[dukeofurl]

Holy Christ - here's what I've figured out so far

Kimber - Has the WORST parts schematic on the face of the planet. 75% of the parts index has wrong ID numbers and is blatantly incorrect.

Ruger - Friend has a Mini-14. The manual did not include pertinent info for his variant.

Glock & Kimber - For some reason the lawyers have stated that you "SHOULD NOT CARRY THE FIREARM LOADED AND READY TO FIRE" and in some capacity that said condition of carrying the firearm is "NOT FOR CIVILIAN USE" in the manual.

That said - how many of us do what the manufacturer tells us not to do in the manual? Which includes:

Shooting reloads
Disassembly beyond a standard field strip
Carrying it
Storing a loaded weapon somewhere
Not having a gun lock on it at all times

[clubsoda22]

I only read for disassembly instructions once.

[Black Snowman]

I read every manual I get. Half the time just to critique them ;)

Every gun manual I've seen says esentially:
"Don't ever let anyone touch it because we don't want to be sued if they do something stupid."

[Scooter .45]

I always skip the first 28 pages of safety info...and by golly that only leaves 2 pages of useful parts diagram and other info. Sad huh?

[Kentucky Rifle]

Cover to cover.

I guess it just started with the "Pilot's Handbook" on any plane I strapped my butt into. I'm a reader. Gotta know the systems.<shrug>

Will

[10-Ring]

You mean cover to cover? :eek: No! The only one I've really looked for was the one to my Ruger Mk II to figure out how to disassemble for cleaning...:rolleyes:

[Hkmp5sd]

I also read computer manuals with new purchases.

[TerryBob]

Well, my post has nothing to do with guns, it is a funny manuel reading.

Have you ever seen those baby exer saucers that babies climb in to bounce around? If you read the manuel, it will tell you that "THIS IS NOT A FLOATATION DEVICE." :banghead:

TerryBob

[JShirley]

My favorite are the instructions on the medical patches that tell you to take off your old patch before applying a new one! :scrutiny:

[Hkmp5sd]

"THIS IS NOT A FLOATATION DEVICE."

And softdrink bottles with "Open Other End" on the bottom.

[DWS1117]

All of them. Entertainment value and take down instructions.

On a side note, we bought some spiderman pajamas for my 2 year old son and the tag advised that they should not be slept in. :confused:

[TerryBob]

Let's not forget the ol "WASH, RINSE, REPEAT". Not knowing when to stop, I ran out of shampoo :neener:

I was putting together a baby swing and those instructions also said "NOT TO BE USED AS A FLOATATION DEVICE". :cuss:

TerryBob

[BigG]

Ala Dan had a thread on owners manuals recently. They are pretty sad, overall, was the consensus. Lawyer talk and such-like. Not much pertinent info. :(

[P12]

The only gun manual I have ever read was for a S&W Sigma series SW9M compact 9mm.

I was suprised that it stated that "this gun can not fire unless the trigger is pulled"

[Larry Ashcraft]

Before this gets closed for off topic drift...

Manual for the George Foreman grill says

"DO NOT USE THIS APPLIANCE IN THE BATHTUB"

:D

[Nightfall]

I read manuals for everything, guns included.

[cool45auto]

I do read them then refer back for info later if something comes up. For example a recent post on carrying Beretta's at half-cock.

[COK]

I read them all , part of the fun of getting a new gun , especially take down procedures and recommended ammunition. Some certainly do not have a whole lot of useful information , but now and then you find something unique to that particular make or model.

[J Miller]

I read them, once, then file them for future reference.
I got an original, not updated, manual for my 60's vintage Ruger Super Single 6. It says in this manual it's safe to cary this revolver with a live round under the hammer after placing the hammer on the safety notch. :uhoh: With instructions like this I know why we have the new model junk.

Other manuals are like reading a drug addicts mind. They go all over the place telling you in great detail..............nothing.

The only ones I really pay attention to are the ones with parts breakdowns.

Oh, and no, I never:
Shoot reloads,
Cary it loaded,
Leave it unlocked,
Totally disassemble it,
Work on it myself,
or any of the other don'ts.
Right.......:rolleyes:

[Standing Wolf]

Nope. I'm a Macintosh guy.

[Kalos]

I read 'em. I also got very bored one night and started reading a Taurus manual online... on one page, not more than a few inches from each other, were two warnings:

One which said not to keep the gun loaded, because it was dangerous.

And one which said that leaving the gun unloaded was dangerous because it would waste valuable time in a self defense situation.

:barf:

[cookhj]

you mean guns come with owners manuals? :D

[RTFM]

Cover to cover and more then once

RTFM

[Outrigger]

I'm with the cover to cover folks. You can never have too much information.

