UPDATE!
As
many of you may know, the first edition of The Custom Revolver
has completely sold-out. First, we would like to thank everyone
who purchased a copy, but for those earnest seekers of the truth
who were not able to procure one; fear not. The
Custom Revolver is now available as an e-book through Amazon.com
for only $9.99. The e-book contains all of the content and
beautiful images of the hardback edition, but it has been
reformatted to work all Amazon Kindle devices, Kindle for iPad/iPhone/Mac,
and Kindle for Android/PC. For those of you who believe books
should have only paper instead of electricity in them, I have
tried a Kindle Fire and was impressed. Just be careful--you
might end up wanting one.
Hamilton
Bowen
Hamilton Bowen is an artist. His canvas
is steel. He has, for many years, created fine works of art,
starting with raw material or a basic gun, and elevating that
piece to the status of fine art. Some of his works show lavish
engraving and attention to the finest detail, while others
appear rather plain, but show a subdued elegance in its
mechanical precision. Hamilton Bowen is a master of his craft;
the craft of building the finest custom revolvers that money can
buy. While Bowen’s guns can be as highly
embellished as any, they are not meant to be wall-hangers; they
are built to be used. Some of his guns are built for heavy loads
and hard use. Some of his creations are built for better
utility on a standard gun, such as his excellent replacement
sights. I have known of Bowen’s work for several years. As the
saying goes, "His reputation precedes him". What I did
not know until recently however, is that he is also one of the
nicest, most down-to-earth gentlemen that you could ever meet.
This review, however, is not about Mr. Bowen or
his guns, but about his book entitled "The Custom
Revolver". The Custom Revolver is indeed a
very special piece of literature, for it was written by a true
revolversmith. There are very few men who possess the talent to
build such fine custom conversions as Bowen. However, Hamilton
Bowen is also an excellent writer. Combining these two skills,
the result is a book that is written by a master of his craft.
It is much like finding the original stone tablets containing
The Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God himself.
In this book, Bowen illustrates with words and
pictures the art of the custom revolver. He also discusses in
great detail the "why" of certain modifications,
whether it is to achieve more power, better function, or finer
accuracy. It is not a technical "how to" manual,
though much can be learned from reading the text, and it should
greatly benefit any revolversmith who wishes to attain a better
knowledge of his craft. Though most of the firearms pictured in
the book reflect Bowen’s work, the book is not about
showcasing his aptitude, but rather a discussion of the
possibilities and reasons for such customization. Throughout the
book are many pictures, both in full color and in black and
white, and each exhibits expert photography. The pictures shown
here on Gunblast are pictures of pictures, and do not adequately
show the beautiful photography as exhibited in the book. I have
to keep the resolution low to quickly download for those
internet users with a dialup modem. The photos in the book are
of art quality.
Some of the topics covered are polishing,
shaping, welding, bluing, casehardening, plating, grip-making,
rechambering, and many other custom details to perform on a
revolver, in addition to more detailed work such as custom
cylinders, line boring, parts fabrication and metallurgy. Bowen
discusses accuracy often, and explains what to expect and how to
achieve it. From reading the text, it is very obvious that he
has employed the procedures about which he is writing. His
expertise shows.
In The Custom Revolver, Bowen expertly
conveys his message in simple, easy to understand terms that
fully describe the modification, without being written like a
technical shop manual. The book is informative, yet holds the
reader's attention very well. Hamilton Bowen understands the
revolver, and how to achieve the ultimate in power and accuracy
from the machine, but he also has a keen eye for style. His
weapons are not merely tools, but are functional works of art,
and he skillfully relates that impression throughout his book.
This book, aside from its value as an informative and
entertaining tool, can be used as somewhat of a shopping list
for those shooters contemplating having a bit of custom
work done to a revolver, or even commissioning a full-blown
custom.
If you can’t tell by now, I was really
impressed with The Custom Revolver, as was Ross
Seyfried, who wrote the foreword for the book. I have
handled and fired custom revolvers built by Hamilton Bowen, but
have never personally owned one; I hope to be able to correct
that situation before too much more time passes. However,
reading his book, I can admire and appreciate his work much
better than I could before, whether it is a complete gun, or
just a custom touch or two to an ordinary revolver. With the
detailed explanations and excellent pictures within The
Custom Revolver, it is almost as good as holding the gun in
my hand.
Again, for those who are thinking about a custom
gun, or for those who just truly appreciate a fine revolver, I
highly recommend this book. It is also a "must read"
for any revolver shooter who wishes to improve his shooting
skills. The Custom Revolver by Hamilton Bowen is destined
to become a classic.
You can view Hamilton Bowen’s custom work
online at: www.bowenclassicarms.com
or use this link to go directly to the book order page: http://www.bowenclassicarms.com/book.html.
For just under 40 bucks plus shipping, it is
worth the price for the pictures alone. If you are a revolver
fan, you need this book.
Jeff Quinn
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