Books - about Mausers and AR-15s

[bender]

I have the Gun Digest Book of the AR-15 by Sweeney. It came out in 2005. In the book, Sweeney many times says "this will be covered in detail in Vol. 2". I see that Vol 2 is now out.

I was wondering if Vol. 2 is a Continuation of the one I have, or if it covers the Same Stuff, but more...?

Also I'm interested in Mausers of the World by Ball. On amazon.com, many people say that it has "many errors, and is kind of lightweight in the details department". However, the latest edition (December 2006) supposedely fixed many errors.

Are these books worth it? I have a couple mausers and would like some more. I'd like to be well-read and informed before buying any others though. Also, for my next AR, I'd like to "do it myself" so I would want a book or 2 that covers parts, and building in detail. (Note: I'm aware of the sticky "Build It Yourself" thread at ar-15.com).

I love all things milsurp, maybe there are other milsurp books out there that are excellent references...?

 

[Ian]

The best gun books I've ever seen are the ones published by Collector Grade Publications. They have a couple on specific types of Mausers, and two volumes on the AR (The Black Rifle I & II). They're expensive, but well worth it if you're really into the subject matter (the AR volumes don't cover homebuild topics, though).

 

[dfariswheel]

The more or less "Standard" on the Mauser rifles is "Mauser Bolt Rifles" by Ludwig Olsen.

For the mechanical aspects of the Mauser, look at Jerry Kuhnhausen's "The Mauser Bolt Actions, 1891 through 1898: A Shop Manual"

Brownell's carry these and several other good Mauser books.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/catsearch.aspx?k=mauser+book&ps=10&si=True

 

[bender]

The more or less "Standard" on the Mauser rifles is "Mauser Bolt Rifles" by Ludwig Olsen.

thanks for the tip on that. I never heard of this one, but it sounds great. $64.95... ouch. Maybe I'll put in on my christmas list...!

How is the Robt Ball book, just for an "overall view" of Mausers?

 

[GunTech]

+1 on collectors grade. Volume I of the Black Rifle by Ezell is a must. I didn't find Vol II as interesting, as it goes more into variations of the gun and less about the whole history and development

http://www.collectorgrade.com/