well i can't disagree with the unfavorable reviews entirely, as the index is a little strange and some of the diagrams are off, illegible, missing, or borrowed from other weapons.

However, a book like this could be vital to a gunsmith or someone wanting to upgrade their weapon. For most of the guns, it shows a pic of what the gun looks like originally, then it explodes into all of the little springs, sights, etc. SO, in short you can see where those parts go, and where they came from.

Overall very useful to me, i hope it is the same for you.

This book has a very large collection of drawings. Most are fine, but a significant number are low quality:
* all black so you can't see the parts clearly
* diagram omits parts
* the parts for one firearm are substituted for another.

Many of the drawings are very difficult to study. Some are faint, some are drawn with very thick ink lines, and some are so small as to be virtually useless. Don't buy this book unless you can see it in a B&M store and determine if the drawings you are interested in can even be seen

Overall I am definitely happy I bought the book, it is worth the money and everyone who has or plans to have a substantial collection of firearms or an interest in firearms should purchase this book.

There are inconsistencies in terminology that make it a bit hard to read, for example on the Japaneese Nambu diagram they call it a "frame" while on the Glock diagram they call it a "receiver." This is misleading since both parts serve the excact same purpose.

That being said, the only MAJOR gripe I have with this book - the issue that caused it to lose a star- is its lack of coverage of more modern firearms.

Here is a short list of firearms the book has no coverage of that it should:
CZ rifles
Saiga shotguns and rifles
Imbel and DSA FALs
AK-74 rifles
Century Arms Bullpup AK
Fn2000
Beretta CX4 storm carbine, RX4 rifle
Benelli M3 Super 90
Robinson XCR

The list goes on

Also it is very hard to find many military firearms even if they have listings, one has to look under "mitchel arms" to find the only ak-47 and one of the few Ar-15s even though many manufacturers make such weapons and they are far more popular then other series of guns which have far more coverage.

-Had to look under "brno" to find the CZ 75 pistol, the book should take more effort to put things under the names which they are known.


So in conclusion the book is a great resource for any gun owner and especially those with mainly older firearms in their collections, the price is right and with a few additions and better organization it could of gotten five stars.

I was a bit disappointed with this volume. Probably should have paid more attention to the description. I assumed that there would be an exploded view of each gun I own-and wanted to buy. This would then serve as "do all" reference for componentry. Not quite--lot's of drawings but not some of the more common Taurus revolvers among others. Some of the drawings are also a bit difficult to see/read numbers part shapes etc..Not a bad investment-just not a great investment. Excellent paperweight!!

This is a pretty great book, it's layout and design is very simple and straightforward, and if you're strictly into traditional handguns, and traditional rifles I.E: hunting and target shooting, then this book is probably fine for you, however there are some serious issues with what it lacks, particularly in terms of military weapons, and some newer guns. I will be right to the point and just list all of the guns which this book does not contain, but really should have, they are (in no particular order): AK74, Dragunov SVD, RPK, M60, Hi-point guns, Kel-Tec guns, Kahr guns, AR-18, Barrett guns, Saiga shotguns, Saiga rifles, Tikka rifles, Blaser rifles, HK G-36, HK MP5-K, IMI Tavor, FN Five-seveN, FN Police rifle, Makarov pistol, Springfield XD, Beretta CX4 storm, Beretta PX4 storm, Taurus 24/7, Taurus Tracker, HK UMP, and Suomi M-31. This is just some of the guns which I could not find in the book, and granted, while some of the guns are fairly new (coming out in 2004), many of these I was shocked were not in the book, like no Saiga rifles or shotguns, no AK74, no Dragunov, no HI-points, no Kel-Tecs, no Makarov. And other little things like how things are listed is sometimes frustrating, like the AK47 is listed under "Mitchell arms"??? And there aren't many diagrams for the moderns typical AR-15, just the original Colt style M16. I guess the major problem is that while it lacks many military and otherwise typical guns, at the sametime this book devotes many pages to totally useless, obscure, and obsolete guns which many people have never heard of. SO it isn't that there is not enough space for all these guns which aren't in the book, there are just several guns in the book which don't need to be there, and should be replaced with those which aren't in it. Like they have a diagram for the Wilkinson "Linda" which is a Tec-9 look-alike, I mean come on, how many people have a freakin Wilkinson "Linda", definitely far fewer than those who have Saigas, Kel Tecs, Hi Points, or even Barrett .50 cal rifles.

I can only say, if you are in the business, it's like having a larger "Gun Parts" book. I have only found one other reference better. This is a MUST HAVE. I use it all the time. If you can work from exploded views, this is for YOU!

