Classic reference by a renowned expert Invaluable information for shooters, gunsmiths, collectors, ballisticians, and hunters Includes new foreword Starting with the '03 Springfield and '17 Enfield, this authoritative guide describes the development of automatic and semiautomatic weapons, explaining how they work, barrels and experiments with obstructions, strengths and weaknesses of military rifles, receiver steels and heat treatment, headspace, recoil problems, gunpowder, corrosion, triggers, and the Pederson Device. It also covers noted gun makers, tips to match ammunition, interior and exterior ballistics, velocity variation, measuring methods, weights, overloads, and ranges.