This is yet another fine book from Mowbray Publishing. This title follows other similar soft cover gun books such as The UZI Submachine Gun Examined, The Italian Vetterli Rifle, The Complete Book of Tokarev Pistols, and Communist Bloc Handguns.

With many, many SKS rifles having been imported into the U.S. (the book says “over 4 million”) from various countries and factories in recent years, a well researched book is most welcomed.

This book was written by George Layman, in cooperation with Adrian Van Dyk. Many of the rifles shown in this book are from Van Dyk’s personal collection of SKS rifles. He owns examples from every country that ever made the SKS. Layman and Van Dyk also cooperated on the above-mentioned work, Communist Bloc Handguns. Many of Van Dyk’s Tokarevs also appeared in that book. (Reviewed by this reviewer several years ago.)

The “Acknowledgements” section names a large number of people that assisted Layman. He was part of the military intelligence machine for 21 years, and several of these individuals were from the “other side”.

A two-page “Foreword” by fellow ComBloc collector Cameron S. White follows, and then a “NOTE OF CAUTION” regarding the potential danger of a free-floating firing pin and old, crusty Cosmoline preservative. If the firing pin is stuck in the forward position, the gun can slam fire as soon as the bolt closes. Note that this occurs without squeezing the trigger or having the hammer drop. This could result in a very unexpected 10-round burst of full-auto fire.

The book is divided into 13 chapters, plus a “Conclusion” and a detailed “Serial Number Appendices”. The first chapter covers the development of the SKS. Following this is a country-by-country study of the many variants of the SKS. As might be expected, the first country profiled is the USSR.

With over 800 color photos contained within the 264 pages, it certainly is well illustrated. The majority of these photos are close-up, detail photos, noting crests, receiver markings, and serial numbers found on various parts. Also, many drawings and renderings of the various factory codes are illustrated. China has a huge number of such codes listed here.

Also covered are rifles similar to the SKS, but not actually so. Specifically, these are the Czech-made VZ-52 and VZ-52/57, the Egyptian Rashid, and the extremely rare and nearly unknown Iraqi built Baghdad rifle (a copy of the Rashid, built on surplus Egyptian machines and tooling.)

The final chapter, “XIII Collecting The SKS”, is a guide for the novice collector. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the 1990s saw many previously rare variants of Soviet firearms available to the American collector. This chapter helps to sort it all out.

The Conclusion is an interesting bit about Layman’s time serving in military intelligence, and how sources he came in contact with then became friends and provided previously classified information for this book now.

The book ends with “SKS Serial Numbers”, a list of numbers compiled Howard A. Bearse. These systems were meant to confuse western militaries from learning how many firearms in total were produced, and in which factories. It seems to have worked, as there are still questions unanswered… This part mainly deals with Soviet USSR and Chinese numbers, but also touches on North Vietnam, North Korea, and East Germany.

Recommended.

Recently I reviewed the first two volumes of a series covering the legendary Browning Machine Gun family of weapons (See SAR, V25N4, April 2021). Now we will look at Vol. III and IV of this brilliant reference set.

To recap, these four books are published by Collector Grade Publications, a company known for producing well researched firearms books. These four volumes are written by Dolf L. Goldsmith, one of the true greats in the full-auto collecting community (Vol. IV “Semper Fi FIFTY” is co-written with Frank Iannamico). Volume I explores the early development phase of John M. Browning’s machine guns, their use in the latter days of WWI, further refinement between the wars, and their huge influence in WWII in U.S. service. Vol. II covers the use of rifle caliber Brownings in foreign use prior to, and during WWII.

This month’s topics are Vol. III, which examines the accessories that go with the guns, and Vol. IV that covers the mighty .50 BMG, as the titles suggest.

There is actually a fifth volume, “Dolf’s Notebook”, containing hints and tips for working on Browning machine guns. That book, Vol. V, is published by Chipotle Publishing.

Volume III

Vol. III, Chapter one, Description & Principles of Operation starts out with a lesson on the function of the Browning machine gun. By using drawings borrowed from both U.S. and Dutch technical manuals, Dolf explains the complex function of the .30 cal Browning. This is broken down into seven separate phases of operation. These are: firing, recoiling, counter-recoiling, cocking, automatic firing, feeding, and extracting & ejecting.

Following this function lesson, the book delves into the most obvious accessory, the mount, usually a tripod. There are an amazing variety of mounts shown here; so many that they are divided into three chapters. Chapter two, Heavy Ground Mounts, shows many experimental tripods and mounts including a few on bicycle wheel type carts. Chapter three, Later Lighter Mounts, looks at lighter weight tripods. This eventually led to the iconic WW II era M2 tripod for the M1919A4 air-cooled Browning .30 cal.  And chapter four, Vehicle & Aircraft Mounts displays the wide variety of mounts available for vehicles and aircraft. Dolf divides these into five classes: pedestal, as found in jeeps and ¾ ton Dodge trucks, etc., bracket, as mounted to a vehicle dashboard or wall, ball mount, as used on tanks or armored fighting vehicles, rail, generally found on open-top vehicles like half-tracks, and ring mounts, as used on a tank cupola or on the passenger-side roof of a 2.5 ton 6×6 truck. The ring type mount allowed for a full 360°. The ring type was also called a Scarff mount (after its inventor) when used in early aircraft. Also shown is a pair of M37 (an upgraded version of the M1919) guns in a helicopter mount.

Chapter five deals with sights and sighting equipment, including several surprisingly complex rear iron-sights for the M1917/M1917A1. These were first issued calibrated in yards, then reissued in meters to work with European maps, then recalibrated back to yards upon return to the U.S. Then recalibrated to match the ballistics of the newly adopted M1 30-06 ammo (with a 174-grain bullet), and finally recalibrated yet again for the M2 cartridge (152-grain bullet). Also covered are clinometers, panoramic sights for indirect fire, telescopic, and anti-aircraft sights. An early night vision set-up on a Canadian C1 (M1919A4) in 7.62×51 NATO is also shown.

Separate chapters are given to: ammunition, ammo boxes, fabric belts, linked belts, belt-filling machines, link loaders, cooling equipment (for the water-cooled M1917), transport equipment, canvas accessories, blank firing attachments, training devices, the .22 Caliber M1 training machine gun, sub-caliber conversion kit, tools and gauges (This is my favourite chapter), caliber conversions, and manuals & handbooks. Most of the photos of various manuals are from former SAR Senior Editor Robert Segel, while Frank Iannamico and Frank Hackley wrote the chapter about ammunition.

Volume IV

This volume differs from the other books in this set by being co-authored by Frank Iannamico. Iannamico did contribute one chapter on ammunition to Volume III, as noted above, but was not given equal billing then.

