Over the years, I’ve discovered that even if you meet people in vastly different circumstances, or at different times in their lives, a few essential things come out that everyone knows about that person. Anyone who knows me, whether they met me as a high school kid, a 20-year-old infantry Marine, a 26-year-old college student, or a 30-year-old gypsy, can tell you a few consistent things: Darren likes Yuengling. Darren likes peanut butter sandwiches. And the most consistent one- Darren LOVES to read.
I Love Books!
I was the kid in school reading books under the table during other classes. Used book store owners know me by name. Once, when moving, my mother suggested I throw out or sell some of my books to make the move easier–I had to step outside for a minute and take some breaths to calm down. So, between my bibliophilia and RevolverGuy ways, I’ve accumulated a lot of revolver-focused books.
A common complaint I hear from other RevolverGuys, especially young ones, is finding good information on wheel guns. Let’s face it, revolvers are not trendy right now, and there’s not much good information out there–hell, a lot of it is downright bad. And the generation that knew this stuff is not making YouTube videos about it (although this is changing a bit–see my comments at the end about that).
But the old timers wrote their wisdom down, so I’ve made this list in order to give readers some ideas. With one exception, I own or have owned all these books. While not organized into sections, I tried to keep similar books together. I wanted to do my best to cover a broad swath of books, so there should be something for everyone on here, but some topics, like collecting, I’ll freely admit are not my specialty.*
So, in no particular order, here we go!
Sixguns, by Elmer Keith, 1955/1961
Like the first book was going to be anything else? The great Elmer Keith’s magnum opus, this was the last word on sixgunning for decades, and it remains an all-time classic. It covers everything from holsters to handloads and is backed by Keith’s wonderful stories and pictures.
He wrote two editions, but for information you should get the later edition–it’s the same as the elder, but contains additional chapters to cover the then-new .44 Magnum and other products. I don’t have much else to say–if you don’t already have a copy of Sixguns, you should fix that immediately.
The various works of John Taffin
These would include The Book of the .44, The Book of the .45, Single Action Sixguns, Big Bore Sixguns, and more.
This is a personal one for me- the very first gun book I ever read seriously was John Taffins’s Single Action Sixguns, and it influenced me to get a Ruger Single Ten as my own first handgun. Mr. Taffin wrote a variety of books over the years, covering everything from calibers to Cowboy Action Shooting, so pick the one that aligns with your RevolverGuy interests and get it.
You don’t necessarily need to get all of them, as some of the chapters repeat themselves. The chapter on the Great Western Single Actions, .44-40, or the Triple Lock is the same whether it’s in The Book of the .44 or Single Action Sixguns. But no sixgunner’s library is complete without something with Mr. Taffin’s name on the spine.
Double Action Sixguns, by John Taffin
Single Action Sixguns, by John Taffin
The books of Grant Cunningham
These would include Defensive Revolver Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, and The Gun Digest Book of the Revolver by Grant Cunningham.
These are some of the more modern books on the list, and they’re the ones I’ve recommended to people trying to get into the current revolver shooting space. It’s actually harder than you’d think to find a book on revolver usage that covers modern equipment–the majority of books on this list, for example, were written before speed loaders were in common usage. Mike gave them a thumbs up in these pages, and Justin did as well.
Cunnigham’s books cover almost everything relevant about modern revolvers and shooting. You might disagree with some of the defensive shooting advice, but this is one of the few comprehensive revolver texts from the 21st century.
Check out Grant’s books at the Gun Digest Store (Hey, while you’re there, you might as well treat yourself to Mike’s book on the Newhall Shooting as well–it’s on sale, just saying!)
Defensive Revolver Fundamentals, 2nd Edition, by Grant Cunningham
Gun Digest Book of the Revolver, by Grant Cunningham
No Second Place Winner, by Bill Jordan, 1965
Another title that should be no surprise to the readers. This was one of the very first books ever written that covered everything about shooting a revolver as a deadly matter. Jordan doesn’t talk about hunting, handloading, or history almost at all in his seminal publication–everything here revolves around serious social work, written by one of the fastest guns ever. Jordan carried a 1917 through the caves of Okinawa, was the public shooting face of the Border Patrol for decades, and performed tricks with a gun that you have to see to believe.
