Among contemporaries who write professionally about wingshooting and shotgunning, there are few as widely experienced, as widely traveled and as thoroughly knowledgeable about the sport as Alex Brant. Brant makes that manifest in his new book, Shooter’s Bible Guide to Sporting Shotguns—a well-written, broad-ranging and catholic survey of shotguns, shooting techniques, ammunition and associated accoutrements and where and how to use them in the US and internationally.
Brant, who lives in New York but is better known in Britain, where he has shot and published extensively, was the founding editor of Harris Publications (which published a bevy of shooting periodicals) and the co-founder, editor and publisher of The Hunting Report. He also has authored the books The World’s Best Shoots and The Complete Guide to Wing Shooting.
In 18 chapters comprised of 231 full-color pages, Brant casts a very wide net—covering modern shotgun-shell development and design, the target-shooting sports, shooting techniques, waterfowling, American upland hunting, driven shooting abroad, and guns and gear. There are also chapters on American, British and Italian shotguns, from the most rarified to proven workaday examples affordable to everyone. What distinguishes this survey from other generalist treatments are the author’s insights based on his long experience. Brant has not only shot birds and clays across the globe, but he also has co-owned and managed formal driven shoots in Scotland and Ireland.
Brant, to be clear, is no working-class Joe. Some readers will be nonplussed by references to Purdeys and polo, famous shots he has met and so on. But wingshooters of all stripes, beginners or experienced, will find much to glean in Brant’s well-written prose. And at $20, the book is priced to appeal to everyone. For more information, visit skyhorsepublishing.com.
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