The .50 caliber gun was roughly based on the M1917 .30 caliber system. No point in reinventing the wheel. The first version, the M1918 .50 BMG, was too late to see service in WWI. Further refinements such as the M1921 and M1921A1 grew into the famous .50 caliber M2. Yes, there was an M1 but it wasn’t produced in significant numbers.  

High firing speed aircraft machine guns for dog-fighting use are also discussed. This would eventually become the AN-M3 type gun. On a related note, there is a detailed look at the training of air gunners on B-17 and B-24 bombers. It is a surprisingly complex subject.

All total, about 2 million .50 BMG guns were made during WWII. Most common was the aircraft type. With so many war movies showing infantry battles, it is easy to think of the Browning .50 as primarily tank, truck, and tripod based. Not so!

Part II: The Browning .50 at War is a large part of the book. It deals mainly with the setting up of the factories and the making of huge quantities of Browning guns. Once the various factories got set up, they really cranked them out! As the factories got more efficient, the prices dropped dramatically. Of course, the value of a dollar has changed since WWII, but there are some astonishing prices quoted. For instance, the Frigidaire division of GM got the price of an M2HB down to $310 per gun. And High Standard got an M2 Aircraft type gun down to $245 in May 1944, then down to $191.42 per gun in Feb 1945.

Part III: Accessories and Ancillaries is of value to collectors. Chapter 13 covers various mounts, while Chapter 14 looks at the numerous accessories that collectors love to collect. Chapter 15 deals with ammunition, belts, and links.

Part IV: Chapter 16 examines modern day 50s. The M85 tank gun was intended to replace the M2, but it was later dropped from service, while the M2 still thunders on. The Quick-Change Barrel (QCB) system is also discussed. Modern builders such as ERMCO/RAMO, FN Herstal, Saco Defense, and General Dynamics are briefly profiled, too.

Collector Grade now closed

As I write this review in early January 2022, I see that the Collector Grade website now displays this message:

After 42 years in business, Collector Grade Publications has now officially closed its doors. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our many regular/loyal customers who have contributed to the success of our company over the years.

Anyone interested in purchasing Collector Grade titles, should get in touch at info@collectorgrade.com and we will forward a list of dealers in the USA who still have many of our titles available

The SAR Bookstore still shows Volume II of this set as available.

Railway guns hardly qualify as “small arms,” I agree, but it is hoped that guns of all sizes are of interest to Small Arms While searching through the Osprey Publish-ing online catalog for suitable books to review, I came across these three titles. Being interested in guns of all sizes and shapes, I was intrigued.

These three titles come from Osprey’s New Vanguard series. This series covers all manners of large weapons systems, from 16th century warships to modern-day tanks and helicopter gunships. The series consists of approximately 270 (titles are continuously being added) small booklets, each measuring 7 ¼in x 9 ¾in and 48 pages in length. Many different authors and illustrators have contributed to this series, so the writing style varies slightly, but the layout is basically the same.

Numerous photographs of the weapon in service, along with new, full-color artwork are featured. Similar to the Weapon series of booklets from Osprey, the New Vanguard booklets are meant to be a solid introduction to a topic, not the final word.

Railway Guns of World War I (NVG 249), by authors Marc Romanych and Greg Heuer, opens with the comment “World War I was the Golden Age of railway artillery, with more types and numbers of these guns employed than in any other conflict.” I was quite surprised to learn that by the end of WW I, over 600 individual guns had seen action, and perhaps 200 more were either on order or under construction.

The first attempt at a railway gun was during the U.S. Civil War, when the Confederate forces mounted a 32-pound naval gun to a railway flat-car. This was followed by two Union guns of similar design. Similar early versions are noted during the Anglo-Egyptian War (1882) and the Second Boer War (1899-1902). Across Europe, the idea of transporting artillery pieces to the battle front was catching on. However, these were generally just regular field guns on flatcars or old naval guns cobbled together. France was the first nation to design and build a railway gun from the ground up, in 1888. This is briefly mentioned in the “Introduction” and the “Before the War” sections.

The chapter titled, “Design and Development” is the heart of the book. It is subdivided into individual years, so the overall progression is laid out in chronological order. The subsection “1914 and 1915: The First Railway Guns” covers the transition from field guns bolted to flatcars, to the beginnings of large guns on specially designed heavy mounts. France took the early lead here. Interestingly, Germany did not build any true railway guns during this time. Instead, she focused on building large guns that fired from concrete and steel firing platforms, rather than a stretch of rail.

“Subsection 1916: Greater Range and Fire-power” discusses exactly that, and an accompanying chart lists one French gun with a bore of 400mm (approximately 16 inches) and another with a range of 33km (roughly 22 miles).

French and British designs, as well as Italian, Russian and American types. Also, in early 1917, Germany introduced the 24cm “Theodore Karl” E. gun. Designed by the German Navy in 1916, it used a 24cm (240mm, or roughly 9 ½ inches) naval cannon to fire shells to a range of almost 27km (roughly 17 miles).

As the subsection “1918: Super-Heavy Railway Guns” explains, Britain and France had ramped up production of tanks by 1918, so fewer railway guns were produced in the final year. However, several huge guns were built, even if in limited numbers. The largest bore railway gun of any nation was the French 520mm (approx. 20.5 inches) Obusier Mle 1916 Howitzer. Two were built—one blew up during testing, and the other didn’t finish testing before the war ended.

Railway Guns of World War II (NVG 231) is written by author Steven J. Zaloga. Rather a year-by-year study, Zaloga lays his book out by country. Countries profiled are France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, USSR, Finland, Japan, Britain and USA. The booklet notes that Mr. Zaloga has a Masters degree in history, so perhaps it is not surprising that his writing focuses on the battles and usage, more than the technical aspects, as compared to the WWI book by Romanych and Heuer.

Superguns 1854-1991: Extreme Artillery from the Paris Gun and the V-3 to Iraq’s Project Babylon (NVG 265) is also written by Steven J. Zaloga. This covers four specific guns that don’t qualify as railway guns but are definitely super-sized. These are the Paris Gun, the V-3 London Gun, the M65 Atomic Cannon and the Iraqi Project Babylon gun.
The Paris Gun was so named as it was designed to shell Paris from behind the German lines, 120km (74.5 miles) away. This is an extraordinary range by today’s standards and was unheard of in WWI. While this astonishing gun was delivered to its firing site by rail, it was set up on a permanent concrete firing pad, so it cannot be classed as a true railway gun. Ger-many built three of these massive guns, none of which survive today. All three were destroyed by Germany at the end of the war to prevent the allies from capturing them.

The V-3 London Gun was a WWII project that was supposed to shell London, as the name suggests. The most notable feature of the London Gun was the use of multiple chambers to boost the velocity. Each of these chambers contained an additional propellant charge. As the shell traveled down the barrel, it ignited these charges as it passed by. Several smaller prototypes were fired on testing ranges, but it was never fired in actual combat. A full-size underground gun emplacement was under construction in northern France, roughly 100 miles from London; however, it was badly damaged in a bombing raid before it was completed. This site is now a museum.

