Gunsmithing: Guns of the Old West (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Collectors, cowboy action shooters, hobbyists and Old West re-enactors will demand this guide to repairing and improving Old West firearms. More than 40 original and replica guns are covered.

Step-by-step detailed illustrations demonstrate to amateur and advanced gunsmiths how to repair and upgrade Old West firearms. This valuable knowledge is passed along to readers by a true working professional with a long history of quality custom gunsmithing work.

This is a must-have book for the tens of thousands of cowboy action shooting enthusiasts across the country.

-Coverage includes more than 40 original and replica guns of the Old West -Step-by-step detailed illustrations demonstrate how to repair and upgrade antique and replica firearms -Must-have knowledge for anyone working on their Old West firearm or having it repaired or improved

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications; illustrated edition edition (November 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873492528
• ISBN-13: 978-0873492522
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Addition to Your Gun Book Library, December 14, 2001

By	Fred Bundock (Sacramento, California United States) - See all my reviews

I would like to preface my review by saying that I am not a gunsmith and do not plan to become one. Like the author, I grew up watching TV westerns and developed an early fascination for these guns. I enjoy reading about them, looking at them, studying how they operate, and learning what to look for when evaluating a potential purchase.

In a nutshell, I would say that this book is definitely worth the money I paid for it. It should give me hours of educational reading pleasure and will be a valuable addition to my collection of gun books.

The author devotes about the first hundred pages of the book to topics including gunsmithing tools, types of metal finishes, headspacing, sear engagement angles, repairing and making screws and pins, the issue of restoration of antique guns, and general gunsmithing repairs. I plan to thoroughly read these informative sections.

If you are interested in gunsmithing 19th century handguns and their replicas, this is the book for you. The author devotes 176 pages to the operation, takedown, and repair of handguns. In my opinion, a better title for the book would be, "Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West, Volume 1: Pistols."

Readers interested in the gunsmithing of rifles and shotguns aren't as fortunate. The author devotes 46 pages to rifles and 11 pages to shotguns. However, except for 9 pages discussing the operation and repair of the toggle link mechanism of the '73 Winchester (which by itself could be worth the purchase price of the book), and a paragraph for the '92, there are only takedown instructions for a variety of antique rifles and 3 shotguns, along with parts diagrams borrowed from other publications. The author doesn't include sequences of clear photographs like in Gun Digest's series of takedown books.

When I think of guns of the old west, the first thing that comes to mind is a lever action Winchester rifle. So I expected information on troubleshooting and repairing common problems on the popular Winchester lever actions such as the '86 and '94, the Marlin lever actions, and the Colt Lightning slide action rifles. It would be nice to read about typical problems encountered with these guns, what the novice should attempt to fix, and what problems should be referred to a professional gunsmith.

With the popularity of the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun in cowboy action shooting, I expected to see a section devoted to this fine old gun. Again, nothing except for takedown instructions is included. Readers interested in the '97 would be better off purchasing a copy of "Gunsmithing Shotguns" by Patrick Sweeney.

In conclusion, I like the book and am glad I purchased it. I would look forward to purchasing a sequel to it that focuses more on gunsmithing rifles and shotguns of the old west.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book on gunsmithing for CAS shooters, December 12, 2001

By	Hrabanus Maurus (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This is a book that belongs in the library of everyone who is involved in Cowboy Action Shooting®, whether they intend to work on their own guns or not. The author, a veteran gunsmith, covers basic and advanced gunsmithing, up to and including full restoration of antique firearms.

It is a formidable book, in some ways. Certainly, the average cowboy shooter isn't going to have the tools or the skills to perform every operation in the book. Nevertheless, the author gives the reader plenty of insight into what is entailed in taking care of these weapons. If anything, the book will help the amateur gunsmith realize when he is in over his head!

He starts with history of the firearms, and the importance of proper safety, especially concerning the danger of using smokeless powder in antique weapons that are not designed to handle it.

He discusses the metals used and their finishes. He covers taking care of damaged screws -- a real bugaboo on antique weapons. He shows how to avoid damaging them, also. His coverage of stock repairs is noteworthy.

The book covers all types of firearms that are commonly used in Cowboy Action Shooting®, from cap and ball revolvers to modern Ruger wheelguns, the Henry rifle to the modern Rossi leverguns, and the double barrelled shotgun to the Winchester model 97. It even covers most of the reproduction firearms commonly in use in the sport.

Many of the guns in the book are not permitted in competition, such as the double action Colts and Smith and Wessons. However, it is good to have information on servicing them available.

The explanations are clear and logical. The drawings will give you much of the information needed to perform repairs properly.

The only major glitch, and I am sure that it will be taken care of in the next printing, is that the drawing on page 127 is numbered incorrectly. It won't take you long to figure out what is what, but if you wish, Krause publications will send you a copy of the corrected page at your request.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful and intelligently written, February 28, 2007

By	J. G. Thoene "thojos" (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gunsmithing - Guns of the Old West (Gunsmithing) (Paperback)

I found this book to be very helpful when repairing top break replicas, Colts (single and double action), and percussion revolvers. He also covers lever action rifles extensively although I have not personally used that section.

Gunsmiths these days are hard to find, so a lot of us have to do it ourselves. The author thankfully covers a lot of important and common problems I have faced, so that I didn't have to go on a usually futile search for a gunsmith. Mr. Chicoine is obviously an experienced and intelligent man, and he writes clearly. Plenty of illustrations guide you through the repairs he describes.

Does he cover every possible conceivable problem? Every firearm? Of course not. Who could? For the money I recommend it. It has saved me more than the purchase price already.