Anyone know a good book on military surplus rifles?

Check out the collector grade books. They are expensive, but if you want the best info going, then they are worth it. Better to spend $80 on a book than to make the mistakes buying poor or misrepresented material like most novice collectors do.
Skennerton's book on the Enfield story is un-argueable the definitive work, but has been out of print for the last bunch of years. Expect to pay up to $140 for this book which origionally listed at about $75.
Clive Law's website Service Publications is one source, as is Collector's Source and John C Denner. All are in Canada and can be found with a quick google search.
 
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If you want details like serial number information, makers' codes, there is no one book that will do it. There are excellent specialist books, but they tend to be specific for one particular type. Skennerton's The Lee Enfield Story is the classic reference for Lee Enfields, for example. There are generalist books like Small Arms of the World, Military Arms of the 20th Century, etc. which contain a lot of very useful data.
 
If you really get into it, some of the best detailed (and really expensive) individual genre books are available from Collector Grade Publications in Coburg (click here)http://www.collectorgrade.com/.

If you want a nicely done broad overview of the entire gamut of military collectible rifles, with some reasonably good detail for the novice collector, then the best book I've ever read that got me hooked originally is:

Collecting Classic Bolt Action Military Rifles by Paul S. Scarlata
ISBN: 0917218965

scarlata.jpg


Hope this helps.... :)

Regards,
Badger
 
Another book with decent general information is Rifles of the World by John Walter published by Krause Publications
 
Older editions of "Small Arms of the World" can be helpful as well. Up to the 12th edition it contains a large amount of info on WWII and earlier small arms. It doesn't necessarily have the detail you may desire, but it's a good general reference.
 
BadgerDog said:
If you really get into it, some of the best detailed (and really expensive) individual genre books are available from Collector Grade Publications in Coburg (click here)http://www.collectorgrade.com/.

If you want a nicely done broad overview of the entire gamut of military collectible rifles, with some reasonably good detail for the novice collector, then the best book I've ever read that got me hooked originally is:

Collecting Classic Bolt Action Military Rifles by Paul S. Scarlata
ISBN: 0917218965

scarlata.jpg


Hope this helps.... :)

Regards,
Badger
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Hey Doug, interesting looking book - thanks for posting. Even though my bolt action addiction is certifiable I may pick up a copy for myself just for armchair reading once the kiddles are in bed, etc..:)
 
naugler said:
Hey Doug, interesting looking book - thanks for posting. Even though my bolt action addiction is certifiable I may pick up a copy for myself just for armchair reading once the kiddles are in bed, etc..:)
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Yes it's a very good generalized read. He provides a reasonably broad overview of the relevant points you should look for when collecting each country's pieces. I think it also gives the collector who is early into this hobby, a chance to assess if there's a particular genre or country they'd like to focus on.

As I said, in my case, besides claven2's enthusiasm and encouragement to "buy buy buy", it was the single most influential book to get me started in these old girls. Once I was going, then I began acquiring the collector's grade books like "Backbone of the Wermacht " etc., but as K Roc pointed out, all these books can be as expensive as some of the guns themselves. Unfortunately, this hobby is kind of like owning a BMW or Mercedes. If you have to complain about the cost, then you probably shouldn't be even looking at those kind of cars anyway. :D

~Angel~ and I probably have at least a thousand dollars or more invested in research books on old milsurps now, but I have to say, they have paid for themselves and probably saved us a lot of money when we were looking at a purchases.

Those books plus claven2's email address have really helped me a lot, which is the other point. The folks on this forum are very gracious and tend to share their knowledge in a highly unselfish manner. A lot of folks here have forgotten more about gunsmithing, ammunition, historical perspectives and the milsurps themselves, then I'll ever be able to learn, so the trick is to leave your ego at the door and ask for help. I do try to give back by sharing in threads that I have some ability to contribute to as well, but I've learned a heck of a lot more from here then I've contributed in return, however, I'm a far more knowledgeable collector as a result of the participattion itself.

Regards,
Doug
 
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