The M65 “Atomic Annie” was a U.S. Army cannon that could fire an atomic shell. The 280mm-diameter (roughly 11 inches) canon contained a 15 kiloton warhead. This is equivalent to the Hiroshima “Little Boy” bomb.

Project Babylon refers to an Iraqi gun that was built into the side of a mountain, somewhat similar to the WWII German V-3 London Gun. The Babylon guns included a 300mm prototype, to be followed by a 1000mm (39-inch diameter) monster meant to shell Israel at a range of about 450 miles! Although the Babylon guns did not use the multiple chamber system of the V-3, they were built into the side of a hill to support the huge barrel. As the book explains, the project came to a sudden end when the designer was killed. The strong suspicion is that Israeli Mossad agents assassinated him to end the project.

Each of these three booklets does a nice job of describing the equipment. They contain many period photographs, as well as several full-color painting illustrations. These artworks are very well done, often portraying the guns in action. Other illustrations depict a side view of significant guns.

Each title is available as a paperback or as an ePub or PDF ebook (ospreypublishing. com). The paperback editions sell for USD $18.00 each.

These four titles are from a series of nine (so far) books that cover German WWII weapons. What sets this series apart from other books is the use of official photos taken by German military photographers. These SS-Kriegsberichter, or war reporters, were tasked with capturing inspiring images for the German propaganda machine. Propaganda being what it is, most of the original captions must be treated with a great deal of suspicion. The author, Guus de Vries, mentions this in the preface.

The preface also mentions that there were perhaps 2,500 Kriegsberichter covering all branches of the German war effort. Operating under the direction of the Ministry of Propaganda, these photographers and reporters helped the Third Reich tell its version of the war.

More often than not, they were not actually capturing real combat scenes but recreating great battles a week or so after the event. This becomes evident upon careful scrutiny of the photographs. The author often points out small details such as a missing magazine or rear sight folded down as a soldier is supposedly aiming at an enemy. This seems strange that even with an entire ministry devoted to creating the perfect image of a victorious soldier, such details were missed.

Once it is understood that these photos (and especially the captions that accompany the photos) represent the Nazi point of view, they become an intriguing piece of history.

Each book typically starts with an Introduction, then a look at the development process of the specific weapon (the exception being the title, Captured Arms / Beutewaffen, for obvious reasons). From there, accessories, different variants, markings and so on are covered. This is not a rigid list, however. For example, the FG42 book covers pre-production trials models, the first production model, an intermediate type, and the second (final) production model. This technical study takes up the first 50 or so pages (this differs with each title). The Propaganda photos section makes up the remainder of the 152 pages.

The Captured Arms / Beutewaffen book takes a different approach. As the Germans did not develop but merely captured these arms, the book is divided into country of origin. Photographs of German soldiers armed with weapons from a long list of nations are featured. The cover photo shows a very pleased paratrooper posing with a British Mk I Bren, probably captured in Dunkirk or Crete.

The technical first section of each book often has several photos sharing one page, especially if there are three views of the same gun or a comparison of two variants. The Propaganda section, however, features one large photo per page, along with a comment from the author(s). Generally this is a translation of the original German caption, along with the author’s observations. These large photos are less about the gun and more about the soldiers. Besides the posed battle recreations mentioned above, there are many photos taken during training, casual group photos, various “lifestyle” photos of soldiers relaxing, etc., and even a few real combat photos.

As might be expected from the posed photos, they tend to be better quality than “grab” shots. Most photos are crisp and clear, although some are not (usually specific battle photos). All are black and white; there are no color photos.

While these books are not the final word on each gun covered, they do hold a great deal of information in the technical first section. Adding in the official German Kriegsberichter photos makes this an interesting group of books.

DETAILS: Propaganda Photo Series

Vol. III: The P08 Luger Pistol
By Guus De Vries and Bas J. Martens
Hardcover, 9×9 inches
152 pages, includes dust jacket
Copyright 2001, 2nd ed.
ISBN 978-90-805583-5-9
Publisher: S.I. Publicaties BV sipublicaties.nl

Vol. VI: The MG34 Machine Gun
By Guus De Vries
Hardcover, 9×9 inches
152 pages, includes dust jacket
Copyright 2010
ISBN 978-90-78521-03-7
Publisher: S.I. Publicaties BV sipublicaties.nl

Vol. VIII: The FG42 Fallschirmjägergewehr
By Guus De Vries
Hardcover, 9×9 inches
152 pages, includes dust jacket
Copyright 2011
ISBN 978-90-78521-05-1
Publisher: S.I. Publicaties BV sipublicaties.nl

Vol. IX: Captured Arms / Beutewaffen
By Guus De Vries
Hardcover, 9×9 inches
152 pages, includes dust jacket
Copyright 2011
ISBN 978-90-78521-06-8
Publisher: S.I. Publicaties BV sipublicaties.nl

Johnson’s Rifles and Machine Guns: The Story of Melvin Maynard Johnson, Jr. and His Guns 

Although overshadowed by the far better known M1 Garand service rifle, the story of the Johnson M1941 rifle is an interesting part of U.S. military history. 

Melvin Johnson was the driving force behind the M1941 semiautomatic rifle and the M1941 Light Machine Gun (LMG). This book, by noted U.S. weapons expert and author Bruce N. Canfield, covers the development and use of these arms, as well as other lesser known products. 

Canfield, best known for several books on the M1 Garand rifle and M1 Carbine, profiles Johnson the man and the Johnson Automatics company, as well as his rifle and LMG. As the name suggests, this book covers the man as least as much as the guns he developed. Canfield was given access to an unpublished 600-page manuscript that Johnson had assembled over 4 years, documenting his life. (Johnson actually submitted Unpardonable Guns to a book publisher, but it was rejected.) Canfield also worked with Melvin Johnson’s second son Edward R. Johnson. This access allows Canfield to go deep into the history and struggles of the rifle selection process, the busy times during World War II and the lean times following the War. The book follows this timeline, being broken into three parts. 

Part I—History and Development 

Starting with the usual family history introduction, the book follows the early development of the semiauto rifle, the forming of Johnson Automatics, Inc., and the testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The development of the full-auto LMG (eventually named the M1941 LMG) is covered also. A little known experimental gun called the Auto-Carbine is also profiled. It was essentially a much shortened Johnson semiauto rifle. It kept the .30-06 cartridge, so had nothing to do with the Winchester-designed M1 Carbine. 

