Firearms Catalogs, Manuals, Histories and More from Cornellpubs

This is a brief addition to the Bannerman Podcast we did earlier. That episode talked about the Bannerman catalogs and company history. This one is about Jane Bannerman and how she got us started.

The H&R Arms Company was one of the rare gun makers to survive for over a century. In fact, there is a possibility we may see it back for yet another run. Joe Vorisek worked in insurance and traveled extensively throughout New England for his job. Off hours gave him plenty of time to research many of the old gun companies that flourished along or near the Connecticut Valley region, Hopkins & Allen, H&R, American Arms, Crescent Arms, Savage, Stevens, Iver Johnson and more. He wrote books about all of them and this story is a deep dive into H&R, a great company with a winning plan. H&R went out of business in 1986 but was reincarnated, bought and sold several times until 2015 but may be coming back again.Here is a link to H&R and all Joe’s books.Rob Mouat for Cornell Publications

We owe the Bannerman Company twice over. It inspired us to start Cornell Publications some 20 years ago, we reprint over 7000 vintage gun catalogs and manuals, and Bannerman gave us so many wonderful catalogs to enjoy. We’ve loved paging through the Bannerman catalogs and their centuries of military and firearms history for more decades than we like to admit and we never tire of learning something new from them.For over 60 years the Bannerman company built a massive collection of military hardware then spent another 40 years selling it off. But Bannerman’s story is centuries old and is a yarn well worth hearing. His is the archetypical American dream.This podcast, therefore, is about how Bannerman got us started and then the story of how Bannerman got started, we hope you enjoy our stories.All the Bannerman catalogs we reprintThe 1927 Bannerman catalog

Buy this book at cornellpubs.com: Recognizing Side by Side Shotguns – Charles CarderCharles E. Carder was born in 1931 in New York State. He was raised in western Ohio, where he began hunting with his father at the early age of nine years old. Since that time, he has become an ardent hunter in his home state.His perpetual affection for side-by-side shotguns has captivated many hours of his life. He collects side-by-side shotguns with unusual mechanisms.He also, has a large file of photos, catalogs, magazine articles, books and sales literature from the various shotgun manufacturers from days gone by to the present. Some of his magazine articles have appeared in the DOUBLE GUNJOURNAL. THE GUN REPORT and others. He also writes the regular collector columns for THE SINGLE SHOT EXCHANGE and OHIO OUT-OF-DOORS magazines.The basic features of breech loading side by side shotguns are graphically displayed in these pages. In nearly all of the parts mentioned here there is a variety of different designs. Each inventor and gun maker had his own idea of how a mechanism should look or work. Only the basics are shown here. For more details, there are numerous books describing the variances. This book was prepared for those who have little knowledge about the different side by sides and their names. Reviewing these contents will serve to fill that void.SummaryThis book, "Recognizing Side By Side Shotguns," by Charles E. Carder, is a comprehensive guide for understanding the mechanics and history of side-by-side shotguns. The document outlines the various parts and functions of side-by-side shotguns, from their lock mechanisms and firing mechanisms to their safety features and forearm designs. Carder, a passionate collector of side-by-side shotguns, uses detailed illustrations and sketches to help readers visually identify and understand the different components. The document also provides a brief history of the evolution of side-by-side shotguns, highlighting key innovations and inventors, along with insights into the nuances of barrel types and proof marks.