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| Percussion Pistols And Revolvers: History, Performance and Practical Use | 
 enlarge | Author: Mike Cumpston
Creator: Johnny Bates
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $10.24
You Save: $6.71 (40%)
New (16) Used (7) from $10.24
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 285282
Media: Paperback
Edition: 0
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0595357962
Dewey Decimal Number: 683
EAN: 9780595357963
ASIN: 0595357962
Publication Date: July 20, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New Book! Delivered direct from our US warehouse in 3-6 days (Expedited) or 10-14 days (Standard). Expedited shipping recommended for speedy delivery. Over 1 million satisfied customers.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A wonderful read, and a useful reference July 14, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great book, from a historical reading standpoint. It puts the technological progression of the percussion handgun in historical context.
I thoroughly enjoyed the practical information on how to use the various antique versions and modern replicas of these old guns. I also appreciated the candid assesment of build quality, parts availability and customer service from the various importers and manufacturers of replica black powder percussion guns.
My only suggestion is that the book be larger, with more pages, with lots of color and black & white photos, with more history, more gunsmithing how-to's, more custom black powder revolver modifications, more gun leather, and more field testing and hunting tales. The only regret I had on finishing this book was that there is not yet a sequel.
Buy this book, but be warned -
. . . upon reading this book you will find yourself awaiting shipment of an 1851 Colt Navy black powder revolver, along with a small box of shooting supplies. (make sure you try real black powder!)
Excellent Book for Cap and Ball Revolver Enthusiasts! July 11, 2006
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I count this as one of my better acquisitions in the field of 19th Century firearms books. There is an awful lot of good, hard to find information packed within, including details on maintenance (including assembly/disassembly procedures), general use and loading instructions, specific load results with different powders, and observations on the quality of various reproductions. As the authors state early on in the book, they pull no punches when giving their honest assessment of the quality of the various reproductions out there.
One also finds valuable suggestions on improving the reliability of various reproductions, such as gunsmithing tips for the pocket percussion revolvers to prevent cap fragments from binding up the cylinder. Very useful stuff.
I also love the colour graphic on the cover - it immediately attracted my notice when I was skimming through the myriad "recommendations" on Amazon.
I do have some suggestions for improvement for a 2nd edition, in the highly unlikely event the authors ever read this droll review and actually want to go for a 2nd edition...:
1. There are a number of minor, but noticeable typographical and administrative type errors in the book, such as using "heals" instead of "heels." Basically needs a sharp-eyed editor to go through and insure proper word usage.
2. While the black and white illustrations are generally adequate, they are a bit grainy (owing to the resolution and also, I think, the paper used) and are often too small. Indeed, some are actually quite tiny. This is usually not a serious problem, but in some cases when they are used to illustrate an important detail (such as the LeMat pictures on pp 144-145 and some detailed mechanism shots on pp 92-94) it is hard to make out what is being shown. In such cases it is a bit of a problem.
I would suggest, then, that a 2nd edition of this fine work at least have larger and sharper black and white photos. Further, if possible, select illustrations should be done as sharp, full colour plates. One that comes to mind is the photo of an original Colt Walker at the beginning of chapter 12. I would have loved to see a full-colour, full-page plate of this wonderful firearm. Surely 6-12 colour plates, perhaps focusing on original firearms such as the aforementioned Walker, bound into the centre of the book should not be too great a challenge? At the least the cover illustration could be sharpened up a bit (it is great, of course, but could be a bit better).
3. If possible, an appendix that goes into more detail of the various reproductions and their manufacturers, with discussion as to reliability, attention to detail, overall quality, etc.
4. Also of great use would be an appendix that gave contact information for and brief descriptions of companies that make accessories, such as replacement springs, etc., for percussion revolvers. A further help would be a similar list of gunsmiths who specialize in repairs, tuning, etc. for these magnificent firearms.
5. Something that may or may be of interest to the authors (and, thus, may or may not be within the scope of this book) are certain experimental percussion revolvers. For example, one company (Big Iron Barrels) can bore out Dragoons and similar revolvers up to .58 (!!!!) calibre (reducing capacity to five shots). Such conversions are unhistorical, but interesting nonetheless. If the authors were interested in this, an appendix discussing it might be in order.
6. On a purely trivial note, it might be of interest to use 19th Century fonts (such as Baskerville Old Face) and formatting conventions on both the text and cover to give the book a more Victorian Era appearance. Not important, but it would seem to fit well with the subject matter of the book (and I did like the font used with the captions).
I hope the foregoing does not give a negative impression of this treatise. If you are a percussion revolver enthusiast I think you will find this book very useful, and really ought to procure a copy for your collection.
Best and most informative C&B book ever written! January 26, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is so informative and well written I was unable to put it down and have gone back to it several times. Packed with info about every aspect of these gun's including the hands on fireing results and ballistics by the authors.
I would never hesitate to buy another book written by these two authors.If you have any desire at all to learn all about these cap and ball revolvers and pistols this is the book you want.
Informative nonfiction at its best. December 26, 2005
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Books written by an author who actually knows things tend to be as pleasurable as they are rare. Percussion Pistols and Revolvers by Johnny Bates and Mike Cumpston is such a book. The authors write with a wonderfully dry sense of humor. "LePage performed valuable service by keeping the gentle classes entertained with full-featured target pistols. At the same time, they kept the population of the peerage from getting out of hand by making duelers of the same general pattern." Or discussing the introduction of conical bullets: "It is possible to find claims that the bullet was superior to the round ball because of increased penetration, greater target impact, and better flight characteristics. There were also frequent claims that the bullet was more accurate. The experts who made such claims were on solid scientific footing. They made perfect sense although none of them was true." This book is a hoot to read.
Percussion Pistols and Revolvers covers the history of the cap lock handguns. It gives an unvarnished examination of the quality of the modern replicas and explores the availability of parts for the same. The book provides practical advice on loading, shooting, and cleaning the guns. And the book reports on the performance of the guns individually. All of this is done with a skepticism of conventional wisdom and an insistence on actual observation. When discussing the introduction of paper cartridges, "We put together a few such cartridges using cash receipt paper treated in a solution of Hi Yield Stump Remover." It's that kind of book.
When I started shooting BP 8-9 years back September 22, 2005
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I made my share of mistakes. If I'd had this book, I would have been steered clear of most of them.
Very practical book.
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