Part II—World War II–Betsy and Emma Go to War 

The subtitle refers to Johnson’s habit of giving his designs female names. The M1941 rifle was “Betsy,” and the LMG was “Emma.” (The Auto-Carbine mentioned above was named “Daisy Mae.”) While the U.S. Army did not adopt any of Johnson’s designs, the USMC First Parachute Battalion did acquire a small number of Betsys and Emmas that saw action in the Pacific. The purchase of rifles for the Netherlands East Indies (now known as Indonesia) is covered, as is the transfer of rifles to the USMC after the East Indies were overrun by the Japanese forces. 

Lesser known projects during WWII are examined, such as a 20mm aircraft cannon (nicknamed “Bertha”), a takedown paratroop model of the rifle, and even a prototype of a recoilless mortar. An updated version of the M1941 LMG is also covered; this became the M1944, and with further improvements, it became the M1945. 

Near the end of the War, Johnson Automatics, Inc., was given a contract to study the feasibility of motorizing an 1880s-era Gatling gun. After buying an original Model 1886, 10-barrel Gatling chambered in .45-70 Govt., an electric motor was attached, and some amazing rates of fire were reached. A peak of 5,800 RPM is noted. 

Part III—Post-War 

With the end of the War, came lean times for Johnson Automatics, Inc., as most militaries were downsizing. In order to keep busy, they began sporterizing military surplus bolt-action rifles for the commercial market. They also introduced a low-powered BB gun, the Johnson Indoor Target Gun. (On a personal note, I placed an ad in the old Shotgun News classified ad magazine years ago, looking for various airgun pellet tins, as I collect them. I got a phone call from one of Melvin Johnson’s sons offering me a package of JITG BBs. I still have the sealed package.) The JITG used a rubber tube as the power source. It had enough velocity to tear paper targets but not enough to pierce the cardboard box it came in. The box was used as a backstop and BB catcher. During a promo event, an attractive young model dressed in party balloons acted as a live target! However, the gun lacked the power to burst the balloons, much to the shooter’s frustration. This was planned, to show how low-powered it was. (Don’t try this at home, kids!) 

In late 1948, Johnson Automatics declared bankruptcy, and an auction was held in March 1949. Johnson himself went to work for Winchester Repeating Arms following this. He worked there until 1954. Eventually, he joined Armalite, a division of Fairchild Aircraft. During this time, Armalite was working on the AR-10 rifle. Several features of the AR-10 were reminiscent of the Johnson semiauto rifle, including the straight-line stock, the multiple locking lugs on the bolt and the use of a barrel extension that the bolt locked up to. 

The book relates a comical anecdote during this time. Johnson was verbally explaining something to an Armalite engineer. The engineer wanted Mel to draw it out on paper, but Johnson preferred to draw it out in cigar smoke! 

Also during the mid-1950s, Johnson was involved with the Dardick Corp. and their unique triangular-shaped “trounds.” This was for a short-lived pistol that was sort of a magazine-fed revolver. When this ended, Johnson then began converting .30-caliber M1 Carbines to 5.7mm (.224 cal). This wildcat cartridge used a .30 carbine case necked down to .224 diameter. It became known as the MMJ 5.7mm Johnson Spitfire. It had modest success but never really took off. 

The book ends with several pages of collector notes. As the Johnson rifles are becoming very valuable now, it is vital that collectors know what to look for, to avoid getting burned by fakers. 

This is a very well-researched book that gives a detailed look into the life and times of an inventor, as well as his various guns. If you are in the market for an M1941 rifle, you would be well-served by this book. Numerous detail photos of the innards, several photos of the factory machine shops and period advertising make this a worthwhile book. 

• By Bruce N. Canfield, with Robert L. Lamoreaux and Edward R. Johnson 
• Mowbray Publishing 
• ISBN 1-931464-02-2 
• Copyright 2002, 2006 
• Hardcover, 8.5” x 11”, 272 pages, 285+ color and B&W photos 
• MSRP: $49.95 
• gunandswordcollector.com 
• Available direct from Mowbray

History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition: Vol. III: 1946–1977 

• By Frank W. Hackley, William H. Woodin and Eugene L. Scranton 
• ISBN: 978-1-4951-6616-7 
• Copyright 2015 
• Binding: Hard cover 
• Size: 8.5in x 11in 
• Pages: 650 
• Color/B&W photos: No color photos. 1,077 cartridge, bullet, case and headstamp drawings; 202 box labels illustrated by B&W photos. 
• Publisher: MRC3 Publishing 
• historyofammunition.com 
• Available through website 

It has been said in regards to collecting, that your collection is only as good as your library. That is certainly true when collecting ammunition, and especially so with rare, eclectic military ammo. 

This third volume of the History of Modern U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition series continues the fine work of the earlier volumes. Unfortunately, both the first and second volumes are long out of print. I mention them here for the sake of continuity and as a brief lead-in to the review of Volume III. 

The origins of this third volume go back a surprisingly long way. The three authors, Frank Hackley, Bill Woodin and Gene Scranton, met in the early 1950s through their common interest in cartridge collecting. They often talked about creating a series of books on U.S. military cartridges. Hackley began writing the first draft of the first volume as far back as 1957. This volume covered cartridges from the timeframe of 1880 to 1939. It was published in 1967. Eventually, this was followed by Volume II. It covers the WWII period from 1940 to 1945 and was published in 1978. 

Volume III, the subject of this review, was released in late 2015 and covers post-war cartridge designs. There are 1,077 cartridge, bullet, case and headstamp drawings in the book and 202 box labels illustrated. 

The book is divided into Parts and then further divided into Chapters. Part I covers pistol, revolver and submachine gun ammo, specifically .38 Special and .45 ACP cartridges. Part II covers carbine, rifle and machine gun ammunition. The cartridges studied are all varieties of SAA (small arms ammunition) used in U.S. service since 1945. These range from .223 (5.56mm) through .50 BMG and the not-adopted .60 Machine Gun round. (I suppose the authors put the .60 MG in Part II, rather than in “Part III, Experimental Ammunition,” due to the amount of development done.) 

For me, the most interesting section of the book is “Part III, Experimental Ammunition.” In this section, many strange experimental designs are covered. The official website for the book (historyofammunition.com) states: 

“Cartridge types developed during the period covered include SPIW, SAW, FABRL, SALVO, SCAMP, ’Tombstone,’ Squeeze Bore, Taper Bore, Flechette, Simplex, Duplex, Triplex, Multiplex, Folded, Tround, Caseless, Expellable, QSPR, Rocket-Propelled, Underwater, and more.” Some of these experimental projects are truly bizarre. For example, there are micro-ballistic rounds that fire projectiles ranging from 1mm to a mere 3mm in diameter. And the SPIW (Special Purpose Individual 

Weapon) is covered in detail. The SPIW round uses a dart or arrow-like flechette, rather than a traditional bullet. At the website, you can download a PDF sample of Chapter 13, “Caseless and Expellable.” 

