The Birmingham Gun Trade (Revealing History (Paperback))

This fascinating volume explores the relationships between the technology and history of gunmaking. Covering the period from 1720 to 1950, it sees the mechanical engineering technology of the "lock, stock and barrel" firearm change significantly. David Williams, an engineer and academic, has studied the battle between the manual processes of assembly and the clumsy but tireless machine, and here examines this complex relationship in gunmaking, paying particular attention to military firearms manufacture and the growth and decline of the Birmingham military and sporting gun trade.