washambala
Member
Im looking for a couple of good general shotgunning books. Post your favorite or most informative 2 books.
Required Reading
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oneounceload
member
Most things by Michael McIntosh, Gil & Vicki Ash, as well as the magazine "Shooting Sportsman" - they have some VERY knowledgeable writers
Snarlingiron
Member
Yep, Shotgunning: the Art and the Science by Bob Brister, and Successful Shotgunning by Pete Blakeley
Two Cold Soakers
Member
Brister: Art and Science
McIntosh: Shotguns and Shooting (More than one volume, I believe) His other books are pretty good, too, but not so much about actual shooting; e.g. Best Guns and his AH Fox book.
Robert Churchill: Churchill's Game Shooting - The head and shoulders best doublegun shooting book. Ever.
Gough Thomas - Title is escaping me - -Got it from the library years ago.
ONLY TWO!?!?!
Brister and Churchill, without a doubt.
McIntosh: Shotguns and Shooting (More than one volume, I believe) His other books are pretty good, too, but not so much about actual shooting; e.g. Best Guns and his AH Fox book.
Robert Churchill: Churchill's Game Shooting - The head and shoulders best doublegun shooting book. Ever.
Gough Thomas - Title is escaping me - -Got it from the library years ago.
ONLY TWO!?!?!
Brister and Churchill, without a doubt.
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huntsman
Member
+1 I read Second Gun Book years ago great read.
I'd add anything by Zutz
and for birdhunting New England Grouse Shooting by Foster.
washambala
Member
Wow. It looks like I have more reading than I was expecting. For now I think Ill start with Brister. That seems to be on everyones list.
Al LaVodka
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Basic Shotgun Shooting. NRA Publications.
Al
Al
Given the endorsements for the Bob Brister book, I bought it on Kindle and have skim read it in the last couple of hours.
It seems to me to be outdated (more than 20 yr old?) and of mainly historical interest.
I also noted uncritical references to live pigeon shooting - a vile sport see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKZWfpjqeKA. I find it difficult to respect an author who doesn't acknowledge the humanitarian issues surrounding the activities he describes.
A further criticism would be that this is not a book for beginners because Bristow assumes you already know the basics and the terminology of shotgunning.
As I said, I only skim read it (having only downloaded it a couple of hours ago). Please feel free to critique my first impressions.
It seems to me to be outdated (more than 20 yr old?) and of mainly historical interest.
I also noted uncritical references to live pigeon shooting - a vile sport see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKZWfpjqeKA. I find it difficult to respect an author who doesn't acknowledge the humanitarian issues surrounding the activities he describes.
A further criticism would be that this is not a book for beginners because Bristow assumes you already know the basics and the terminology of shotgunning.
As I said, I only skim read it (having only downloaded it a couple of hours ago). Please feel free to critique my first impressions.
JohnBT
Member
It's not outdated. You said, "...most informative."
"I find it difficult to respect an author who doesn't acknowledge the humanitarian issues surrounding the activities he describes."
Jeez, don't fall off your soapbox and hurt yourself.
John
"I find it difficult to respect an author who doesn't acknowledge the humanitarian issues surrounding the activities he describes."
Jeez, don't fall off your soapbox and hurt yourself.
John
Two Cold Soakers
Member
Wingshooting tools and technologies are virtually unchanged since the Brister book was written. Things different today might be photography and video technologies used to document the techniques.
Sigh. Wingshooting is a bloodsport. Get used to it. It was invented to kill birdies. Most all of the techniques developed to kill the birdies are carried over into modern clays shooting. Brister, in the mid 70's, was a competitive live pigeon shooter. At that time, live pigeon shooting was (and may still be) the most demanding shotgunning game, also paying the shooters quite well. His citations and examples in The Art and Science revolve around controlling the stress and anxiety of competitive situations:
"Perhaps the greatest lesson from the live-bird profession is the art of dealing with pressure and competition; pressure is the name of this game.... Here the competiton becomes a three headed monster; the shooter against his own nerves, the bird, and with another man who is like a baseball pitcher in that his reputation depends on how many strikeouts he throws"
Get used to the history, and do what you want with the knowledge developed in the past. Otherwise, stick to video games.
Chapter 1 - "Learning to Shoot"
Chapters 3-5 Types of Shotguns
Skill level or experience were never introduced as criteria.
Skill and experience notwithstanding, I stand by my recommendations.
Al LaVodka
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Hmmm...
Wingshooting is a "blood-sport" becasue it is hunting, and there will be blood. Clay sport shooting, which are safe shooting sports, usually involves much less blood (LOL) though they may emulate certain hunting. Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Five-Stand... These sorta ARE video games. Well, more like golf perhaps but I hope you get my meaning. Shooting live animals for fun is not sport per se and, frankly, lowering hunting to that level of apathy is inappropriate, incorrect and inaccurate (except for people who should not, IMO, be allowed to hunt then if that's why they are afield).
Killing is clearly not sport nor hunting, however, hunting involves both, and much more.
So, our OP may not want to or "be able to" kill things, and certainly not as the object of some sport -- I'm with him. And I bet most of us are....
