1949 Philip Sharpe Guide to handloading. Excellent reading and im amazed!!!

[Kragman71]

I bought my"Complete Guide to Handloading"in 1950.It was probably a second edition.
I sold it when a Friend gave me a new third edition second revision;hot off the press.The friend was printing them at the time,at the Cornwall Press.
Phil Sharpe was a stickler for details and accuracy.He is a lot easier to support then Elmer Keith.
I refer to that book quite often when answering questions from folks on the web.
Frank

[madcaster]

I have his book on The Development of the Rifle in America,pretty hefty book,but I bought it at the wrong time of year!

[ramon]

This is a very nice thread whose subject is not often heard about.

We go about our personal efforts with firearms, handloading, casting and the like standing on the shoulders of giants.

I have long collected the literary works of Sharpe, Naramore, Hatcher, Keith, et. al. Where I could, I've collected autographed examples of these titles.

Here are few for your consideration.

Here are 4 basic titles:

Sharpe, Complete Guide to Handloading
Hatcher, The Book of the Garand
Hatcher, Hatcher's Notebook
Keith, Big Game Rifles

[ramon]

Here's a typical Sharpe inscription. He would also sign using the phrase, "Here's to better loads...."

[ramon]

The Book of the Garand is a first edition and is inscribed by Hatcher to Phil Sharpe. The books contains Sharpe's marginalia throughout.

[ramon]

Keith's work is inscribed to a friend who has since passed. Very special to me...

[ramon]

Hatcher's Notebook bears his simple inscription.

[johniv]

Great thread fellas, I have met Cooper and Jordan, but I have read almost everything mentioned here, and have learned something from all and enjoyed all of the books and magazine articles these folks wrote. I dont deify (sp) any of them, as every man has his faults.Still it is good to hear from some of you who have met some of these men, and can give a brief look at the person behind the book etc.
Thanks
John

[ASM826]

I read this post about two weeks ago. Based on what I read here, and found searching the web, I bought a copy from Bartleby's Books. It came three days ago. What a treasure of information. Thanks to all of you that pointed me to this book

[ramon]

Phil Sharpe preceded his "Complete Guide to Handloading" with a collection of his Outdoor Life articles which he published in a softback cover entitled, "This Handloading Game."

Difficult to find today, but well worth the effort. You'll recognizeit as the genesis of his later work.

Ramon

[Bret4207]

Sharpes "The Rifle in America" is a must have too. Some other books along the same line as Sharpes "Handloading" book are "Practical Dope on the 22" and "Practical Dope on the Big Bores" both by Fred Ness, a contemporary of Sharpes. Also seek out anything by Charles Landis- "Hunting with the Twenty-Two" is a personal favorite and I've read my edition cover to cover dozens of times.

[Flash]

I aquired a 1952 Third Edition in excelent shape this past winter and bought it in a box lot. A weath of information.

[Dutchman]

Both are still in print. I think that means copyrights are still in effect.

No. Just because there's an edition printed of an old book doesn't mean its the same copyright of the original author. Not at all. Anybody can re-print a book that's out of copyright and that particular edition, by them, can be copyrighted but not all other reproductions of the same book are covered under the new edition copyright.
That's as far as I understand it.

I scanned some original "Description and Rules for the Management of the...." (1903 Springfield). I can claim copyright on my digital version because it was scanned from an original that I own. Dixie Gun Works through their Pioneer Press have republished a gazillion old books including the various and many "Description and Rules for the Management of.... Those go back to the 1863 Zouave, which is the oldest one I have. But they also cover every GI small arm since then to to the M1917 Rifle.

This is the location of the PDF files:

http://stevespages.com/page7d.htm

Hatcher's Notebook should be on your list of "gotta have".

"Our Rifles" was first published in 1920 I think. This PDF version is a reprint done in 1944. Its a pretty good history of "Our Rifles", meaning American rifles. Its the only book I've found so far that mentions one particular rifle by Morgenstern submitted for the 1870-72 Ordnance Dept rifle & ammunition trials. Sometimes its dang hard to study American firearms history when you can't find any dang books that deal with what you want to know!!

"American Firearms 1776-1876" by Butler has great information including information on the 1870-72 rifle & ammunition trials. (rolling blocks, Sharps, Trapdoor, etc).

Dutch

[Phil]

Hi Dutchman,

My copy of "Our Rifles" was printed in 1944 by "Williams Book Store". Further information on the page shows it was indeed originally first copyrighted in 1920 by The Cornhill Company. Then "Copyright purchased by The Cornhill Publishing Company" in 1921. Next was "Williams Book Store" 1941. Evidently Williams did not own, or never needed a copyright statement as there is no mention of it.

Thank you for posting the "stevespages" link. A valuable source. Now, if someone would just do a PDF of Landis's "Shooting the Twenty Two" I'd be in fat city. I have his "22 Caliber Varmint Rifles", Hunting With the Twenty Two", and "Woodchucks and Woodchuck Rifles". All very good reading. Gives me the hots to build a Lindahl Chucker. Also have Ness "Practical Dope on the Twenty Two" and "Practical Dope on the Big Bores". And a whole lot more. All good reading by men who had been there and done that.

Years ago an old shooter and handloader acquaintance passed away. I bought several sets of 22 caliber bullet making dies and several thousand 22 caliber jackets from his widow. He had a pre-war Winchester M70 that was chambered for a couple of versions of what would now be the 22 PPC. Dead ringer, built in the thirties, using 276 Pederson brass and 35 Remington brass. There were literally thousands of 276 Pederson cases with the rifle. The rifle and loading dies, and all the brass went to the grandson who had no knowledge of how to use it, nor desire to learn. He sold all that stuff to a gunshop for pennies. Wouldn't even sell me a couple boxes of the Pederson brass. Thats life I guess. I have quite a few more older books, none of which I will ever get rid of. I get far too much enjoyment out of reading them. Just as I enjoy my complete annotated set of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Time for bed,

Cheers,

Phil