Rating  - Book of the .44
John Taffin knows the .44. He has been shooting .44s, of all flavors, for almost 50 years. This book is a historical tour of .44 caliber firearms, both long-guns and handguns, as well as a compilation of his personal experiences with them. Taffin starts with the Colt cap-n-ball revolvers of the 1830s (the Patterson) and weaves the story of how that led to the first of the .44s -- The Colt Model of 1847, better known as "The Walker". From here the story moves on to guns like the Model 1860 Henry in .44 Henry Rimfire, the exquisite Smith & Wesson Model #3 in .44 American (and later .44 Russian), and the legendary Winchester 1873 in .44 Winchester Center fire (WCF, later re-labelled the .44-40 by Marlin so they wouldn't have to stamp "Winchester" on their guns).
Classic sixguns are near and dear to Taffin's heart, and next he shares some of that affection with stories of the Colt Frontier Sixshooter in .44 WCF, and the first .44 Special, the Smith & Wesson Triple Lock. For any reader who might be unfamiliar with John's writings, the .44 Special occupies a very special place in John's heart, so it's no surprise that there is extensive coverage of the guns chambered in .44 Special -- from the pre-War Hand Ejectors, to the Colt Single Actions and New Service, to the Charter Arms Bulldog and the exquisite Freedom Arms Model 97 (as well as many others).
All of this sets the stage for how the .44 Special ultimately gave rise to one of the finest handgun hunting cartridges ever, the .44 Magnum. Once again, there is extensive coverage of guns chambered for the .44 Magnum; both single-action and double action, factory production and custom; from the original Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum and Ruger Blackhawk Flat-Top, to the Texas Longhorn Arms and Seville single-actions, to the Ruger Super Redhawk and Colt Anaconda double actions. Taffin tells the reader about the modernization of the single action sixgun, eventually leading to the "perfect sixgun", the Freedom Arms Model 83.
The long guns are not ignored -- the original Winchesters and Colts (e.g. the Yellow Boy and Lightning), the replicas (made by Cimarron, EMF, Navy Arms, Uberti, etc.) and the modern long guns (made by Marlin, Winchester, Ruger, etc.) are also well-covered, including the biggest of the .44s, the .444 Marlin.
The book ends with several sections on loading the .44s -- suitable bullets (both cast and jacketed), appropriate powders, and loads that are well-suited for older guns, as well as heavier loads for stronger, more modern guns. It's all here folks, and this isn't just "book-learnin'", Taffin knows this history, these guns, these cartridges, and loads from extensive first-hand experience. The material is clearly presented in Taffin's frank, entertaining style. John is an excellent teacher, and the "Book of the .44" is an outstanding textbook for the student of the gun. Good teachers are a blessing indeed.
Rating - I highly recommend this book
Once again, John Taffin has nailed it. Like his other fine books, the "Book of the .44" is interesting, informative, and entertaining. It is filled with excellent black and white photos which clearly detail the author's descriptions. Mr. Taffin is obviously an expert on handguns and lever action rifles, and this book contains lots of information on both, as they relate to the development and evolution of the .44 caliber cartridge and it's use in both. The book even describes with words and pictures the .44 caliber weapons that pre-dated the cartridge guns, with percussion revolvers pictured and described in detail. You can almost smell the smoke from the black powder as you read the text and look at the photos! The book is a history and resource text on the .44 caliber, as well as a handbook for anyone who owns and enjoys handguns and rifles. I highly recommend the "Book of the .44" to any shooter, or lover of guns and their development. For the price of a good pizza, you can buy hours of reading enjoyment and years of good reference material, and it will never give you heartburn. Gitchee one!
Jeff Quinn
Gunblast.com
Rating - What a screaming bargain this is, particularly here on Amazon!
John Taffin is a sixgunner's sixgunner. He's not only renowned as a gentleman and a shootist, he's also one of the best gunwriters out there . . . and his favorite of all bores is the forty-four.
You know what it's like when you pick up a book by someone who's REALLY into a given topic or field? You know how the author's enthusiasm bubbles up through the type and grabs the reader, pulling him along into the author's excitement over the subject matter? Well, that's what master gunwriter John Taffin does for the reader in the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF THE 44. It doesn't matter if you're not the world's biggest fan of the .44s (I'm not myself - I like them just fine, but I'm not a .44 "nut" or anything . . . I don't even own one at present), Taffin's enthusiasm is so contagious that you'll find yourself reading this book long into the night. I had been concerned that I would grow bored with a one-caliber-subject book, but this has not at all been the case: Taffin's adept movement from subject to subject and story to story keeps the reader's fascination throughout what, in the hands of a lesser author, could quickly have become dry and obsessive. Instead, the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF THE 44 is riveting.
Starting with the earliest percussion pistols, moving along through historical oddity revolvers and into rich detail about modern classics, and finishing with specialty, custom and long guns, Mr. Taffin gives his reader a collegiate education in the 44s. EVERY single .44 topic of interest is covered in this masterful work. Mr. Taffin refers back to and builds upon the work of earlier masters of the subject, such as the great Elmer Keith. The text is clearly illuminated by plentiful top-quality photographs, in precisely the right proportions. Handloading and chronograph information are included. Chapters are of reasonable length on discrete subjects; it is easy to pick up the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF THE 44 to just kill a few minutes (as I said in my review of Ayoob's GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER, I foresee a lot of copies of this book camped out in the bathrooms of their new owners), or to spend hours and hours enthralled on a winter's night.
I write this review days before Thanksgiving - if you're looking for a holiday gift for a "gun guy," this is a sure thing. Based on my familiarity with Mr. Taffin's terrific writing in his earlier books and in gun magazines, I had Amazon send me two copies - one for myself and one as a gift for my shooting partner's upcoming 40th birthday. As soon as I opened the package and flipped through my copy, I thought of two more friends who need this book . . . and at Amazon's deeply discounted price for the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF THE 44, I'll probably order them their own copies soon.
288 captivating pages by a master writer for under $19 - if you like guns or are shopping for someone who does, BUY THIS BOOK!
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