If you like paying for advertising this is a must have.

Even the table of contents was worthless since it only listed "Chapter 1; Chapter 2" and so on; never mind what the chapter is about. The front half has a few good tidbits but the back is a lot of "I owe it to the gun manufacturer to say good things" advertising reviews.

Very detailed view of the modern 1911 handgun. A great read for any new or experienced 1911 owner.

IU am doing an upgrade project on a Colt Series 80 1911 .38 Super and this book is a very good reference on what to do to get the best results, along with lots of other useful info on the 1911 and its clones.

These reviews are MERGED reviews of two different volumes of a book. I believe people are purchasing Volume 2 and expecting the content of Volume 1. There is minimal overlap between Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Volume 1 (ISBN 0873492811, 334 pages, 2001) has information on the history, calibers, disassembly, cleaning, competion, reloading, and testing. At the end of the book is a series of reviews of various 1911 models.

Volume 2 (ISBN 0896892697, 336 pages, 2006) has information on barrels, mud tests, penetration, longevity, tactical illumination, holsters, defense, and competion. As with Volume 1, a series of 1911 reviews are at the end. These are different from Volume 1.

Volume 2 is not meant to replace Volume 1. In fact, in Volume 2, the author writes, "this book is not designed to replace Volume 1..."

I wrote Amazon.com an email indicating that this reviews are mixed up between Volumes 1 and 2.

Both volumes are the best collection of information about the Model of 1911 in book form out there. However, they are two different volumes. I recommend starting with Volume 1 (search by the ISBN above) and if you crave more 1911 information, purchase Volume 2.

This is a very interesting book about the workings of the 1911 and I learned a lot from it. It would have been even better if the pictures were in color, but I guess it would cost a lot more....
I also think that the book should have more information about the trigger/sear/safety and the adjustment/replacement of those parts...

I was quite happy with this book, it is a good collection of a lot of 1911 information. It does have a 'jack of all trades' feeling to it but for someone new to the 1911 it has a lot of good information. I think most of the people unhappy with it are expecting it to be more than what it is. You won't find one book on the 1911 that has everything in it. It is impossible for one book to collect every fact, variant, the history and all modifications for a pistol that is a hundred years old. But this book does give a good overview of a lot of information pertaining to the 1911 and variant there off. It does not go too in depth on any one subject but is worth a read if this is what you are looking for.

Mr. Sweeney rewards the patient reader with some good information about the 1911. However, he should have spent more time organizing his topic, hired a proof reader, and used a better spell checker. For example, the word "form" is consistently used instead of "from." Many other typos and grammar errors abound. This is a 336 page book with no index and the table of contents doesn't list the titles of the chapters.

Some photos are used three or four times in different chapters to fill space, and some of the captions have no relationship to the photos. The book could use more pertinent photos and illustrations. For example, the author goes into detailed description of 1911 barrel anatomy but fails to provide a labeled illustration, leaving the non-expert reader confused and unable to follow.

Could have been a much better book.

Volume 2 repeates much of what is in volume 1. Both volumes seem to assume that the reader only is interested in 1911s for competitionon. Every chapter relates its topic to competition and frequently repeats what was discussed in a previous chapter/volume. Seem to be more of an "editroial" than a reference guide.

For those who found this book wanting you should be aware there is a Volume 1 which is also very good. If you are interested enough in 1911's to buy this book then you want Volume 1 which goes more into basics and covers additional pistols. I think Volume 1 and 2 should be a staple in any 1911 owners library.

If you own, or have a fancy for the Model 1911 semi-auto, including the ones currently being manufactured, this is a good book for you. I own a Dan Wesson (CZ) Pointman Seven Model 1911 style .45. I have loved this big gun ever since I carried one in the MPs circa 1960.

This book has a lot of good info on the feeding and care of this often admired, if not loved handgun. I consider it an integral part of my firearm reference library.

Overall great information. I was looking for more information on how to take apart and rebuild.

I own and greatly enjoyed volume 1, and am pleased to say that volume 2 is not just a knock off, but adds all kinds of unique information. I really enjoy Sweeney's writing style and he definitely knows his stuff. The only thing that keeps this book from getting 5 stars is the incredible number of typos. If I had a dollar for each typo, I could buy myself a 1911 and this is no exaggeration. Count how many times the word "from" appears as "form" -- just the kind of thing your spell check program will never find. In spite of this the book is definitely worth owning.

This is Volume 2 of a two-book set. It has new performance evaluations and different upgrade and function tips... the first volume also has much more information about ammo and the basic function of the 1911... you really need both books to get all the information.

For those who want to see a bad review of a gun, the author points out clearly that bad guns were shipped to him for review, if the gun didn't work he called the factory and returned the gun and told them to fix it. If they fixed it, he reviewed it. If they didn't he dropped the gun from the book saying it was not fair to put a bad review of a gun into a book that will stay in print for five or six years... the factory might fix the problem next year and the bad review would still be out there. All in all an excellent book, but like I said, buy both volumes.

Upon receiving the book, the first thing I noticed was the cover as advertised on the internet is different from the actual book. OK, I can live with that. However, as I read the book, I found that It just doesn't live up to its subtitle; "A Complete Look At The Use, Care & Repair The 1911 Pistol". In my opinion, it speaks more to Gunsmiths, and people already in the know, so to speak, than it does to someone interested in learning about the 1911-A1 pistol.
Unlike many other gun publication that educate the reader through words and pictures, on a step by step basis, this book jumps right into techical jargon that was very difficult to follow and for someone new to the 1911, I found this very frustrating. Perhaps, for the reader interested in modifing their own 1911-A1 pistol, this book will be of some interest. This is not to say the book doesn't provide some useful information. Perhaps volume 1 might be more helpful.

Somehow, if I had spent the time reading the book a little before purchasing, I wouldn't have bought it. He talks extensively about competition rigs, rules, etc. which I had no interest in. I have yet to see a gun rag writer talk honestly about guns. Ever see a bad review in ANY of the gun magazines?