Complete Guide to Gunsmithing

by Charles Edward Chapel

The Most Comprehensive Gunsmithing Guide of All Time.Written by one of the most prolific firearms experts of all time, The Complete Guide to Gunsmithing is a highly detailed and essential reference for the gun enthusiast and gunsmith alike. At nearly 500 pages, Chapel covers everything from the use of proper tools to how to get a gunsmithing job, and everything in between. In more than forty chapters of exceptionally clear prose, the book answers every question a collector, soldier, or home defender could have on topics such Drawings and Blueprints Stock Design Checkering and Carving Stock Repairs and Alterations Etching and Engraving And many moreNot only is the book an incredible resource for gun owners and gunsmiths, it’s also a wonderful look at the world of firearms in the first half the twentieth century. Published just over seventy years ago, the book--and revised by the author two decades later—The Complete Guide to Gunsmithing is fascinating look at how the nature of firearms has changed. With a thoughtful introductory note by renowned outdoorsman Dr. Jim Casada and eighty-five meticulous illustrations, this is the definitive edition of an enduring and authoritative classic.

Hardcover

First published January 28, 1962

About the author

Charles Edward Chapel studied at the University of Missouri and later at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He saw active service in Panama, Cuba, Nicaragua, Philippines, and China as a Marine Corp officer. He was discharged in 1937 after being wounded.

Chapel wrote about a variety of subjects such as aviation and forensics, as well as firearms. The exact number of articles is not known, but could be as high as several thousand, including 3,000 for Hobbies Magazine.

After his military career, he worked as an aeronautical engineer at Northrop Aeronautical Institute in California, and wrote or helped edit many of the technical manuals for the industry. He also wrote several articles on ballistics and fingerprinting for the police.

Chapel entered Republican politics in 1950, serving in the California State Assembly from 1951 until he died in office in 1967 for California's 46th District. He was a Presidential Elector in 1956.

Although he wrote articles on a variety of subjects, most of his books were about firearms, starting with Gun Collecting in 1939. His 1940 book, The Gun Collector's Handbook of Values was one of the first to provide values for non-professionals, and he contributed to later editions for many years. From the 40s until his death, he wrote at least nine books on gun topics.

His most well known book, Guns of the Old West, is considered a standard reference for Western firearms studies.

Reviews

[Goob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for a historical look at gunsmithing techniques and knowledge. Not much that can be applied to the modern trade. There is some (like the sections on M1903 Springfield and 1911 care) that are still useful but the info overall is very outdated.