OUR MISSION:
Our business is dedicated to preserving and sharing the
rich history of firearms through quality reprints of original catalogs,
manuals, and reference materials. Spanning from the 1850s to around 2000, our
collection covers more than 150 years of firearms development and innovation.
These publications were originally issued by manufacturers, gunsmiths, and
dealers and are invaluable resources for collectors, historians, researchers,
and enthusiasts.
Each reprint is carefully scanned and restored, providing
insights into the firearms that shaped history. From early black powder
revolvers and lever-action rifles to mid-century military arms and classic
shotguns, our materials include specifications, pricing, ballistic data, powder
loads, bullet selections, and factory recommendations appropriate to their
time. These details are essential for anyone researching firearm provenance,
restoration accuracy, or historical usage.
Beyond technical information, many of the catalogs and
manuals feature engaging period artwork, promotional language, and stories that
reflect the cultural and economic landscape of their era. They also serve as a
visual timeline of changing firearm design, branding, and salesmanship.
Whether you’re a serious collector, a student of history,
or simply passionate about firearms, our reprints offer a unique window into
the past—an archive of original sources brought back to life and made
accessible at a modest price for modern audiences. In preserving these
documents, we help keep firearms heritage alive for future generations.
HOW TO USE THE SITE
This site is pretty simply arranged. We have one page that has links to all the catalogs we publish in alphabetical order. We also have a good search bar and links to different interest specialties such as Era, Reloading, British, European, Telescopes, Ammunition, Government, Mail order Catalogs etc. When you get to a particular publication that interests you, just click on the link and the individual page will appear along with a description.
In no way do we want to reproduce “forgeries” of existing ephemera. What we currently print is, necessarily, in such small quantity that there is no chance our meager efforts will, in any way, adversely affect the global marketplace for originals and only a moron would mistake one of our reprints as being an original.
QUALITY:
Regarding the “quality” of our reprints we have a few statements to make. Keeping in mind that we offer over 6000+ different old arms catalogs, books, magazines and manuals, all our reprints necessarily reflect the quality of the originals or copies we work from. Not all are perfect by any means. By definition ephemera, especially as it refers to old advertising catalogs, was meant to be temporary. Many old catalogs were printed on poor quality, thin paper with cheap inks that bled. They suffer from stains, rips, bleed-through, fading and a host of other problems. Not all can be restored to their original condition (although some can be made better than they were when they came from the printer). We also work with both old reprints and old photocopies. Why? Because where else will we find some of the rarest old arms catalogs we offer? We do, however, replace poor copies with better ones if they become available. Also, don’t forget we don’t charge a fortune either.
ERRORS and MISTAKES:
Regarding dates, we publish over 6000 old books, catalogs, and manuals. We date them using the best tools we have but sometimes they are wrong. We depend on our customers to help us here and guide us to more accurately date things. So, if you see an error, please let us know so we can fix it. It isn’t the end of the world, please treat us respectfully.
