Books???

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Adadrian

Adadrian

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Hey guys, being a n00b and being in shut down right now I want to do some good old reading (I love books)

what’s the best books on firearms out there ? Anything at all ?
History/information /skills etc
 
There are books on about any gun related thing, what would you like to learn. Good gun books get pricy sometimes you can find pdf for free. If you have one by you, the ollies has some books cheap. Like I said anything in particular you like to read up on.
 
From my generation just about anything by Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Jeff Cooper, Bill Jordan, Massad Ayoob, Jack O'Conner are all great writers to start with. I also like Small Arms of the World, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wessson, and Colt-An American Heritage.
 
For technical knowledge, start with Kuhnhausens manuals on any action you're interested in. His S&W and 1911 Shop Manuals are without equal, and his .30 Service Rifle manual is very deep. The Ruger SA manual is an excellent explanation of how they work, but it's light on how to tune/improve.

For fun, it's hard to beat anything by Capstick. I advise caution as extensive reading may cause African caliber big game rifles to start showing up in your safe.
 
Must haves I guess. The best of,
Information/learning/history etc
 
bannockburn said:
From my generation just about anything by Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Jeff Cooper, Bill Jordan, Massad Ayoob, Jack O'Conner are all great writers to start with. I also like Small Arms of the World, Standard Catalog of Smith and Wessson, and Colt-An American Heritage.
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I'll 2nd these writers. Lots of good reading. Reading a loading manual is also worth while. A new shooter will learn something and it never hurts an older shooter to brush up on things.
 
Links to hard copies of books I can buy online guys? Like amazon ?
 
“Military Small Arms of the 20th Century”, by Ian Hogg and John Weeks.

One problem is that this was an initial factor in the acquisitions of about three-four of my guns.

Weeks served 33 years in a British parachute regiment, and Ian Hogg served during WW2 and Korea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_V._Hogg Interesting guy, studied guns back to the 14th century, plus fortifications.
 
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Shotguns And Shooting by Michael McIntosh

Horn Of The Hunter by Robert Ruark


Not much technical stuff, but the joy of ownership and use is in there.

And as a proud father whose son wrote a book about playing cowboy together:

The Cowboy Year by Ethan Bryan
 
Depends on your interests. In general, one or two reloading manuals (I like Lyman and Speer) have a lot of information in the first part about how ammunition works from the inside, so to speak. Cartridges of the World is a worthy reference book about cartridges and history. (It is updated every year or so. I have the last few years editions.) The late Jeff Cooper wrote several books on handgunning and life in general. He's worth having; but most of his stuff is 'old fashioned'; that is, pre - "wonder nine" times. The late Elmer Kieth wrote some very illuminative books on rifles, handguns and shotguns. However, he has the point of view of a subsistence hunter and every hunt must be ultimately successful.

Specialty books are nearly infinite. If you get into collecting, there are some references on proof marks (stamps on various firearms that indicate manufacture, time of manufacture and test results of pressure testing).

I suggest going into used book stores and looking through the sporting and hunting and firearms books (usually lumped together) and seeing what tickles your fancy.
 
I'll just list authors for skills and defensive issues:

Tom Givens, Karl Rehn, Mas Ayoob, Andrew Branca

Consequences of using lethal force:
Klinger: In the Kill Zone
Christensen and Artwhol: In the Kill Zone

Drills:

Claude Werner - https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/
 
What you are asking about is a huge area. Here are a few suggestions for books I enjoyed.

- Muzzle Loading Caplock Rifle by Ned Roberts
- Six Guns by Elmer Keith
- Flintlocks - A Practical Guide for their Use and Appreciation by Eric Bye (If you are interested in traditional muzzleloaders this is an outstanding book.)
- Any number of books by John Taffin
- William G. Tapply wrote a number of books about his hunting and fishing experiences. If you want some some pleasant reading on the topics, they are excellent. Might have to go with the used market. I got mine through Amazon.

Like you, I prefer to have books about hobbies and technical matters in paper copies. The local used book store likes my attitude.

Jeff
 
Be sure to get a library card from your public library and check on their holdings. In addition to dead tree (physical) books, many libraries allow you to check out ebooks for Kindle, Nook, and iPad reading. Free is a great way to red good books that you do not need on your own shelf.
Some of my firearms-related books are keepers, so I buy them, but yes, I read a lot on the Kindle, too.
 
Lots of good suggestions here. "Cartridges of the World" and "Small Arms of the World" are a couple of my favorites. I also recommend a couple of reloading manuals. I feel like those contribute to a good understanding of components and ballistics.
 
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