Firearm Anatomy - Book I The Thompson M1A1 Submachine Gun (Gun Design Series)

Excellent! Very well explained with good plans and construction steps, totally recommended.

This has to be the most comprehensive book of the Thompson M1A1 SMG written, going in depth of the metallurgy of the firearm, magazines and feed design of the gun, along with designing a magazine spring. The mathematics of calculating the cyclic rate of fire is rather complex for a book, however, the blueprints for machining the gun, one part at a time, are extremely accurate, with tolerances called out, and the machining for some parts sequences out over several pages, making them far easier to understand and follow the processes required to produce the finished firearm. All said and done, David S. Findlay's books will stand the test of time along side Chinn's The Machine Gun, Hatcher's Notebook, and WHB Smith's Small Arms Of The World, as classic works and required reading for the serious student of firearm design

This is one of only a very few "texts" on frirearms design. It is very good because of that. It describes how to analyze/design a submachine gun. Submachine guns, or any fully-automatic small arm, are more complicated to analyze/design than all other small arms. So, the information in this book can be applied to semiautomatic, pump, and bolt-action small arms. You just have to apply only the relevant parts. The chapter on designing an oval magazine spring is alone worth the price of the book. The drawings for all the parts are a bonus. They can be used to learn how guns parts are made, which you'll need to know if you're contemplating a career as a gun designer. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in firearms analysis/design, even if it isn't your career.

This is a very well written and presented book, by an author who is clearly an expert in firearms design. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I first became aware of the book after a recommendation by Ian at the Forgotten Weapons website. Well done David Findlay.

great reference

Wanderfull book! Technical details 1a!! Very usefull book for owners M1A1...

Sorry but it was not the book I wanted. This is a great book if you want to build your own gun but too technicial for a person who only wanted the history and facts about the gun

This is a unique , technically oriented volume . It tells most of the well known story of the Thompson but goes much further with an in-depth technical analysis of the SMG. The engineering drawings are intriguing and the analysis of things like how to calculate rate of fire will have the gun geek/engineer happy for hours.Overall, a unique approach to review of an iconic American weapon. Buy it , read it and enjoy it.

Although this book contains a few photos of servicemen carrying the weapon in the context of the Second World War, it is not about the history surrounding the firearm. The book is entirely concerned with the physics and mechanical functionality of the gun and the practical aspects of its design as a machine that processes ammunition from the magazine through to the discharge of the bullet and, finally, the ejection of the brass. If that interests you, this book is a gem, lavishly illustrated with technical illustrations and mechanical drawings.

This book is the complete detailed guide to making a Tommy gun (for information purposes only) and is a joy to read.The author has obviously a wealth of knowledge and thankfully is happy to share it, l highly recommend this book and his other one too.