American Rifle: A Biography by Alexander Rose. 512 pages (October 21, 2008) Delacorte Press. Alexander Rose, a military historian and journalist, traces the development of the rifle as a distinctly American weapon, in the historical context of the United States' own development from the sparsely populated colonial frontier of the 18th century into the space age. As the author ably presents, the rifle has influenced history in the U.S. and worldwide. He lays out a fascinating exploration of how the rifle drives innovation in manufacturing, materials technology, and industrial organization while benefiting from their progress. Always present is the interaction between government arsenals and bureaucracies (ponderous and tradition bound) verses the faster moving commercial enterprises that seek to sell their designs to the military. While the commercial firms try to sell the latest innovation, however immature it may be, the government tends to be tied down by the red tape of its traditions and vast scale requirements. Within the military, opposing schools of thought cyclically gain ascendency, favoring mass use of firepower or the alternative of aimed fire from marksmen. Politics is also no small factor as state representatives try to get contracts for locally favored firms and procurement scandals are used to bolster or condemn individuals in or seeking office. Periodically, reformers shake up the system but as the author shows, the basic conflict recurs time and again over a period of centuries. For those interested in particular weapons, the book's chapters cover all the service rifles (from the "Kentucky" of Washington's time to the M4 Carbine and potential 21st century replacements like the XM8 or HK416) with details of the context in which they were developed, the engineering tradeoffs of their design evolution, production statistics, field experience and other excellent details. For a one volume work, there is a great deal of meat here. Highly recommended for military firearms enthusiasts.

Misfire: The History of How America's Small Arms Have Failed Our Military by William H. Hallahan. 512 pages (October 17, 1994) Scribner. Author Hallahan reviews the history of American small arms procurement for the U.S. military and finds that the military bureaucracy resists change, promotes its own agenda, and generally fails to put the best available weapons into the hands of the troops. This was true when the U.S. Army Ordnance fought President Lincoln over repeating rifles during the Civil War and it remains true in the 21st Century as the M16A2, with restricted automatic fire, looks increasingly bad when compared to more modern military rifles.