Shotgunning: The Art and the Science

This book is an American classic and should be in every shotgunner's library regardless if the reader is a competitive clay shooter, a waterfowl hunter, or an upland bird hunter. This work is very strong on shotgun ballistics and does a very effective job of debunking folklore and myths regarding the capabilities of shotguns and their cartridges. Bob Brister, who sadly passed away in June 2005, was extremely qualified to write this book. He was the shooting editor of FIELD & STREAM magazine for many years and one of the finest all-around shotgunners in the world. Brister was blessed with a very remarkable sense of eye-hand coordination and won many clay and live-pigeon shooting tournaments. Visitors to his home were often in awe at the sheer number to trophies he had won over the years. It is not unusual for respected gun writers of today (Alex Brandt, John Barsness, John Taylor, Michael McIntosh, and, I believe, Tom Roster) to mention Brister and/or this book in their columns or in their own books -- deservedly and properly so.SHOTGUNNING: THE ART AND THE SCIENCE gives the reader a concise but thorough, factual, and realistic look at shotguns and shooting that is written in language that is easy for a non-technical person to understand. For this book, Brister patterned thousands of loads to try to get to the bottom of what really does work and what doesn't in regards to shotgun shooting. Brister did this, in large part, with a fourteen foot patterning board pulled by car (driven by his devoted wife Sandy), and he clearly demonstrated the effect of shot stringing. (Brister showed that on a fast-moving target the pellets at the front of the shot string can have a significantly different impact point than those at the back at various yardages.)One thing that needs to be remembered is that Bob Brister wrote this book in 1975 (it was published by Winchester Press the following year) and some of the shotgun loads he used are no longer manufactured but he did speak about steel shot which is important today to many shooters. It is too bad that in the thirty years after the initial publication of this book and his passing that Brister did not do a revised, follow-up second edition to reflect the new loads that have since come on the market (the various non-toxic loads in particular) as well as new shotgun barrel technology and chokes. Still, SHOTGUNNING: THE ART AND THE SCIENCE more than holds up to the test of time! Its conclusions and points have not diminished at all and should be part of the knowledge base of every serious shotgun shooter. As such, I highly recommend this book to all. (Note: I did see the so-called second/revised edition of this book at a local bookstore. From what I can tell, it is merely a reprint and not a very good one at that -- the print and pictures and not as sharp and clear as the original. I would opt for a first edition, used copy if I were a purchaser today.)

Great book for shot gunners! Very informative!

By the time I finished this book I could throw a 12 gauge #6 birdshot in the air, shoot that shell with a single shot 410 in mid air, and hit two flyover doves with the airborne 12 gauge. I still ask my buddies if I hit two doves with a 12 gauge or a 410..... they still don't know.....

Arrived in very good condition, priced right, arrived ahead of scheduled time.

It was great

I have not finished this book yet but I am learning a lot from it. The book does seem to be dated a bit but the information in it all valid information and data. For someone like me which has been a gun enthusiast all my life but never owned or used shotguns, this book is a great way to get a knowledge of shotguns. I purchased this boot because I have become interested in Sporting Clay shooting and have gotten to the point that I want to own a shotgun for the sport instead of renting and wanted to know much more.

This book is great for those interested in shotgunning. Just as the title says, it talks in great detail about the art and the science of shotguns and shotgun shells. There is a ton of scientific information across gauges, chokes, shot sizes, shot hardness, charges, powder types. He also does a very nice job explaining how and why even though a gun might pattern well on paper, there are other factors (the art) that come into play when actually hunting or in competition. In all this is a great book for more advanced shooters or those who simply want to understand more about shotgunning.

I agree with the other reviews in that this is a very indepth guide to shotguns (but with an emphasis on trap shooting). Unfortunately this is not a good book for waterfowl hunting as Bob goes in depth about *lead* shot and how it performs. While his testing methods and insights on how to shoot are good, I really would care less how #4 would perform on ducks as I can't legally use it in the US. This book was written before the ban on lead shot and hasn't been updated accordingly! This book is good for the trap/skeet shooter who can use lead shot but much less useful for the waterfowl hunter. Other than this I like the book as its a good read with clear points.

A bit dated. Still contains a load of information, but you can feel that references to champions of the 1976 Olympics is not exactly modern science. On the other hand there's a LOT of no-nonsense information in pretty much every chapter, and it debunks many 'pet theories' of the field, while confirming quite a few others (I never knew the strength of the wind would have such an impact on shotguns!).I would still recommend the book, even if it's a little bit too american (with everything in imperial measures) and the illustrations are sometime poor.

By far the best book on shotguns and the science behind them. Some of the information is a little dated now but do not let that put you off this is a gem of a book. The idea of practicing with a BB gun with the sights removed is genius as it encourages correct gun mount and ensuring you eye is correctly lined up with the barrel to hit anything, plus it’s cheap compared to the price of cartridges. Great book that I think all shooters can learn something from.

Fascinating reading with some of the best advice on forward lead I have found. An informative and well researched read, well written and presented

Excellent book, providing useful information and covering in depth many aspects of the shotgun loads,patterns,gauges,gunfitting etc...If I had to own just one book about shotguns , that would be it. A must for the novice and expert.

Item as described, good service, thank you.