Milsurp book
- Thread starter CanadianAR
- Start date
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
Try "The Handbook of Military Firearms". I bought mine at LeBarons 2 years ago. It has good lists, quick descriptions and market values in USD. I believe they come out with a new edition every couple years. I know mine is slightly outdated. (Yeah, Arisakas are not 250 anymore, thanks Tom Hanks and your Pacific! LOL)
Military Small Arms of the Twentieth Century. Ian Hogg and John Weeks. Follet Publishing, Chicago. ISBN-0-695-80406-5 $23.95Cdn. at Amazon.ca. You'll likely find it in your local gun shop too. Possibly your public library.
Very few books have the markings, production numbers. Military Small Arms of the Twentieth Century covers most variants though. No. 4 as well as No. 4 Mk I and Mk I*. Tells you what the difference was. Poor B&W pictures.
Very few books have the markings, production numbers. Military Small Arms of the Twentieth Century covers most variants though. No. 4 as well as No. 4 Mk I and Mk I*. Tells you what the difference was. Poor B&W pictures.
These are older books but if you are looking for general info on military firearms look around on sites like the links I found ABEbooks. Just take out the space in the Ws.
The Book of Rifles
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Smith+%26+smith&sts=t&tn=the+book+of+rifles&x=107&y=22
Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Small+arms+of+the+world&x=111&y=16
Standard Catalog of Military Firearms
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=standard+catalog+of+military+firearms&x=83&y=14
Small Arms of the World
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=0811716872&sts=t&x=116&y=19
Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Military+Small+Arms+of+the+20th+Century&x=74&y=19
The Book of Rifles
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Smith+%26+smith&sts=t&tn=the+book+of+rifles&x=107&y=22
Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Small+arms+of+the+world&x=111&y=16
Standard Catalog of Military Firearms
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=standard+catalog+of+military+firearms&x=83&y=14
Small Arms of the World
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=0811716872&sts=t&x=116&y=19
Military Small Arms of the 20th Century
http://ww w.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=Military+Small+Arms+of+the+20th+Century&x=74&y=19
The problem is not information, friend, the problem is the amount of information that you can put between two covers and still carry the book.
Major E.G.B. Reynolds did a great book on the Lee-Enfield, back in 1960. It had a good chunk of information in it but it was definitely not complete. Ian Skennerton has done a couple of gigantic books on the same rifles.... and they are not complete, either. I own a couple of things that are not in either book, but that's not surprising when you start thinking about the time-frame involved. The British started experimenting with the Lee magazine rifle system in 1879 and there were still modernised versions in BRITISH Service more than a century later. India, Pakistan and many small countries still are using them in one role or another and those two countries are still manuacturing all the parts for the rifles, except for receivers. My old copy of Small Arms of the World lists 31 different versions of the Lee-Enfield rifle. A friend OWNS 36. I have 2 that even he doesn't have and I have seen half a dozen that neither of us have. And the Pattern Room, when I was there in 1976, had FOUR HUNDRED of them on its racks, ALL DIFFERENT: the results of a century of experimentation.
And it's just as bad with a whole bunch of others. Germany adopted their first Mauser in 1871 and they STILL have a few in Service, 140 years later....... but they sure aren't the same as the first ones!!!!! Several countries in South America still preserve quantities of century-old Mausers for ceremonial use.
It's just impossible to put it all into one book. You have several good suggestions here so far and I would suggest strongly that you start your own arms library (as most of us already have done). When you buy a rifle, buy a book also. Start with the more general books and the ones which answer the most questions. In this regard, the one I always recommend is "Hatcher's Notebook" by Major-General Julian S. Hatcher. Hatcher directed the US machine-gun shool before the First World War, he was the man who discovered (and solved) the problem which led to a million Springfields being scrapped, he single-handedly founded the science of forensic firearms identification AND he was in on every phase of the M-1917 and the M-1 Garand programs. To top that off, he was an inveterate experimenter and a wonderful lecturer. His book is 500 or so pages of closely-condensed information about firearms and it is completely authoritative. Know what is in that book and you are well on your way to becoming a REAL expert on what makes them tick, how they work, what they are made of..... and what you can get away with. Someone told me that it is back in print by Stackpole's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There is also an older edition downloadable for free if you scoot on over to milsurps dot com and take out a (free) membership there. They have an entire LIBRARY that you can download. Good start, anyway.
Another really good idea is to hang around this forum a bit every day. Look at what has come up here just in the last couple of weeks: Lee-Enfields, unknown Mausers, brand-new condition (legal) 1914 Lugers, Krag-Jorgensons, Vergueiros, Arisakas, and all of them have been discussed to one extent or another. There are some VERY good people on this forum; you could use your time a great deal less profitably.
