Articles
A Gun to Grow Into
There is pride in the recollection, but there is also the tacit reality that a boy’s early steps to manhood are cast in the footprints of his father and that…
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David McKay Brown
The Scottish firm, and the man who gives his name to it, unite technical skill and artistic flair in the making of best guns…
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Intent of Being the Best
The Connecticut River Valley is the historic “gun valley” of America’s early industrial development in the heart of Yankee country, home to some of the great names in American shotguns…
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Upland Kentucky
On the ground next to my spent 20-gauge hull was a shard of coal. It wasn’t a large piece, but its depth of blackness stood out so prominently amongst the…
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At a Water Hole
The dirt road took us 30 miles from the highway, around a mountain, through a large basin, and then up to a long, treeless plateau. A cloud of dust billowed…
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The Most Famous Name in the Spanish Guns
AYA is the most famous name in Spanish guns. Like Holland & Holland in England, it is the quality standard against which others are measured. The problem for any writer…
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Become a Collector
Here’s a short list of things I love: wild brook trout, snowstorms, wood-canvas canoes, pointers, and—of course—shotguns. For the past 30 years, I’ve been obsessed with shotguns. I’ve worked lousy…
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Bosis and Beautiful
In the Classical world, the ancients believed beauty and goodness were inseparable–that is, physical manifestations of beauty were considered outward expressions of inner qualities such as moral character and fitness…
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Handmade Tradition
The annual Safari Club International show in Las Vegas is set in the convention halls of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The floor setup is a scene of barely organized chaos—booths…
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In Pursuit of Perfection
Simon Clode welcomes me into his office at the Westley Richards & Company factory in Birmingham, England, the heartland of British manufacturing. We have spoken over the phone, but haven’t…
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California Natives
“Absolutely stunning.” That was all my friend could say, and the fact that he was so impressed really impressed me. We were standing together, leaning over a sturdy oak table…
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Gebruder Merkel
The history of World War II is filled with dates whose importance is lost on us today. Tuesday, April 3, 1945, is one such date. Early that morning, the XII…
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