[rock jock]

Check a Ruger, most of the owners manual is printed on the receiver.

[Brian Williams]

Always

[telewinz]

I read the LAST 3-4 pages. The front of the book deals only with safety.

[Dave R]

I read 'em all. They have become less and less useful over time.

[HogRider]

Has anyone ever read their gun's owners manual?

Only the Redhawk manual. The warning on the barrel told me so. :D

[Ala Dan]

I "look it over" and decide whether its a useless POS,
or not. :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[Hillman]

Yep. I read them, cover to cover. You just never know what tidbits of information (some actually useful) you run across. I'm the first to admit I don't know everything.

I've even been known to look up manuals for guns I *might* want to own in the future.

[luxone]

I read all of mine front to back. Hate to think I might miss a useful tid-bit of info!

[thumbtack]

I just look at the pictures.

[another okie]

I know those warnings sound ridiculous, but the reason they are in the manual is because someone did something stupid. (I have to say using a grill in the bathtub really seems a little over the top.)

We call the warnings "lawyer's footprints" because you can tell a lawyer has been there.

[DMK]

When get a new gun, I usually examine the controls a bit (after clearing it of course) and try to figure out what everything does. Then with this new found familiarity, I read the manual cover to cover to try and find something I missed or missunderstood.

My favorite manuals are CZs. Half of the manual is in different languages, but they have nice clear color pictures and clear, easy to understand diagrams.

With the exception of my CMP Garand manual, the American manuals seem to be just plain terrible. Tiny print, hard to follow instructions and diagrams that are hard to understand. My worst one is the Colt manual for my 1911.

[Zach S]

I read every manual I get. Half the time just to critique them same here.

I did, however read my thompson manual, to figure out how to take it apart.

[gaston_45]

The funniest one I have seen is on a claymore mine. On the front of the mine it clearly states " THIS SIDE TOWARD ENEMY". Come to think of it that is also the saddest warning I have seen. No risk of a lawsuit in the military, that must mean someone was stupid enough to actually place the thing backwards. I also read the manuals cover to cover. The only weapons I didn't do this with were the ones issued, no manuals available apperantly.

[BrownBear]

The only time I read the instruction manuals is when I can't figure things out. It's only a last desperate move on my part. :neener:

[sm]

Some guns didn't come with a manual, a few didn't have a box either....no biggie I just happen to have some old manuals...1911 style, K frame, 870s, 1100s...etc.,some stuff never changes, patience, cash...not gonna shoot the manual or box...I like the older guns better.

I view manuals that come with newer guns, some are junk , some are better than others. Have ordered manuals for older guns that well you know...didn't have one. :) Haven't bought a new gun in many a year personally.

[Tamara]

The owner's manual for my '52 M&P is the greatest.

The whole thing fits on the bottom of the box lid.

It consists mostly of stuff along the lines of "The bullet comes out of the hole in the end. Do not stand in front of the hole while pulling the trigger unless you want to get shot."

Those were the days. :)

[twoblink]

If you start from the back page, the diagrams..

If you decide to follow it.. read the entire thing FIRST..

I don't remember which one, but one of my gun manuals showed a picture on the page.. and then on the next page it says "Don't ever do this to your gun as pictured on the previous page" :rolleyes:

My Ruger 22/45, I need it to reassemble the gun every time.. :scrutiny: The Rugers are great guns, but they are like reassembly instructions from hell, but if you don't follow them, you can't ever re-assemble the gun..:banghead:

[Dr.Rob]

My Colt Magnum Carry has a pretty thick manual.

This revolver may be carried in one of three modes to accomodate your needs:

Mode1

Cylinder empty, hammer down. revolver cannot be discharged. Use mode 1 for storage, cleaning, transportation, demonstration, dry practice or repair.
Open the cylinder when laying the revolver down, carrying it onto a range, or when handing it to someone else.

Mode 2:

Cylinder loaded with 5 rounds, empty chamber under hammer, hammer forward. Revolver cannot be discharged unless trigger is squeezed. Use mode 2 when carrying the revolver ready for use.

Mode 3

Cylinder loaded with 6 rounds, hammer forward. Revolver can be fired when trigger is squeezed. Use mode 3 only when you must have MAXIMUM FIREPOWEE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.

(their emphasis)

At least Colt says you can PUT 6 in the damn thing.

Also:

"When YOU squeeze the trigger, YOU must expect the gun to fire. YOU must take full responsibilty for firing it. YOUR care can avoid accidental discharge and YOU will thereby avoid accidental injury and death."

