[pmulcahy11b]

Jeez, I have a small book room next to my room, with lots of reference material by various authors. And though they've treated me a little harshly (those who have been here a while know that story), Janes is still some of the best reference collections around, though you have to double check their information often. The internet is also a gold mine; sometimes some little thing I've seen here or even just heard a blurb about on TV or NPR will spark a web search that can go on for hours. I turn what I find into PDFs for later use. The collection of books that Gun Digest puts out provides a lot of fodder for future research, though you better do that additional research. Magazines such as Small Arms Review, Special Weapons for Military and Law Enforcement, Combat Aircraft, the Year in Defense series, Armor, Infantry, Soldier and Soldiers, Janes Defence Review and Asian Military Review (when you can get them), Defense Technology, Combat & Survival, and Air Power International are good for information. (And pay attention to the ads as well -- they can spark more research themselves.)

Of course, you never do your research from only one site or reference, if it can be at all avoided. You learn that if nowhere else the first year in college, and if you have a good educational system (like we used to have in this country), you learned that in 5th grade. (Oh well, don't get me started on the educational system in the present-day US.)