Hatcher's Notebook

Rating:
Summary: more detail on a narrower focus than I wanted
Review: A tremendous amount of information on a few rifles, for example 20 pages on how a particular rifle barrel gets blocked and what it will take to make the barrel explode. This book is extremely technical and really only discusses a small handful of US guns.

Rating:
Summary: Hatcher's Notebook remains the best firearms reference
Review: As a young Army ordinance officer, Hatcher saw it all. He discovered the reason 1903 rifles were blowing up; he discovered that the 1906 rifle cartridge didn't go as far as predicted, and he helped develop its replacement; he was involved in early machine gun trials; he was involved in the semi-automatic rifle trials, and the development of the Garand. And he documented it all.

Every serious student of firearms needs to have this book. To some, it may first appear to be dated. In fact, basic firearms design has changed little since the 1930s. Hather's Notebook gives excellent inside coverage of a key era of modern firearms design.

Rating:
Summary: THE Book on how guns work
Review: General Hatcher was the Army's Chief of Ordinance during WW II. This book presents a wealth of information on how guns work. The mechanical details, specifications of steels used, heat treatment, testing, gun powder, ballistics, accuracy, records of US rifles, and anything else you want to know about. This is THE guide.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of the best
Review: Hatcher's book is probably the most complete compendium of gun facts assembled. Every shooter and gun buff should own (and read, of course) this book. Much of the information here is empirically derived, so while the data are good, the conclusions are not always valid. Some of the exterior ballistics theories put forth are now better understood, and are not correct in this tome. Aside from the slightly outdated exterior ballistics section, this book contains information to be found nowhere else.

Rating:
Summary: Hatcher's is For Every Shooting Buff
Review: Here's a great resource of shooting trivia.... Col Hatcher gives clear technical and anecdotal backgrounds on everything from what happens when you fire a cartridge without confinement, what happens when a jar of primers ignite, do bullets tumble from the sky or continue to spin and remain stable? How heavy must helmets be made to give proper protection? How far out does a 30-06 need to travel to stabilize and thus penetrate deeply? How were ballistics measured prior to electronic developments? On and on it goes, page after page, answering the details you've thought and pondered on and offering interesting new things to consider.

Rating:
Summary: Hatcher's is For Every Shooting Buff
Review: Here's a great resource of shooting trivia.... Col Hatcher gives clear technical and anecdotal backgrounds on everything from what happens when you fire a cartridge without confinement, what happens when a jar of primers ignite, do bullets tumble from the sky or continue to spin and remain stable? How heavy must helmets be made to give proper protection? How far out does a 30-06 need to travel to stabilize and thus penetrate deeply? How were ballistics measured prior to electronic developments? On and on it goes, page after page, answering the details you've thought and pondered on and offering interesting new things to consider.

Rating:
Summary: A Firearms Classic
Review: This book is an absolute must-have. Hatcher gives you the real, down to earth, practical information that just plain is not available anywhere else. Yes, lesser minds will complain that there are some errors in the ballistics tables and such, but they miss the point--here is an exceedingly fertile mind, investigating all aspects of riflecraft: how they are made, how they function, and how they shoot. One of a kind, any one interested in firearms will, sooner or later, read and own Hatcher's Notebook.

Rating:
Summary: A Firearms Classic
Review: This book is an absolute must-have. Hatcher gives you the real, down to earth, practical information that just plain is not available anywhere else. Yes, lesser minds will complain that there are some errors in the ballistics tables and such, but they miss the point--here is an exceedingly fertile mind, investigating all aspects of riflecraft: how they are made, how they function, and how they shoot. One of a kind, any one interested in firearms will, sooner or later, read and own Hatcher's Notebook.

Rating:
Summary: Written by a lover of firearms, for the lover of firearms
Review: This is one of the finest books about military firearms ever written. Julian Hatcher wrote this book in 1947, and it touches on virtually every aspect of firearms then current. The author's writing style is precise and clear without being dry. The operation of all military small arms and machine guns are given in great detail, as well as Hatcher's observations about recoil, gun powder, metallurgy, ballistics, and much more. I don't think I have ever learned more about firearms from any other single volume. It is an incredible history lesson for the firearms enthusiast written by a man that watched it all happen first hand. Read this book to truly appreciate the incredible engineering feat that the machine gun represents.

Still, the value of the work goes beyond a catalogue of all aspects of military firearms - it is a man discussing the great passion of his life. Imagine an enthusiastic teacher, who truly loves his subject, telling you in detail everything he knows.

If you are as fascinated with firearms as I am, get this book. You will not be disappointed.

--Mykal Banta