SHOTGUNS & SHOOTING THREE

SHOTGUNS & SHOOTING THREE Following the success of his acclaimed books Shotguns & Shooting & More Shotguns & Shooting, Michael McIntosh continues his celebration of the shotgun in Shotguns & Shooting Three. As with his earlier volumes, the subjects covered are wide ranging, from the earliest firearms to the authors current favorites, & from technical discussions of barrels & ejectors to shooting techniques. McIntoshs erudite & approachable style is familiar not just from his previous books but also from his columns in Shooting Sportsman magazine. This book will appeal to hunting & gun enthusiasts everywhere.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:MICHAEL McINTOSH is one of the worlds best-known & most highly respected writers on fine guns & shooting, He has written more than two dozen books & is a regular contributor to such magazines as Shooting Sportsman, Sporting Classics, The Double Gun Journal, & Wildlife Art. He lives in Pella, Iowa.Table of ContentsPart 1: ShotgunsFrom the Stone AgeSisters in the WoodThe One I Love to HateRediscovered TreasureThe 28-Gauge RenaissanceThe Honor RollThe Versatile GunA Good ClosureChambersEjectorsThe Long & Short of BarrelsThe Second-Most Interesting RibBringing Them BackLike a Spaniel Without EarsSome Old Wives Tales of GunningA Century of GunsPart 2: ShootingMethodologyThe Arrow & The IndianA Full QuiverThe Eyes Have ItOn the Flip-FlopA Show of HandsSwing, Mount, & ShootUse Your Head, but Dont Move ItLearning to ReadTouchy-Feely StuffPanicParalysis by AnalysisNo Quarter Asked or GivenIncomerOne Short, Swift, Honest ChanceThe Gunners GrailA Step in TimeMaking AllowancesSin & TemptationDistractionsSteady to FlushApples & OnionsFit for a FittingOptimal LoadsSize MattersSmallbores & SportsmanshipThe DangerUpper ManagementExcerptExcerpt from Chapter 1, From the Stone AgeThe substantial lapse of time between the trigger & the bang -- whether the mechanism lowered a smoldering fuse to a priming pan or set a serrated wheel spinning against a chunk of pyrite -- so dimmed the chances of hitting an object flying at any angle other than straight away that few gunners even bothered to try.The change began about 1570 in The Netherlands, where gunmakers devised the snaphaunce lock. It combined the best features of the older systems with the new notion of igniting a powder charge through a striking actionthe same concept on which firearms are still made. In the snaphaunce, it involves a chunk of flint gripped in the jaws of a cock. When the sear is tripped, a stout mainspring drives the cock forward, rotating on its axis, so that the flint strikes a steel plate -- variously called the hammer, steel, battery, or frizzen -- & showers sparks into a small pan of priming powder. The flash from this passes through a small vent in the side of the barrel & ignites the powder charge inside.By the time the new system reached the full extent of its evolution, it not only represented the first truly great age of the sporting gun but also in great measure established the form of the classic gun as we know it today. ISBN: 0-89272-776-4 publish date: 12/01/2008