The Handgun Story (Hardback)
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781848325005
Published: 19th June 2008
Last Released: 14th July 2008
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The Handgun Story traces the fascinating history of the 'one hand gun' from its crude fourteenth-century origins to the sophisticated products of today. As technology has progressed, handguns have got smaller and deadlier, to be carried in holsters, pockets and even lady's mufflers. Today they are the weapons of choice for undercover agents and would - be assassins; ideally suited for both attack and self-defence. The earliest pistols had a tendency to misfire, but this was cured by the cap-lock. Cap-lock revolvers proved a massive success in the American Civil War with hundreds of thousands used on each side. Self-contained metal-case cartridges were to bring a fundamental change to handgun design: not only by allowing the introduction of revolvers that ejected automatically or were easily reloaded, but also by paving the way for the automatic pistol. World War I provided the handgun with a proving ground. At the end of the hostilities, with so much surplus weaponry, work on the handgun could have ceased; instead, a new developmental phase was begun by the nations that had emerged from the crumbling Imperial empires. During World War II the efficiency of well-established designs was confirmed and new designs, such as the Walther P. 38, showed their potential. The emergence of the submachine-gun in 1945 reduced the status of the handgun - but only temporarily. The need for efficient self-defence shows no signs of lessening; and the rise in shooting for sport, particularly with the revolver, has sharpened the quest for efficiency.
The never ending search for advanced production techniques shows that the handgun has as much a future in the twenty-first century as it had in the heyday of the Wild West, or in the trenches of Passchendaele.
In this book we find a serious and rigorous study which the author invites us to know as what began as a fragile and interesting invention that gave more errors than satisfaction was eventually becoming an essential piece for defence, self-defence and the attack .
José Manuél Rico Cortés (Mister JM) - Miniaturas JM
A very interesting for lovers of small arms Guide.
Read the full Spanish review here.
Handguns have a long and fascinating history, beginning with crude, almost toy-like unreliable weapons of the 14th century and progressing to the sleek revolvers and automatic pistols in use today. Firearms expert Walter takes readers on a tour of the history of the development, adaptation, and uses of handguns. The amply- illustrated book provides numerous renderings of the mechanisms of a variety of guns. The author takes readers on a tour of a broad range of weapons, from the cheaply-made "suicide specials" to those created by well-respected manufacturers such as Walther, Browning, SIG-Sauer, Smith and Wesson, and Colt. The book will interest both gun and history enthusiasts.
Book News.com
Handguns have a long and fascinating history, beginning with crude, almost toy-like unreliable weapons of the 14th century and progressing to the sleek revolvers and automatic pistols in use today. Firearms expert Walter takes readers on a tour of the history of the development, adaptation, and uses of handguns. The amply- illustrated book provides numerous renderings of the mechanisms of a variety of guns. The author takes readers on a tour of a broad range of weapons, from the cheaply-made "suicide specials" to those created by well-respected manufacturers such as Walther, Browning, SIG-Sauer, Smith and Wesson, and Colt. The book will interest both gun and history enthusiasts.
Book News Inc (USA) - Shannon Hendrickson, Associate Editor
THE HAND GUN STORY: A COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY traces the history of the 'one hand gun' from its 14th century origins to modern times, surveying changing technology, techniques, and design. Libraries strong in gun history or appealing to gun users will find this packed with diagrams, history and black and white photos: a key guide for any interested in hand guns.
Midwest Book Review.com
About John Walter
John Walter is among the world’s most prolific writers on small arms, the author of seventy books, translated into more than a dozen languages. His published works include several studies of the Luger pistol; four editions of Rifles of the World; The Airgun Book; The Rifle Story and The Handgun Story; Guns of the Elite and its current successor, Guns of the Elite Forces; The German Rifle; The Greenhill Dictionary of Guns and Gunmakers and The Sniper Encyclopaedia.
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