Firearms Design

[MichealFr]

Hi guys, sorry to bother but i do not know where i can ask this question. I'm looking for a book explaining qualitatively and quantitatively the technology of the firearms, not because i want to build one but because i'm interested in it. I looked in Amazon but i did not find any in-depth book. Any help? Thanks! :)

[Mark Hatfield]

Read that once Stoner (developer of the AR) was in China and was asked which were the best colleges in the U.S. for advanced degrees in small arms design. When he replied that there was no such thing as degrees in any arms design, they didn't believe him.

[shtgnr]

Look for the tomes by Chinn. He did alot of research for the gov't. Expect to pay premium prices for some of the volumes.

[MichealFr]

Thanks for the Info!! ;)

[Redneck Zen]

Check out Youtube for the Military Arms Channel, Forgotten Weapons and Chris Bartocci. MAC has a wide-spread reputation on testing and explaining guns; Ian on Forgotten Weapons is a gun history nerd cum guru with a passion for weapons that rivals the most hardcore Star Wars freak. Bartocci used to work for on the Colt M4 program (along with being a weapons forensic analyst for LEOs) ... he is a font of technical detail on the M-16, its variants and many other systems. Very interesting if you're into that sort of thing.

[Eliakim]

For a good book on military weapons look for "Small Arms of the World" by Walter H.B. Smith, & Edward C. Ezell

It is actually a series of books that first were published during WW2 to help identify and describe the small arms used by countries all over the world. I think the most recent edition is around 1990, but they began in the early 1940's. It tells a lot about military small arms and who uses what. I have copies of the 9th & 12th editions. My father has an early edition from right after WW2. They are all excellent... far better than the fuzzy crap info you'll often find on the internet

[P.D.]

My suggestion is to have a fundamental understanding of Newton's laws and the physics of pressure and ballistics, and then start reading operating manuals and examine schematics and exploded diagrams (engineering drawing that normally includes a parts list) of everything from revolvers and semi-automatic hand guns to shotguns and rifles if you are interested in the mechanics that make a firearm function. Trust me here. You will come away knowing what you are looking for when you finish.

[Mike OTDP]

Look for the tomes by Chinn. He did alot of research for the gov't. Expect to pay premium prices for some of the volumes.

There are scanned versions available online.
Hatcher's Notebook is also useful.