Review by Larry S. Sterett | Contributing Editor
FINE SHOTGUNS, by John M. Taylor. ©2010. Published by Skyhorse Publishing, Dept. TGM, 555 Eighth Avenue, Suite 903, New York, NY 10018. Price: $60. Available in most bookstores.
This 256-page hardbound volume provides a comprehensive examination of what the author considers the best sporting shotguns available. Following a humorous and down-to-earth foreword by David E. Petzal, field editor for Field & Stream, this gem has the usual acknowledgments, etc. It features 29 chapters, from “What is a High-Grade Shotgun” through “Shopping for a HighGrade Shotgun,” plus four appendices, a bibliography and an index.
Each of the chapters is amply illustrated with color photographs, although the reader should not expect to see photographs of every one of the fine shotguns mentioned. Most illustrations are of tools, components, or specific features of the shotguns.
This is unfortunate, but understandable, as assembling photos of all the best shotguns would be a gargantuan task. It would, however, make a great book even better.
Most dedicated shotgunners will agree, somewhat, on what constitutes a fine shotgun, but beauty, regardless of subject, is in the eye of the beholder.
It is doubtful if the Boss, Purdey, and Holland & Holland firms ever turned out “not-so-fine” shotguns, but it’s more difficult to find shotguns of similar quality made in America, although they are manufactured. What the author considers the firms producing the best (“fine”) shotguns are discussed briefly in chapters four through eight, and include, America, Britain, the Continent, Spain, and Italy. Shotguns from Asia are not covered in any detail, and Japan is not even listed in the index, although some Browning, Winchester, etc., shotguns have been produced there. (The now defunct SKB firm produced some excellent over/under shotguns; not fancy, but good serviceable models.) Specific features of fine shotguns— barrels, actions and locks, stocks, butts, etc.— are discussed in separate chapters.
Most of the chapters are rather brief; the chapter on Butts consists of four pages and two photos of stock butts and recoil pads. One of the most extensive chapters—Shooting HighGrade Shotguns—contains a baker’s dozen pages and ten photos.
The four appendices contain some valuable data, ranging from a listing of various manufacturers and importers of high-grade shotguns to the proof marks used by those European countries having proof houses. Appendix C consists of two pages of the serial numbers of shotguns produced by a number of American and English gunmakers/manufacturers. Not all models are listed, nor are any more modern models covered, and few models produced in the post-World War II era are noted. (Serial numbers for Holland & Holland best guns cease with 1980, while those by Auguste Francottse cease with 1989, and these represent the latest dates.
This is not exactly a coffee table book, nor is it a highly technical book.
It is an interesting book for those shotgunners wanting to learn a bit more about fine shotguns. The illustrations are adequate, although the reader should not expect to view examples of dozens of “fine shotguns.” It is an excellent book for any shooter contemplating the purchases of a customized or bespoke shotgun.
