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This is Stuart Otteson's book. It is not a synthesis of other men's writing, rather a deep dive into the facts of design, strengths and weaknesses. Where the original designer was available, Stu talked to him. The drawings herein exemplify the Otteson approach. You have never seen them before, except for two little ones. Stu did them all, working from the guns, not factory drawings, old blueprints, or catalogs. It is my firm belief that these drawings are correct; where other drawings differ from these, such other drawings are in error, or they depict a model variation. The design facts collected and interpreted by Stu here are likewise his and he got them from the guns. Here and there you will find this book to be at odds with other books about such things as lock times and spring rates and cam angles. Again, I believe this book to be correct in these matters. There is also considerable historical content here. Most of it is based on the record of patents, again personally researched by the author. For the modern actions, the historical recitation is based on the public record, and on the recollections and statements of the men who did the design work. This book considers the action, and not the barrels or stocks that accompany the factory-assembled units. The action is the heart or essence of the rifle, not simply because it holds the other parts together as a unit, but because it establishes the rifle's character and identity. The action endures. Stocks and barrels may come and go. Stocks and barrels and sights are interesting, but the action alone provides plenty of challenge for an analysis like this.Each chapter here concludes with a summary of strong and weak points. For continuity, this is put into the context of building a modern scoped sporting rifle. Evaluation on a strict historical basis, of course, may have been more appropriate for the early actions. For example, the Arisaka doesn't convert to a very attractive sporter, but that doesn't alter its historical status as a sound military weapon.