No Second Place Winner covered the gamut of gunfighting advice, from grips, shooting, holsters, even safely conducting training and dry practice. The advice, especially the shooting tips, may seem dated now, but they provide a valuable insight into what was considered cutting edge at the time. One aside–did you know that Bill Jordan’s uncle, Henderson Jordan, was in the Bonnie and Clyde posse? Now you know, and knowing is half that battle! (The other half is extreme violence.)
No Second Place Winner, by Bill Jordan
Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting, by Ed Mcgivern, 1938
Another classic, this one’s a bit of a beast. McGivern was the best revolver shooter who ever lived until that Cajun Jerry fella came along, and the things Mr. Ed could do with a gun don’t seem real. He could put 5 shots of .38 into a playing card in 2/5ths of a second, break clays shooting two guns simultaneously, and shoot with a gun under his elbow using a mirror. And it was all recorded and verified with equipment, unlike a lot of the fanciful tales told about shooting at that time.
Even more amazing, he did most of it with completely stock Smith and Wesson revolvers. His book gives you all the details about how he did his shooting, even covering topics that made the bullseye shooters of the time cringe. Shooting while moving, shifting guns in hand, the man did it all. The prose is extremely wordy and dense, so it’s not an easy read, but you’ll be surprised at how well some of Mr. McGivern’s advice holds up.
Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting, by Ed McGivern
Shooting, by JH Fitzgerald, 1930
With the resurgence of interest in Fitz Revolvers, more people should own this book. While Fitz covers a fair amount of shooting and revolver talk, the truly juicy parts of this book are the looks at subjects that were in their infancy at the time. Fitz covered expert witness work, combatives, concealed carry, and forensics at a time when some movies didn’t have sound.
The book is obviously slanted towards Colt products, as Mr. Fitzgerald worked for them as a representative. You’ll find a few gems in here ahead of their time. There’s a picture of the man in a stance that looks remarkably similar like a Weaver stance, retention positions that wouldn’t look out of place in a Shivworks class, and calls for a medium power cartridge that sounds a lot like the .40 S&W.
Shooting, by J Henry FitzGerald
The Snubby Revolver, by Ed Lovette, 2002
This short little book was out of print and expensive for years, but a few recent runs have alleviated that a lot. This is the sum text of the late Ed Lovette, who worked somewhere in the government, doing some stuff in some places, and we’ll leave it at that.
A brutal look at what actually hiding a gun is like in places where getting made gets you killed, Mr. Lovette was one of the first to advertise the more esoteric advantages of revolvers at a time when autos were starting to take over. It’s a great summary of why, even today, the snubby is a great choice when the rubber meets road.
The Snubby Revolver, 3rd Edition, by Ed Lovette
Handgunners Guide, by Chic Gaylord, 1960
Chic Gaylord was a holster maker and artist in New York who contributed greatly to modern holster design. This book is a nice snapshot of the time, with its focus on big calibers and blinding fast hip shooting. It’s a great read for the holster section, which shows the forerunners of what would become the modern designs of Seventrees, Bianchi, and others that would carry on into the like of Milt Sparks, Galco, Kramer, and all the other holsters we love. Many of the concealment holster designs don’t look out of place today.
But don’t focus too much on the shooting portions- there’s some very dated stuff here, and unlike some of the other writing, there’s no hidden gems or insights that are still relevant today. Treat this as a historical text, and you’ll get a good idea of how shooters back then thought about things.
Handgunner’s Guide, by Chic Gaylord
Secrets of Double Action Shooting, by Bob Nichols, 1950
Similar to Mr. Gaylord’s book, this was one of the early texts that advanced double action shooting, as opposed to the more bullseye-focused single action shooting that was popular at the time.
