Rifles and Machine Guns, The World Encyclopedia of

This fully updated encyclopedia is an authoritative reference work with two stunning visual directories. It explains the development of rifles and machine guns through the centuries, and shows the capabilities and individual specifications of modern weapons. The chronological story of arms development begins with the first crude hand cannons and black powder flintlocks used in the Revolutionary, Napoleonic and American Civil wars. The encyclopedia covers the progress of firearm design from the Industrial Age to the modern day, with details of the individual developments of rifles and machine guns, and their use in major conflicts. Readers are introduced to some of the designers and manufacturers involved in weapons design, as well as the materials, mechanics and technology involved in arms production. The directories present a photographic guide to the world's rifles and machine guns. Grouped according to country of origin, each gun's features are listed, with the military and