Customer Reviews

The M16/AR15 Rifle, 3rd Ed. (A Shooter's and Collector's Guide)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first recieved the book I was concerned that it was thinner than I expected, only 134 pages. After review the book, I was extremely pleased. The book covers every thing from a part by part description to complete breakdown. The only hinderance is that it is black and white, but has tons of photos and diagrams to make up for it. Joe Poyer (the author) did a great job of covering history, laws that affect use, different manufacturers, ammo, options, and troubleshooting. I'm surprised that this book isn't more readily available, it should be standard issue with each rifle. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

I'm just getting started around the AR type rifles. I picked this book up after reading the fine reviews. I wasn't disappointed. It contains a very good history of the weapon, lists of variations, and details of the working mechanisms. It also shows, in easy to understand pictures and text, how to break down the weapon, dissasemble and clean it. It also shows how more detailed pieces, not normally taken apart for a cleaning, are put together. All-in-all, well worth the money spent. If you're getting started with one of these fine rifles, like I was, or are just interested, this is a great reference for you. If you're already an expert, a different source is probably the place to go.

I bought this book right before I bought my first AR based on recommendations on several gun forums. Wise choice! If you're an expert or old hand w/ an AR there's probably not much here you wouldn't know, but to the shooter new to this platform or the shooter w/ moderate experience, it's a wise purchase that will pay for itself quickly w/ the info and recommendations it contains. I don't write a lot of product reviews, but this book's been such a help it deserves one.

Good book with very good information. I still haven't found the "ONE" M-16/AR-15 book but this goes on the shelf. I'd like to have seen parts guides & photos in color. I would encourage the author to contact and talk to some of the Bravo 1/9 Marines who were on Operation Buffalo with regard to his downplaying the problems with early M-16s in Vietnam.

I bought my first AR15 about 6 months ago and bought this book along with it. After reading through the history of the rifle, how it works and how to treat it, I can definitely say this is a must have book for any new or soon to be AR owner.
The book is split up in a way that allows easy indexing for those who just want to use it as a reference or want to reference it often as I've done now that I've read it. The history is complete enough and written well enough to hold your attention but doesn't give so many details that it feels like you're back in high school learning dates, figures and names all over again. Don't get me wrong, that stuff is in there also, but the author had a good enough knowledge of the subject he could fill in between the gaps instead of just repeating what everyone else says.
The only downside I've found so far with the book is that sometimes a referenced picture isn't on the page it's referenced from. For example the author may be telling you about something that happen in history and have a picture to back up the story but the picture is three pages away. That's not too bad most of the time but I found it distracting in this book for some reason. The problem was actually caused by a good thing which is that the book is filled with pictures. Yes they may be black and white as some have pointed out, but they are still clear enough to see and understand what is being talked about. Everything about the AR15 is broken down, pulled apart and pictured for you to be able to actually see what is going on under the hood.
If you can only get one AR15 book then this could be your book.

As a newcomer to AR-type rifles, I have read several books and countless articles on the topic but this is by far the most helpful and informative single source I've come across. In addition, it is for the most part both well-written and well-illustrated. It has everything from historical background on the weapon's development to a part-by-part breakdown to modification, maintenance, and accuracy advice. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about our service rifle and its commercial variants!

This is a nice, little primer to whet your appetite for a more complete resource. The information is good, but with many gaps.

For instance, there is a complete table of models, but it does not include dates of manufacture or serial number info, which renders it useless as a resource for collectors or even first-time buyers.

Also, many details are missing and some things go unexplained altogether, which may be fine for those who already are experts, but this book seems aimed more at the novice.

Still, it's an interesting read, which did answer many of my questions.

Like the title says, most of the stuff pertaining to manufacturers, gear, and laws is pretty outdated. That being said, the run down of all the parts to the AR15 is solid and indispensable. Great as a general technical manual for AR15s. That, or your could get the Army/Marine Corps' FMs.

I don't give it maximum stars simply because, while I was purchasing a revised 3rd edition, I assumed I would be getting up to date information, but I was sadly mistaken. Probably my fault for not researching better, but at this point, they need a 4th edition.

Good book, very imformative and detailed, would recommend.

All the way back to my military days, I have never cared much for the M-16/AR-15; I have always thought the AK to be the better, more dependable weapon. This book goes a long way in explaining Mr. Stoner's rifle . . . but Kalashnikov's is still better.