Savage Pistols

Book excerpt: Well-organized charts and tables with specific information on each model, make, issue, and modification. Detailed information for collectors on: Finishes Grips Serial numbers Inspector marks Barrel specifications Savage automatic pistols are the hidden treasures of gun collecting. Informed collectors agree that these well-designed, superbly crafted, high-quality American firearms have been ignored, with little new information available for the last 40 years. In Savage Pistols, author Bailey Brower Jr. tells the remarkable story of Savage Arms, from its humble beginnings with Arthur Savage in the late 1880s to the creation of the last pistol in the late 1920s. Bailey explains the evolution of the Savage pistol, the role of Savage pistols in World War I, and the pistol's connection to such historical figures as Buffalo Bill Cody, Bat Masterson, and William Pinkerton. This information-packed book includes hundreds of photographs of Savage pistols and rifles, cartridges, holsters, and other Savage products, as well as fascinating advertisements and illustrations touting the wonders of "the pistol that almost was." Savage Pistols is an indispensable resource for any collector, and an intriguing look into the history of American firearms.