Larry Vickers and James Rupley have followed their first volume of AR-15s with a second one – as we should have expected when the first one was title “Volume I”. Where the first volume covered the early development of the AR by Armalite and Colt, the Vicker’s Guide: AR15 Volume II looks at more modern iterations of the AR platform, including a variety of foreign made types (Diemaco, Norinco, HK, etc).
The book also includes an interesting look at the development of piston-driven AR models from the early Colt experimental model to the Taiwanese T65 to the current HK 416 and 417 (which Vickers has a particularly authoritative inside perspective on). And, of course, the series of modern 7.62mm NATO AR10 type rifles mike the American M110, British L129A1, and others.
I had been expecting a lot of commercial or competition type rifles to be in this volume, and was quite happily surprised to be wrong. Just because they are modern rifles doesn’t mean they are boring – the different iterations of models and accessories used by various military forces in the recent past make for some pretty interesting comparison.
It’s another fantastic book in the series Vickers is working on. The photography is superb, the commentary fascinating.
Put legs under it and it would BE a coffee table.