This carefully researched revised and updated edition of The AR-15/M16 Sourcebook offers fresh insight into why the AR-15/M16 rifle remains a favorite of soldiers, law enforcement officials, civilian shooters and self-defense experts. In it, Duncan Long takes another look at the history of the "black-rifle" from the bureaucratic blunders and military infighting that ruined its reliability during the Vietnam War to the modifications that transformed it into the most reliable weapon in the world. He also examines the many military and custom spinoffs of the firearm, including an invaluable listing of its various models, supplemented by an impressive collection of photos and illustrations. In addition, he covers grenade launchers, SAW versions, and experimental weapons systems and even gives a detailed assessment of the OICW and other firearms now being tested as replacements for the U.S. military's M16 and M4 carbine. An entire section of the book is devoted to the very newest accessories for the AR-15, with a hard look at which ones will enhance its capabilities--and which could get the shooter killed. In addition to offering advice on improving an AR-15 rifle, picking the best ammunition for it, and ensuring its reliability, Long presents simple techniques for creating a one-of-a-kind exotic weapon built around this rifle through the selection of parts and accessories now on the market (and where to get them). Finally, the book provides complete instructions on how to field-strip, detail strip, troubleshoot, and assemble an AR-15. Whether you want a weapon you can rely on to get you out of a tight spot or wish to build a super accurate target version of the AR-15, this is the most complete and up-to-date resource available on what many consider to be the best rifle ever made.
Duncan Long (http://DuncanLong.com/) is a freelance writer/illustrator who has authored 13 novels including Anti-Grav Unlimited (Avon Books), the Spider Worlds triology (HarperCollins), and the Night Stalkers series (Harper Collins). He's also written 60-some technical books and how-to manuals (with Paladin Press, Delta Press, Lyons Press/Globe Pequot, and others). Additionally, he's ghostwritten over a dozen titles for TV, radio, and stage celebrities.
Some of Long's technical manuals can be found in the private libraries of the CIA, US Marines, FEMA, the FBI's FTU (Firearms Training Unit), and other US agencies. Excerpts from his books and technical drawings have even appeared in US Congressional hearings.
As an illustrator Long has created cover and interior illustrations for HarperCollins, PS Publishing (UK), Byron Preiss/ibooks, Pocket Books, Fort Ross, American Media, Delirium Books, Ballistic Media, Mermaid Books, Swimming Kangaroo Books, and others. His artwork also appears in national magazines (including the Sun and Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine), and at Web sites and on CD covers.
Long's illustrations are noted for their often whimsical, dreamlike quality. Talk-show host Victor Thorn named Long one of the three "best graphic artists in the entire world." And the reviewer at 3D Millennium (M3 Corp., Inc.) wrote about Long's collected works, "To call him a prolific artist would be understatement, at best. Get yourself a snack and settle back while Duncan takes you on a wild ride through worlds only he has dreamt of."
You can find Long's graphic artwork and articles online at his site: http://DuncanLong.com/
