Shotguns

Washington DC: National Rifle Association, 1995. Special Edition privately printed for members of The Firearms Classics Library, from the 1950 edition. Hardcover. Good. Format is approximately 6.25 inches by 9.25 inches. [12], xii, [2], 307, [3] pages This special edition has been privately printed for members of The Firearms Classics Library. Film was prepared from an original 1950 edition. The book was printed and bound by Quebecor Graphics/Sherwood. The text paper was specially made for this edition by P. H. Glatfelter Company. The binding is of genuine pigskin, furnished by the Cromwell Leather Company. Endleaves are 300-denier silk moire. Edges and gilded and spines are brass-die stamped in 22-karat gold. Cover stampings and design of this edition by Selma Ordewer. Cover has slight wear and soiling, especially in gilt areas. Elmer Keith is one of America's foremost authorities on guns, shooting, and hunting and provides, in this book, detailed information covering shotgun actions. The double and repeating shotguns are described thoroughly along with stocking, sights, and sighting, patterns, loads, chokes, and many other details from the viewpoint of the hunters and trap and skeet shooters. Shotgun fans will appreciate the author's down-to-earth advice on swing, lead, follow through, rib and stock pitch, wing shooting, snap shooting, deliberate work, and pass shooting. Stock dimensions come in for detailed study as well as the proper shot size for each bore and choke and size of bird hunted. Richly illustrated with examples of fine European, British and American guns, this book is considered by many to be the standard reference work on this subject of shotguns. Elmer Merrifield Keith (March 8, 1899 - February 12, 1984) was an American rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges, credited by Roy G. Jinks as "the father of big bore handgunning." During World War II, Keith served as an inspector at the Ogden, Utah, Arsenal. The rifles that he inspected were cartouche stamped with the initials "OGEK" in a rectangular box, on the buttstock. Rifles stamped OGEK without a rectangular box were inspected by Ed Klouser at the same Ogden Arsenal. In The Phantom Of Phu Bai, a biography of USMC Scout Sniper Eric England written by Joseph B. Turner, one chapter is about Elmer Keith and his influence on the shooting community. Keith's first major contribution, the .357 Magnum, was the result of handloading the .38 Special cartridge far beyond normally accepted limits, taking full advantage of the greater strength of the revolvers available in the 1920s compared to those of the late 19th century. The .357 Magnum first became available in 1935 and quickly became a favorite among law enforcement and civilian users. Elmer Keith has a superabundance of foundation for writing this authoritative book on shotguns. In his lifetime he has had a staggering amount of experience with just about every type of shotgun and shell and conducted extensive tests on all of them. He is renowned as a North American big game hunter because of his successful pursuit of game from Mexico to Alaska. During World War II, in his capacity as head of inspection and proof firing at Ogden Arsenal, he test fired over 5,000 shotguns and used at one time, over a period of two months, used over one hundred cases of shells. In his career he has tested everything from flintlocks to the latest autos.
Jim Casada's formal education includes a B. A. in history from King University, an M. A. in British history from Virginia Tech,and a Ph. D. in British imperial history from Vanderbilt University. He taught at Winthrop University from 1971-1996 before devoting all his energies to writing. While at Winthrop he rose to the rank of full professor, served two terms as chair of the graduate faculty, was recognized as the institution's Distinguished Professor in 1983, and won numerous excellence in teaching awards. As an academician, he wrote several books, roughly a hundred articles, and reviewed numerous books for scholarly journals. He is a long-time member of a number of outdoor writers' groups and has served as president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA), and the South Carolina Outdoor Press Association (SCOPe), as well as being a founding board member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association.