Rifle Combination or Field Tools
Rifle Combination or Field Tools
Does anyone know of a book (or perhaps even a web site) that would help me identify the growing number of military rifle “combination tools” I’ve managed to accumulate? I’m referring to the small pocket-sized tools issued with military rifles, carbines, and pistols in the 19th Century, often including folding screwdriver blades, punches, mainspring clamps, etc.
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marlinman93
- Posts: 431
- Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2004 10:47 pm
Re: Rifle Combination or Field Tools
There are books covering military weapons, and books covering civilian gun related tools. But I've never seen a book specifically for military tools and accessories?
I have several friends in our gun collectors club that are very advanced military collectors, and bring out displays to our meetings of this sort of thing. One of my friends is so advanced into this that he built a 40'x100' two story building on his property, and it's over filled as soon as he finished it. He had to use his 4 car garage, and basement for the excess! He's been collecting since before he could drive, and is in his early 60's now. He also used to supply weapons, and advise on R. Lee Ermy's "Mail Call" program when it was on the History Channel.
I'll give him a call, but betting he wont have much help with a single reference for tools. He usually brings military manuals to meetings with the various tools use described in them, and those are his references.
I have several friends in our gun collectors club that are very advanced military collectors, and bring out displays to our meetings of this sort of thing. One of my friends is so advanced into this that he built a 40'x100' two story building on his property, and it's over filled as soon as he finished it. He had to use his 4 car garage, and basement for the excess! He's been collecting since before he could drive, and is in his early 60's now. He also used to supply weapons, and advise on R. Lee Ermy's "Mail Call" program when it was on the History Channel.
I'll give him a call, but betting he wont have much help with a single reference for tools. He usually brings military manuals to meetings with the various tools use described in them, and those are his references.
Re: Rifle Combination or Field Tools
Gun Tools, Their History and Identification, Vol. 1 and 2 by R. Stephen Dorsey and James B. Shaffer, published by Collector's Library in the late 1990s, is a great start to IDing the many tools. They cover US, British and foreign tools. Vol. 2 covers the many kits that that were made for maintaining the guns in war time.
GeneM
GeneM