Now, to be clear, Mr. Nichols was still primarily talking in the context of bullseye shooting, but his ideas about grips, grip adaptors, and trigger control was forward thinking. And he does cover more service or defensive style shooting a bit. He really did break ground–at this point in history, only a few radical thinkers like McGivern, Keith, or Applegate saw DA shooting as anything but an emergency technique for hip shooting, but Nichols showed that a good shooter basically didn’t need SA at all.
This can be a bit of a repitive book–the man makes it clear that single action bullseye shooters, Colts, and Smith short actions are the devil. And when you’ve read that once, you’ve read about half the book. Still, it’s a short read and it’s worth it alone for the pictures of the only verified Fitz’d Smith and Wesson in existence.
The Secrets of Double Action Shooting, by Bob Nichols
Firearms of the American West 1866-1894, by Louis Garavaglia and Charles Worman, 1985
Breaking into deeper history, I wanted to include at least one book in this setting, and this is the best Old West gun book I’ve ever read. It’s one of my personal favorites. There are probably more gun books written about this time period than there were Colt Walkers, and I’ve read almost all of them. But this one is the best, because it uses letters, articles, and advertisements from the time period.
As opposed to just listing dates and numbers, you get to hear the voices of cowboys, gunman, and shooters from the Old West. This gives us insight into what Revolver Guys back then were like, and it’s fun to see them write letters to newspapers that sound a lot like Instagram comments today. It’s not a revolver exclusive book, but you definitely need a copy of this.
Firearms of the American West, 1866-1894, by Louis Garavaglia and Charles Worman
Burning Powder, by Doug Wesson, 1938
This is a quick read, and it covers some basics of shooting and handloading of the time. Full of great information, its primary purpose was to advertise to the reader the then-brand spanking new Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum.
The book is filled with stories and anecdotes of men doing incredible things with the innovative gun and cartridge. People that think .357 is too little gun for white tail deer need to read this book.
Burning Powder by Douglas Wesson
The Art of Revolver Shooting (1901), and The Modern Pistol and How to Shoot it (1919), by Walter Winans
I’m putting both of these on here, because of one of the earliest lines of the second title–to wit, “The revolver is now obsolete, and there is no point in learning how to shoot it.” Mr. Winans was a highly accomplished international shooter, and he considered his later book a successor to the first.
While the first is more interesting to RevolverGuys, the second book contains some evolving ideas on competition shooting and gear, with things like running deer targets getting attention. He also describes grips and sights that are almost a dead ringer for more modern gear- his description of a large silver ball inside a U-notch sight is almost identical to the modern Trijicon HD-style sights. Yeah, he was wrong about revolvers, but these are some of the oldest shooting titles in existence, and they give a look into shooting culture both in America and internationally.
The Art of Revolver Shooting, by Walter Winans
The Modern Pistol and How to Shoot It, by Walter Winans
The Service Revolver and How to Use It, by CD Tracy, 1917
A fun book with the most depressing backstory. Written right at the darkest point of WW1, when the advantages of a handgun for trench fighting were clearly demonstrated. Tracy was a British Officer who wrote one of the earliest texts for training a uniformed force in down and dirty close fighting, focusing on the Webley Revolver. He predates the Shanghai duo by a few years. Ahead of his time on some things- visible sights, grips, and targets being easy ones- the Brits probably knew more about short range shooting at this point than anyone in the world.
While still somewhat a slave to his cultiure, some of the more now outdated ideas Tracy brings up made sense at their time. He still emphasizes single action shooting at all but closest ranges, but anyone who has ever tried to use the DA pull of a Webley understands where he’s coming from. The book’s a little hard for modern eyes to read and has some Continental English writing tendencies like Needless Capitalization of Certain Words, but like Winans’ books, it’s a good look at how the rest of the world thought about gunfighting at the time.
