For the serious student of firearms accurate and comprehensive works on the weapons in question are a must. When it comes to “accurate and comprehensive” Collector Grade Publications leads the way. All the other works from this publishing house have been most impressive in their content. This latest offering is no exception, it is superbly researched, written, and illustrated.

Covering the Browning Automatic Rifle, Mr. Ballou offers a comprehensive in-depth look at the B.A.R. from concept to current semi-auto copies. Starting with John Moses Browning himself, the book slowly unwinds this devastating gun’s long history. From gearing up for World War I, into the trenches, post war development, gangster use during the Roaring 20’s, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam this book covers it all. It offers a looks at the weapon itself in all its different models and variations along with their ancillary gear. The changes made over time to “improve” the B.A.R. as it gained weight are well documented. But this book offers much more than that. It offers substantial insight into the men who carried, fought with, and sometimes died with the B.A.R.. Combat reports abound, as do comments by users about what they thought of the weapon, and how quickly they tossed the bipod into the nearest ditch. Foreign variations are not ignored, and even models for the Police and FBI are covered, as are modifications performed by such notorious criminals as Clyde Barrows.

To be frank, $80 is a lot of cash for a book. However this is not your run of the mill firearms book. Extremely well illustrated it covers the B.A.R. from A to Z. If you want information on the Browning Automatic Rifle, this is your one stop shopping. I highly recommend this work, the amount of research that went into putting it together must have been staggering. If you love B.A.R.’s you’ll love this book.

1900 Luger, US Test Trials
By Michael Reese II
Published by Pioneer Press
Union City, Tennessee 38261
Library of Congress # 71-117532
Price $6.00 plus $4.50 shipping and handling
105 pages
Reviewed by Stephen Stuart

One of the most sought after variations of the Luger handgun is the 1901 US test specimens. Early in the spring of 1901 two test Lugers were bought and tested through the United States Board of Ordnance and Fortifications under Lieutenant Colonel Frank H. Phipps. After an initial test of these two pistols, he ordered a field trial to be conducted. This field trial would include a thousand model 1900 pistols, 200,000 round of ammunition and extra magazines. The first shipment arrived in October 1901.

This test trial of the Luger handgun came up with mixed results. Some commands like the pistol, others did not. These trials proceeded until finally DWM, the manufacturer of the Luger handgun stopped the trials. Some arms historians have pondered the question why they stopped the trials. Many believe that DWM would no longer put up with the requests of the US Ordnance Department. Still some say it was because DWM knew that the Luger was going to be accepted by the German Military in large numbers. In Mr. Reese’s book, 1900 Luger, he provides insight into the trials of the 1900 Luger by providing the test results of these pistols for the reader to discern what is fact and fiction. Included in the test are photos of actual surviving specimens and some of the holsters specially produced for them by Rock Island Arsenal.

Even though the photos are sometimes of poor quality and the Xeroxing of documents are a little fuzzy, the book as a whole is well worth the six bucks. It gives the reader insight into the minds of the Luger testers almost ninety years ago in their own words. It is also a wonderful piece of reference by providing the serial numbers of all the pieces actually tested. Even with some of the problems in printing I found this a worthy edition to my reference library.

The Official Soviet 7.62 mm Handgun Manual
Translation by
Major James F. Gebhardt,
U.S. Army (Ret.)
Paladin Press
P.O. Box 1307
Boulder, CO 80306
1-800-392-2400
ISBN 0-87364-907-9
$20.00 plus S&H
104 pp
Reviewed by David M. Fortier

Underneath the title it says “Instructions for use and maintenance of the Nagant 7.62 mm Revolver Type 1895 and the Tokarev 7.62 mm Semi-Automatic Pistol Type 1933” and that’s exactly what this book is. Here is a translation of the original Soviet handgun manual for these two combat pistols. The Nagant served from its adoption in 1895 to the end of the Great Patriotic War in front line Soviet service. The Tokarev served from its adoption in 1930, through its simplification in 1933, until it was replaced by the PM Makarov in the early 1950’s. Like all Soviet weapons these two handguns earned a reputation for being tough and reliable no matter the abuse they were subjected to.

Now with large quantities of these handguns in the United States there is an English translation of the Soviet manual available to the American shooter. Piece by piece identification and explanation of each parts function is given. Step by step disassembly and then assembly of the Nagant and Tokarev is given. Trouble shooting and repair work is taught. Accessories and cleaning equipment are covered, as well as ammunition. The Soviet military method of sighting the weapons in is detailed, as well as cleaning, and maintenance. The deployment of the handguns in combat is explained, not only with and without the use of cover, but even from horseback!

