Throwing Lead

If you write fiction, you have to know about them--but what if you don't have any formal training, or a job that brings you into regular contact with firearms? Sure, you could watch a lot of CSI, but as you'll quickly discover upon cracking open this volume, you can't trust everything you see on TV. Entertaining and humorous in style, Throwing Lead shows you the gestalt of guns, showing you the history of small arms in one readable, accessible, graphics-rich and easy-to-reference volume. Packed full of revealing research shortcuts to help you find accurate information on your book's period and culture, and cut through the jargon to get you the information you need with a minimum of fuss, it'll leave you chuckling and get your creative juices flowing with tips on underexploited plot devices and hidden opportunities for comedy and drama that firearms present, but that authors often miss. This unique tour of the history, technology, and cultural development of firearms, examines how they've shaped our language and idiom, influenced manufacturing technology, and created warrior cultures in different professions. More than just a "how to write about it" manual or a technical glossary, this rigorously non-political guide reveals the common myths about firearms foisted upon us by filmmakers while using those mistakes as springboards for deeper discussion. Topics covered include: Stupid author tricks Stupid criminal tricks Stupid movie tricks Terminology Safety practices Handguns Long guns Concealed carry Ballistics and Forensics The visceral experience of shooting a gun Home defense Police tactics and psychology Criminal cultures Urban warfare, Snipers, gunfighters and PTSD Ammunition construction and the handloading culture Space combat and Science Fiction weaponry Historical weaponry Weapons maintenance Gunshot wounds and medical science Selecting the gun that best fits your character And much, much more...