Vickers Guide: AR-15, Volume 1 (Standard Edition)
*** This is a PRE-ORDER item. Printed books are not expected to arrive at our fulfillment center until approximately August 2025; however, this date is only an estimate and is likely to change to some extent. We will strive to post updates on the Updates Page of our website, so please check that page if you have status update questions. All images shown as part of this product launch are digital renderings of the current form of the book; however, some changes may be made to the appearance, content, and page count as we work through the print production process. Credit cards and payment methods will be charged at the time the order is placed. ***
This is the Third Edition of this book.
Each book includes a printed “Tiger Stripe” hardcover with a printed dustjacket over it featuring a photograph of Armalite AR-15, Serial Number 000003.
Features:
Third Edition
672 pages
13" wide by 11" tall (approx.)
Commercial quality, section sewn style binding which allows the book to lay flat
Full color prints on premium quality photo paper stock
Foil stamped, “Tiger Stripe” printed hardcover
Full color protective dust jacket
Ribbon page marker
This Third Edition is not a major update, but since we do have some relevant new content, we wanted to get it incorporated into the book for this printing. With 24 new pages added to the prior edition of the book, here is a list of the new content and features:
Colt Model 608. We already had a Model 608 featured in the book, but we were fortunate to be able to find a second intact example in England. This also permitted us the opportunity to get some additional detail photographs incorporated into the book.
Colt Model 620, which is the Export Version of the XM177. This is a rare “CAR-15” variant, and we were fortunate to be able to photograph it in a collection in Europe. It also features the exceedingly rare unpainted aluminum collapsible stock.
Export M16A1 with M203.
Export M16A2.
New dustjacket image with Armalite Serial Number 3, commemorating this Third Edition.
We are also replacing the prior Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern design with a new Tiger Stripe cover created by reproducing a section from an authentic Vietnam War-era uniform which we photographed as part of another project in the works.
*** This is a PRE-ORDER item. Printed books are not expected to arrive at our fulfillment center until approximately August 2025; however, this date is only an estimate and is likely to change to some extent. We will strive to post updates on the Updates Page of our website, so please check that page if you have status update questions. All images shown as part of this product launch are digital renderings of the current form of the book; however, some changes may be made to the appearance, content, and page count as we work through the print production process. Credit cards and payment methods will be charged at the time the order is placed. ***
This is the Third Edition of this book.
Each book includes a printed “Tiger Stripe” hardcover with a printed dustjacket over it featuring a photograph of Armalite AR-15, Serial Number 000003.
Features:
Third Edition
672 pages
13" wide by 11" tall (approx.)
Commercial quality, section sewn style binding which allows the book to lay flat
Full color prints on premium quality photo paper stock
Foil stamped, “Tiger Stripe” printed hardcover
Full color protective dust jacket
Ribbon page marker
This Third Edition is not a major update, but since we do have some relevant new content, we wanted to get it incorporated into the book for this printing. With 24 new pages added to the prior edition of the book, here is a list of the new content and features:
Colt Model 608. We already had a Model 608 featured in the book, but we were fortunate to be able to find a second intact example in England. This also permitted us the opportunity to get some additional detail photographs incorporated into the book.
Colt Model 620, which is the Export Version of the XM177. This is a rare “CAR-15” variant, and we were fortunate to be able to photograph it in a collection in Europe. It also features the exceedingly rare unpainted aluminum collapsible stock.
Export M16A1 with M203.
Export M16A2.
New dustjacket image with Armalite Serial Number 3, commemorating this Third Edition.
We are also replacing the prior Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern design with a new Tiger Stripe cover created by reproducing a section from an authentic Vietnam War-era uniform which we photographed as part of another project in the works.
*** This is a PRE-ORDER item. Printed books are not expected to arrive at our fulfillment center until approximately August 2025; however, this date is only an estimate and is likely to change to some extent. We will strive to post updates on the Updates Page of our website, so please check that page if you have status update questions. All images shown as part of this product launch are digital renderings of the current form of the book; however, some changes may be made to the appearance, content, and page count as we work through the print production process. Credit cards and payment methods will be charged at the time the order is placed. ***
This is the Third Edition of this book.
Each book includes a printed “Tiger Stripe” hardcover with a printed dustjacket over it featuring a photograph of Armalite AR-15, Serial Number 000003.
Features:
Third Edition
672 pages
13" wide by 11" tall (approx.)
Commercial quality, section sewn style binding which allows the book to lay flat
Full color prints on premium quality photo paper stock
Foil stamped, “Tiger Stripe” printed hardcover
Full color protective dust jacket
Ribbon page marker
This Third Edition is not a major update, but since we do have some relevant new content, we wanted to get it incorporated into the book for this printing. With 24 new pages added to the prior edition of the book, here is a list of the new content and features:
Colt Model 608. We already had a Model 608 featured in the book, but we were fortunate to be able to find a second intact example in England. This also permitted us the opportunity to get some additional detail photographs incorporated into the book.
Colt Model 620, which is the Export Version of the XM177. This is a rare “CAR-15” variant, and we were fortunate to be able to photograph it in a collection in Europe. It also features the exceedingly rare unpainted aluminum collapsible stock.
Export M16A1 with M203.
Export M16A2.
New dustjacket image with Armalite Serial Number 3, commemorating this Third Edition.
We are also replacing the prior Tiger Stripe camouflage pattern design with a new Tiger Stripe cover created by reproducing a section from an authentic Vietnam War-era uniform which we photographed as part of another project in the works.
Born in 1957 in a small workshop in Hollywood, California, and rushed into service for testing and assessment during war in Vietnam, the AR-15 has proven to be the most adaptable and longest lasting of all standard U.S. service rifles. Still in use today around the world in the form of the M16, M4, and other variants, the AR-15 has defied attempts to replace it.
In this first volume of Vickers Guide: AR-15, Larry Vickers and James Rupley revisit the earliest days of the AR-15, examining details of the rifles that influenced its design and highlighting its groundbreaking features. Due to the longevity of the AR-15, many details of the earliest rifles have been lost to today’s firearms enthusiasts, and it is therefore with great pride that we re-introduce these rifles using state-of-the-art, high-resolution photography and insight from industry experts.
Featuring over 100 rifles, Vickers Guide: AR-15 (Volume 1) gives the reader a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into some of the rarest and most historically significant rifles in the AR-15 family. Through visits to private collections, Colt’s Manufacturing Company, Rock Island Arsenal, Springfield Armory National Historic Site, the Central Armed Forces Museum of Moscow, Russia, and the Institute of Military Technology, Vickers Guide is able to present firearms that have simply never been available for view by the general public. Additionally, commentary by co-authors Christopher Bartocci and Daniel Watters with further insight by a wide range of subject matter experts make this Vickers Guide sequel a must-have for any serious firearms enthusiast.
Vickers Guide: AR-15 presents this highly curated collection of firearms in never before seen detail on larger than life, wide format, full color prints in a premium hardback form. Vickers Guide: AR-15 is the next best thing to having these exceptional collector’s grade rifles in your own personal collection.