Anyone who owns a Nagant or Tokarev will find this manual informative and useful. The drawings (original Soviet)are excellent. The translation is extremely good and reads perfectly. Now you can have the information directly from the source on how to use and maintain your Nagant or Tokarev pistol.

‘Street Stoppers’ is the long awaited sequel to ‘Handgun Stopping Power’. Like their first book, Evan Marshall and Edwin Sanow have compiled the results of hundreds of real life shootings involving all the major handgun calibers. Of special interest are the chapters covering the 10 mm and the .40 S&W cartridges. These two loads were still very new when the original book came out and thus were not covered to any degree. Also the infamous Strasbourg Goat Tests are covered. In this test, French Alpine goats, under scientifically controlled conditions, were shot with all the current handgun rounds and the results recorded. The Alpine goats were chosen as their weight, lung capacity, and thoracic cage dimensions are very similar to those of man. The testing lasted 18 months and almost 500 animals were shot. The results are impressive and enlightening and correlate closely with the street results the authors have compiled. This book, like the previous one, is well written in an easy to read style. While the subject matter can cover engineering theories and medical information it is presented in such a way to be easily digested. The more you read the more you understand that there’s an awful lot to how a modern hollow point bullet actually functions. The authors also explore the latest designs of premium hollowpoints and exactly how they work. I would highly recommend buying and reading ‘Handgun Stopping Power’ before you tackle this book. This will give you a good introduction into the data being discussed in this book. If you’ve read ‘Handgun Stopping Power’, then you’ll want to read this. For the person serious about personal defense this book is a must read. Anyone who searches around for the best pistol, ammunition, holster combination should have this book on the shelf. The time for arguing over which caliber and load is best is over. Now take an objective look at how the load in the pistol on your hip actually performs on the street. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong, either way though don’t you want to know?

A SNIPER IN THE ARIZONA
by John Culbertson
269 pages
Ivy Books
www.randonhouse.com
ISBN 0-7394-0269-2
Reviewed by Seth R. Nadel

This is John Culbertson’s second book on the Vietnam War – his first was Operation Tuscaloosa, a prequel to this book. To readers of SAR, most of the book is another fine first person memoir. It includes the details that make the action real, and the book a first class read.

Unlike what you would expect from the title, there is little sniping covered in the book, and this text is not centered about sniping, but about the men Culbertson served with, and the conditions they served under. In fact, judging from some comments in the book, his platoon and company officers did not know what to do with a sniper once they had one on board. This is a situation alluded to in other works on the Vietnam War.

There are two real gems in A SNIPER IN THE ARIZONA. One is his description of attending the 1st Marine Division Sniper School. The rich detail of his experience fleshes out the raw lesson plans seen elsewhere. These chapters alone are worth the price of the book. If you have any interest in military sniping, this book is a must read.

Even more on point to SAR readers is his description of the introduction of the M16 to men “on the sharp end”. While the initial failure of the M16 has been noted and dissected by researchers, here, for the first time to my knowledge, is “the word” from one who was there. His tale of a patrol where every M16 jammed is enough to scare anyone who has seen the elephant. In addition, Culbertson was personally interviewed by Congressman Ichord, as part of the congressional investigation, and told it like it was. In short, he wanted his M14 back!

If you have any interest in sniping, military history, or the development of our service weapons, your library is not complete without A SNIPER IN THE ARIZONA.

HANDGUN STOPPING POWER THE VIDEO
By Paladin Press
P.O. Box 1307
Boulder, CO 80306
1-800-392-2400
ISBN 0-87364-910-9
$37.95 plus S&H
Aproximately 90 minutes
Reviewed By David Fortier

Evan P. Marshall and Edwin J. Sanow broke new ground on handgun stopping power in their two books “Handgun Stopping Power” and “Street Stoppers”. In them you can read about the reality of terminal handgun ballistics and why some handgun loads work better than others. Now Paladin Press allows you to see and hear the reality firsthand. Anyone who may ever need to defend themselves with a handgun should be interested in this subject as the choice you make in choosing the ammunition you put in your pistol may save! I was extremely impressed by the professional quality of this video. The graphics, sound, camera work, editing, and everything else was a definite cut above most videos I have seen. It takes you from the Thompson-LaGarde Study of the turn of the century to the more recent attempts at predicting stopping power. Each is described and their flaws shown. Then Marshall and Sanow’s street results from actual shootings are described and how they correlate with testing in 10 percent ordnance gelatin. The physical and neurological mechanics of stopping power are described in detail by a medical doctor. Testing in ordnance gelatin is shown step by step. From where to purchase the gelatin to how to prepare it, use it for testing, and how to measure and calculate the results to predict a particular load’s effectiveness are all shown in detail. Plus different bullet designs are shown fired into gelatin and why certain designs work better than others is explained. There is a lot of information in this video, and the interviews with witnesses to shootings are highly informative. But it is not a grisly, graphic shoot-em-up flick. This professional video is geared towards the person who is a serious student of stopping power, and for them it is excellent.

