Collecting Classic Bolt Action Military Rifles

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on collecting bolt actions!
Review: I bought this book after collecting rifles for a few years, it is in fact the ONLY contemporary book to cover the history and development of all the major manufacturers and models in such detail and with great pictures too. The chapters of the book are well planned and as I find myself exploring a new area of collecting, I read the relevant chapter again. After collecting German bolt actions for some time I got interested in Lee-Enfields and the discussion and pictures of these rifles was very helpful in getting a good coverage of the rifles and models. It can also be helpful to the more experienced collectors, some time ago I came across a rifle in a store marked as a Greek Mauser. I know what a Greek Mauser looks like and this was not one, it is marked 'Breda 1927' on the side of the receiver. After perusing Mr. Scarlata's book I came across a whole section including pictures of the rifle, it is a Mannlicher Schoenauer 1903/14 rifle. Scarlata explains how in 1926 the Greeks signed an agreement with Societa Anonima Ernesto Breda of Brescia Italy for 100,000 of these rifles which were delivered in 1929. He also mentions that there is some speculation that the rifles were in fact produced by Steyr and assembled and finished in Italy so as to bypass restrictions imposed on the Austrians by the Allies after WWI. If you are at all interested in the history and development of bolt action rifles you need this book.

Rating:
Summary: Collecting Classic Bolt Action Military Rifles
Review: I couldn't disagree more with the earlier review. This book is quality work. Mr. Scarlata does a good job describing the primary weapons of the major and minor powers of the late 19th to the middle 20th century. He then goes on to describe the major variants of each type. As Scarlata desribes the firearms, he points out with word and photo the unique features that he and, hence, you will find interesting. I almost didn't buy the book because of the earlier review. I'm glad I did. If you want to know everything about every variation of the US Krag get Brophy's book. If you want good meaty info on most of the world's bolt rifles here is the place to start. By the time you need more information on your rifle of interest, just flip to the comprehensive bibliography in the back of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Collecting Classic Bolt Action Military Rifles
Review: I couldn't disagree more with the earlier review. This book is quality work. Mr. Scarlata does a good job describing the primary weapons of the major and minor powers of the late 19th to the middle 20th century. He then goes on to describe the major variants of each type. As Scarlata desribes the firearms, he points out with word and photo the unique features that he and, hence, you will find interesting. I almost didn't buy the book because of the earlier review. I'm glad I did. If you want to know everything about every variation of the US Krag get Brophy's book. If you want good meaty info on most of the world's bolt rifles here is the place to start. By the time you need more information on your rifle of interest, just flip to the comprehensive bibliography in the back of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Broad but shallow
Review: This book is a broad and moderately detailed history of the development of the military bolt action. For someone just getting interested in the subject, it would provide a useful general guide, but it lacks sufficient detail and depth to be useful as a reference for anyone other than the most casual collector. In fact, I was quite dissapointed by the paucity of information related to actually collecting these rifles, given that that is what the book purports to be. If the book were titled as a history it would certainly have fulfilled my expectations, but even with that it is too expensive for what it delivers. I returned mine.

Rating:
Summary: Broad but shallow
Review: This book is a broad and moderately detailed history of the development of the military bolt action. For someone just getting interested in the subject, it would provide a useful general guide, but it lacks sufficient detail and depth to be useful as a reference for anyone other than the most casual collector. In fact, I was quite dissapointed by the paucity of information related to actually collecting these rifles, given that that is what the book purports to be. If the book were titled as a history it would certainly have fulfilled my expectations, but even with that it is too expensive for what it delivers. I returned mine.