Patrick Sweeney

Patrick Sweeney is a retired American gunsmith originally from Detroit, Michigan. According to an interview with Shotgun World magazine, he is a well-known author in the field of gunsmithing. Retired from gunsmithing, he writes full-time. He teaches law enforcement classes on the patrol rifle, and gunsmithing the AR-15.

In addition to writing books, he was the Handguns Editor of Guns & Ammo magazine from 2007 through 2017. He was co-host of Handguns in its inaugural season, and has been a contributor to Guns & Ammo TV since 2007.

Publications Gunsmithing: Pistols and Revolvers (1st edition 1998, expanded 2nd edition 2004, 3rd edition 2009, 4th edition 2015) Gunsmithing: Rifles (1st edition 1999, 9th edition 2019) Gunsmithing: Shotguns (2000) The Gun Digest Book of the 1911: A Complete Look at the Use, Care & Repair of the 1911 Pistol (vol. 1 2001, vol. 2 2006) The Gun Digest Book of the Glock (1st edition 2003, 2nd edition 2008) The Gun Digest Book of Smith & Wesson (2004) The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15 (vol. 1 2005, vol. 2 2007, vol. 3 2010, vol. 4 2012) The Gun Digest Book of Ruger: Pistols & Revolvers (2007) The World Encyclopedia of Rifles and Machine Guns: An Illustrated Guide to 500 Firearms (with Will Fowler; 1st edition 2007, 2nd edition 2009) The Illustrated Guide to Guns of the World: Pistols, Rifles, Revolvers, Machine and Submachine Guns Throughout History in 1100 Color Photographs (with Will Fowler, Anthony North, and Charles Stronge; 1st edition 2008, 2nd edition 2018) Big Fat Book of the .45 ACP (2009) The Gun Digest Book of the AK & SKS: A Complete Guide to Guns, Gear and Ammunition (vol. 1 2009, vol. 2 2017) 1911: The First 100 Years (1st edition 2010, 2nd edition 2019) Gunsmithing the AR-15 (vol. 1 2010, vol. 2 2014, vol. 3 2016, vol. 4 2018) Cartridges of the AR-15: A Complete Reference Guide to AR-15 and AR-10 Ammo (2020) Gun Digest Book of the Tactical Rifle (2011) Reloading for Handgunners (1st edition 2011, 2nd edition 2021) Gun Digest Book of Suppressors (2016) The Suppressor Handbook (2017) Choosing Handgun Ammo: The Facts That Matter Most for Self-Defense (2018) AR-15: Setup, Maintenance and Repair (2022) Gunsmithing the 1911 (2024)