Gun Book Collecting

by
posted on January 31, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg

I can’t collect handguns because I can’t afford it. You have to accept the difference between an organized collection of specimens of a particular make or model, and an accumulation of different handguns that fill specific needs in your shooting life or were priced right when you thought they were really neat. My limited little armory is in the latter category. I am fooling around with a particular category of gun collection, but for now I am more of a gun accumulator than a gun collector. I suspect that many readers are in similar situations, so may I suggest another form of gun-related collecting?

How about collecting gun books? I try to stay current with everything having to do with selecting and/or using fighting handguns. At this point in history, a lot of new stuff is coming out and you have to hustle to keep up. It was a lot more fun when I was scrambling to find the early classics like FitzGerald’s Shooting or Nichol’s Secrets of Double Action Shooting. There are still a few books from the early 1920s that I don’t have, but the search continues. A complete collection is always valuable and there is a tremendous amount of useful information in those faded and dusty pages.

Also, you can sort of define your own parameters for your collection. You could have a collection of Colt books, Colt automatic pistol books, Colt .45 auto pistol books, etc. There is an interesting array of books on combat shooting, competition shooting or even field shooting with handguns. Without even realizing I was doing it, I amassed a pretty decent collection of books on handloading ammunition. Much of this came from a lot of years of working in the business and constantly upgrading the mini-library over the loading bench. Have at it!

Latest

Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus Expedition

Taurus entered the bolt-action rifle market with its Expedition, a Remington 700-pattern design that's built to be versatile and affordable.

New For 2025: Charter Arms Pathfinder II

Charter Arms updated one of the oldest models in its lineup with the new Pathfinder II, which features a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, making it more well-balanced and easier to carry.

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.