The Service Revolver and How To Use It, by C.D. Tracy
The Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, by Jim supica and richard nahas
Mr. Supica and Mr. Nahas are currently on the Fifth Edition of the Standard Catalog, and this will certainly change over time–whenever you read this, just buy the most recent edition.
This is the standard reference for Blue and White Revolvers, and you need one if you have even a passing interest in Smiths.
Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 5th Edition, by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas
The various Colt books by Gurney Brown
These would include Colt’s Double Action Revolvers (The Post War Era), Colt’s Python: King of The Seven Serpents, and more.
Despite being a member of the Colt Collector’s Association, I freely admit the Colt rabbit hole is one I haven’t gone down. But I’ve owned Mr. Brown’s book on Colt’s Post War DA’s, and it was great. And for serious collectors, they are fantastic. Even just for the pictures, these are worth having.
Gurney Brown’s books at Cherry’s Fine Guns
History of Smith and Wesson, by Roy Jinks
This is another book that’s been through many revisions–look for the most recent edition you can find. This text focuses more on company history than the Standard Catalog. Roy Jinks is synonymous with Smith and Wesson, and the various editions of his book explain more about why the company did certain things the way they did. It’s a great look at the company’s thinking, written by a man who knows it best.
History of Smith & Wesson, Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition, by Roy G. Jinks
The Peacemaker and its Rivals, by John Parsons, 1950
A comprehensive history of America’s gun, this was written at a time when the grand old Model P was discontinued, and America was obsessed with the Western.
There are many books on the Peacemaker, but this one speaks the language of the time. It also covers comparisons to the Remington and Smith revolvers of the time, which makes for good reading.
The Peacemaker and Its Rivals, by John E. Parsons
The Custom Revolver, by Hamilton Bowen, 2001
This is the only book I don’t physically own or have ever owned, but I have read it and its reputation speaks for itself. Hamilton Bowen’s name should be familiar to every RevolverGuy, and The Custom Revolver has been a classic for years.
Hamilton Bowen is one of the very few pistolsmiths in the world who can take a block of steel and whittle metal away until you have is a gun, and in his book he gives up all his secrets. In particular, the chapters on caliber conversions and max-caliber revolvers are gold for people who face West each night and bow to John Linebaugh. The book is ludicrously expensive now, almost prohibitively, but if you see one at the local swap meet or gun show for even a halfway decent price you should buy it. You know you’ve achieved legendary status when you can just say “Bowen’s book” and people know what you mean. Thank God the Kindle Edition is cheap.
The Custom Revolver (eBook), by Hamilton S. Bowen
Old gun magazines
This is cheating a bit, but revolvers were the dominant handgun for years and the only consistent media that existed, pre-internet, were gun magazines. Cheap and available, the next time you see a stack of gun rags on the table at the gun show, browse through em and look at the articles. If you see something interesting- buy it! Print media can’t be destroyed easily, and us owning the information in those articles is the only way to keep it for future generations.
start your hunt!
I’ve tried to leave links or sources for everything I can. I know a lot of them are Amazon links, and I don’t like that either, but a lot of small shops sell these books pre-owned through Bezos’s behemoth. So, help out the little guy and buy used if you can. If you just can’t stand Amazon, eBay and local used bookstores are your friend. I’ve also linked the physical copies whenever I can, but many of these titles are available digitally as well. But if you can, buy the paper.
Well, that should be enough to get you all started. I know I left off many books, some for content, and some for availability. Skeeter Skelton’s books, for example, contain tons of good information, but like Bowen’s they’re very expensive and not revolver exclusive per se. Massad Ayoob’s old books, or the various older Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery editions, were left out for similar reasons of not exclusively revolver content. I also left off most of the more gunsmithing manual-esque books, like the Kunnhausen books or anything by Nonte, since they are more technical guides than they are true books. I had to put Bowen’s on the list though, just felt wrong leaving it off. I also left off more niche-focused books, like Elgin Gates’ Metallic Silhouette book, the array of handgun hunting books, or the various Cowboy Action Shooting guides. While they are revolver-centered, they’re more focused on sports or pursuits that just happen to involve revolvers.