All you need now is a good SMLE!
And a ROSS (of course!).
.
Major E.G.B. Reynolds did a great book on the Lee-Enfield, back in 1960. It had a good chunk of information in it but it was definitely not complete. Ian Skennerton has done a couple of gigantic books on the same rifles.... and they are not complete, either. I own a couple of things that are not in either book, but that's not surprising when you start thinking about the time-frame involved. The British started experimenting with the Lee magazine rifle system in 1879 and there were still modernised versions in BRITISH Service more than a century later. India, Pakistan and many small countries still are using them in one role or another and those two countries are still manuacturing all the parts for the rifles, except for receivers. My old copy of Small Arms of the World lists 31 different versions of the Lee-Enfield rifle. A friend OWNS 36. I have 2 that even he doesn't have and I have seen half a dozen that neither of us have. And the Pattern Room, when I was there in 1976, had FOUR HUNDRED of them on its racks, ALL DIFFERENT: the results of a century of experimentation.
And it's just as bad with a whole bunch of others. Germany adopted their first Mauser in 1871 and they STILL have a few in Service, 140 years later....... but they sure aren't the same as the first ones!!!!! Several countries in South America still preserve quantities of century-old Mausers for ceremonial use.
It's just impossible to put it all into one book. You have several good suggestions here so far and I would suggest strongly that you start your own arms library (as most of us already have done). When you buy a rifle, buy a book also. Start with the more general books and the ones which answer the most questions. In this regard, the one I always recommend is "Hatcher's Notebook" by Major-General Julian S. Hatcher. Hatcher directed the US machine-gun shool before the First World War, he was the man who discovered (and solved) the problem which led to a million Springfields being scrapped, he single-handedly founded the science of forensic firearms identification AND he was in on every phase of the M-1917 and the M-1 Garand programs. To top that off, he was an inveterate experimenter and a wonderful lecturer. His book is 500 or so pages of closely-condensed information about firearms and it is completely authoritative. Know what is in that book and you are well on your way to becoming a REAL expert on what makes them tick, how they work, what they are made of..... and what you can get away with. Someone told me that it is back in print by Stackpole's in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There is also an older edition downloadable for free if you scoot on over to milsurps dot com and take out a (free) membership there. They have an entire LIBRARY that you can download. Good start, anyway.
Another really good idea is to hang around this forum a bit every day. Look at what has come up here just in the last couple of weeks: Lee-Enfields, unknown Mausers, brand-new condition (legal) 1914 Lugers, Krag-Jorgensons, Vergueiros, Arisakas, and all of them have been discussed to one extent or another. There are some VERY good people on this forum; you could use your time a great deal less profitably.
All you need now is a good SMLE!
And a ROSS (of course!).
.
LOL, thx man. Yeah. I try to log in everyday and Milsurp is my fav section. But its nice to have things in print for reference too.
Ill just start buying books, and probably never stop.
and you're right, there are alot of very knowledgable guys on here.
......and a LE is on my to buy list. But I want a WWII dated one.
Ill just start buying books, and probably never stop.
and you're right, there are alot of very knowledgable guys on here.
......and a LE is on my to buy list. But I want a WWII dated one.
Here's a free one you can download and store on your computer ...
Check the Technical Articles for Milsurp Collectors and Re-loaders (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/content.php...esearch-for-milsurp-collectors-and-re-loaders
With thanks to dimitri, here's a FREE excellent scanned publication that everyone should have stored on their computer, which provides complete histories, instructions on assembly and disassembly of almost every milsurp made.
How to load, operate, disassemble, assemble American, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and other military small arms. 218 pages with photographs and line drawings.
Basic Manual of Military Small Arms by W.H.B. Smith (Expired Copyright 1943) (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/content.php...Arms-by-W.H.B.-Smith-(Expired-Copyright-1943)
Regards,
Doug
I have that book, Basic Manual of Military Small Arms by W.H.B. Smith
Its a great book and I think the content talks about the weapons of the enemy as they saw them in 1943 in the middle of WWII.
But old paperback bindings get fragile over the years. The hard cover books by W.H. B. Smith are a good source of information on old guns, and can be found at used book stores. I think I have some duplicate volumes on handguns and rifles.
Its a great book and I think the content talks about the weapons of the enemy as they saw them in 1943 in the middle of WWII.
But old paperback bindings get fragile over the years. The hard cover books by W.H. B. Smith are a good source of information on old guns, and can be found at used book stores. I think I have some duplicate volumes on handguns and rifles.
NavyShooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- XMU Local .303
I'll second on "Small Arms of the World".
It's been a while since it's last publication, but worth getting.
NS
It's been a while since it's last publication, but worth getting.
NS
