Encyclopedia of Rifles & Handguns: A Comprehensive Guide to Firearms

A very good clean copy. "A lavishly illustrated book providing a comprehensive history of military and civilian personal firepower. With the introduction of gunpowder in the 14th century, the quest to perfect the gun began. Encyclopedia of Rifles and Handguns describes the chief developments in that quest for power--muzzles energy, bullet weight and stopping power--and traces the rise of the handgun and the rifle from their rudimentary beginnings through all the innovations and exploitations of new materials to today's high-precision weapons. From the wheel-lock and flintlock to Samuel Colt's famous Peacemaker, from the introduction of smokeless propellants to the gas-operated big-bore pistols, the key contributions are examined and all the great makers and their models are reviewed--Colt, Adams, Smith & Wesson, Browning, Heckler & Kock, Holland & Holland. This Encyclopedia, packed with superb illustrations, is the essential companion for all.