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Guns And Gunmaking Tools Of Southern Appalachia, The Story Of The Kentucky Rifle

Gunmakers have a culture in their traditions, tools, and products which this book exposes in very human terms. The people of the isolated mountain valleys of Appalachia tell how they make and use the Kentucky and related firearms and the supplies that go with them, both in the past and today as tradition continues.

Series: Story of the Kentucky

Paperback: 118 pages

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing; 2nd ed. edition (March 1, 1983)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0916838811

ISBN-13: 978-0916838812

Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #97 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Crafts & Hobbies > Weaponsmithing #359 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Firearms & Weapons > Firearms

For students of the Southern mountain rifle as well as Appalachian lore, this book is a must. What is so amazing is how these plain, but entirely serviceable rifles were made under such primitive conditions. The chapter on cross bows and how they were made gives the reader an idea of the extreme poverty that these folk lived in. I also found the chapter on Hacker Martin, a 20th century maker of these guns to be entertaining and informative. Being a collector and muzzleloading shooter, I certainly appreciated what John R. Irwin has done with the subject

Excellent book. These folks were very talented. They had to be in order to not only build a long rifle from scratch but make the tools to do so from whatever they could find. It is a great up close and personal look at the people and skills of an area that is often thought to be backwards or ignorant. I can build a long rifle from a collection of parts and have done so, but to start with nothing or very little is an amazing accomplishment. The book is well worth reading if you like the history of early America and especially if you like the history of American long rifles that played a huge part in the exploration and settlement of the US.

This is the best book I have found on tools of the gun makers in the south. The southern mountain gun is placed in a better context of isolation from the Eastern traditions through the photos and accounts. After studying the photos I will have to duplicate some of the tools for my own use.

If all you do is look at the pictures in this book, it is worth the price, but don't miss the text. I have been collecting guns made by some of the gunsmiths featured in this book for years, and I also like to collect all the information about them as individuals so I could try to understand why they made certain rifles the way they did. The book told me more than I could ever have learned by myself. Both about the guns and the gunsmiths themselves. If you are the least bit interested in these people and the guns they made, then you should really own this book.

A great book on old time methods and old time tools of the gun trade. Great pictures!

I bought this book to study primitive long rifle manufacturing techniques in Appalachia. It is very well laid out. It is also an interesting insight into life in the mountains during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Just as he always does, John Rice Irwin increases your appreciation of the ingenuity of the Mountain People of my home territory by placing this everyday item into its cultural context. Wonderful book!

14 pages out of a 116 page book are devoted to the Kentucky rifle, that's it. And only 1 of those pictures is anywhere close to being enlarged enough to see the important details of one rifle. They even spend 7 pages on crossbows. Only buy this book if you are interested in bad pictures of extremely crude rifle-making tools.

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