Books

[dav-az]

What books do you guys use as reference when researching a new project?

"Rifles of Colonial America" gets mentioned often. Are they worth the price asked for them?

 

[Lock Nut]

The RCA books are pricey but comparable to books of that size. A lot pics in them to study from. Also they are cheaper if you compare them to the cost of what books for college cost. :idunno:
Another good book(if you can find it) that covers schools in more depth is "thoughts on the Kentucky rifle in its golden age".
It's currently out of print. There are a few other good books out there as well.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe RCA books are out of print as well, but some suppliers still have them in stock. So if your thinking of getting them, don't wait too long.

 

[dav-az]

Thanks Pan. Dixie has them.

 

[Stophel]

If you want to be a gunsmith, you MUST get your hands on every book you can find on the subject, and GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! When they are out of print, they can be very hard to find and very expensive. Believe me, $60 for a book is C H E A P. One can pay (and I have) far, far more. Besides, $60 is just a tank of gas these days. Buy the books. If it's something you really want to do, don't hesitate.

Before the current run of Rifles of Colonial America (when we were all sure that there was no way they would be reprinted), copies were EXTREMELY hard to find, and when you did, you had to pay for them. How about $500 for the pair? $120 sounds real cheap now, don't it? :grin:

There are several others that you should get if you're serious. Most are out of print, of course. Some are hard to find, some are fairly easy to get.
"Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in its Golden Age" by Kindig
"The Kentucky Rifle, A True American Heritage in Picture" from the KRA
"Behold, the Longrifle" and "Behold, the Longrifle Again" by Whisker
"The Kentucky Rifle" by Merrill Lindsay
"Early American Flintlocks" by Hartzler and Whisker
"Accouterments" vols 1-3 by Johnston
"Kentucky Rifles and Pistols, 1750-1850" From Johnston/KRA
and on, and on.

There are also wonderful books and a series of CD's available from the Kentucky Rifle Foundation. The CD's have lots of photos of many many guns... photos that we all wish we had had all along! Fantastic, clear, detailed color photographs. Several different CD's for different types of guns, and if one is interested in them, they are WELL WORTH the price and then some.

:wink:

And, like everyone will tell you, books are nice, but the photographs do NOT tell you everything. In order to really make "believable" flintlock rifles, you MUST see and handle original flintlock rifles. Museums are generally of no use at all, you need to go to antique arms shows, and, of course, particularly Kentucky Rifle shows.

:wink:

 

[dav-az]

Thanks very much for this list. I've ordered the two volumes of RCA and am contemplating the Bivens book, if I can find it.

I have no intention, or talent, of becoming a gunsmith just a very healthy curiosity.

 

[galamb]

If you want a rather broad collection of rifles to study then the RCA volumes are kinda the bible.

However, if you are researching a particular region, then James Whisker has a number of more narrowly focused books - like gunsmiths of Virginia or Tennessee.

Some of his books are pricey but others, in paperback form can be had for 20-30 bucks.

 

[Stophel]

Thanks very much for this list. I've ordered the two volumes of RCA and am contemplating the Bivens book, if I can find it.

I have no intention, or talent, of becoming a gunsmith just a very healthy curiosity.

You mean this "Bivins book"? It's currently available. :wink:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/269/2/BOOK-LNC

 

[dav-az]

My mistake, I intended to write Thoughts on Kentucky Rifle by Kindig. I found it at Shumway's but it is $85. Guess I'll see if the RCA books satisfy my curiosity before I splurge any more.

Once again, thanks for your list I will definitely look them all up.

I will especially look up the CD's.

 

[dav-az]

Just ordered a Ky Rifle Foundation CD on Southern Rifles. Guess I just decided on my next project.

Thanks all for the suggestions. A guy could go broke in a hurry reading this website.

 

[Stophel]

The photos on the KRF CD's are EXCELLENT!!! You won't be sorry! :wink:

 

[alex efremenko]

One important thing about theRCA books is that it has measurements of each gun.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Here's a few more;

Engraving Historical Firearms
Kentucky Rifle Patch boxes Volumes 1 & 2

The 2 traditional building books;
Recreating the American Long Rifle, and The Gunsmith of Grenville County have some stuff mixed in there too.

Research on the front end is fun, and saves mistakes on the back end.

 

[stuartg]

If everyone were to have only one volume of RCA, which would it be?

Any advantage of having one over the other?

 

[Lock Nut]

The first Volume.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Somebody ought to do a really detailed book about the features of each school that make them all different from one another. For instance, in early Lancasters about 1/2 of the side flats are covered, and in Lehighs, about 1/3.