for at an auction, "project guns", etc). As someone who is in the latter camp, I have found the book a good guide to the fundamentals as to what to identify at auction and the variety of options open to me. If you have a semblance of interest in shooting a gun with history and character, beware reading this as it could lead to some expensive future purchases!

great book for lovers of old shotguns
enjoyed this book ,superbly written with the authors love of old shotguns and shooting them showing through the entire book from cover to cover,all restoration topics covered as well as many other aspects of shooting with an old classic,covers safety without being pious or patronising ,the author has a style of writing that makes pleasurable reading, highly recommended.

exellent book!
i would recomend this book to any body that would like to learn more about the beautiful guns that this country use to make.