Finally, while this is a reading list about physical books- there’s tons of good stuff on the web as well. RevolverGuy, American Fighting Revolver, Snub Noir, Gun Tales, and many more are the gun magazines of today, where the high level and intelligent conversation and writing happens, away from the lunacy of social media. So even if some of these old tomes don’t tickle your fancy, hit up the right parts of the internet and you’ll find some great stuff.
I had a lot of fun writing this list, but part of the appeal of being a bookworm is the thrill of the hunt. I just know there’s a book or text I’m missing–I happened upon Gurney Brown’s books almost completely by accident when I wandered into Cherry’s one day. So, if you think I’m missing a major title, tell me in the comments!
I know reading is a dying pastime–I’m an unwilling part of the generation that’s killing it. People are used to scrolling fast, quickly consuming surface level information, and not lingering on one thing for too long. Multiple studies have been done showing that speed-focused social media like TikTok or Instagram is actively hurting people’s ability to sit and read a book. And man, it hurts to know that a whole generation of shooters won’t know what it’s like to curl up somewhere and fall asleep reading the great words of Taffin, Keith, Jordan, Skelton, and all the greats. So, if you have even a passing interest in RevolverGuy stuff, buy one of these books and read it.
Just don’t buy ALL of them- I still need a copy of Bowen’s book that I can afford, so leave one copy of that for me!
*****
*It should go without saying, but some of the information in the older books can be outdated, obsolete, or just plain unsafe. Just because I recommend a book doesn’t mean you should slavishly do everything that author writes–keep the context of the time and thinking in mind as you read.
Good Morning Darren.
Thank you for your recommended book list of guns. I too suffer from that ailment know as Bibliophileia. It is a hard one to cure, in fact if it gets its hooks into you deep enough you can forget the cure and keep buying and reading books.
I once possessed a significant collection of books, the majority of which were firearm or history related. Enjoyed looking for old editions from long ago. A house fire back in the 1990s took everything including lots of great guns and good books.
Have or have had most every book you reccomended, will continue looking for those missing.
One that anyone who shoots double action revolvers in double action mode needs greatly is “The Secrets of Double Action Shooting”, by Bob Nichols. It is in reprint so it is readily avaliable and reasonably priced.
Welcome on board.
Great write up Darren!
No matter what subject you’re interested in, having a core group of trustworthy reference books on the topic is very helpful. Darren’s book list seems like a good one for folks interested in serious revolver lore.
Just yesterday, I worked from 1500 to 2330 in my den, installing a new bookcase so I could move a collapsing landslide of books from my ever-shrinking floor to some proper shelves. Of course, this required me to empty out all the other bookshelves, so I could regroup the collection and give it some kind of organizational logic.
I’m awash in fine books, and am always eager to add more.
Hello, my name is Mike, and I’m a bibliophile (thanks for the word, Tony)!
Great list, Darren! You’ve included many of my favorites. Perhaps someday I’ll work on a Part 2, to add some of my unlisted choices. A beginning shooter would do well to follow your lead with this selection!
Thanks for the excellent read about some excellent reads, Darren. You have reminded me that I need to pony up and invest in some of John Taffin’s work as well as update my Standard Catalog of S&W. Agree heartily on Hamilton Bown’s book- that guy can write about them as well as he makes them. I would add Jim Cirillo’s “Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights” to your great list.
Plenty of illiterates hold reading in disdain, more than once I’ve sent a message or written a reply only for the receiver to complain “you’re typing a novel at me” because the TL;DR generation with the attention span of a sparrow can’t focus long enough to finish a paragraph. When did reading become a punishment, I wonder.
Reading might be a punishment for many people, Jeb. More than 25 years ago when I was in grad school a couple professors mentioned that 49% of adult Americans were either illiterate or functionally illiterate. At that time functional illiteracy meant one could not read beyond a 4th-grade level.