Book excerpt: Want to learn how to clean, handle, and fire your very own gun?Look no further! In this handy volume, shooting expert Clair Rees has compiled the ultimate Beginner's Guide to Guns! This introduction to gun selection, sighting, maintenance, and proper handling is a must-have for newcomers to the fun and exciting sport of shooting and is a great resource for seasoned experts who want to keep up their good technique!Rees approaches the topic of gun ownership with an objective and even-keeled voice, placing a heavy emphasis on the proper gun-handling techniques that make shooting a fun and safe sport for everyone!Beginning with an overview of gun safety and care, Rees takes us through the developmental history of the modern firearm starting with the most primitive firing mechanisms of the 13th Century through the invention of the matchlock musket, wheellock, miquelet, snaphaunce, and flintlock. With an abundance of helpful diagrams, illustrations, and photographs, The Beginner's Guide to Guns will teach you everything you need to know about selecting, sighting, shooting, and caring for a variety of rifles, handguns, and shotguns.