“Will this parade of Samworth books ever end?” cries my loyal reader.
Actually, yes. I think this is the final Samworth I have to catalog…so far. I’m still short of a complete set.
Handloader’s Manual, Earl Naramore. Small-Arms Technical Publishing Company, Onslow County, North Carolina, 1937. Riling 2228.
How to handload ammunition, at least as of 1937. Smith says this also gives a pretty comprehensive coverage of interior ballistics (again, as of 1937). Lt. Col. Julian S. Hatcher (yeah, that one) provided sketches.
There was a pretty good article in a recent issue of Handloader (“The (Almost) Forgotten Guru”, Terry Wieland, June-July 2023. Sorry I can’t link it here, as the article is behind a paywall) comparing Lt. Col. Earl Naramore and Philip B. Sharpe (of Complete Guide to Handloading fame). Brutally summarizing, his point was: Sharpe, while he was knowledgeable, was an enthusiastic amateur, and Complete Guide is kind of oddly organized. (Like Topsy, it just growed: there were revisions and supplements and…) LTC Naramore, on the other hand, was a guy who had been there, done that, and seen the proverbial elephant. “…Naramore was a professional who had spent years working with U.S. government departments testing and proving ammunition, from pistol rounds to artillery shells. Not only did he have the technical knowledge, he had the discipline to lay it all out in a clear, logical and organized manner.” It sounds like he was the equivalent of Jeff Siewert or Dave Emary today, except LTC Naramore was working with stone knives and bearskins.
This has a matching cover and a 1937 ad page date, which, per Smith, make me think this is a true first. It has some wear. There’s a chip at the top right front edge, and a smaller one at the bottom right front. There’s also a larger chip out of the top spine, another one on the rear left edge, and a little bit (but not too much) edge wear. I think there’s also a crease in the spine of the jacket – it could be a tear, but it looks more like a crease, and I don’t want to pull the cover protector off and risk more damage. I’d still say this is a nice copy of a historically interesting book.
$80 (with shipping) from Callahan and Company Booksellers, who are rapidly becoming one of my favorite sporting book dealers.
LTC Naramore published one more book with Samworth: Principles and Practices of Loading Ammunition, which was the last Samworth book published and, I understand, a massive one (952 pages). And good luck finding a copy of that. As far as I can tell, there are literally none for sale on the Internet. Not through ABE, not through eBay, nowhere. (Don’t cry for me: I have it on my want list, and Callahan says they get copies from time to time.)
So here’s a swell idea: why not load your own?
Why Not Load Your Own? Basic Handloading For Everyone, Townsend Whelen. The Infantry Journal Press, Washington, D.C., 1949. Riling 2700.
Just your basic introduction to handloading, for all those guys who came back from the war and wanted to load their own ammo for hunting or target shooting or hacking around. “Every step is explained and simplified” per Riling, and there’s even load data. And if you try to use any of that 1949 load data today with today’s powders and components, you’re loading up a live grenade and please let me know so I can be in the next county.
Townsend Whelen was another one of the great contemporary gun writers. “Whelen could reportedly hit man-sized target at 200 yards using the bolt action, open-sighted M1903 Springfield .30-06 service rifle, scoring six hits in ten seconds flat, and could do it on command.” And he was prolific. He wrote for everyone, all the magazines, and even Samworth (the only one to do four books with Mr. Sam, as I’ve noted). He lived until 1961, and I think is still pretty well regarded today.
This isn’t in awesome shape, maybe fair at best. There’s large chips out of the front cover, extending to the spine, and a smaller chip at the rear. Also a chip at the top of the spine, another at the top of the rear jacket, and what looks like a small tear at the bottom rear. There’s not a lot of edge wear apparent, which is nice.
I believe I paid $25 $29 with shipping for this from Callahan and Company Booksellers (it was a direct order, not through ABE) which I think is going rate for a copy in this condition. eBay has one described as “fine” for $50.
Firearms Assembly 1: The NRA Guidebook to Shoulder Arms, The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part I: Automatic Pistols, and The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part V: Shotguns.
Covering these three in one big lump, as there’s not a lot to say about them. These are more of those firearms assembly/disassembly guides that I’ve touched on before. I like to pick those up when I can get them cheap and keep them around as references, just in case somebody needs to know how to put their Winchester Model 97 or Ruger Standard back together again.
I don’t remember how much I paid for each of these, but it wasn’t very much. And I think they’re in pretty decent shape: better than “good”, perhaps “very good”, but short of “excellent”. No creases, tears, or anything like that, and I don’t see much fading.
I promised old gun sights a while back, but got sidetracked, so old gun sights is what I have on the agenda next. I do think I want to get in an actual gun porn post before that, however.
Now I and all our friends can confidently refer to you as “a few Samworths short of a complete set.” Thank you for this.
And accurately so, too!
I think I prefer that to “a few tomatoes short of a salsa”.