In AFRICAN RIFLES AND CARTRIDGES, John Taylor takes up the modern and powerful British, German and American big game rifles and car­tridges and, one by one, tells all about them. And he is fully qualified to do so, as he has used them all in his several dec­ades of professional hunting. Doubles, magazines and single-shots, he can and does tell of the virtues and faults of each. He tells of the practical value of steel jacketed bullets versus those covered witb cupro-nickel; he points out the faults of copper-tubed bullets: he shows the actual effect of soft-point bullets with varying degrees of lead exposure; he explains the necessity of modern bullets that will really stand up to the requirements when fired into heavy animals; as well as numberless other tips and explanations about car­tridges and rifles. Here is ballistic infor­mation of a degree unknown heretofore to American hunters; information that can be profitably applied in the hunting of American big game.

Supplementing all this practical appli­cation of ballistics is a wealth of informa­tion on the actual hunting of all African game; the habits of many species; together with instruction on the practical handling and shooting of the different rifles under discussion. Gunbuilding specifications, stocking, weight, balance and fit are fully discussed, as well as the true worth of the many accessories and gadgets. Sighting arrangements are all here; the author is a strong advocate of modern telescopic sights and he uses them whenever pos­sible, even when hunting the most dan­gerous game. One outstanding chapter is "Marksmanship in the Bush," a positively unique exposition of the practical appli­cation of one's shooting ability when faced with the real test in the hunting field.

The factual, thoroughly researched text which relates to the multitude of weapons covered within the scope of the volume is superbly supplemented by hundreds of exceptionally precise illustrations which graphically depict the important details of the arms and their variations as described. These illustrations, nearly 700 in all, exceed anything of the kind ever attempted, and provide one of the most important features of the work. For the first time ever, for instance, each lockplate marking variation known is depicted and described, including many which have been overlooked by early authorities. Perspective drawings of all breechloading arms produced for the armed forces between 1816 and 1865 show the operation of each to its best advantage, while overall views of every arm described include major and minor variations. The diverse array of firearms manufactured during that exciting half-century-flintlock to repeater-are covered in detail. Among these will be found a substantial number which have rarely, if ever, been discussed in earlier writings-variations virtually unknown today to any but the most advanced collectors.

This outstanding work is supported by a string of technical illustrations, espe­cially prepared and as original as the text they clarify. The many cartridges, their components, and the various methods of ammunition assembly employed by gun-makers of different countries are all clearly shown in full-scale detail and by a new method of depiction, one you will clearly understand and appreciate.

African Rifles and Cartridges lists for $35.00, but at Rutgers Book Center, we sell if for only $31.50!