The author shows how the first truly affordable double barrel shotguns were adapted about 1875 from the excellent, but expensive, hammer and hammerless guns that had evolved in England and the U.S. By about 1890, these costly doubles were being replaced by cheaper English and Belgian export guns whose low prices were consciously planned to attract cost conscious buyers.

This guide concentrates first on hammer sidelocks which were popular in the early half of the 1875 to 1945 period and then on hammerless boxlocks which dominated the low end market in the last half. Niles shows how "Affordable's" were distributed in the U.S., not by their manufacturers or importers under their National brands, but also by numerous Wholesale Hardware companies, Mail Order Houses, Specialty Gun Dealers and Department stores under their own private brands.

The book contains discussions of pricing, promotion and branding strategies of the era. Many Trade Catalog pages are included to show the reader how detailed the ad copy was and how important every feature was to the discerning customer.

The list of almost 1,700 brands with type of gun, maker and marker, will help the reader to connect the guns he sees with their makers and marketers. The author sees the gun and ammunition industry as the foundation stone of the American Industrial Revolution and a preview of modern marketing.