Book Review: NRA Firearms Assembly

[sheepherder]

I've owned 4 editions of the NRA Guide To Firearms Assembly; they seem to come out/update every 10 years or so...

I've lost/loaned [read: they were stolen] the first two editions; the third is at least 10 or 15 years old (the old set I have is dated 1993) so I decided to buy a new set (dated 2009) and maybe sell the 1993 set on eBay...

The latest edition was not what I expected...It was less...

The assembly/disassembly instructions & pics are taken from the monthly NRA magazine, "American Rifleman"...the older editions had copies of a magazine sub-feature, "Pistol Magazines" (pic attached, labeled 'Old')...These little sub-features were very informing, especially for the older handguns...They typically showed variations of the magazine for that pistol...

The new edition has done away with the "Pistol Magazines" sub-features...

However, they have updated the newer edition with the later additions to the list of featured pistols & revolvers...

I've attached the NRA Table Of Contents of the newer edition, if anyone is looking for info on disassembling their handgun...

Except for the removal of the "Pistol Magazines", the new edition is very informative and pretty much essential if you're working on unfamiliar pistols. The pics/drawings are very well done and the instructions are quite accurate (for the two dozen or so that I've had occasion to disassemble).

I would recommend the 1993 edition without reservation, but if the handgun you're looking at is only listed in the 2009 edition, then I would advise getting both editions...the "Pistol Magazines" is worth the extra effort/$$$...