Most technical books are a dry read. They are a book you read because you need some more information, not because you want to be taken to a fantastical land of dwarves, elves and dragons. This is not the case with Gunsmithing Modern Firearms. Mr. Towsley offers an unique writing style that offers a compelling story while remaining technical. Offering up his own mistakes as lessons to be one part sacrificial chuckles and two parts lessons to be learn.
Having grown up in Vermont, I was happy to read a book who had a similar heritage, perhaps that is why I connected with the humor of his stories as I can vividly picture the sort of problems that come with firearms stored in barns, trucks and attics. I remember seeing them there as a child. New England humor is often subtle, sarcastic and dry. Owning much of it’s heritage to clever puns and wording often found across the pond in Britain. You do not realize how different it can be until you move to Utah and try to crack a joke, and the only one laughing is you, awkwardly…
Common humor and heritage aside, the biggest thing this book does is teach you how to gunsmith on a budget. Something I am very familiar with, and something that is often mocked when it is does poorly. Having been blessed with a passion for firearms, but cursed with a meager wallet, I am constantly looking for tips and tricks to accomplish some task without dropping $8k on a lathe, or having much in the way of access to a mill.
Mr. Towsley is unafraid to show he uses a hacksaw to shorten a barrel, and then shows off the hand tools to properly restore the crown. He discusses hot to finish chambering a short chambered barrel, and even making his own heating cabinet for curing painted finishes. Sometimes specialized tooling is too expensive, so you have to fabricate your own, which can come with it’s own challenges, mistakes, and sometimes in hindsight the price tag was probably worth saving you the trouble.
Contained within the pages of this book are several projects, many of which can be accomplished with hand tools, a little patience and a tiny budget. The very first project is turning a Mosin Nagant into a decent target rifle with very little in the way of specialized tooling. This project is a good starter project for many aspiring gun smiths, so long as the rifles available do not continue to climb in price. (Last time I purchased one it a Cabela’s it was about $160 I think they are over $250 now).
As the book progresses he covers common maintenance and alterations to modern firearms, and does talk about machine work. All while maintaining practical expectations on what can be achieved, as well keeping a budget mindset that is not outside of the reach of most people. This book has hundreds a color pictures that add to the topics being discussed. While some of the articles are reprints of articles he previously wrote, he takes the time to add retrospective commentary that informs the reader of how he might of done things differently now that he has more experience, something I find is rarely ever done, and make this book stand out among others.
At the end of the book he mentions this was one of the longer and more tiresome projects he had worked on. It is a project well done, and I hope there is a follow up book. Of the any books I have on the topic, this is probably in the top three, favorites. Well worth the time, money, and space on my bookshelf as it has the potential to be one of the great gunsmithing classics of the modern era.