A GREAT DEAL OF FORMERLY UNAVAILABLE INFORMATION ON RIFLES AND HANDGUNS IS PRESENTED. PHOTOGRAPHS OF MANY PREVIOUSLY UNPHOTOGRAPHED HANDGUNS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED AS WELL AS PICTURES OF GUNS IN PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED CONDITION TO PROVIDE A BETTER VIEW OF THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION. TABLES OF THE RIFLING CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOMATIC PISTOLS, REVOLVERS, AND NON-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS AND RIFLES ARE PRESENTED. TO FACILITATE IDENTIFICATION, THE MATERIAL IN THE TABLES IS ARRANGED BY CALIBER, NUMBER OF GROOVES, AND DIRECTION OF TWIST. THE AUTHOR POINTS OUT THAT OCCASIONALLY THE FIREARMS EXAMINER WILL ENCOUNTER ARMS OF AN OLDER VINTAGE AND THAT COLLECTORS HAVE SHOWN AN INTEREST IN SUCH GUNS. FOR THESE REASONS, AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF LESS-WELLKNOWN AMERICAN-MADE HANDGUNS FROM 1850 TO 1910 IS INCLUDED. THE BOOK CONCLUDES WITH NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHS OF FIRING PIN IMPRESSIONS ON RIM FIRE CARTRIDGES (GENERALLY .22 CALIBER) AND TRADEMARKS FOUND ON HANDGUNS. VOLUME I OF THIS WORK (NCJ 010416) COVERS THE LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF SMALL ARMS AND PROVIDES DATA ON RIFLING CHARACTERISTICS OF HANDGUNS. VOLUME II (NCJ 010417) PRESENTS ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF 3000 WEAPONS. (SNI ABSTRACT)