Al
Wingshooting is a "blood-sport" becasue it is hunting, and there will be blood. Clay sport shooting, which are safe shooting sports, usually involves much less blood (LOL) though they may emulate certain hunting. Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Five-Stand... These sorta ARE video games. Well, more like golf perhaps but I hope you get my meaning. Shooting live animals for fun is not sport per se and, frankly, lowering hunting to that level of apathy is inappropriate, incorrect and inaccurate (except for people who should not, IMO, be allowed to hunt then if that's why they are afield).
Killing is clearly not sport nor hunting, however, hunting involves both, and much more.
So, our OP may not want to or "be able to" kill things, and certainly not as the object of some sport -- I'm with him. And I bet most of us are....
Al
Two Cold Soakers
Member
My comments were pointed at a poster who couldn't get past the idea of using shotgunning skills gleaned from actual experience shooting live targets.
Brister's pigeons weren't shot for "fun". They were shot for money.
Whether or not you support hunting or agree with live pigeon shooting is beyond the scope of this thread, and hope you take your arguments there.
Brister's pigeons weren't shot for "fun". They were shot for money.
Whether or not you support hunting or agree with live pigeon shooting is beyond the scope of this thread, and hope you take your arguments there.
SleazyRider
Member
I appreciate the question, and the responses. I just sent for a copy of the Brister book thanks to this thread. Humanitarian issues be damned, when it comes to shotgunning I need all the help I can get! 
washambala
Member
Thanks for the extra information and the "content advisory" on Bristers book. Honestly I dont really care about how the information is presented, only that its presented well.
In this case the OP (me) wants some reading material that is a little more fact and a little less opinion than these forums. This also helps supplement the lack of practice with a real shotgun. Since Im only 17, my practice sessions depend on what my dad is willing to do. Until I turn 18 and get my own shotgun (probably a Mossy) Im just going to load up as much information as I can. Besides, all these books will give me something to do in my useless high school classes.
In this case the OP (me) wants some reading material that is a little more fact and a little less opinion than these forums. This also helps supplement the lack of practice with a real shotgun. Since Im only 17, my practice sessions depend on what my dad is willing to do. Until I turn 18 and get my own shotgun (probably a Mossy) Im just going to load up as much information as I can. Besides, all these books will give me something to do in my useless high school classes.
SleazyRider
Member
Did you say "useless high school classes"? Hahaha. Sounds like you and Mark Twain are on the same page when he warned about letting "education interfere with (one's) learning."Thanks for the extra information and the "content advisory" on Bristers book. Honestly I dont really care about how the information is presented, only that its presented well.
In this case the OP (me) wants some reading material that is a little more fact and a little less opinion than these forums. This also helps supplement the lack of practice with a real shotgun. Since Im only 17, my practice sessions depend on what my dad is willing to do. Until I turn 18 and get my own shotgun (probably a Mossy) Im just going to load up as much information as I can. Besides, all these books will give me something to do in my useless high school classes.
BTW, just because it appears in a book does not make it fact; it is merely the opinion of one person--the author. In fact, I suspect there are many accomplished authors lurking on these forums gleaning "facts" for their next publication.
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washambala
Member
Thanks for the warning Sleazy. I just meant that someone who has had a book published and recomended by most of the shotgunning community for over 20 years is more likely to have done good research. Besides, its easier to carry around a book than it is to carry around a laptop.
As far as school goes, I understand that Arizona has one of (if not THE) worst education systems in the country. They just closed one (of three) public high school because there werent enough students and they refused to renew the contracts of something like 20% of the teachers (dont quote me on that). Even the teachers at my school think that AZs schools suck. YMMV
As far as school goes, I understand that Arizona has one of (if not THE) worst education systems in the country. They just closed one (of three) public high school because there werent enough students and they refused to renew the contracts of something like 20% of the teachers (dont quote me on that). Even the teachers at my school think that AZs schools suck. YMMV
oneounceload
member
Why should there be an uncritical reference? You must have never shot them - it is VERY demanding, requires the most skill of any clay or target game.\
I suppose you have no use for dove shooting in Argentina either???
As to the age of the book, many books of great knowledge are more than 20 years old. My GUNS are over 20 years old....
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Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
Zutz, McIntosh and Gene Hill write good stuff.
Gil and Vicki Ash and Chris Batha are great on the technical stuff.
Brister's masterwork is still relevant.
Gil and Vicki Ash and Chris Batha are great on the technical stuff.
Brister's masterwork is still relevant.
huntsman
Member
The American Shotgun by David Butler is a good source of history for shotguns but it too is past its prime as being printed in 1973.
washambala
Member
I am going to try to buy a copy of Brister from amazon tomorrow. Going by the names that came up the most, I think Gil & Vicki Ash will get to help Brister keep the shelves from floating off some time soon. Then comes Churchill and Zutz.
Somewhere along the line I think I'll pick up a reloading manual too. Do you guys have any suggestions for that? I'm interested in the process more than the recipes.
Somewhere along the line I think I'll pick up a reloading manual too. Do you guys have any suggestions for that? I'm interested in the process more than the recipes.
Two Cold Soakers
Member
My Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook (4th edition) goes 124 pages of process before 230 additional pages of recipes.
washambala
Member
Thank guys. Is that normal for reloading manuals? To include that much info on the process?
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