Best Rifle BOOK! ever written?
- Thread starter Zorro
- Start date
That's a tough one. Maybe these aren't the best 'rifle books' since they are at least as much about hunting, but two of my favorites are African Rifles and Cartridges by John Taylor and Rifles for Large Game by Elmer Keith. They are so much better than any more recent books that there is very little comparison (both written in the 1940s I believe).
Taylor's is so politically incorrect it is funny.
Oh, and another favorite is Hunting with the .22 by Charles Landis. Really this is more of a hunting than rifle book but, again, I've read nothing that is anywhere near as good that covers the same subject.
Taylor's is so politically incorrect it is funny.
Oh, and another favorite is Hunting with the .22 by Charles Landis. Really this is more of a hunting than rifle book but, again, I've read nothing that is anywhere near as good that covers the same subject.
you did not make clear if the books were to be about hunting or techical books about rifle performance.
I think as far as performance a real classic is the book by the late Warren Page of Field and Stream magazine called "The Accurate Rifle". Page was a pinoeer in bench rest shooting and when he started writing for Field And Steam believe it or not he knew nothing about rifles. He went on to design the .243 winchester and also to popularize the 7mm Mashburn magnum whoes idea was naturally stolen by a gun company (Remington) and brought out as the 7mm Remington Magnum
Although Page was never a rich man he often took some fantasic world wide hunts being once offered 100 sheep and two wives for a trade for his 7mm Mashburn magnum. Me, I would have taken the trade but Page realized the local chieftan in Afganistan would not have been able to find any custom ammo for the hand built 98 Mauser rifle and being that he already had a wife he declined the offer.
Although Page is not as well known today as the loud mouth braggert Keith( who took credit for much of what he never invented) or Jack O'conner( who was a great hunting writer but understood little about the mechanics of super accuracy or bench rest shooting ) Page was one of the great gun editiors of this last century.
If you want a super book about hunting with rifles that took place back in the mid 1800's get the great books by Samuel Baker. His book "The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon" is one of the all time great hunting books or his books on hunting and fighting in Africa or hunting in America are also great classics.
Another great book to end all African Hunting books is "Hunter" by John Hunter. Hunter like two things, beautiful rifles and beautiful exotic women . His book is perhaps the best hunting and romance book ever written about Africa. Many men would not even hire hunter as a guide because of his reputation of stealing the hearts of other mens wives.
Another not to miss book is Jim Corbets book's on Hunting the Man Eating Tigers of India. One of them is "The Man Eating Tigers of Kumaon." No other books ever written about India or tiger hunting ever even come close to Jim Corbets books. His books will keep you on the edge of your seat and your heart will be in your mouth. I cannot recommend this book more highly. It is the classsic of all classics.
And do not forget the other great African authors like W.D.M. Bell, Peter Newman, Donald Sutherland, Major Foran, John Taylor, John Boyes, Tippo Tibb, Grogan etc. ---------------------------------------- All these stories can be found in a short form in another book written by John Hunter and Daniel P Mannix called "Tales of the African Frontier" Another great book you will not be able to put down. Dont miss it.
I think as far as performance a real classic is the book by the late Warren Page of Field and Stream magazine called "The Accurate Rifle". Page was a pinoeer in bench rest shooting and when he started writing for Field And Steam believe it or not he knew nothing about rifles. He went on to design the .243 winchester and also to popularize the 7mm Mashburn magnum whoes idea was naturally stolen by a gun company (Remington) and brought out as the 7mm Remington Magnum
Although Page was never a rich man he often took some fantasic world wide hunts being once offered 100 sheep and two wives for a trade for his 7mm Mashburn magnum. Me, I would have taken the trade but Page realized the local chieftan in Afganistan would not have been able to find any custom ammo for the hand built 98 Mauser rifle and being that he already had a wife he declined the offer.
Although Page is not as well known today as the loud mouth braggert Keith( who took credit for much of what he never invented) or Jack O'conner( who was a great hunting writer but understood little about the mechanics of super accuracy or bench rest shooting ) Page was one of the great gun editiors of this last century.
If you want a super book about hunting with rifles that took place back in the mid 1800's get the great books by Samuel Baker. His book "The Rifle and the Hound in Ceylon" is one of the all time great hunting books or his books on hunting and fighting in Africa or hunting in America are also great classics.