That's a pretty good way to sum up WHY we have 4 rules.

[standingbear]

i read the whole thing.its amazing how many of them has changed over the years with litigation and such.theres now alot more info that i would consider to be common sense stuff but i guess they gotta cover their behinds legally now.theres not much on accessories now as there used to be.i have been known to send away for free manuals from ruger to just use as reading material for the bathroom.reading the dissassembly and assembly instructions,parts lists and cost.yup,i read it but i dont necessarily follow it to the letter.

[sm]

Those were the days.
Agreed!
Old M&P manual pretty simple and to the point. The G.I. style cleaning rod, brush, mop, and booklet showing the holters available from S&W took up more room than the owner's manual. The complimentary box of Smith ammo was a nice touch...
"This one, I'll take" ...pay for it, walk out...no phone calls...nada...those were the days..."wanna shoot our demo out back?/ wanna shoot your new purchase out back and get it dirty and check out what ammo it likes?" ....those were the days...

[4v50 Gary]

Most useless manual I've ever read was the HK-91 manual. Try getting the bolt into the gun if the rollers are extended. Use to whack it with a piece of wood until someone showed me how to pull on the bolt head to get them retracted. OK, I was college age and had very little by means of grey hair in those days.

[Thumper]

Dr Rob's post pretty much illustrates why I don't read manuals.

Tell you this though, I just got a Garmin Legend GPSr and I'm buried up to my eyeballs in that manual. I thought this stuff was supposed to be intuitive?

[Black Majik]

i just look at the pictures :)

[WvaBill]

I just looked at the gun on my belt and went to the safe to look at a couple. They don't say "read all instructions..yada yada yada" Must not be important heh:D

[JohnBT]

I didn't read the manual for my Marlin Mountie when I got it and then I lost it. I've been meaning to get one and keep putting it on my list of things to do.

I figure I lost the manual in 1963 or early '64.

John

[Kharn]

Gaston_45:
IIRC, the claymore says 'Front towards enemy', it assumes you know which side the front is. :eek:
They really should have put a comma or semicolon between 'front' and 'towards.'

Kharn

[LynnMassGuy]

Bathroom reading. Cover to cover.

[Dionysusigma]

1. Flip through once
2. Go to range
3. Bring gun home, disassemble, and clean
4. Memorize as much as possible
5. Lose it accidentally :o

[ajacobs]

They all remind me of the mandatory saftey breifings in the army. The ones before an exersise were bad but the ones before a long weekend (making sure you were safe on your off time) were the worst. Like mentioned with the "lawyer tracks" above they covered topics that the post saftey office mandated that people did recently. Ex:

In March: If you still have your christmas tree up it is probally getting pretty dried out by now and you should be careful if you are still turning your lights on.

To specific: If you go fishing and bring a gun and your hands are are to full to carry everything back don't give your gun to your 3yr old to carry.

Plain bad science: If you drink remember it takes two molicules of water to break down one of alcohol so you should drink 2 glasses of water for every beer so you don't get dehydrated. (If beer is 4% Alcohol what is the rest, it couldn't be water could it)

Don't stare at the sun with Bino's

Or my all time favorite, if you bring a heavy set women back to the barraks don't make love to her on the top bunk.

[WhoKnowsWho]

I read them all, in case there is something in there that says something that hasn't been said before.

[WvaBill]

When get a new gun, I usually examine the controls a bit (after clearing it of course) and try to figure out what everything does. Then with this new found familiarity, I read the manual cover to cover to try and find something I missed or missunderstood.

Good way to determine how well-designed a gun is. IMO, a well-designed gun will be scrutable to an experienced firearm user(without a manual). If not it is too complicated. With all the "safety" devices, almost the onliest way to fire the weapon is accidentally.

[JohnKSa]

I read every manual I can get my hands on...

So I can tell people on the internet how their guns work when they post questions. ;)

[raz-0]

I read them all completley. Even the warnings to see make sure the lawyers haven't squeezed in something absurd in the 14th iteration of the same damn warning.

To date, the most useful manual I have if for my desert eagle. There's actually useful stuff you need to know about the pistol in it and the drawings and disassembly isntructions are nice and detailed comparitively.

[Brigrat]

My favorite manual is the preperation instruction that come with Western Family Frozen Fried Chicken. It has a complete list of cooking methods and times, for Ovens, Fryers, and mircrowaves, then states:


"to serve cold, follow heating instructions and let cool!"

I came just imagine the idiot who got sick from eating a frozen chicken sicle!!!

[foghornl]

Reading the manual packed with my new 50th Anniversary Single-Six, there were references to several states and New York City about "Safe Storage" laws....