Review By Larry S. Sterett | Contributing Editor
SHOTGUNS ON REVIEW by Bruce Buck. A Shooting Sportsman Book, Dept. TGM, distributed by the National Book Network. Available from www.shootingsportsman.com, Amazon, and other bookstores. Price: $30.00
This hardbound 216-page volume carries the sub-title 38 Guns Tried & Tested. Basically it is just that, reports on 38 shotguns.
Following a four-page Introduction, and a longer section On Reviewing Guns, it starts right in with the reports, beginning with the Arrieta Model 06 .410, and finishes with the Zoli Z Expedition. There are a couple of pages plus listing sources, but no index or bibliography. (The first two sections, prior to the actual shotgun reviews, are very interesting, considering the authors New York city background.)
The majority of the shotguns are of foreign manufacture, such as Arrieta, AyA, Beretta, Blaser, Caesar Guerini, Franchi, Kreighoff, Merkel, Verney-Carron, and Zoli. There are American-manufactured models, such as CSMC, Ithaca, Remington, Ruger, and Winchester. There are others carrying American names, such as Browning and Smith & Wesson, but manufactured elsewhere. Shotguns based on Browning designs have been produced here in the U.S., in Japan, and elsewhere and the original Browning Superposed models were produced in Belgium. (Today many shotguns bearing the Browning name are produced in Japan.)
Although it might appear at first glance the shotguns covered are only side/side or over/under bird gun models, and the majority are, two other action types are discussed. These include the Beretta A400 Xplor Unico 12-gauge autoloader, the Ithaca Model 37 Featherweight 28 pump, the excellent, but short-lived, Remington 105 Cti autoloader, and the Winchester Model 42 pump in .410-bore. Depending on the shotgun brand and model, the gauges covered are 12, 20 and 28, plus the .410-bore, but no coverage of 16 gauge guns. (The 16 gauge was popular in the U. S. some six or more decades ago and the Browning ‘Sweet 16’ autoloader was the gun; this gauge was big in Europe, especially in drillings, etc., but not in England where the 12 gauge reigns supreme.)
A full length view of the shotgun featured precedes the text, and within the text may be one or more close-up views of the action, barrel or stock assemblies, etc., to show specific features, such as engraving, removable trigger assembly, there are even a few views of shotguns in or with their carrying case. And of a lockplate if the shotgun is a sidelock, or has some unusual feature. There is even a shot of the Fausti women with a shotgun. (One feature which is handy and should be more common is the selector switch in the forearm iron of the Fausti Dea Round Body side/side to permit switching from the ejection mode of fired shell removal to simple extraction. Great idea.) Shotguns which have removable or detachable trigger assemblies, such as the Perazzi MX8, have this feature illustrated. The illustrations are full color and the close-up views are sharp in detail.
This tome features no specifications—weights, lengths, bore diameters, etc. sidebars or tables. Such information is contained within the text, if it is even mentioned. Nor are there any patterns illustrated.
This is not a technical volume, but more of a coffee table book with excellent color illustrations. The shotguns discussed are mainly upland game guns, not shotguns for waterfowl hunting or trap or skeet shooting. They could be used for sporting clays, crazy quail, and similar sports simulating actual upland game hunting, and would be perfect for a British shoot, or even on some of the Southern plantation shoots.
