Martin Pegler Books

In 1914, Germany and Austria-Hungary were well-equipped with sniping rifles, while their Allied opponents were not. This illustrated volume explores the rifles used by snipers from all major powers during World War I. Although military sharpshooting dates back to the 18th century, only the German and Austro-Hungarian armies had trained snipers with scoped rifles at the war's onset. Consequently, Allied forces faced a significant disadvantage. The Canadians introduced a dedicated sniping rifle in limited numbers, while the British struggled with sniper training despite quickly settling on a suitable rifle and scope, largely due to the efforts of a few dedicated officers. The French and Italians eventually developed competent scoped rifles and training systems. When the Americans entered the war in 1917, they faced rifle shortages but built on pre-war initiatives to find effective sniping weapons. Russia, however, suffered the most, as its troops had no snipers and faced dire consequences. This volume features full-colour artwork, carefully selected archive images, and photographs of the sniping rifles and accessories used in the trenches, providing an in-depth look at the rifles carried by snipers of all major powers during the conflict.

The M14 may have only been the primary US service rifle for a little over a decade before being replaced by the M16, but it is still considered by many experts to be the best rifle to ever see US service. Primarily designed for a war in Europe, where it would take its place alongside the other battle rifles like the FN FAL, the M14 saw most of its combat use in the early days of the Vietnam War. Maintained until 1970 for compatibility with NATO forces the M14 had a renaissance as a semi-automatic sniping weapon and since 2001 the M14 has been employed as a Designated Marksman Rifle

A technical outline of the history of the sniper rifle, from its introduction in warfare during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), through the US Civil War (1861-1865) to its current apogee as the most frequently used combat rifle in Iraq and Afghanistan. This book details the development of ammunition, different weapons types including single shot, magazine loading and semi-automatic, as well as the introduction and use of optical sights. Martin Pegler, a leading expert on the history of sniping and former Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Leeds, also details the current advances in technology, such as laser range-finding sights and night vision devices. Using first-hand accounts, the book brings the dangerous world of the sniper to life revealing their training and concealment techniques as well as their mastering of their weapon of choice.

Following on from the success of Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper, Martin Pegler gives us an in-depth study of the emergence of American rifleman, sharpshooter and sniper, examining the evolution of the rifle in America from the earliest firearms of the 15th century, to the highly accurate sniping rifles of the 21st century. Pegler analyses the technological development of the rifle, sighting systems and ammunition and uses contemporary accounts to describe how the use of the rifle during the Revolutionary War, Civil War and the conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries have impacted on US military history. This detailed account concludes with a study of the American sniper in modern warfare, including Afghanistan and the ongoing conflict in Iraq, providing an overview of the march of weapons technology, as well as an unusual insight into the lives and the motives of the men who used them.

The American Civil War saw the use of several innovative sharpshooting weapons, among them the Sharps, Whitworth, and Colt Revolving Rifle. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and drawing upon an array of sources, this lively study explores the origins, combat use, and lasting influence of the rifles employed by sharpshooters on both sides during the Civil War.

Powder & Ball Small Arms is part of the new Live Firing Classic Weapons series. Each book in the series features full color photographs of experienced shooters dressed in authentic costumes handling, loading and firing historic weapons. In addition to detailed photographs of the mechanism of the weapons, a lively text gives the general reader an accurate view of what it was like to use the weapons in past times.In this volume, re-enactors in the costumes of everyone from medieval Burgundian hand gunners to Civil War infantrymen demonstrate the evolution of weaponry from the earliest firearms to the rifled muskets of the 19th century. In addition to the weapons, photographs illustrate the everyday life of marching, camping, cooking, and caring for their weapons and equipment. Powder & Ball Small Arms is an excellent reference for modelers, illustrators, re-enactors, costumers, wargamers, and educators.

Tajemství samurajů (Secrets of the Samurai) je nejobsáhlejší studie bojového umění z doby feudalismu v Japonsku. Podrobně vysvětluje zbraně, techniky, strategie a zásady boje, který udělal z japonského válečníka hrozivého nepřítele. Na začátku dílo předkládá přehledný souhrn zuřivých šarvátek vojenských vůdců, kteří zápasili o politickou nadvládu. Dále nastiňuje neúprosnou cestu vojenské šlechty k neomezené moci. Autoři přibližují tehdejší způsoby boje a dopodrobna rozebírají stěžejní výcvik nezbytný k rozvoji válečníkovy vnitřní síly a k tomu, aby veškerou svou energii zaměřil na soustředěnou sílu.

První svazek nové edice Zbraně se zabývá velice atraktivním tématem, odstřelovačskými puškami a úlohou odstřelovače neboli snipera v armádě. Jejím autorem je mezinárodně uznávaný odborník na historii bojů vedených odstřelovači. Zahrnuje technický popis odstřelovačské pušky od jejího uvedení do vojenské služby za napoleonských válek, přes občanskou válku v USA až po její vrcholné a velice časté nasazování v Iráku a Afghánistánu. V knize je podrobně vylíčen vývoj v používání střeliva, různé typy zbraní včetně jednoranných, samonabíjecích a poloautomatických, zavedení a užívání optických mířidel i současné pokusy o progresivní technologie, laserové dálkoměry, zaměřovací dalekohledy a noktovizní zaměřovače. S použitím bezprostředních zkušeností autor představuje nebezpečný svět patřící neoddělitelně k životu sniperů, odkrývá způsob jejich výcviku a maskovací techniky.