Any chance that a PDF or xerox copy might be available?
There are 212 pages...it would take quite a while to scan them all...if there is something specific you want, let me know....i not yet bored enough to scan it all.
Has anyone else seen this before? I think my Uncle Joe gave it to me. He was with the 4th Marines in the South Pacific.
If by chance someone has an old, unusual military piece and wants a picture of the appropriate page, pm me.
Yes, my dad had a copy of that book when I was growing up. I think it's still at the house. I used that book to learn how to field strip a .45 when I was a boy.
Looks like it is available in a couple of versions on Amazon...search W.H.B. Smith and there are new and used versions from $10 to $60
Robert
The OP's book evolved into "Small Arms of the World" which can often be found on ebay for not much money. As the revisions after 1943 progressed the book grew to cover later designs and lots of firearms design history. The one I've pictured is up to 711 pages.
Another interesting contemporary series are the books written (or co-written) by Capt. Melvin Johnson. Not surprisingly, he devotes some time to his Johnson rifle and machine gun designs.
Also in hardback. I was at a garage sale a bunch of years ago and bought a box of 20-30 gun/military gun books. IIRC I paid 25 to 50 cents for the box.
very interesting book, good show. the s@w .45, mod. 1917 ammo belt was set up to use "half moon clips". there was a special canvas ammo belt. i have one dated 1918. i could post a pic., if iknew how to do that. vin
I grew up in the town where it was published and had interactions with The Telegraph Press and Stackpole Publishing. They published a lot of firearms related material. Interestingly nobody seems to really know who W.H.B. Smith was - at least that was the local scoop. Perhaps someone here can solve that mystery?
In 1987 dad gave me his copy of "Small Arms of the World" the 1955 edition. (Someone at work gave it to him while he recovered from an almost fatal car accident in mid 1956)
Inside the front cover dad has written the prices of guns at various dates, the most interesting is "Oct. 1960 6mm Lee $225" (that is a huge amount of money, even for that rare rifle!)
WWII book on military firearms
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