Interested in fine shotguns? Then beware. The three books I’m about to share with you are the ones that started my obsession with double guns. Read them at your own risk; if you find yourself spending all your free nights and weekend on the hunt for your next dream gun, don’t say you weren’t warned
Shotguns and Shooting by Michael McIntosh is first.
This compilation of magazine articles by Mr. McIntosh is in two parts: Shotguns–Love, Lore, and Legend and Shooting–Craft, Cartridges, and Controversies.
Overall, it’s a wonderful introduction to double-bbl shotguns and how to shoot them. The author’s style mixes a lot of information with a little romance and some fine story telling skills. The result is informative, entertaining, and a pleasure to read. When you’re done with it, you’ll feel like you’ve been hanging around with a friend who knows a lot about nice guns.
Next is More Shotguns and Shooting, also by Michael McIntosh.
This book picks up where Shotguns and Shooting left off. It’s in three sections: Shotguns–More Love, Lore, and Legend, Shooting–More Craft, Cartridges, and Controversies, and Odds & Ends.
This book has some classic stories in it, including Back to the Future, a story of a certain Purdey, and Being Shot, a story that will convince you to wear shooting glasses whenever you’re in the field.
Michael McIntosh has a number of other excellent books. I recommend all of them, including Best Guns, and a book he co-wrote with ex-Purdey Stocker David Trevallion called Shotgun Technicana.
The last book on my list of the essential threes is Good Guns Again by Stephen Bodio. This editorial review of the book does a good job of summing it up:
“Steve covers the world of good guns, from American classic shotguns to the English and Spanish gun makers. He discusses damascus barrels, how to buy a customized gun, how to buy an affordable double for $3,500 or under, big bore rifles, Gun-Trader Blues, and much more.
This is Bodio at his finest, the unleashed, unfettered gun fanatic, haunting the gun shops, evaluating, and offering a unique insight into the world of sporting firearms.”
When you’re done with it, you’ll probably find yourself haunting guns shops, too, looking for your next dream gun.
