When Handguns Afield was first published in 1961, hunting with a handgun was in its infancy. Surely settlers and cowboys of the 19th century would have used a handgun on wild game from time to time to fill the campfire stewpot, but as far as using a handgun for hunting as a pastime, this sport was not yet widely recognized.
Author Jeff Cooper expertly summarizes the various aspects of hunting with handguns in the few dozen pages of this volume. Handguns, cartridges, holsters, and shooting small and large game are all thoroughly described and explained here. If the average handgun shooter follows the advice of this book—most of which is still relevant today—he will be prepared to hunt game with a pistol.
“THE MAN who wants to take game with a pistol must realize that if he is to be successful he must be good. He must be a good woodsman, a good hunter, a good sportsman, and an extremely good shot. Because he cannot reach out as with a rifle, he must be able to get right up on his target, and this takes both knowledge of game and much stalking skill. The more open the country, the more skill is required. In thick brush the pistol is handier than the rifle, and the problem becomes one of moving-target marksmanship.
“The pistol hunter is more agile than the rifleman, since he has both hands free to use in climbing or parting brush. For the same reason he may be quieter. These things help him in very rough, heavily wooded terrain. In fact, every aspect of hunting is easier for the handgunner than for the rifleman—except hitting. Therefore marksmanship is the big problem.”—Jeff Cooper
