Can someone recomend a reference book, magazine article etc. that explains the parts and function of a double gun? Is there anything along the lines of the Dummies books? Thanks.

LR

LOTS of options here, but one informative, accessible and entertaining place to start is Shotgun Technicana by McIntosh and Trevallion:

Shotgun Technicana

Study this for awhile, and learn the terms, then just start looking at different Internet gun auctions, Gun Broker, Guns International, Auction Arms, to name a few. Also try some of the sites listed on here, as good as any book/s.

http://www.hallowellco.com/abbrevia.htm

Hands down Diggory Hadoke's book "Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot" is the book you want.

It explains all the parts of the a double gun and equally important, why it matters, how to collect them, how to avoid dogs and how to interpret the condition/quality of a gun you see.

Highly recommended.

Thank you both. That Hallowell site is great. I'm open to any more sugestions

On the used market, Don Zutz's "The Double Shotgun" gives good technical and practical information, on both side by sides and over and unders.

I don't have Dig's book, but it sounds great. I do have Shotgun Technicana and it's a nice little book to have read.

I like GT Garwood / Gough Thomas's books. "Shoguns and Cartridges for Game and Clays". There are more but I can' find them in my bookshelf right now.

Major Gerald Burrards books. "The Modern Shotgun, Volume 1, The Gun", "The Modern Shotgun, Volume II, The Cartridge" and "The Modern Shotgun, Volume III, The gun and the Cartridge"

Charles Askins books. "Modern Shotguns and Loads", "The American Shotgun",

I started out with Gough Thomas's, then on to Burrard and lastly Askins. I really like Garwood the best.

Best,

Mike

WW Greener The Gun and It's Developement. And British Shotguns vole 1 & 2
By Crudington&Baker

Thanks for all the suggestions. Just been looking around on that Halloway site and it seems like for every question I answer, ten more come to mind. Digs book does sound good and will see if I can find the others.

Doubleguns for dummies, those would be doubleguns that have had the barrels sawed off .
Steve

You can also pick up the H&H DVD. I have owned it in the past, but keep giving my copy away.

http://www.gunmakersrow.co.uk/

Most guns were NOT hand made. This DVD gives you a good idea what is involved in a bespoke gun.

If you go to YouTube and type in PURDEY SHOTGUN, this is what you get.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu...9l0.3.2.1.1l7l0

Pete

The Shotgun Encyclopedia by John Taylor is my go to book for shotgun information. I would highly recommend it for your library.

Gunsmithing British SXS Shotguns by Jack Rowe, a DVD from MidwayUSA. Best visual informative resourse, IMHO