The Salvo Squeeze Bore program is most intriguing. It combines the multiple-bullet Salvo concept with a barrel that tapers down from .50 cal. to .30 cal. Other sizes tested were .30/.15 and .45/.357. The projectiles are nested together, usually five per cartridge. As they travel down the bore, they separate and get swaged down in diameter. So, for each shot fired, five separate bullets are fired. A small lot of .50 BMG SSB was tested in Vietnam for use on the river boats but was not adopted. 

Part IV covers “Miscellaneous Ammunition.” Chapter 16 includes familiar cartridges like the .22 LR rimfire and several centrefire civilian sporting rounds that were loaded specifically for U.S. military use. In some cases, the only difference may be in the packaging. In other examples it could be a project that uses normal commercial brass cases loaded with very unusual projectiles. An example of this is the .220 Swift case loaded with a flechette dart. Other cartridges profiled are U.S.-made, Soviet-era 7.62×25 and 7.62×39 rounds. It may seem odd now, with tens of millions of rounds of cheap surplus ammo sold in the past 20 years, but this wasn’t always the case. In the 1950s, ComBloc ammo wasn’t nearly so plentiful. There are also entries for the Czech 7.62×45 intermediate round and the 12.7×108 and 14.5×114 Soviet heavy MG rounds. 

Chapter 17 details numerous strange looking projectiles for pistol and submachine gun ammo, while Chapter 18 deals with shotgun ammso. This ranges from regular .410 shotgun rounds for use by USAF personnel who have to eject, to shotgun shells filled with razor blades! These specially shaped blades were loaded into 20-gauge and 12-gauge hulls. They are known as Scimitar rounds. A related project was the Beehive round, containing multiple flechettes. Several versions of Beehive rounds are profiled. 

In addition to “shooting ammo” for firearms, the book also covers cartridges that perform other functions. Chapter 19 covers propelling, pyrotechnic and actuating cartridges. You are probably familiar with blank-firing, powder-actuated tools such as Hilti and Ramset, used to drive hardened nails into concrete. The various U.S. military branches have many such specialty cartridges for purposes ranging from cable cutting blanks that sever the anchoring cables on sea mines, to ejection-seat igniters for jet fighters. Among other cartridges featured is a 20-gauge blank for starting jet engines, a 24-gauge blank spotting charge for practicing bomb dropping, a 10-gauge blank for the same purpose and various mortar ignition cartridges. 

Following Part IV is the Appendix section. Appendix A is a long list of companies that supplied ammo or components. Appendix B, C and D are lists of assigned model numbers (either “M” or “XM”), test numbers (with a “T” prefix) or Frankford Arsenal Test numbers (originally “FAT,” later “FA” prefix). 

It is obvious that this book is a true labor of love from Hackley, Woodin and Scranton. It presents well, with Scranton’s technical drawings accompanying the related text. Sadly, Gene Scranton passed away in 2013 before the release of Volume III. There is a tribute page recognizing him. 

The Acknowledgements section credits many individuals and groups, including the research staff at the National Archives and Records Administration, many former staff from the now-closed Frankford Arsenal and a large list of fellow collectors and researchers. 

This current Volume III is designed and edited by another recognized expert in cartridge collecting, Cmdr. Melvin R. Carpenter III, U.S. Navy (Ret.), and is published by his company MRC3 Publishing. Carpenter has another book of his own out that deals specifically with the Gyrojet mini-rocket concept. He is currently working on another book about the Dardick tround cartridges. There is no release date yet for the later book, but I intend to review both books when they are released. 

This book will certainly appeal to advanced cartridge collectors, especially collectors of rare and oddball military ammo. I can also see this book being of great interest to inventors, to avoid re-inventing something that has been tried before and having the same issues repeat. 

The Vickers Guide team has managed to outdo themselves. Several months ago I had the pleasure of reviewing two titles from the Vickers Guide series (SAR, Vol. 23, No. 7). Back then I wrote that the two titles (WWII Germany, Volume 1, and Kalashnikov, Volume 1) were truly beautiful books, with more than enough technical insight to set them apart from the usual “coffee table book” fluff. 

Now that I have read both of the recently released follow-up books in the series, I can state that authors Larry Vickers and James Rupley, along with several guest authors, have set the standard even higher. The Vickers Guide team travelled to many countries, museums and private collections to study and photograph many unique firearms. These include pristine-condition examples of otherwise common guns or elaborately engraved presentation pistols, as well as extremely rare prototype guns. 

WWII Germany, Volume 2 

Vickers Guide: WWII Germany, Volume 2 

• Larry Vickers, James Rupley, and many guest authors 
• ISBN: 978-0-9965032-5-9 
• Copyright: 2019 
• Pages: 376 pages 
• Size: 13”x11” (approx.) 
• Publisher: Mott Lake Publishing 
• Nashville, TN 37215 
• Available on vickersguide.com 

The WWII Germany book begins with displays of several finely engraved presentation pistols, mostly Walther PP and PPK pistols. Also featured is a very ornate Luger P08. It is one of only six such pistols known worldwide. It would have been presented by Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering, to Luftwaffe pilot aces. 

The section on semiauto battle rifles studies the progression towards self-loading rifles. The G41(M), the G41(W) and the G43 are shown and discussed. (The “G” prefix stands for “Gewehr,” German for “rifle” or “gun,” while the suffix in parentheses stands for the factory; Mauser and Walther in these examples.) Guest author Ian McCollum wrote a short piece on the change of name from G43 to K43, for Karabiner. McCollum and Maxim Popenker co-wrote an article on the Soviet SVT-38 and SVT-40 rifles and how they influenced German design. 

The Select-Fire Service Rifles portion features the FG42 paratrooper rifle (both early and late varieties), as well as the progression of the Sturmgewehr concept. Beginning with the Maschinenkarabiner MKb 42(H) by Haenel and the MKb 42(W) by Walther, and moving through the MP43/1, MP43, MP43 and finally the StG44, the Sturmgewehr (“storm rifle,” or assault rifle) is well covered. As with the other books in this series, James Rupley’s stunningly beautiful photography draws the viewer right into the page with overall photos from both sides, and often a 3/4 diagonal view as well, giving a complete view. A series of close-up detail shots are included. 

Guest author R.D.I. Weigt wrote articles on StG44 accessories and magazines. Larry Vickers offers a personal assessment of the StG44, based on his firing experience (heavy and quite controllable; probably due to the weight). The section ends with guest author Michael Heidler looking at the StG45(H) from Haenel. Never heard of the StG45(H)? That is not surprising, as only the one prototype is known to exist. It was captured when U.S. troops captured the Haenel factory. 

