It is unusual to come across a tachi sword that was made after the Warring States period in Japanese history ended. Although school textbooks tend to suggest that after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 Japan…
How many things do you own that you know “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead”? Maybe some, but maybe not much? Over at Saddleback Leather they’re making solid quality leather goods that are aimed to…
If you’ve read the books then you will know that James Bond does not drive an Aston Martin, or a Lotus, and most assuredly not a Toyota no matter how sporty the 2000GT might be. The…
What do you get if you combine the size, comfort and engineering of a 50’s vintage American car with French style and artistry? You get a Facel Vega. Facel Vega was a star amongst car makers…
I used to have a “gun room”. The sort of room that James May might call a “man lab” or a “man room”. In it was a large old wooden desk, and a solid jarrah wood…
My real interest in firearms is not in the latest and supposedly best military or police weapons. What really grabs my imagination are the firearms that move from being mere functional objects into the realm where…
This is my December article for Hagerty. You’ll find the original on the Hagerty website here. 1961 Jaguar E-Type ‘Flat Floor’ Roadster – “The most beautiful car ever made”. Described by Enzo Ferrari as “The most…
I think there can be little doubt that the Brough Superior motorcycles manufactured between 1924-1940 should be regarded as the most fun machines to ever grace the earth. Sadly in this day and age the surviving…
The Japanese sword has acquired near legendary status as works of art and for the technical excellence that goes into making them. Japanese thinking is very different to Chinese thinking, and also very different to British…
One of the neatest little free items available on the Internet is the simple ballistics calculator provided by Jackson Rifles based on work by Professor Arthur Pejsa. Just download the file pejsa ballistics.xls and open it…