Another great book to end all African Hunting books is "Hunter" by John Hunter. Hunter like two things, beautiful rifles and beautiful exotic women . His book is perhaps the best hunting and romance book ever written about Africa. Many men would not even hire hunter as a guide because of his reputation of stealing the hearts of other mens wives.
Another not to miss book is Jim Corbets book's on Hunting the Man Eating Tigers of India. One of them is "The Man Eating Tigers of Kumaon." No other books ever written about India or tiger hunting ever even come close to Jim Corbets books. His books will keep you on the edge of your seat and your heart will be in your mouth. I cannot recommend this book more highly. It is the classsic of all classics.
And do not forget the other great African authors like W.D.M. Bell, Peter Newman, Donald Sutherland, Major Foran, John Taylor, John Boyes, Tippo Tibb, Grogan etc. ---------------------------------------- All these stories can be found in a short form in another book written by John Hunter and Daniel P Mannix called "Tales of the African Frontier" Another great book you will not be able to put down. Dont miss it.
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50 shooter
New member
Hard Target Interdiction by Dean Michaelis.
If your getting into .50's or plan on doing some looooong range shooting, the book has enough info to make your head spin.
If your getting into .50's or plan on doing some looooong range shooting, the book has enough info to make your head spin.
Hatcher's Book of the Garand. Details the Army's testing program and some of the factors that decided why or why not a rifle is selected for adoption by our military. Explains the short comings of certain designs and their ease to(or lack of) mass produce. Explains why imagining a design (easy) is the beginning, making the proper tools and keeping man hours to a minimum is the difficult if not impossible part. After reading this book, I learned to leave the design work to engineers.
Not as published as Corbett but who I consider to have two of the best books on hunting India is Kenneth Anderson. "Nine Man-eaters and one rogue" & "maneaters and jungle killers". After reading them I wanted to run out and buy a Winchester 95 in .405 win. I highly recommend them.
Scarborough
New member
The Hunting Rifle by Jack O'Connor. He was one of the best.
This is a vague category.
I was mightily impressed with Julian Hatcher's Hatcher's Notebook. You want to learn about the technical aspects of exterior ballistics from a rifle in language that most technically-minded people would understand? (even if you don't get the trig) Read this book.
Then there's Crossman's Book Of The Springfield, which is a song to the glory of the '03 Springfield, but also a magnificent view of the state of the art of riflemaking in the first half of this century. It's actually astonishing what they knew then about the variables in accuracy, and much is discussed about the development of the SMLE's, the 1917, and the '03A3 varients. Its scope actually goes far beyond the Springfield rifle. Good reading.
While I agree that Plaster's Ultimate Sniper is a good book, it is more of a book about the art of sniping, than about rifles.
I was mightily impressed with Julian Hatcher's Hatcher's Notebook. You want to learn about the technical aspects of exterior ballistics from a rifle in language that most technically-minded people would understand? (even if you don't get the trig) Read this book.
Then there's Crossman's Book Of The Springfield, which is a song to the glory of the '03 Springfield, but also a magnificent view of the state of the art of riflemaking in the first half of this century. It's actually astonishing what they knew then about the variables in accuracy, and much is discussed about the development of the SMLE's, the 1917, and the '03A3 varients. Its scope actually goes far beyond the Springfield rifle. Good reading.
While I agree that Plaster's Ultimate Sniper is a good book, it is more of a book about the art of sniping, than about rifles.
Several.
BOLT ACTION RIFLES,by Frank de Haas, for tech. information on most civilian and military bolt action construction/function/design.
An excellent book for the bolt rifle fan.
THE HUNTER'S SHOOTING GUIDE, by Jack O'Connor, for general shooting/hunting information.
I have not (yet) read THE ART OF THE RIFLE, but I don't think you could go too far wrong with Jeff Cooper's input.
Mark
BOLT ACTION RIFLES,by Frank de Haas, for tech. information on most civilian and military bolt action construction/function/design.
An excellent book for the bolt rifle fan.
THE HUNTER'S SHOOTING GUIDE, by Jack O'Connor, for general shooting/hunting information.
I have not (yet) read THE ART OF THE RIFLE, but I don't think you could go too far wrong with Jeff Cooper's input.
Mark