Hundreds of thousands of small arms are produced around the world every year & this book is a review of those currently available. Divided into 4 sections -- rifles, pistols, shotguns & machine guns -- it provides encyclopedic coverage of more than 150 firearms. Each entry describes the weapon, giving the major technical features & dimensions, & offers critical comment on its performance. Much of the energy of the small arms industry is directed towards developing new cartridges, rather than investing in costly gun-development programs. Hundreds of detailed illustrations, many in color.