The Accurate Rifle [Hardcover]

Warren Page (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

The classic work on rifle accuracy by the shooting Editor of Field & Stream magazine for 24 years. Long out of print, republished in 1996 with an updating chapter by Dave Brennan, long-time Editor of Precision Shooting magazine.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Claymore Pub Corp (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188668104X
• ISBN-13: 978-1886681040
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,599,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master of Accuracy Rifles, April 4, 2009

By 

W. Richards (Center Ossipee, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Accurate Rifle (Paperback)

Col. Townsend Whelen wrote once; "Only accurate rifles are interesting".

Anyone interested in accurate rifles should have a copy of this timeless book by the original modern master of accuracy, which I've read and absorbed several times since its first introduction three decades ago. Warren Page's advice on accuracy may seem dated, but it's timeless. Anyone who owns an accurate rifle and shoots accurate ammunition of any sort owes a generous thanks to Warren Page, who was in virtually all regards the modern pioneer of accuracy, and the leading proponent of the calibers that were launched by his fertile imagination. More than that, he and his small band of accuracy nuts cultivated a new understanding of accuracy that lives today.

Most fans of the .223 Remington (5.56 NATO) have no idea that Warren Page was the reason that it came into being. From the .222 Remington that he helped inspire in 1950, the intrinsically accurate and slightly longer .222 Remington Magnum was spawned; each based on a small diameter case with a small rifle primer. Then along came Armalite with a need, and the ammo for it was there for the plucking. Alas, the bolt-action based case needed to be tweaked to feed reliably in an auto... A slight shortening of the neck, and a little squaring of the shoulder for efficient magazine feeding, and voila! The .223 Remington was born. No, the .222 Rem. and the .222 Rem. Mag. live on in their heritage, thanks to Warren Page's enthusiasm.

Warren Page's personal contribution to accuracy goes infinitely beyond the bench rest target. His efforts are replicated every time a Marine or Army sniper demands 1,000 yard accuracy, or every time a chuck shooter lays down a 450 yard shot with his out of the box sporter. That wasn't even thinkable 40 years ago with a varmint grade rifle! What we take for granted in terms of accurate military weapons these days is directly associated with bench rest shooting and the sorts of groups they demanded. Less than two decades ago, military competitors using military competition arsenal weapons and military competition arsenal ammunition were routinely out-classed by civilian shooters with their custom rifles and handloads... all the product of the lessons learned by wide-butted benchresters who took accuracy to unimaginable levels, and who thought "outside the box". He was instrumental in the development of the .308 Winchester, from which an entire line of accurate cartridges were developed... the .243 Winchester, the 7mm-08 Remington, etc., etc. Today, every shooter takes for granted the elementary concept of rigid barrels, rigid receivers, rigid stocks, and rigid scope mounting. He had an intimate understanding of barrel making design that revolutionized accuracy and made sub-minute groups from off-the-shelf guns something everyone now has a right to expect from a gun maker's cardboard box. Most shooters these days would snicker at a one-inch group. I'm here to tell you that famous magazine gun scribes for American Rifleman and every other gun magazine jumped for joy when they found a combination that would yield anything close to a minute of angle. Warren Page was a taskmaster when it came to accuracy, and was the leader of the nutty fringe element that carried his heart to the range in search of that one hole group that we now take for granted. The title of the book is absolutely on-target. If you have an accurate rifle and ammunition, I guarantee that you can trace them back to someone who read it once upon a time. To say that this book is for the bench rest community is to miss the point entirely. "The Accurate Rifle" was written with prophetic knowledge of things that were not always understood about the accurate rifles we now own. Have you got an accurate rifle? You owe it to yourself to know who was the quarterback behind the winning game.

Thank you, Warren Page.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bench rest only, October 23, 2002

By 

"deathfromafar" (North Canterbury New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accurate Rifle (Hardcover)

For the beginner or intermediate shooter there is much here. This is, however, almost entirely for the benchrest and target shooter, with very little for the varminter, tactical shooter, or hunter.

The book opens with the history of benchrest shooting, and discusses the development and origins of the sport. Again, I would not consider this much use to anyone other than the dyed in the wool bench rester, although it is interesting for all. There is a reasonably lengthy discussion of calibers which is largely obsolete- the .222 has been replaced by the PPC range of rounds.

There is some information that is of use to the general shooter, on such topics as wind and handloading for accuracy, although the experinced shooter will find little of use there.

So, all in all a worth while tome, although not benefical to many beyond benchresters.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer on rifle accuracy by the master, January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Accurate Rifle (Hardcover)

This is a must have for accuracy hounds. By a legendary pioneer of benchrest and highpower accuracy techniques, it is back in print (1996).