Big Bore Sixguns

Rating:
Summary: First book on big bore sixguns in more than three decades
Review: Covers every big bore sixgun from the .357 Magnum through the .41 Magnum, .44 Special, .44-40, .45 Colt, .44 Magnum, .454 Casull and the Linebaugh cartridges up to the .500 Maximum plus custom sixguns, sixgun leather, sixgun stocks, cowboy action shooting, SA replicas, cap-n-ball sixguns. Nearly 400 photos BW & color. If you are a true sixgunner in the spirit of Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton, you will love this book

Rating:
Summary: Good but flawed.
Review: Every twenty years or so, a book turns up that captures the shooter's art at a critical point in its evolution and becomes a definitive text. Sixguns by Keith by Elmer Keith and John Taylor's African Rifles and Cartridges are books like that, and remain influential nearly fifty years after they were written. In Big Bore Sixguns, John Taffin tries for the same goal, and almost makes it.

Big Bore Sixguns is an entertaining review of the dozen or so handgun cartridges considered "big bores," and includes Taffin's observations on them. It starts with a history of the revolver and ends with a review of using them in the 1990's, and Taffin more than covers the waterfront. The problem is that he has the irritating habit of casting himself as a peer of pioneers like Keith and Taylor. He never tells us why we should agree, except to say that he has load data he won't publish, or is good buddies with X, who gave him the first of this model or Y who loaned him the last of that one. That's fine in magazines, since gunwriters have to keep score, but if it is going to be in a book, it should be more subtle.

He also has the annoying habit of having himself photographed with a large, loaded and cocked revolver pointed almost directly into the camera, which gives the appearance of something extremely dangerous.

The other photography in the book is good, and there are more than enough pictures of odd, rare and interesting revolvers, cartridges and impedimentia to hold nearly any shooter's interest. Of particular interest are the photographs of the working revolvers of the 19th century, which give an excellent idea of how they compare to modern firearms. (Most gun books show engraved and cased versions of these older guns, and it's usually hard to tell what they really looked like.)

Ultimately, I think Big Bore Sixguns will stand as a solid if somewhat flawed recap of where revolver shooting stood at the close of the twentieth century. Taffin's writing is informative and entertaining, but I got the feeling there was a lot more he could have told us if he had chosen to do so. Maybe we'll get that in the sequel.

For all of my carping, you should still cough up the money for this book. It's worth it.

Rating:
Summary: HYPE FREE
Review: Excellent survey of modern big bore handguns. Covers availability, use, ammunition and reloading. Practical, realistic analysis of pros and cons and practicality. Tells it like it is. Engagingly hype free and credible. I bought the book and then I bought a `big bore".

Rating:
Summary: Against my better judgement, I love this book
Review: First, let me establish that I am a pro-gun control liberal -- who just happens to like guns. I bought this book when I starting feeling the irresistable urge to buy a single action revolver. I felt that I needed to read up on the subject, and look at some nice pictures of sixguns.

Boy, did this book pay off -- in spades. It looks like a coffee table book, has pretty pictures like a coffee table book, but -- jeez, this guy knows a lot about sixguns!

The only problem with this book is that, in my opinion, it should have been organized differently. This is the first book I've ever felt I wanted to type into my computer and edit for my own use.

My point is that this book has something to offer, even if you are not a "true sixgunner". (As I said, I'm a left-wing, pro-gun control city boy, and I want to customize my six-shooter -- even before I've bought one!)

Rating:
Summary: Mr. Taffin Knows a Little About Big Bore Sixguns
Review: If "Jeopardy!" ever had a category for Big Bore Sixguns, John Taffin would run the board and break the bank. This book has all the data, anecdotes, and history than anyone interested in this subject could want.Taffin's knowledge is not mere facts and figures - he is clearly an accomplished hunter and silhouetter as well.Although unsophisticated observers might complain about the organization of the book, I found it to be laid out in a clear and logical manner. The color section is a special bonus, with beautiful photographs of customized weapons. "Big Bore Sixguns" is a true labor of love, and a worthy addition to any gun lover's library.

Rating:
Summary: A Handgun classic!
Review: If you liked Sixguns by Keith you'll also like Big Bore Sixguns! This is a well researched and written book about revolvers, primarily single action revolvers. John Taffin shares his unabashed love for fine revolvers and imparts a wealth of knowledge about the guns, cartridges, history and reloads.

Rating:
Summary: A Worthy Addition to Sixgun Literature.
Review: Taffin is recognized as the foremost student of the big bore revolver at the end of the 20th Century.

Big Bore Sixguns is a worthy successor to the works of Keith and others and will stand alongside the seminal Sixguns as an important reference. While Taffin is well grounded in the technical and historical facets of revolver delopment, his emphasis on practical application sets this work apart from the coffee-table tomes dedicated to the collector and historian.

The photography is of the f/44 tradition, emphasizing detail and real-world perspective. His use of deep field self portraiture has become something of a personal trademark. One suspects that the arthor adopted this technique to maximize depth of focus for un-manned timer shots from the tripod but the striking result is a sharply focused image of the revolver in somewhat startling close proximity to the camera.

Trust Taffin on the fine details as well as the big picture. He is one of a small handful of specialty journalists who concentrate on these large hunting and utility revolvers and are in constant contact with the key players in this realm of the sixgun culture.

Rating:
Summary: A must have for any sixgunner!
Review: This a a must have for anyone interested in large caliber revolvers. It covers all of the major calibers, holsters, custom work and any other area the you can think of. If you hop over to sixguns.com you can get an autographed copy! It is a great book with great pictures- five stars all the way!