Opinion of "The ar15 Volume 2" [Archive]

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bakon

11-05-09, 15:41

Just bough a book called "The AR-15 Volume 2" by Patrick Sweeney.

Has anyone read it and offer and opinion?

Please keep it civil if not liked.

I can say I find more technical info in the site and after reading a chapter or two, still feel i dont know enough to make decision. Read the entie 1079 posts to the "list" and didnt get much more than the list gave me, but that was alot.

C4IGrant

11-05-09, 16:16

skipper49

11-05-09, 16:41

Got both volumes and like them both. As Grant implied, nothing special, but I would buy them both again. I also have his Glock and 1911 books, but like the AR books best.

Skip

bakon

11-05-09, 16:46

Grant- glad to see you respond. Wanted somebody who had part of the "list" to say something.

Also looking up where you were located. I am in Pittsburgh. Are you the only one offering the BCM complete rifles? I went to their site and seems only parts are listed, then to your site and found the complete m-4.

Looking for 2 for my sons for Christmas and was leaning towards the Colt 6920 due to they would know the name (both joined reserves for MP's, one Army one Marine but neither has used M-4 yet, only m-16a2 and saw) but still reading and learning. Like the lifetime warranty idea, plus I wanted to get them while they are young and let them build on them with pieces they like. Figure I could shoot them too, old Army m-16a1 guy.
Trying to find two good price rifles (close serial numbers would be great) but BCM is an unknown to me, and everyone knows Colt.

The Dumb Gun Collector

11-05-09, 18:21

IMHO the best christmas gun books are made by collector grade publishing. They make amazing (but pricey) books.

bakon

11-05-09, 18:49

Sorry, think i goofed up my own post. Still want opinions of book but I meant two rifles for my sons. This new generation doesn't read books. I still do.

August

11-06-09, 13:52

I own Volume one and two, as well as the two "supplemental" rags that G&A has put out over the past two years (since Vol. 2 was printed).

I have read and re-read both volumes, so clearly they have value to me.

Sweeney "speaks" from the perspective of LE and MIL and is in the high-volume ammo club, for sure. He speaks with authority about the topics addressed. He sometimes takes a long time making a point, but writes well enough that such excursions are usually entertaining rather than irritating.

The one problem with the "series" is that it was conceived as a "consumers' reports" for AR rifles. That means that Sweeney's entry point into topics is a certain model, of a certain brand of rifle. The chapters take on the form of comparison tests. The series would have been much more valuable if it had been organized around topical issues rather than brands of firearms. The second volume corrects this matter somewhat. But, even the topical chapters end up being comparisons of manufacturers solutions to things rather than in-depth discussions of the kinds of things you and I would like to know about the generic AR operating system. Too bad he chose this approach. It makes it very difficult to use the series as a reference, which is really the justification and hype for its existence.

I'd buy them again. Good pictures. A lot of info is in there. It's just damned hard to access the things I'd like to know.

Further, the series must have had outrageous lead times. Most of the info is out of date. Most reviews are of platforms that no longer exist. Many recent, and very popular developments in the field of ARs are not present because the manuscripts were put to bed a long time ago.

I guess that's what G&A has always done. Yesterday's news tomorrow, again, and again, and again....

sinister

11-06-09, 14:38

Interesting, as by Sweeney's own accounts and writings he has never served in the military.

Quentin

11-07-09, 03:12

August's review pretty much sums up my opinion of both books. Sweeney's writing style is rambling and and there are an incredible number of typos and errors in the first book. The second was proofread better but still has way too many misspellings.

A shame he didn't tighten up the books to be more useful. Really, they should have been edited down tightly and published as one book since with all his rambling and repeating cut out and down to 350 pages it would have been a real good book.

Don't think I'll bother with his other books.

ColtM4pilot

11-07-09, 03:34

I have the "first one" and it is lackluster at best.

If youre in the "fit and finish" crowd, go buy these books. If not, M4carbine.net has all the info you could possibly need... for free.

(I just recently joined, but have been reading this forum for a few years now)