MEIN KAMPF
By Adolf Hitler
Translated by Ralph Manheim
Houghton Mifflin Company
215 Park Avenue South
New York, New York 10003
ISBN 0-395-95105-4
$18.00 plus S&H
694 pages
Reviewed by David Fortier

Mein Kampf?!! First let me allay your fears, this review has no Neo-Nazi or Fascist undertones or political leanings. Neither are we sympathetic to such types. It is precisely for this reason that I felt it timely, due to current events, to review this work. As you have probably grappled to understand the events and goings on in Yugoslavia so have I. Here in this often talked about, but seldom read book are many answers and insights to questions people are asking today. Adolf Hitler penned Mein Kampf while imprisoned in Landsberg Am Lech Fortress Prison in 1924. While writing about his birth, childhood, and events that led to World War I he gives a glimpse of the Eastern European cauldron that still boils today. As a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hitler saw firsthand the unrest and ancient hatreds that burned deep. For someone looking for information on the different people in the region of Yugoslavia, and why they dislike each other so, there is a surprising amount of information here that reads like the headlines off today’s paper. For the military buff Hitler’s infantryman’s view of World War I is eye opening. Sometimes we forget that he saw heavy combat from 1914 until gassed just before the end of the war in 1918. His account reads like Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet On The Western Front”; the similarities are astonishing. And we find out why Hitler never allowed them to use poison gas on the field of battle even in the darkest days of World War II as he recounts being blinded by gas.
Then there is the Nationalistic Pride and boundless seething hatred. This too we see in today’s headlines. Here we have someone that harnessed it to the detriment of millions. In Mein Kampf, Hitler spelled out to the world what his plans were, and the world ignored him, hoping he’d go away. He didn’t. Neither are the problems in Yugoslavia going to go away anytime soon. For someone looking for answers to questions, you may find some here.

Major James Gebhardt does it again in this valuable translation of the Soviet manual on the SVD sniping rifle. Designed by Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov and adopted by the Soviet Army as their standard sniping rifle in 1963, the SVD has been shrouded in mystery. The first rifle ever designed from the ground up specifically for the task of sniping, it is still standard issue in the Russian Army. Russia has a long tradition of employing snipers that dates all the way back to the Crimean War of 1854. Even the Germans played catch up to the Soviets throughout the Second World War when it came to sniping. Using this vast wealth of practical wartime experience, they designed the SVD Dragunov sniping rifle and PSO-1 scope.

While instantly recognizable, there has not been a lot of information on the Dragunov or its scope available, and some of what has been written is incorrect. With numbers of these rifles in the U.S. (and the Romanian FPK/PSL sniper rifle based upon the RPK but still utilizing the 7.62x54R cartridge), this manual will be of great interest and a great help. Not only does it teach stripping, maintenance, troubleshooting, and firing positions with the Dragunov, but also much more. All the little accessories for the rifle AND the scope are covered. Ammunition is covered, as well as using the PSO-1 scope, and there is a vast array of excellent ballistic charts for the 7.62x54R cartridge. From zeroing the weapon to leading parachutists, there is a lot of interesting and valuable information here.

This book also dispels some false information. It has been stated that the Russians never taught the use of the sling as a shooting support- incorrect. The same goes for the Russians never issuing special sniping ammunition. The manual not only talks about it, but also tells you how to identify it (I have fired some of this ammunition out of my SVD and it grouped into 2 3/4 inches at 300 yards). Anyone who has an SVD or Romanian FPK should have this manual- it will answer all your nagging questions.

HANDGUN STOPPING POWER
The Definitive Study
By Evan P. Marshall
Edwin J. Sanow
Published by Paladin Press
P.O. Box 1307
Boulder, Colorado
80306
1-800-392-2400
$45.00 plus S&H
Reviewed by David Fortier

What actually happens when someone is shot with a handgun? Do hollowpoints work? Is it true that ‘they all fall to .45 ball’? What’s the best handgun load for self defense? What IS stopping power, how does it work, and how much is enough?

Only 12 or 15 years short years ago the above questions did nothing more than stimulate endless debate. There were lots of opinions, but little for hard facts. Evan Marshall and Edwin Sanow changed all that in this landmark book. For the first time the results of thousands of actual shootings were recorded and compiled by caliber and load. Years in the making, the author’s goal was to provide accurate unbiased wound ballistics and ammo information that street cops and civilians alike could use. The information gathered was compiled from police reports, autopsies, and victim statements. Through this information we can see how well individual loads actually worked in real life shootings. Or, how poorly they did.

