The .50-caliber Rifle Construction Manual: With Easy-to-Follow Full-Scale Drawings [Paperback]

Bill Holmes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

This is the book that do-it-yourselfers anxious to try building their own .50-caliber rifles have been demanding since the best-selling Home Workshop .50-Caliber Sniper Rifle videotape first came out. In this companion book, Bill Holmes uses easy-to-follow foldout drawings and precise dimensions to take you step-by-step through the process of designing and constructing your very own .50-caliber rifle easily and inexpensively. Find out this master gun maker's professional secrets to fashioning the receiver, barrel and accessories, bolt, trigger assembly, buttstock, scope mount, bipod and muzzle brake using commonly acquired materials. Once you have made all the component parts, Bill then instructs you in the right way to assemble and test-fire your new home workshop firearm. With Bill Holmes as your guide, construction is a snap. Warning: It is your responsibility to make sure that you have complied with all local, state and federal laws with regard to the manufacture of any firearm.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Holmes is one of the last remaining links to a bygone era. He first learned about gunsmithing more than 50 years ago from a guy who took his "fix-it" wagon all around doing odd jobs. Since then, Bill has designed and constructed innumerable firearms, written seven books and been featured in two videos for Paladin and become one of the country's best-known and most highly respected authorities on home-workshop weapons and firearms laws.

Product Details

• Paperback: 61 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581603460
• ISBN-13: 978-1581603460
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't try this at home!, December 21, 2003

By 

David R. Hall (Fayetteville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The .50-caliber Rifle Construction Manual: With Easy-to-Follow Full-Scale Drawings (Paperback)

As a gunsmith and machinist, I found Mr. Holmes' work rudimentary at best. His "drawings" are just that. They are poorly dimensioned and lack any reference to tolerances. Some of his dimensions are simply incorrect. His bolt design is overly complex as well as being, in my opinion, the weakest part of the rifle in terms of safety. As one who is actually building this rifle, or should I say building/re-designing this rifle, I believe most who attempt this project will quit long before completion. I have over 60 hours of machine time and re-design time in the barrel, barrel nut, barrel extension, taper sleeve and muzzle brake alone. It has required not only the use of a large metal lathe and milling machine, but also rather expensive fixtures such as a dividing head and rotary table. This is not the type project a beginner can complete at home or in the average garage shop.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fifty Caliber Disaster, February 8, 2005

By 

CS (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The .50-caliber Rifle Construction Manual: With Easy-to-Follow Full-Scale Drawings (Paperback)

Just got the book this morning and let me tell you that it's going back where it came from.
From a mechanical engineering designer's line of sight, the hand drawn doodles that the author dares to call drawings are terrible in quality and far from being up to ISO or ANSI standards (ever hear of CAD?). The poor dimensioning and complete lack of tolerances is highly concerning. The bolt and muzzle brake designs are equaled only by his drawing ability. I'm truly surprised it even got published and that the actual gun didn't blow up in his face.
Overall review: even if you see it at a garage sale, RUN LIKE NO TOMORROW!!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in valuable information, January 6, 2007

By 

DJH (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The .50-caliber Rifle Construction Manual: With Easy-to-Follow Full-Scale Drawings (Paperback)

This book is incredibly rudimentary. Important information, e.g. the design requirements for the trigger/sear, are sadly lacking. The most disappointing section for me was the section regarding the barrel. The section begins "The barrel can be turned from a commercial blank or made from a surplus military barrel." Perhaps I was expecting too much when I thought that the book would cover the making of the barrel too. Even so, there is no discussion on crowning angle, or even advice on reaming the chamber and achieving the correct headspace. There is better information available on the 'net - take a look at Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels for instance and what Daniel Lilja has written on the subject. How a rifle works can be considered to be pretty simple - and if this book offers anything then it at least offers moral support that building your own rifle is very possible. If you own a lathe and a milling machine, and have a good idea of what is involved in safe mechanical design, then you can probably design and build a decent rifle from information already available for free. Looking at the "Search Inside" pages of Bill Holmes' "Master Gunmaker's Guide to Building Bolt-Action Rifles " I think that this would be a much better buy.