Frank Iannamico's new book on the Smith & Wesson Model 76 submachine gun is in fact a book about much more than just the Model 76. It begins with several sections on earlier S&W 9mm carbines, like the 1940 "Light Rifle" and 1945 SMG. These sections taken alone are the most informative material on these guns published anywhere, to the best of my knowledge. The book then continues to discuss the history, development, and variations of the Swedish M45/B submachine gun, aka the Swedish K (including the Egyptian licensed copy, the Port Said).

Only at this point does the book move to the S&W 76 itself. The gun's development and history are covered, including a look at a variety of experimental variations that were considered during the toolroom prototyping of the design. It's production, marketing, and accessories are discussed (especially suppressors), including a section on an experimental project using the 76 as the basis for an electronically fired caseless ammunition project (neat!).

This is followed by sections on the semiauto and fully automatic copies and clones of the gun which appeared throughout the 1980s and 1990s. As the S&W itself was only in production from 1968 until 1974, there was a lot of time and opportunity for aftermarket companies to make their own versions.

Overall, the book as a very nice reference guide for anyone who owns a true S&W 76 or one of its copies. The information on the other S&W predecessors and the Egyptians and Swedish guns is equally valuable in my opinion, as solid information on these guns is difficult to find elsewhere. I do wish that there was a bit more tabulated data - for example information on specific production numbers and timetables. Still, anyone who owns one of the guns or is interested in them) will find this book worth the cost of a couple stick magazines, which is a good way to consider it.