For anyone who carries a handgun, this is a must read book. In 224 pages the authors explain the medical mechanisms of collapse, previous theories of stopping power, and why they don’t work, actual street shootings, tissue simulants, new ammo developments, predicting stopping power using street results, and more. This book contains a lot of information, and once you start reading you won’t want to stop. The chapter on actual street shootings that goes over actual incidents by caliber and load is impossible to put down. I loaned this book out and had a hard time getting it back.

For too long we guessed at what the best caliber and load for defensive use was. The arguments seemed endless and heated. Untold quantities of duct seal, phone books, paint cans, and even chickens were perforated in an attempt to ‘prove’ one theory or another. Those days are over. Now you can find out how well the load in your pistol actually works, or doesn’t. Read this book.

Japanese Explosive Ordnance
(Army Ammunition, Navy Ammunition)
TM 9-1985-5, Department
Of The Army
Reprinted And Published by
Julian Books,
5282 Ridan Way
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418
Price $25.00 plus 4.50 S&H
Review by Stephen Stuart

While walking around the tables at Knob creek this past April, I noticed the immense amount of inert ordnance on the dealer’s tables. Everything from American practice hand grenades to Russian anti-tank rocket launcher tubes. The only thing missing were books detailing to ordnance collectors what exactly they were purchasing. Being a Japanese collector of militaria, I always wished I could find a good copy of the rare two-part U.S. training manuals describing Japanese ordnance published by the U.S. Army. As luck would have it, I found a copy of the second volume at a gun store the week I got back from Knob creek.

Volume two is now being offered by Julian books in Palm Beach Florida. The person reprinting the manual is none other than Fred Honeycutt, Jr. Mr. Honeycutt is well known in the Japanese military arms field with two small arms works under his belt, Military Rifles of Japan and Military Pistols of Japan.

The manual begins by covering the basic firearm cartridges of Japan; the 6.5mm, the 7.7mm rifle rounds, and the 9mm, 8mm Nambu handgun rounds. The text then goes on to describe rockets, mortars, and projectile fuses used by the Japanese Army and Navy. The reprint is clear with easy to understand text and line drawings. The ammunition is also shown in cross section, detailing the internal components. The only thing I can say about this book is, that it is excellent. If you like ordnance or Japanese ammunition, buy the book. And maybe, just maybe, if there is enough response, Mr. Honeycutt might decide to reprint volume one on mines, grenades, and sabotage devices.

Known officially as the Snaiperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, the Dragunov is highly sought after by both shooters and collectors. Yet only a handful have come into the country from Red China, Russia, and now Romania. What most people don’t realize is that finding and buying a Dragunov is the easy, although expensive part. If your heart is set on rimmed cartridges, see-through stocks, and punching holes far, far away, then all you need to do is open your wallet, wide, real wide. The hard part is tracking down all the odds and ends you need to let the rifle perform to its full potential. This includes Match grade 7.62X54R ammunition (I’ve seen people feed Dragunov’s junk M.G. ball that would make a Mosin-Nagant puke, and wonder why it would only group into 2 MOA!), batteries for the illuminated scope (an easy one now that Kalashnikov USA has them in stock, call 1-800-784-5677), and ten round magazines. Magazine availability for Dragunovs has been on and off but always expensive.

Recently, magazines for the Romanian FPK/PSL version of the Dragunov have come onto the market at a reasonable price, usually around $39.99. I ordered 5, danced a happy jig when the Brown truck of Happiness arrived and snapped one into my Soviet Tiger Dragunov. It locked right in and looked perfect. When I performed a function check with dummy rounds however, it refused to feed. Confused, I tried another, and another. None would work. Upon closer examination, the Romanian magazines proved to be close enough to the Soviet mags to lock into the weapon, but different enough not to work. Our happy jig turned to cursing and fist shaking. Why are they different? Who knows, but they are different.

So I sat down with one of my cohorts, Donald Heald, and we compared the Romanian magazines to Soviet built ones. We could make them work, we decided. If they were built like flimsy M-16 magazines we would have shipped them back. The Com-block countries generally made their magazines so incredibly tough though there was plenty of meat to work with. Modifying magazines is NOT something I recommend as all to often they simply won’t work. In this instance I was pleasantly surprised. The modified magazines lock in and out of the weapon properly, and they feed FLAWLESSLY!

So if you or one of your friends is wondering why those darn Romanian magazines don’t work, relax. All you need is access to a Mig welder and someone who can run it. Other than the Mig it’s just basic hand tools, and a little patience(a pizza helps too!). So follow along as we show you how to keep your Dragunov happy as we give it a taste of Romanian food it’s sure to like!

SOURCES

K-VAR
1-702-364-8880

KALASHNIKOV-USA-LTD
1-800-784-5677