The Machine Guns section deals mainly with the MG34 and MG42 guns, but also looks at the MG15, MG81 and the Czech-designed ZB-26 and ZB-53 guns. Michael Heidler wrote an article on the MG30 titled, “MG34 Ancestor.” This study of the lineage of the MG-34 is quite interesting. Ian McCollum wrote about the General Purpose MG concept pioneered by the MG34, while Reidar Daae wrote several short articles on MG34/42 accessories. It is interesting to note that McCollum finds the MG34 pleasant to fire from the tripod, while Vickers considers the bipod somewhat flawed. 

The chapter titled, “Last Ditch Weapons” deals with the Volkssturm (“People’s Storm”) weapons program. Besides the crude looking rifles built at World War II’s end, there are improvised hand grenades made from glass and even cast from concrete! Also shown is the MP3008 submachine gun, a near copy of the British STEN gun. As crudely made as the STEN was, the MP3008 was far worse! I found it quite ironic that Rupley’s photography showed off every file gouge, hammer dent and pig-ugly, snot-weld with maximum clarity. 

The Appendix contains some real gems, including a pristine, unissued K98k with ZF-41 optics, a one-off experimental folding stock for the G33/40 (a shortened K98 variant) and a late-War mash-up of MP38 and MP40 parts, etc. Michael Heidler provided two more ar

ticles on the M.SS.41 and the Granat Busche 39 anti-tank rifles, as did R.D.I. Weigt on rifle grenades and the unique curved-barrel Krummlauf attachment for the StG44 rifle. The book finishes with an article on German cartridges by Jack Dutschke. 

Kalashnikov, Volume 2 

Vickers Guide: Kalashnikov, Volume 2 

• Larry Vickers, James Rupley, and many guest authors 
• ISBN: 978-0-9965032-6-6 
• Copyright: 2019 
• Pages: 352 pages 
• Size: 13”x11” (approx.) 
• Publisher: Mott Lake Publishing 
• Nashville, TN 37215 
• Available on vickersguide.com 

Volume 1 of the Kalashnikov books dealt with 7.62×39 caliber guns. Volume 2 covers AK-74 variants in the more recent 5.45×39 caliber, as well as some variants in 5.56 NATO. 

Beginning with the A-3 pre-production prototype, which eventually became the AK-74, the book studies the many variants of the basic design. Options include wood or polymer stocks and handguards, side folding or under folding stocks, short barrels, GP-25 or GP-30 grenade launchers mounted below the rifle barrel, and so on. 

Following that, the book then looks at the “100 Series” designs that arrived around the turn of the century. The AK-101 and AK-102 are chambered in 5.56 NATO, while the AK-105 is in 5.45 Soviet. The AK-107 and AK-108 rifles incorporate the intriguing Balanced Recoil System, in which a counterweight moves in the opposite direction of the bolt carrier group, to cancel out some of the felt recoil. Several pages worth of photos attempt to explain the inner workings of this system. If I have one minor complaint about this book, it would be the lack of a diagram to show the operation. 

The most modern AK is the AK-12. It has been chosen as the new Russian service rifle, and the first deliveries began in late 2018. The Vickers Guide team was given access to several versions of the prototype and trials guns. It is most interesting to compare the photos and note the changes over the years. At some point, the classic stamped-steel selector switch was done away with and replaced with an ambidextrous polymer switch. The fire control markings were replaced with HK-style pictographs also. Oddly enough, the final version of the AK- 12 has reverted back to the “classic” look. 

Following USSR/Russia section, other countries that produce small caliber AK system rifles are profiled. This includes: Bulgaria, Burma (now called Myanmar), China, Czech Republic, DDR (East Germany), Finland, Hungary, Israel (the Galil series), Poland, Romania, South Africa (the R4, R5, R6 series and the Vektor CR-21 bullpup). 

The book ends with an impressively large collection of magazines and an article on 5.45x39mm ammunition. The magazines are representative of numerous countries, materials, sizes, styles, etc. The ammo article is written by Maxim Popenker, N.R. Jenzen-Jones and Jack Dutschke. 

Three Versions of Each Title 

Each title is available in three different versions or editions, these being the Standard, Signature and Limited Editions. The Signature Edition is hand-signed by Larry Vickers. The Limited Edition of each title is also hand-signed by Vickers, along with a personal handwritten message of your choosing. This numbered series is limited to 250 books. 

Great news! The website vickersguide.com states that the AR-15 Volume 1 will be re-released soon. All three versions are currently sold out, so this is welcome news. I have no inside info about any future titles, but I suspect there may be more yet. 

In-Depth Look at Maxim and Vickers in WWII 

Vickers-Maxim Machine Guns Enthusiast’s Manual: 1886 to 1968 (All Models) 

• Author: Martin Pegler 
• Publisher: Haynes Publishing 
• ISBN: 978 1 78521 563 6 
• Copyright: 2019 
• Hardcover: 8.5” x 11”, 172 pages 
• MSRP: $36.95 

This is the second of two separate, unrelated books about the legendary Vickers machine gun by author Martin Pegler, former Senior Curator of the Royal Armouries Museum Leeds, England. 

Regular readers of this column may recall a review in SAR Vol. 23, No. 4 (April 2019) where I reviewed four books from the Weapon series by Osprey Publishing. One of those books also dealt with the Maxim and Vickers family of guns (The Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun, WPN 25). 

As I have noted previously, the booklets that make up the Osprey Weapon series are fine books, but at only 80 pages, they are best regarded as an introduction to a given topic. 

This new book by Haynes Publishing (yes, the car manual folks) covers the Maxim and Vickers guns in much greater detail. Fortunately, this reads like a book, not a repair manual. After the usual Acknowledgements and Introduction chapters, there is a historical look back at the earliest types of repeating arms. These generally were of the multiple barrel “volley” gun or of the revolving type, best described as an overgrown revolver that fires rifle or small cannon rounds. These volley and revolving guns were usually mounted on a tripod or stand of some sort. They were manually fired, and they all had a limited number of rounds. 

Following these, came the hand-cranked designs by Gardner, Nordenfelt, Gatling and others. It was at this time that Hiram S. Maxim designed the weapon that changed warfare. Author Martin Pegler covers these early hand-cranked guns in detail in Chapter 1, “The Machine Gun Concept.” Chapter 2, “Trials and Tribulations,” begins with a look at Maxim himself. Maxim was a fascinating man, a true genius when it came to inventions. He had over 80 patents by age 44 for a wide range of items. Over half were for electrical equipment, as he was fascinated by electricity. After a conversation with a friend, Maxim set about to invent a gun that could load, fire and eject all by itself. There are several great old drawings that illustrate his earliest prototypes. Along with these drawings, there are several photographs from the era depicting these guns, plus two current photos of two prototypes belonging to the Royal Armouries Museum. I really like the layout of this chapter. 

