American Bests

American Bests

From A Break in the Action by Ryan Doughty

April 14, 2026 · 58 min · Season 7 · Episode 5

About this episode

The episode explores the comparison between American and British firearms, particularly focusing on the unique qualities of American doubles.

When people hear the phrase American Best, it’s natural to think of a comparison— specifically to the traditional best guns of the London trade. And in some ways, that comparison makes sense. The British defined the term. They built the guns that set the standard, and their influence still shapes how we think about fine sporting arms today. But the more time you spend studying American doubles, the more you realize that comparison only goes so far. American gunmakers weren’t working in the sa...

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Doughty

Topics covered

  • American firearms
  • gun comparison
  • sporting arms
  • American gunmakers
  • British influence

Keywords

  • American Best
  • firearms
  • gunmakers
  • sporting arms
  • British guns

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: London trade, British

Products: American doubles

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