David slew Goliath with his slingshot: for millennia that was the norm, as men used a variety of non-explosive weapons to fire small stones and carefully rounded bullets of clay, glass, and even steel and lead. This unusual study explores in practical detail the many ways, old and new, in which man shot projectiles without recourse to gunpowder. They include the bow and arrow, a favorite for the last 10,000 years; pump-up air guns; blowpipes; catapults; and homemade lead musketballs. There's information on ammunition and velocity, as well as a lively personal narrative filled with humor and the spirit of experimentation.

People have long been shooting small stones and carefully rounded bullets of clay, glass, steel, and lead from weapons without using gunpowder. And the bow and arrow has been man's choice all over the world and throughout history at times when modern firearms have been unavailable or unsuitable. In America, there is currently an explosion of interest in making primitive archery tackle--wooden bows, flint arrowheads, natural fiber strings. The author has made and shot flint-tipped arrows from many bows of his own making. He first noticed, twenty years ago, that no one has written a book on catapults, and started to keep records of his own experiments in that and other related fields, leading to this book, which explores many of the ways, old and new, in which people have shot bullets by force of their own muscles.

Firearms, the Law, and Forensic Ballistics, Second Edition offers a comprehensive reference on the forensic science of firearms. It describes what happens when a weapon is fired in terms of internal, external, and terminal/ wound ballistics, and discusses the consequences for the forensic scientist both at the scene of the shooting and in the labor

This book is devoted to a whole series of useful firearms, beginning with the well-known .22 Long Rifle. The venerable “twenty-two” hosts a wide array of interesting loads, including some ultra-quiet choices and fairly nasty high-speed rounds. Even hotter rimfire calibers include the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, plus three small-bore derivatives: the .17 Mach II, .17 Hornady Rimfire Magnum, and Winchester’s high velocity .17 Super Magnum. Careful shopping can provide us with a useful rimfire (or maybe even two) with which to quietly harvest small game or eliminate pests. An economical .22 LR firearm can also serve as a great high-powered rifle trainer if similar function is considered. In a pinch, it might even work for self-defense. The rimfires can’t do everything, but they can do a lot once fully understood. One trait is easy to overlook until you start shooting. They’re lots of fun! This book will lead the way from beginning to end.

Despite a long history of involvement in the design and production of firearms, the Birmingham firm of Webley & Scott is probably better known to the general public for its manufacture of airguns than for any other product. Until now, there has been no published reference that concentrates exclusively on the history and development of Webley air pistols. This book has been prepared to offer a comprehensive guide for all those interested in the subject and who appreciate the traditional British craftsmanship entailed. It embraces all models based upon the same initial patent, which were produced between the years 1924 and 1999, commencing with the original 'Mark 1' and progressing through twelve other models to the final 'Webley Tempest' introduced more than half a century later. In addition to the pistols themselves, there are sections of the book relating to pellet styles and various shooting accessories produced by the same company. The whole work is divided into twenty-two sections, the text being accompanied throughout with 226 original photographs and over 70 line illustrations, each of which has been prepared by the author.

A surprising journey from tech support to professional marksman in front of the cameras. Chris Cheng won the title of “Top Shot,” a $100,000 cash prize, and a professional marksman contract with the show sponsor, Bass Pro Shops. How did a tech support guy who didn’t shoot a lot of guns beat out seventeen other competitors—including seasoned military veterans, law enforcement officers, and pro marksmen—in History Channel’s Top Shot season 4? An excellent guide for beginning shooters, Cheng focuses on the basics and ammunition of pistols, rifles, and shotguns, marksmanship fundamentals, and buying a firearm. Other chapters include: Dry Fire Practice Firearm Accessories Safely Storing Your Firearm Cleaning and Maintaining Your Guns And much more! Additionally, Cheng covers his approach to staying calm under pressure, teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership. These traits contributed to his coming out on top and staying above the fray. With a foreword written by Top Shot season 3 champion Dustin Ellermann and an afterword written by the original Top Shot champion Iain Harrison, Shoot to Win is sure to please shooters of all stripes, but especially fans of History Channel’s program Top Shot. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

This invaluable, well-illustrated book presents a carefully crafted, step-by-step programme which teaches the complete novice air pistol shooter how to attain a high level of marksmanship. The training begins with a detailed consideration of safety procedures, basic pistol craft, range construction and the types of air pistol that are available (spring-powered, pneumatic and CO2) and how they work. The author then moves on to consider holsters, targets, and the advanced skills associated with trigger control, the hold, presentation, the stance, the fast draw and rapid fire shooting. Finally, detailed attention is paid to markmanship exercises but the author emphasizes that these should only be undertaken after all of the techniques set out in the previous chapters have been mastered.Whether you are a novice or more experienced, if you are interested in the fast growing pastime of air pistol shooting for pleasure, then this is the book for you. Covers the mastering of basic pistol craft to the very advanced skills such as fast draw and rapid fire shooting, and is superbly illustrated with colour photographs.