Pegler then covers the company merger with the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering company, WWI manufacture and WWII manufacture in chapters 3, 4 and 5. Again, we are treated to a great selection of photos, both from the era and current times. The photos that date from the Wars are black and white, naturally. The current photos, primarily of equipment and various accessories and parts, are in full color. 

Chapter 6, “The Vickers in Service,” deals with the ground guns naturally, but it also covers guns mounted on biplane fighters. This information is seldom seen. Chapter 7, “Vickers Variants,” looks at guns mounted on vehicles and tanks. Included here is a look at the scaled-up .5-inch (similar to the .50BMG round) and the follow-up 12.7mm Class D gun. Again, the author has provided many interesting photos detailing these variants. 

Chapter 8, “Maintaining and Shooting a Vickers,” promises “the sequences for stripping and cleaning a gun are examined along with detailed supporting images and technical drawings covering every part of the guns and their components.” This sounds impressive, but don’t throw out your original military manuals just yet. Yes, it does go into some detail on how to change a barrel without losing all the cooling water and swap out major assemblies like the feedblock and lock, but it will not make you an armourer. If you own a live gun that isn’t running right, this chapter may point you in the right direction, but you likely will need more detailed info. Having said this, the Vickers and Maxim design is an amazingly complex mechanism, so this comment should not be taken as a complaint. 

Chapter 9, “A User’s View,” tells the history via quotes from soldiers that used the gun in combat, including one recollection by the author’s uncle. I find this memory ties the chapter together nicely and makes it relatable. 

Enthusiast’s Manual is an appropriate subtitle for this book. Fans of the Vickers will appreciate the more in-depth study of one of the great guns of the Great War. It features many wonderful old period photos, interesting drawings and diagrams from the prototypes and lots of modern color photos of the gun and accessories. 

At 172 pages, it fits well between the Osprey booklet and the forthcoming The Vickers Machine Gun: Pride of the Emma Gees by Dolf Goldsmith. 

All You Need to Know About Black Powder Shooting 

From Musket to Metallic Cartridge: A Practical History of Black Powder Firearms 

• Author: Oyvind Flatnes 
• Publisher: The Crowood Press 
• ISBN: 978 1 84797 593 5 
• Copyright: 2013 
• Hardcover: 7.5” x 9.8”, 240 pages, 265 color photos and diagrams 
• MSRP: Barnes & Noble $54.95 

I picked up this book a couple of years ago, as part of the background research for an article on the French M1866 Chassepot “needle-gun” rifle. Upon re-reading it recently, I felt it was worthy of a full review here. 

The title of this book perfectly sums it up nicely. It covers the history of black powder firearms from the earliest of muskets through to the advent of self-contained metallic cartridges. Rather than just a dry history lesson, it offers a great deal of practical information on safety, gun maintenance, loading and cleaning, etc. 

The first chapter, “Age of Firearms,” is a quick overview of the technical progress made since the beginning of the firearms era, probably the early 1200s. Chapter 2, “The Gun in Warfare,” looks back at roughly 500 years of conflict and how the firearm changed battle tactics. As most of the wars involving guns were occurring in Europe, this is where the bulk of the development was occurring. Several of these wars are mentioned. Of course, the American War of Independence and the Civil War are also covered. 

The book is presented in a chronological order, with improvements to the ignition systems following a logical progression from matchlock, wheel-lock, flintlock, to percussion caplock; then the transformation from external ignition to self-contained cartridges is covered. 

While rifles make up the majority of the subject matter, there are chapters dedicated to pistols as well. Cap and ball revolvers are covered, certainly, but older designs like flintlock and even matchlock pistols are profiled. The author points out that so-called “duelling pistols” were seldom advertised by that term. More correctly, they were target pistols that ended up being used in a duel. 

As mentioned above, this book contains a great deal of practical information for anyone wanting to fire black powder. The instructions and diagrams on how to recreate paper cartridges will be especially useful for anyone wanting to warm up an old relic. 

Early black powder cartridge rifles such as the British Martini–Henry, the Springfield M1873 Trapdoor and others are covered in Chapter 11, “The Single-Shot Cartridge Rifle” and Chapter 12, “The Repeating Rifle.” A chapter on “Cartridge Revolvers” follows. Although primarily a history of the evolution of cartridge firing guns, these chapters also have some useful loading information as well. 

Sections on making paper-patched bullets and even on reloading pinfire ammo are especially interesting. Chapter 15 gives a very good explanation of what is required to reload black powder cartridges. Powder, bullets, lube, wads, case annealing, powder compression and more are thoroughly explained. 

Black powder shotguns are not forgotten either. Both muzzle-loading and breech-loaded cartridge-type shotguns are dealt with. As modern plastic hulls don’t work well with black powder, older paper hulls and all-brass cases are discussed. 

The chapter on hunting is interesting to read from a historical perspective; although I did find myself getting angry at the colossal waste that took place during the bison hunts on the Great Plains. 

The book ends with a chapter on the various groups within the larger black powder community. Reenactors of various battles (Napoleonic Wars, colonial America, the Anglo-Zulu War and the American–Indian Wars are common subjects), the North-South Skirmish Association and Cowboy Action Shooters are mentioned. 

I believe this book will be a valuable resource for those wanting to shoot black powder guns from any era. I also found it to be a great study into the history and development of the firearm from the very beginning, up to the transition to smokeless powder in the late 1800s. 

Well-illustrated with 265 color photos and diagrams, laid out in an orderly fashion and delivering the right blend of historical context, technical descriptions of weapons and practical advice makes this a book worth considering. 

This book does a spectacular job of covering the many automatic cannon designs from the late 1800s up to current types. And as the title suggests, it also covers the ammunition associated with these designs.

This is the latest book from Anthony G. Williams, joining previous titles about aircraft guns, (The Flying Guns trilogy, now out of print), sub-machine guns, machine guns, and assault rifles (these three co-authored with Maxim Popenker), and Rapid Fire, an earlier version of the current Autocannon title.

Following the usual introduction, the book is broken down into four main parts, beginning with Part I: A Brief History of Automatic Cannon. This looks back as far as the 1880s for the Maxim designed Ordnance QF (Quick Firing) 1 Pounder, Mk 1, often called the Pom-Pom. Subjects covered include naval anti-aircraft guns, land-based AA, and aircraft-mounted cannon. These topics are arranged in chronological order, ending with modern systems like the naval CWIS (Close In Weapon System) and helicopter gunships.

Part II: Design Considerations introduces us to the finer points of ammunition design. Various types of armor piercing projectiles, explosive and incendiary shells, and fuses are covered. Propellants, primers, and cartridge cases are discussed in much detail. Internal, external, and terminal ballistics are also dealt with.

