William Reichenbach - Sixguns and Bullseyes and Automatic Pistol Marksmanship: A Comprehensive Manual on Target Shooting

Copyright 1936, 1937, 2013 by Skyhorse Publishing Originally published by T. G. Samworth in 1936 and 1937. Special contents copyright 1996, 2013 The National Rifle Association.

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62087-372-4

Printed in the United States of America

COME ON, RICKEY. GET HOT!
Make this last one a Ten too!

EDITORS NOTE

William Reichenbachs

SIXGUNS AND BULLSEYES

AND

AUTOMATIC PISTOL MARKSMANSHIP

by Dr. Jim Casada

This volume of classic firearms titles brings together what were, in their original format, two distinct works. Their inclusion within the confines of the covers of a single book is eminently sensible. For starters, both efforts were written by the same author, William Reichenbach. Moreover, each of the treatments deals with handguns, and each was intended to complement the other. Indeed, when the two works were published by Thomas Samworth under the imprint of his Small-Arms Technical Publishing Company, Automatic Pistol Marksmanship was described, in the promotional literature printed on the dust jacket and issued separately, as a companion volume and continuation of Sixguns and Bullseyes. Together these small Sams, as they are sometimes called in the out-of-print book trade, have long been cherished by handgun enthusiasts. Now, after many decades out of print, they are again available in what is literally a two for the price of one situation.

It is somewhat surprising that these two slender volumes have remained out of printand largely unavailable even in the used sporting and gun book tradefor so long. Certainly the works were positively received when first published, and they have subsequently been accorded positive evaluations by gun bibliophiles. For example, Brian R. Smith, in his important reference work Samworth Books: A Descriptive Bibliography (1990), offers insight on the enduring intrinsic and material values of the duo. Referring to Sixguns and Bullseyes, he writes, The methods [of shooting] expounded by the author are of merit and interest, and he finds Automatic Pistol Marksmanship to be an interesting little volume, recommending it as a worthwhile addition to the handgun enthusiasts library. Smith further notes that most of the subsequent works in the general subject area borrowed heavily from the methods and techniques Reichenbach presented.

Another noted student and bibliophile specializing in the shooting sports, Ray Riling, also has praise for the two volumes. In Guns and Shooting: A Bibliography (1982), he describes Sixguns and Bullseyes as a brief but satisfactory coverage of the art of handgun shooting. Riling rates Automatic Pistol Marksmanship as a solid primer for those interested in practical shooting with handguns.

The passage of some threescore years since these books initially appeared under the editorial and publishing genius of Mr. Sam, as Thomas Samworth was known to his close associates, has done nothing to dull their luster. But it should also be quickly noted that Reichenbachs small Sams have always been something of bibliographical redheaded stepchildren in comparison with some of the larger, more popular Small-Arms Technical Publishing Company imprints, such as Roy F. Dunlaps Gunsmithing or John Pondoro Taylors African Rifles & Cartridges. Unquestionably this circumstance is due in part to the fact that both works appeared when the United States was in the depths of the Great Depression. Many folks were far too busy trying to keep the wolf from the door to think about books that focused on recreational shooting. Therein, too, lies at least one reason the books so seldom appear in listings from the out-of-print trade.

Indeed, neither of Reichenbachs efforts makes an appearance in one of the most commonly consulted guides to prices for books in this field, Richard A. Hands A Book-mans Guide to Hunting, Shooting, Angling and Related Subjects: A Compilation of Over 13,450 Catalog Entries with Prices and Annotations, both Bibliographical and Descriptive (1991). Given that Hand compiled the list from catalogs by booksellers, this is a sound indication of just how seldom the books are offered. I have seen Sixguns and Bullseyes listed for sale only twice, both times in 1989, the price in each case being $100 for a decent but by no means pristine copy. I acquired one of these copies, in very good condition but with a tatty dust jacket, and felt I had done reasonably well; but the fact remains that the price tag is quite a leap from the cost of $1.50, at which the book originally sold. Another indication that both Reichenbachs are not readily available is found in the pages of the National Union Catalog of Pre-1956 Imprints . Only a handful of copies of each book are located in major American libraries.

These considerations do not, however, suggest that original copies of the two Reichenbachs are extraordinarily valuable. According to Brian Smith, foremost authority on Samworth books, later printings of Sixguns and Bullseyes are relatively common, and often seen in the dust jacket. First impressions are not all that rare, if one is persistent. He considers Automatic Pistol Marksmanship to be somewhat more difficult to locate. My opinion is that Smith understates their rarity, and certainly there is no denying the fact that both books are choice collectors items. With some luck and, as Smith says, persistence, you can probably locate and acquire copies of both books, dust jackets intact, for a total of $250 to $300.

The printing history of Sixguns and Bullseyes is an interesting one. An earlier version of the book appeared in 1935, under the intriguing if somewhat misleading title The Elusive Ten: A New Deal in Revolver Shooting (the new deal comes from the phrase President Franklin D. Roosevelt used to describe his program to get the United States out of the grips of the Depression). It was published by an obscure operation, and in all likelihood the author under-wrote the publishing costs. Be that as it may, reviewers praised it as the best handgun manual ever written, and that likely explains why Samworth said that its excellence and general application were such that the edition was soon exhausted. The new version, published in 1936, was, as Ray Riling says, virtually a new edition, and in his preface to the new edition Reichenbach indicates that the book was completely rewritten. Perhaps more important, it also benefited from the keen, experienced editorial eye of Thomas Samworth, so much so that the author suggested that Samworth had taken great pains to make the first edition look sick. It might be added that the changed title was also an improvement in that it provided a better clue to the books contents. As mentioned above, there were several printings (or impressions) of this book in 1936 (in addition to the initial printing) and 1943, distinguishable from the first impression by the ad page dates and the fact that the place of publication is given as Plantersville, South Carolina, rather than Onslow County, North Carolina.