A historical reference for more than one hundred handguns. United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers, first published in 1939, provides firearm collectors and enthusiasts with a single authoritative volume containing information on the development and description of martial short arms, from the flintlock pistol that was available at the birth of the nation to the latest available handguns during the World War I. This book is particularly useful to collectors as an important reference source, offering a listing of single-shot pistols, revolvers, and semiautomatic pistols, over the period of 1799–1917. Gluckman covers the brief histories of more than one hundred handguns, going into the specific details of the chemistry of gunpowder and the development of the first automatic firearms. Following innovators like Reverend Alexander Forsyth, John P. Lindsay, and Samuel Colt, the evolution of the weapons is carefully examined over time. The comprehensive text is accompanied by a series of original illustrations of the pistols and revolvers, demonstrating the specifics of many gun mechanisms. For experts and the more casual hobbyist alike, this book offers a unique collection of information on martial pistols and revolvers in the United States, up until WWI. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

A historical reference for more than one hundred handguns. United States Martial Pistols and Revolvers, first published in 1939, provides firearm collectors and enthusiasts with a single authoritative volume containing information on the development and description of martial short arms, from the flintlock pistol that was available at the birth of the nation to the latest available handguns during the World War I. This book is particularly useful to collectors as an important reference source, offering a listing of single-shot pistols, revolvers, and semiautomatic pistols, over the period of 1799–1917. Gluckman covers the brief histories of more than one hundred handguns, going into the specific details of the chemistry of gunpowder and the development of the first automatic firearms. Following innovators like Reverend Alexander Forsyth, John P. Lindsay, and Samuel Colt, the evolution of the weapons is carefully examined over time. The comprehensive text is accompanied by a series of original illustrations of the pistols and revolvers, demonstrating the specifics of many gun mechanisms. For experts and the more casual hobbyist alike, this book offers a unique collection of information on martial pistols and revolvers in the United States, up until WWI. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Lord Hideyoshi, the regent of Japan at the time, took the first step toward the control of firearms. It was a very small step, and it was not taken simply to protect feudal lords from being shot at by peasants but to get all weapons out of the hands of civilians. He said nothing about arms control. Instead, he announced that he was going to build a statue of Buddha that would make all existing statues look like midgets. It would be so enormous (the figure was about twice the scale of the Statue of Liberty), that many tons of iron would be needed just for the braces and bolts. Still more was required to erect the accompanying temple, which was to cover a piece of ground something over an eighth of a mile square. All farmers, ji-samurai, and monks were invited to contribute their swords and guns to the cause. They were, in fact, required to. -- from publisher description.

New data surrounding the procurement and modifications of arms produced by the national armories, and under federal contract procured by the individual states and by individual members of militias, is presented here for the first time. This information, interwoven with military, political, economic, and social factors, results in new and better definitions and a clearer understanding of the arms’ historical context. Though this work focuses on military flintlock shoulder arms, details on the federal government’s procurement of arms for Indians during rapidly changing military policies of the period is also included. American Military Shoulder Arms, Volume II, contains more than three hundred photographs. As with the previous volume, Volume II is written primarily for students of arms, but also contains material of interest to historians, museum specialists, collectors, and dealers of antique arms.