https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=bbm054<br />
I am very excited to announce the launch of my new book, “PISTOLS OF THE WARLORDS: CHINESE DOMESTIC HANDGUNS 1911 – 1949”. During the Warlord Era and the Chinese Civil War, handguns were made by a wide array of institutions, form huge Western-style arsenals to regional repair depots to simple traveling blacksmiths. Even at the major arsenals, handguns were usually made in quantities too small to justify tooling up a production line, so instead gunsmiths made them one at a time. As a result, no two guns are quite the same.
I had an opportunity to work with a collection of several hundred examples of these pistols, and compiled this book from them. It is divided into four chapters (Unique Chinese designs, Mauser C96 copies, FN 1900 copies, and other copies) and it is more than 500 pages of gorgeous full-color photography. I’ve included specific data on a few of the guns where the data still exists (mostly arsenal-made guns), but this is largely a cataloging effort to present the full range of what these pistols can be.
There is virtually no mention of these guns anywhere else in firearms literature, and I hope that this book can both provide valuable information for those who are interested in the guns and this period of Chinese history, and also that it will spur more research into them.
In addition to my book, we are also reprinting Dolf Goldsmith’s monograph on Chinese Mauser rifles of the period, originally printed in the mid-90s and titled “Arming the Dragon”. Check out the Kickstarter campaign for all the details, plus lots of extras and exciting stretch goals!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=bbm054<br />
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740
At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you how they work, in addition to more conventional guns that you may not have heard of before. You’re much more likely to find a video on the Cei Rigotti or Webley-Fosbery here than an AR or Glock. So, do you want to learn about something new today? Then stick around!