What do you think?
Rate this book
Shotgunning: The Art and the Science
The classic shotgun reference from one of the top experts in the field.
In this near-legendary handbook, respected firearms expert Bob Brister offers advice, instructions, and solutions to every situation a shotgunner might face, making Shotgunning a guide from which both seasoned veterans and novice shooters will benefit. Based on years of tests, meticulous study of data, and a lifetime of insider expertise, this book will help any shooter make every shot count.
A veritable encyclopedia of the shotgun for the modern shooter and outdoorsman, Shotgunning details the selection of guns, loads, and chokes; required leads (translated into “bird lengths” for easier shooting recognition); shot velocity and penetration; the effects of recoil on the shooter; wind and temperature effects on shotshells; and much more. Data analysis puts blithely held truths to the test. Myths are debunked, and Brister’s conclusions are supported with hundreds of photographs, lending Shotgunning an authority that many recent, worthwhile books on the subject cannot claim.
Brister brightly and boldly presents his readers with the science of shotgunning, but he never forgets the art that makes shooting a sport. Shotgunning is an elegant and educational mélange—a unique and invaluable guidebook that any shotgunner must own.
In this near-legendary handbook, respected firearms expert Bob Brister offers advice, instructions, and solutions to every situation a shotgunner might face, making Shotgunning a guide from which both seasoned veterans and novice shooters will benefit. Based on years of tests, meticulous study of data, and a lifetime of insider expertise, this book will help any shooter make every shot count.
A veritable encyclopedia of the shotgun for the modern shooter and outdoorsman, Shotgunning details the selection of guns, loads, and chokes; required leads (translated into “bird lengths” for easier shooting recognition); shot velocity and penetration; the effects of recoil on the shooter; wind and temperature effects on shotshells; and much more. Data analysis puts blithely held truths to the test. Myths are debunked, and Brister’s conclusions are supported with hundreds of photographs, lending Shotgunning an authority that many recent, worthwhile books on the subject cannot claim.
Brister brightly and boldly presents his readers with the science of shotgunning, but he never forgets the art that makes shooting a sport. Shotgunning is an elegant and educational mélange—a unique and invaluable guidebook that any shotgunner must own.
- GenresNonfictionReference
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1976
44 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 28, 2011
Great book.
Lot of detail on shotgun performance and ballistics.
Great section on shotgun fit, and balance/handling characteristics.
Very in depth examination of shot performance (stringing, weather effects, optimal shot and load size to guage, etc.), and forward allowance.
This really helps cut through a lot of the bs that you hear at the range.
Interesting overview on live bird shoots, which is pretty much non-existent here in NE.
Not covered: course setup, technique and stance.
Learned a lot from this book - would highly recommend.
Lot of detail on shotgun performance and ballistics.
Great section on shotgun fit, and balance/handling characteristics.
Very in depth examination of shot performance (stringing, weather effects, optimal shot and load size to guage, etc.), and forward allowance.
This really helps cut through a lot of the bs that you hear at the range.
Interesting overview on live bird shoots, which is pretty much non-existent here in NE.
Not covered: course setup, technique and stance.
Learned a lot from this book - would highly recommend.
February 22, 2021
Excellent all around reference. Something to revisit again and again. Invaluable.
February 17, 2019
This is a great book; very informative and well written.
The pages are filled with more than you thought you needed to know on shotgun fit, form, and swing, the nuances of patterns from one gauge to the next, through all chokes and shell lengths, through different barrel lengths.
For anyone interested in shooting clays, or live birds, etc, I cannot imagine getting this knowledge without shooting thousands of shells and having a coach alongside, for every shot.
Whatever this book costs, you will make your money back on the cartridges you've conserved, and possibly doctor visits from an ill-fitting gun.
There are some limitations:
It is from 1976.
Any shotgun or ammunition trend or information past that date is not recorded in this otherwise extensive research.
This book hasn't any information on slug shooting, bolt action shotguns, inexpensive break-actions, cowboy-action shooting, or defensive/tactical shotgun use.
The reason I bring that up, is because, although the information I needed was exactly the information the book offered, many people are interested in those areas of shotgunning which were omitted.
It would be a shame to purchase one of the most highly respected shotgun books and not see the content for which you were searching.
They say, "never judge a book by its cover."
That being said, my version had a cover featuring the opened action of an Anson Deely style boxlock.
Given the contents, this book should never be offered with a picture of a Mossberg Shockwave on the cover.
The pages are filled with more than you thought you needed to know on shotgun fit, form, and swing, the nuances of patterns from one gauge to the next, through all chokes and shell lengths, through different barrel lengths.
For anyone interested in shooting clays, or live birds, etc, I cannot imagine getting this knowledge without shooting thousands of shells and having a coach alongside, for every shot.
Whatever this book costs, you will make your money back on the cartridges you've conserved, and possibly doctor visits from an ill-fitting gun.
There are some limitations:
It is from 1976.
Any shotgun or ammunition trend or information past that date is not recorded in this otherwise extensive research.
This book hasn't any information on slug shooting, bolt action shotguns, inexpensive break-actions, cowboy-action shooting, or defensive/tactical shotgun use.
The reason I bring that up, is because, although the information I needed was exactly the information the book offered, many people are interested in those areas of shotgunning which were omitted.
It would be a shame to purchase one of the most highly respected shotgun books and not see the content for which you were searching.
They say, "never judge a book by its cover."
That being said, my version had a cover featuring the opened action of an Anson Deely style boxlock.
Given the contents, this book should never be offered with a picture of a Mossberg Shockwave on the cover.
December 9, 2024
Very detailed and a bit anoraky – and a little outdated. But interesting to see how shotgun shooting has changed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews