Duncan Long Books

This book is good as an introduction to the HK small arms but not as a definitive guide. There are key pieces of false information, poorly researched history and extended areas of rewritten H&K catalogs.

If you are fairly educated on Heckler and Koch small arms I do not recommend this book; there is nothing special in this publication.

I read this book, and it was helpful with all the HK assault rifles, subguns, and machine guns. If hit some of the assault rifles, but it more into the subguns, and machine guns. If you want a sub, or a machine gun, you may want to look at this!

In the late 70's and early 80's, a new type of military unit was developed and refined to combat terrorism. During the Iranian emmbassy crisis in England, the world watched as black clad commandos stormed the building, each carring a radical new machine gun, different than anything anyone had seen. That was the HK MP5, a spinoff of the famous G3 rifle. Although the G3 and MP5 had been in production since the late 50's/ early 60's, the public had rarely seen or heard of these remarkable weapons. Soon they became the weapon of choice for counterterrorism units, SWAT teams, and other specialized units for close quarter combat, and long range sharpshooting. This is the best book availible for information on Heckler and Koch rifles, submachine guns, and general machine guns. Includes the history, development, and other facts about the G3, MP5, HK33, and any other variants, both in automatic and semi. Has information on the rare Vollmer conversions, sniper models, as well as information on accessories such as the HK69 grenade launcher and other rarities. Pictures are great, as are the descriptions of each of these weapons. The book does not have information about HK pistols, but I believe the author has written a separate book regarding them. If your a HK fan, a gun nut in general, or are just curious this is the book for you.

This book is a good start on the subject and it got me thinking in new directions. Good recomendations in the back. Raised some pertinent points. only compalint is that its a little on the thin side.

Review of Survival Bartering

When I first received this little book, I was disappointed that it was so small. I didn't think it could possibly have much to offer as far as information on bartering.

On the contrary, I was most pleasantly surprised! From the very start, just about every paragraph was packed with good solid information on all aspects of bartering! Even though I have bartered some throughout my life, I still learned a great deal! Some instructions in the book were methods of bartering that I have already used successfully but I appreciated being able to read them in a concise way that helped capsulate my experiences. The verbal illustrations in the book allowed me to see the reasoning behind various practices in bartering. Also, there was a large amount of new material that I am able to make good use of.

This book is not just for reading through once! It is like a bartering bible that you can refer back to from time to time.

I read portions to members of my family, and after listening a while, each person asked me if they could read the book too.

Something that I really appreciated about the book was that it was simply written where even an eighth grader could read and understand it. I thought it was very well organized. Because I am nearly a senior citizen, very small print is becoming difficult for me to read. It was so nice to see well laid out paragraphs with 12 point print rather than very long paragraphs with the smaller 10 point print.

The reason I bought this book is because I want to have better bartering skills for the same reasons someone would purchase any type of insurance. If difficult times were to come about in my life, I will have newly honed bartering skills to fall back on. If money becomes scarce for any reason, I can use bartering in order to purchase much needed items or services.

In the back of the book there are several pages of recommended reading with brief summaries and mailing addresses. There are books listed here that you surely will be surprised and pleased to find.

I highly recommend "Survival Bartering" to anyone with an interest in bartering and I applaud Duncan Long for his excellent presentation!

Anne in TN

Survival Bartering is a very elementary book. Everything contained in its covers should already be common knowledge and common sense..The best survival bartering you can do is to KEEP YOUR MONEY and buy something else!

Excellent book on the AR-15. Was very informative filled with details. Full of information for the not so knowledgable. Great book to read prior to Mr. Longs current book on the AR-15.

This book is a good primer on the AR-15 and M-16, and it's a decent book to flip through and browse around various different versions of the weapon while reading up on its history. For the price, it's got a decent amount of information and some good illustrations. My main beef, however, is that this book was written over 15 years ago, well before the Brady Bill changed the playing field of assault rifles. It would be much more useful if there was information on the changing legality of pre- and post-ban AR-15/M-16s. I haven't read Long's other books, so maybe they cover this information. Although I find this is good, casual reading, I think it might be more practical to save your money and invest in a newer book by the same author.

Overall, the book provides some very useful information, but at least two glaring errors, both concerning the non-AK Czech rifle known as the vz58, leave questions about Long's research. On page 34 he writes, "These selective fire rifles are chambered for the 7.62x45mm Czech, which is identical to the Soviet M43 round." First, the 7.62x45 Czech is a different round; it is not identical to the Soviet M43, which is 7.62x39. (The earlier vz52 rifle, which was chambered in 7.62x45 Czech, was replaced with the vz52/57 in 7.62x39 as a result of Soviet insistence upon a standard round for all Warsaw Pact nations. This change would have been unnecessary if the two were identical.) In addition, the vz58 -- which replaced the vz52/57 -- was, and is, chambered in the 7.62x39 Soviet round.

Also, he barely mentions some variations of the AK -- such as the Egyptian and Bulgarian models.

A tired rehash .
Very few pictures mostly line drawings
Totally out of date.

I have always found the AK47 and its spinoffs to be among the most fascinating, absorbing, and attractive firearms in existance. It's the 1911 of long-arms. This book serves as the perfect source of information for those who are in the same position as I am. Long writes in a manner which is extremely readable, and he sticks to the topic without digressing. Even though some of the info contained has been obsoleted by recent gun-control legislation in the U.S. and the further modernization of the AK in the form of the AK100 series, it provides the most complete compilation of the AK family around, from infantry to sniper, including even the smallest technical detail. I highly recommend it.

this is not a book for starters cause it does not has any meaning in it

The AK-47 may not have been the very first "assault" rifle created to fill the gap between smaller sirearms and largerer machine guns in the military, but it is certainly the most influential and important rifle in the history of the 20th century. Duncan Long's tale explains the gun's origins, functioning, and its influence on the design and construction of such vaunted modern firearms as the FN-FAL (a weapon used heavily in Europe and by UN forces), the Galil (the Israeli assaut rifle), etc.

Is this book a manual on how to care for your Kalashnikov rifle or a catalog of its varied accessories? No--and it's not meant to be. Instead, it is a thorough and very readable history of the AK-family, from the AK-47's origins as a successor to the not-so-good SKS to its endurance as one of the best weapons ever designed to its successor the AK-74 and beyond.

If you have an interest in this fine firearm, please give Long's book a read--you'll enjoy it.

This book was a good read. It told of the firearms that lead to the development of the Mini-14 and the pros and cons of the design. I did feel like the author was out of material near the end of the book and put in filler of other similar weapons to the mini-14 as well that information was not completely useless. By the end of the book I was convinced that it is a great hunting and plinking rifle as well as a good rifle for self defense, however I still wouldn't classify this rifle as an assault rifle, I'll leave that title for the M-16 and AK-47 rifle families. If you are a fan or proud owner of this great Ruger rifle this book is worth the read. It reads fairly quickly for average readers and is more a history book than an instruction manual.

I recently purchase a Mini-14 and I was looking for some resource materials. I purchased both this book and "Super Systems". This is by far the better choice of the two. While field stripping explaination is ok, I would have liked some pictures of this proceedure. If you are already an experienced Mini-14 user then save your money.

Duncan Long's The Mini-14: The Plinker, Hunter, Assault, And Everything Else Rifle is the definitive work on the most versatile modern rifle available to homeowners, hunters, survivalists, law-enforcement agencies, and the military today. Long covers all sixteen models of the Mini-14 and how the rifle owner can construct a number of variations through accessory kits such as standard, laser, and night scopes; magazines; folding and pistol-grip stocks; bullpup conversions; multi-caliber adaptors; flash suppressors; silences; and slings. Long's detailed history of the Mini-14 includes description of its factory-produced variations, specifications, available accessories, major suppliers, and a great deal more. Comprehensive, authoritative, and "reader friendly", The Mini-14 is highly recommended reading for all gun enthusiasts, and a "must" for all Mini-14 gun owners.

This book is very dated; it doesn't appear that the author or editor has looked at it, or revised it, since the mid-80s. As such, it fails to place the Mini-14 in the context of various recent crime bills and their effects on folding stocks, etc. Furthermore, there is too much in here about various Beretta designs, and a .22 cal. plinker. Much of the information is generic to all rifles, such as tips on scabbards and bipods, while there is relatively little timely information specific to the Mini-14, such as how to tweak better performance from the weapon. The author also digresses a bit too far afield on the Sturm Ruger corp. in general, and Ruger non-firearm information in particular.
Some current information on hand-loading for the Mini-14 would be a nice addition as well.
It appears this book was an early draft that was never finished for market, although it clearly shows evidence that the author is well-acquainted with his subject.

Much of the information in this little volume is worthwhile. Especially valuable are the field-stripping, trouble shooting and basic expedient gunsmithing advice. There is no guide to improving accuracy, however, which I was hoping to find, and not much on recommended ammunition or on actual experiences with owning and shooting this nifty carbine. The complete history of the development and usage of the "everyman's rifle" is interesting, but over long. Also, there is too much information in which I am not interested - M14's, M1A1's, and even AK's take up far too much space. Enough to make me think Mr. Long was deliberately trying to fill up a few pages. The book NEEDS a good updating - it was written before the crime bill, and much is made of various folding stocks and other "obsolete" accessories, and the reference section is mostly outdated. Overall I'm glad to have it on my reference shelf, where it will sit until I need to solve some problem or other, but otherwise it's not a satisfactory read.

