The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers

This extensive and useful encyclopedia is specially written for sport shooters, weapons collectors, and government officials.

Inside readers will find: an extensive glossary of technical terms and types of ammunition, complete with full color illustrations Information on arms manufacturers and makes of pistols from around the world; detailed descriptions of each weapon, often accompanied by its history and development Information on handguns of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty first centuries; an extensive index to help readers find specific weapons or subjects; and hundreds of color photographs of pistols and revolvers.

Listed in alphabetical order by manufacturer, the principal data for individual guns is given, along with extensive information on the development of each weapon. The book addresses all the technical terminology, such as the locking and safety systems of pistols and revolvers, as well as information on handgun ammunition. Readers will find all the important models listed in this reference book.

A. E. Hartink grew up with firearms; both his father and his grandfather were in the Royal Dutch Navy. In his youth, he graduated from his first Diana air rifle to a small bore carbine, and then to large caliber handguns. During his military service, he was a sergeant weapons instructor. He later joined the Dutch state police, where he soon became a detective, extending his already vast knowledge of firearms. Following the reorganization of Dutch police forces in 1994, Hartink became a specialist firearms detective with a regional police force, and since 1995 he has worked for a regional firearms department, where his main activities are related to the control of legal and prevention of illegal firearms. In addition to being a regular contributor to various publications, he has written extensively on weapons of every kind under a variety of pen names (as well as his own), and has translated books about weapons, ammunition, and the reloading of cartridges.