Here’s my list:
The AR-15 Complete Owner’s Guide, Walt Kuleck and Scott Duff.
As the title suggests, this is something akin to the manual you get when you buy a car. It has a lot of good info on operation, assembly and cleaning of the AR.
It also has some info on the AR’s history, the different features available with AR’s, and a few tips on building them. This would be an excellent first book for a new AR owner.
Black Magic - The Ultra Accurate AR15, John Feamster.
This book is focused on competition shooting and assumes you already know a bit about AR’s. John is a frequent visitor to this site.
The Black Rifle, R Blake Stevens and Edward C. Ezell.
This book is focused almost entirely on the history of the M16, from its inception to maybe the early 1980’s. A fascinating read for knowledgeable AR aficionados, it can be a bit dreary for beginners. It is a “coffee table book” with a commensurate price.
The Complete Guide to AR-15 Accuracy, Derrick Martin and Barrett Tillman.
This book is focused on the custom gunsmithing of the AR and contains a lot of hard-to-find AR gunplumbing information. This includes fitting barrels, putting on floater tubes, fitting match triggers, making .22LR AR conversions, etc. It also has a little info on shooting, cleaning and such.
The Competitive AR-15, Glen D. Zediker
As with Feamster’s book, above, this is focused on competition shooting and assumes you already know a bit about AR’s. (Incidentally, Zediker’s writing style is a bit reminiscent of Jeff Coopers - i.e., it is extremely well done. Granted, he doesn’t seem quite so opinionated as the good Colonel.)
The Complete AR-15/M16 Sourcebook, Duncan Long
Long is a prolific writer on many things. Unfortunately, his focus is on quantity, not quality, so he can be a little sloppy at times. On the other hand, he really does pull together quite a bit of useful information.
This book covers the history of the AR, it’s varieties, operation and cleaning, and how to build one (Long also has a separate book on building AR’s). It also has a somewhat vague section on full auto conversions and a good section on accessories.
This book has just been revised. If you get a copy, be sure to get the 2002 edition (which I haven’t seen yet), not the original 1992 edition.
(contined)