What is being sold here is an old, outdated version of the Bioterrorism Manual by Duncan Long. It is the pre-Y2K version of the manual, which still reflects Clinton administration data which is no longer relevant. What's more, many if not all of the vendors recommended in the back of this outdated version of the manual (for things like gas masks, ABC protective suits, water purification tablets, colloidal silver generators etc.) are no longer in business, or no longer at the addresses and phone numbers listed in the manual, or are no longer recommended by the author or the publisher, or no longer carry the protective products mentioned in the manual. In short, the information is old and outdated. The new and updated version of the manual, available solely through the publisher, reflects brand new and important information on bioterrorism that has come to light during the Bush administration. It also reflects new and updated vendor contact information for the protective products recommended in the manual. Neither Duncan Long, the author, nor Life & Health Research Group, the publisher, recommend the purchase of this older, out-of-date version of the manual.

This book gives you a little history of bioterrorism. It gives a complete description of all different types of bioterrorism along with the likelyhood of occurance and the current possibilities of treatment and cure. The book also gives you several ways of preparing for the most likely diseases by purchasing self treatment in advance. "Dead Doctors Don't Treat Patients"

If you have to waste your money, go ahead & purchase the book, but don't even think about wasting your time reading it. I've read a couple of these books now & the historical backround on bioterror is dated. Better information is available free on the internet.

However, three positive things come to mind that I gleaned from this book; 1.) how to properly put on & test a gas mask, 2. ) to locate your Israile style sealed-room on the downwind side of the dwelling, 3.) the reason to put your expedient positive-pressure (vacuum cleaner) device outside your safe-room (to keep the nasties outside).

Most of these, looking back should be obvious to any thinking individual, yet sometimes we tend to overlook the obvious so my wasted time reading this book could actually save my life someday.

All in all, I'd recommend you spend your $$$ and time on other far better resources. A Book I got a lot of useful information out of is "No Such Thing As Doomsday" by Philip Hoag.

(...) The "new version" still is a pre Y2K version. (...)

The book is average, worth purchasing but there are a few items that are disquieting. For example Larry Harris, a "former CIA microbiologist" is quoted extensively and apparently revered by the author. However, if you do some research on Larry Harris, you will find that he is a grade A survivalist, racist kook. The book also says anthrax is contagious! Worth $12 (...)

I will just say that If you are at all familiar with HK handguns, you probably don't need this book. It has some good information about the history but I would not recommend spending the money on it.

The writer has a long list of informative guidelines on various firearms, methods, and tips. ive read quite a few and this book is a good example on how how certain HK pistols work, the mechanism, its strengths and weaknesses, and its development. its very interesting to see these information especially if one is an avid collector of such fine production pistols. i will definitely get more of this type of writing from the author

An interesting book for a new user of the mini-14. Alone it is not helpfull to a new user other then to provide some non-critical background info and options.

If you want your Mini-14 to fit your body, needs and pocketbook, here's the authoritative source on customizing this inexpensive, reliable rifle into an exotic super system. Find out how to boost your Mini-14's firepower (legally) so that it will not only generate a lot of double takes, but also deliver - at the range, in the field or in critical moments of self-defense.

OK, I don't know what I was thinking. I bought the book thinking it would give me design ideas on building an inexpensive & secure safe in my home. Instead it tells me, "You don't need an expensive safe, you can buy an inexpensive one instead."
I should have read the reviews that Amazon.com supplies and saved myself the money. Thank goodness for [...] discounts so at least I didn't pay full price for it! Thanks, Amazon!

$8.00 for less than 50 pages. And what is contained in those pages amounts to not much more than a review of prices for certain companies' safes, some idea of how effective or not they are, and ... not much else. Oh, and the great way to save money on safes is to buy one used. No really earth-shattering secrets are contained here, unfortunately.

The greatest value of this book is that it tells you how industrial (read business) spies think. We tend to think of sociopaths as Ted Bundy types luring innocent co-eds to their deaths, but this type fits into the corporate world quite comfortably. Some of the equipment in this book is dated, but the methods are current. I'm sure there are a few new tricks that have come along since this book was written, but it is still very cogent in today's world. No need to wait to get it, the publisher gets it out the next day 8003802230 or look on their site loompanics dot com.