The Gun Digest Book Of Exploded Gun Drawings: 975 Isometric Views is a visual reference book especially for collectors, gunsmiths and hobbyists. Featuring detailed, black-and-white diagrams of the many complex pieces in a gun, which labels each piece and shows how each piece fits with the others, The Gun Digest Book Of Exploded Gun Drawings reveals at a glance how hundreds of different handguns, shotguns, and rifles are put together. Very little text is present in The Gun Digest Book Of Exploded Gun Drawings, a massive volume devoted almost entirely to the diagrams themselves, with a complete directory of firearms trade resources and a selected shooting sports bibliography. A fascinating and highly practical resource for serious firearm enthusiasts.

Taking pictures during disassembly of a firearm with a digital camera can help jog the memory at a later date for reassembly, but sometimes things happen too quickly and unexpectedly to capture the essentials. One minute you're pushing on a little spring loaded widget under a forward barrel band, the next minute you're holding the barrel, six ball bearings and seven of the tiniest springs you've ever seen through your 7x magnifying nerd visor. A good set of exploded drawings, assembly drawings, can really save the day.

Over the years, I've accumulated a number of these books; "a number" because most individual books offer limited firearm selection coverage, or the drawings are of substandard quality because the author depended on reproductions of reproductions of old manufacturer's drawings or military manual drawings. The Gun Digest® Book of Exploded Gun Drawings has done a good job of avoiding both of these limitations. A count of nine hundred and seventy five isometric views means lots of rifle, shotgun and handgun coverage. Some firearms represent older historical pieces, some are new, some are military, some civilian, some are domestic, some originated on foreign soil. I was able to locate all of my firearms, handgun, rifle, shotgun, and milsurp with the exception of Mosin-Nagant models and my CVA muzzle loader. My Thompson Center original Contender model is covered, but not the Encore and or new generation Contender. In all fairness, the author makes no claim to cover all guns, but he does come close to touching upon what most people might encounter.

If there are weak spots in the book they are minor. The index is a bit odd in arranging model listings. Under U.S. you will find the M-1 Garand and carbine, as well as the M-14. If you want to look at the M-16 drawings you will find it under Mitchell Arms along with the AK-47. The Model 1903 is listed under Springfield. This only means that a little mixed logic searching is sometimes required to find a listing. Still, if you are the owner of even a Zouave, Laurona, Madsen, or Rigarmi you are pretty much covered. The line drawings in 99% of the cases are consistent in arrangement and style. In a handful of cases the drawings are a little thick lined, and the representation of the assembled firearm is a photograph or photorealistic illustration. Even in those cases the drawings are easy to read and cover the detail of arrangement of every piece part with clarity.

A great reference book, a useful tool and an excellent value.

Taking pictures during disassembly of a firearm with a digital camera can help jog the memory at a later date for reassembly, but sometimes things happen too quickly and unexpectedly to capture the essentials. One minute you're pushing on a little spring loaded widget under a forward barrel band, the next minute you're holding the barrel, six ball bearings and seven of the tiniest springs you've ever seen through your 7x magnifying nerd visor. A good set of exploded drawings, assembly drawings, can really save the day.

Over the years, I've accumulated a number of these books; "a number" because most individual books offer limited firearm selection coverage, or the drawings are of substandard quality because the author depended on reproductions of reproductions of old manufacturer's drawings or military manual drawings. The Gun Digestý Book of Exploded Gun Drawings has done a good job of avoiding both of these limitations. A count of nine hundred and seventy five isometric views means lots of rifle, shotgun and handgun coverage. Some firearms represent older historical pieces, some are new, some are military, some civilian, some are domestic, some originated on foreign soil. I was able to locate all of my firearms, handgun, rifle, shotgun, and milsurp with the exception of Mosin-Nagant models and my CVA muzzle loader. My Thompson Center original Contender model is covered, but not the Encore and or new generation Contender. In all fairness, the author makes no claim to cover all guns, but he does come close to touching upon what most people might encounter.

If there are weak spots in the book they are minor. The index is a bit odd in arranging model listings. Under U.S. you will find the M-1 Garand and carbine, as well as the M-14. If you want to look at the M-16 drawings you will find it under Mitchell Arms along with the AK-47. The Model 1903 is listed under Springfield. This only means that a little mixed logic searching is sometimes required to find a listing. Still, if you are the owner of even a Zouave, Laurona, Madsen, or Rigarmi you are pretty much covered. The line drawings in 99% of the cases are consistent in arrangement and style. In a handful of cases the drawings are a little thick lined, and the representation of the assembled firearm is a photograph or photorealistic illustration. Even in those cases the drawings are easy to read and cover the detail of arrangement of every piece part with clarity.

A great reference book, a useful tool and an excellent value.