A subsection of Part II is titled Gun Elements. This looks at various locking systems that have been employed through the years. This is quite technical in nature, but Williams keeps it readable. Also covered in detail (13 pages worth) is the topic of feed systems. From the simple gravity feed of 40mm Bofors guns, through to really large box magazines for 20mm guns, and belt-fed designs as found on various aircraft, this book offers information that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Another subsection of Part II is titled Unconventional Systems. This deals with weird experimental guns and ammunition. Numerous attempts at “telescoped” ammo have been tried, but most go nowhere. Telescoped refers to the projectile being positioned within the case and powder so that it does not extend forward of the case. The British-French 40 x 255mm CTAS (Cased Telescoped Armament System) is finally being delivered to British and French forces. The program started in 1994.

Other experimental ammo types covered include caseless types, the unique “Tround”, and recoilless types.

Part III: The Cartridges is my personal favorite section, and will, no doubt, appeal to any avid cartridge collector. There are an amazing number of cartridges featured here. Every known round from 20mm to 57mm that was used in an automatic gun is listed. This includes both those that saw service, and obscure experimental ones, also. Of course, those obscure ones don’t get as much ink as successful multinational types, as expected. The group photos for 20mm cartridges show 21 service rounds and another 17 experimental types. To keep the chapter manageable, it is subdivided into 20mm, 22-28mm, 30mm, 33-37mm, and 40-57mm cartridges. (Apparently, there are no 21mm, 29mm, etc., hence the number gaps.) Part III runs 61 pages in length.

Part IV: The Cannon is arranged alphabetically, by country. (There is no letter S after the word cannon, as cannon applies to single or plural guns) The USA has a full 38 pages of text and photos, with Russia/USSR having 26 pages of coverage.

The new XM913 Bushmaster III in 50 x 228mm from Northrop Grumman is discussed, indicating this book is right up to date. If adopted, the XM913 is planned to arm the Next Generation Combat Vehicle.

This is a brilliantly researched reference source. It includes data on approximately 200 different cartridges, 400 cannon, and has nearly 500 illustrations.

Anthony G. Williams is primarily an ammunition specialist, but also has an interest in guns. He was the editor of The Cartridge Researcher, the journal of the European Cartridge Research Association, for over fifteen years. He was also an editor of Jane’s Weapons: Ammunition for thirteen years and he maintains a military gun and ammunition website at quarryhs.co.uk.

SPECIFICATIONS

Author Jonathan Ferguson has what may be the best job title ever. He is the Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the United Kingdom. He is responsible for a collection which spans the full history of guns, from medieval times to the latest, most modern designs. He is also a Technical Specialist with Armament Research Services (ARES), a specialist technical intelligence consulting group. So yeah, he knows his stuff.

This book by Ferguson is the second title from Headstamp Publishing, a new publishing firm that seeks to become known for releasing “best-in-class” firearms books. Started by N.R. (Nic) Jenzen-Jones (Director of Armament Research Services), Ian McCollum (of Forgotten Weapons fame), and James Rupley (Photographer and Creative Director of the popular Vickers Guide book series). Their first release, From Chassepot to FAMAS, by Ian McCollum was reviewed in the May 2021 (V25N5) issue of SAR.

Arranged in chronological order, this new book examines the century long route from the earliest bolt-action bullpup prototypes from Thorneycroft and Godsal, to the current issue L85A3 service rifle. While neither the Thorneycroft nor Godsal were adopted, they did earn their spot in history as the first bullpups tested by the British Army. It covers the subject from both a technical aspect, as well as a political approach. Generally, a full chapter is given to each rifle. The SA80 has three chapters, as it has separate chapters for the A2 and A3 upgrades.

Shortly after the end of WWII, Britain again explored the bullpup concept. The relatively well known E.M. 2 (Janson’s Automatic Rifle, .280 inch), as well as lesser-known types such as the Korsak Light Automatic Gun, 7.92 mm, (E.M. 1), and Thorpe’s Automatic Rifle, .280 inch, (E.M. 1 aka ‘Cobra’) are covered in detail. The E.M. 2 and its 280 British (7x43mm) cartridge were actually adopted for British Army service on April 25, 1951. The rifle was given the designation Rifle, 7 mm, No. 9 Mk. I. Exactly six months later, on Oct 25, this decision was put on hold. This was mainly due to the U.S. Army refusing to accept the 7x43mm as a common cartridge, considering it to be underpowered.

Not too many years after firmly stating that the U.S. Army would not accept any round less than .30 caliber (7.62mm), the U.S. military adopted the 5.56mm round.

The SCHV (Small-caliber, high-velocity) concept interested the British as well, so they began to test different designs, finally settling on a 4.85x49mm round. Along with the new cartridge came a new bullpup rifle, the 4.85mm Enfield Weapon System (individual weapon and machine gun). In the end, the 4.85 EWS was not adopted, either. However, it did set the stage for the Small Arms of the 80’s program. (SA80 was the name of the overall program, while the British Army designation was L85A1 for the individual weapon, and L86A1 for the light support weapon.)

The SA80 coverage makes up a little under half of the book. This makes sense as the SA80 family actually saw combat in British service, unlike the previous types. As well, it has been in service since 1985, or 36 years. There is a chapter covering the path leading to the first A1 version, another chapter covering the A2 major upgrade done by HK, and the final chapter that details the current A3 version. 

Ferguson mentions the book The Last Enfield: SA80 – the Reluctant Rifle by Steve Raw (Collector Grade Publications) several times throughout the SA80/L85 portion. I have not read the earlier “Reluctant Rifle” book myself (It is long out of print, and now quite expensive), but the quoted passages indicate that Raw doesn’t think too highly of the SA80 system at all. (To be fair, Raw’s book was released in 2003. The SA80/L85 has been upgraded twice since then.) Ferguson, on the other hand, freely acknowledges that the SA80 had a terrible few years but believes it has now matured into a solid rifle. However, it has been a costly journey. Ferguson factors in the original cost of the A1 and accessories, plus the A2 and A3 upgrades, the unit cost is around US$5200, compared to roughly US$700 for an M4 carbine. This huge cost is especially aggravating considering that a good deal of the issues resulted from bean-counters getting involved in the design process. The quote “engineering by accountants” was mentioned.

As noted above, Headstamp intends to be a premium quality publisher. They use premium quality paper stock that makes the photographs show beautifully. To quote their website, they use “commercial quality, section sewn style binding which allows the book to lay flat.” Three buying options are offered, a Standard edition for $98, a Signature edition for $128, and $250 for the Collector’s Limited Edition (500 numbered and signed). All three options include a faux leather hard cover binding with gold foil embossing, a sewn-in red ribbon marker, and gilded page edges, making this a fine quality book. Also available for purchase is a reproduction of an original E.M. 2 manual. My only minor complaint is that the size of type is quite small, so difficult to read.

This is a wonderful book, a fine addition to your library. Recommended.