Reading The Manual

[Infidel]

"Manual" ? What's a "manual" ?

I do usually read the book for field stripping and such.

Welcome to page 2.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Here's my funny gun manual story.

First auto, Beretta. I'm breaking it down, while a friend is reading the instructions to me out loud. (I'm paraphrasing the manual, so excuse inaccuracies)

Him: Now take the guide rod and spring out...
Me: Okay... *SPROING* as guide rod shoots across room, narrowly missing friend.
Him: JEEZ!! ...then it says: The spring is under tension, be cautious that the guide rod doesn't eject from the gun!

Hilarity ensued.

So I generally read any manual that comes with pretty much anything before I start using it. Most of the time.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

What part of RTFM do you not understand?

It's amazing how doing so will keep one out of trouble. I've met people who should have those four letters tattooed on their foreheads.

Yeah, I read the manuals. You'd be amazed just how difficult it can be to get all those little springs in the right way on some things...like SIGs. Or Buck Marks.

I won't get into disk arrangement or logical partitioning on an IBM p5 server, but let's just say it's 'tricky'.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[cracked butt]

I always read them now.

I bought a Browning BPS about 10 years ago, and it wasn't until 5 years later that I figured out how to unload the magazine without cycling every round- because I was bored one day and read the manual.


The last gun that I bought that came with a manual was over a year ago, a Springfield 1911A1. I read the manual about an hour after I got it home. Unfortunately, I had to play with the gun a bit, trying out the trigger and safety, and allowed the slide to drop shut a few times first. The I read the manual which clearly states in bold lettering that the slide should never be dropped on an empty chamber. Doh!

 

[JohnKSa]

I spent the money for something I really wanted. Seems pretty logical to spend a few minutes making sure I don't screw it up the first time I take it to the range or take it apart.

 

[absolute0]

I like to read the manual to familiarize myself with disassembly and any "best practices" type stuff.

I buy most of my guns used so unfortunately many times there's no manual to be had

 

[Brian Williams]

Most of the time I have read or scanned the manual of any firearm way before I have purchased the gun, let alone before I used said firearm.

 

[Moondoggie]

Ditto on the Ruger MK II, that is if you want it to go back together AND function!

 

[GRB]

I spent the money for something I really wanted. Seems pretty logical to spend a few minutes making sure I don't screw it up the first time I take it to the range or take it apart.

I feel this way a lot myself and in addition I also figure why take the chance of having it malfunction and possibly get me hurt too.

I understand the Ruger MKII comments all too well. If you have not disassembled one in a while, well it sure aint easy getting it back together without the manual. Thank goodness MKII manuals are easy to come by. I like the fact that so many firearms manuals can be found online. Even if you cannot find a complete manual at least you often can find disassembly and reassembly instructions. Came in very handy on an Ortgies .32 auto I picked up, not just for cleaning it but also for replacing the firing pin spring.

I buy most of my guns used so unfortunately many times there's no manual to be had

In that regard here are some places to find manuals online :

From the USA: http://www.again.net/~steve/page7b.htm I think I found out about this one here at THR. A pretty big list of links to available manuals.

From Canada: http://www.marstar.ca/Assembly-Disassembly.htm Not many but, neither are they the guns for which you would always be easily able to find a manual.

From Germany: http://www.mek-schuetzen.de/Sites/Explosion.htm This one takes a bit of navigating until you get to the actual links for the manuals/handbuchen but, you can cut that short by bookmarking whatever pages you need. The site has the info in several languages, English included.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

[Feanaro]

I read the manual for nearly everything I buy. Especially firearms. I may not really be paying attention through the whole thing(Don't put 30-06 into your pistol, don't use +P+++++++, don't shoot other people, etc) but you never know what problems can be avoided by reading the manual.

 

[sm]

I've bought guns that were made before they put serial numbers on them, manual, what manual?

Depends on the gun. If a platform I have used forever, I don't. Now I have to admit after all these years I did read the manual on a 2004 870 shotgun. My o-l-d 870 manuals were much thinner, no mention of Rem-oil, and for sure nothing about that durn green tool for a good for nothing J hook safety.

Seems to me somewhere along the way Winchester 94's got a 'safety' button stuck on the side of the reciever too...my manual says nothing about that, then again my 94's ain't got a button either...

After all these years - the one I have yet to see on a Remington 1100 manual, " DO NOT rub inside of receiver opposite of port, you will slice index finger open".

That needs to on the front cover of manual and a sticker placed on the gun - so you cannot pull back bolt and slice yourself...until you read the sticker and have to remove it.