The Rifle in America. With an Introduction by Julian S. Hatcher.
signed first edition
1938 · New York
by Sharpe, Philip B.
New York: William Morrow and Company, 1938. First Edition. Signed by the Author. Royal octavo, brown leatherette, gilt letters, xii + 641 pp. 76 pages of Illustrations. Near-Fine; in a Good, mylar protected dust jacket. From dust jacket: The most important contribution to rifle lore and literature that has apeared in years. Contains the history of the American rifle as it has never been done before -- actual details of the really great old guns, and of the various elements that made them great -- what inventions led to improvements in action and design, and who was responsible for them -- how changing conditions, and the growing scarcity of game, plus the experience of wars, affected weights, lines, calibers, sights, materials -- and a host of interesting facts condensed into a fast-moving informative narrative. Shows in detail, by text and picture, all the modern rifles right up to date, even including the Army’s new Garand Rifle, with the author’s crisp and enlightening comments on the merits and uses of each arm. “The Rifle in America” will stand for years as the principal source of information on the subject. It contains everything that the beginner will want to know as a groundwork to understand, appreciate, and most effectively use all kinds of rifle he may shoot, including how to select them and how to care for them. The old-timer and the experienced shooter will find in this book all the facts he wants to know about the old guns, with everything that will enable him to bring his knowledge of the American rifle down to and including 1938. Anyone interesting in collecting or identifying old firearms will find this volume a gold mine of information, giving as it does the dates of first manufacture and discontinuance of all the arms covered, including specific descriptions and measurements, and types of ammunition used. In addition to the wealth of historical and detailed material on rifles themselves, the author gives chapters on how to care for your rifles, how to adjust them, how to attain and safeguard maximum accuracy, what ammunition to use for specific purposes, the best types of sights, killing power of bullets, trajectory, range, target shooting, home gunsmithing, custom rifles, military rifles of the World War, together with a comprehensive appenxix containtaining a table of all American cartridges made totday and American guns which will handle them, 1938 revised ballistics of American cartirdges, diameter of modern barrels of all makes, ad table of rifling twists used by current manufacturers. There is nothing in American rifle literature that can compare with this book. (Inventory #: 60879bd)