Sharing the knowledge: Tips and Tricks you've learned

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Afix a 2 x 4 to one end of your workbench.

Paint or tape go no/go length marks at 90 degrees to it, for all your commonly checked spings. Green and Red are traditional. Place one end of the spring against the 2x4 and check the length.

For .45 detail strippers. Pre-drill a hole for your 3/16 pin punch in the side of the board. When you detail strip the hammer spring housing assembly, all you need to do is push the cap pin against the punch with the flat end of the retaining pin down. This takes tension off the pin, which may require a gentle push with a small punch to get it loose. Ease off slowly to avoid the dreaded parts departure for unknown climes.

Geoff Timm
Who many moons agone work at Post Maintenace Ft. Hood, Texas. :D
 
An old M-16 firing pin makes an excellent punch. Many moons ago, one of the parts sources at a gunshow had a buch of them converted to punches. He found a shipment from a supplier was too short for spec. The mfg replaced them, but didn't want the short ones back. So he cranked up his grinder, ground off the points and sold them as cheap punches.

Geoff
Who has one around here somewhere.
 
"Unless you know a guy well enough that he will willingly share his wife with you then don't shoot his reloads. Hell, even if you do know him well enough to share his wife don't shoot his reloads (and if by chance you have shared his wife most definitely don't shoot his reloads)."

Better advice has never been given.

And my jewel for the day. Take as many newbies as you can find shooting. They will come up with questions that you've never thought about. It will make you think, and they may just enjoy it.

From time to time, grab a 22, a brick of shells, and just go shoot like you did before you had to worry about the job the bills and the spouse.
 
This has been mentioned, but not all in one post:


The best, most indispensable gun cleaning tools are:

1) Q-tips

2) Toothbrush

3) Toothpicks


Unless you have a dedicated workbench/gun cleaning/get dirty area, lay down some newspapers.

The women in your life will thank you for it. :)

Or at least they won't yell as much.
 
A very wise man shared his observation that intermittent problems have a tendency to become more mittent as time passes and should be diagnosed and addressed promptly. He then fixed the very intermittent hammer follow I was not yet concerned with. Whadda guy, advice for life, 1911 repair, and a safer pistol all in one swell foop.
 
Not handgun specific, but a two general gun observations:

1) When dealing with so-called "antis" or "non-gun people" on RKBA issues, don't bring your own prejudices and bad attitudes to the table. If you aggressively confront someone on an issue, you back them into a corner where they feel they have to defensively cling to their viewpoint even harder.

Rather, politely have a real two-way conversation and try to understand the other person's views and concerns. Then you can legitimately say, "I see where you're coming from now, but have you considered this?" or "...but what do you think about this idea?" Doing that puts the ball in their court in a polite, non-confrontational way. You can't force someone to change their views, but you can potentially nudge them into changing their views on their own (and in a way that lets them save face). Asking those "do you think?" questions instead of making proclamations is very helpful in that effort.

Like Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War:

"Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles
is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists
in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

and

"If you know yourself but not the enemy,
for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."

So the question is, do you just want to get into futile arguments for kicks, or do you genuinely want to encourage someone to shift their views?

2) After explaining the Big 4 safety rules, gently try to get a gun into the hands of an "anti" or "non-gun person." Then they can see for themselves (vital!) that, yes, guns need to be handled with the utmost respect, but, no, they're not some evil über-weapon that will magically "go off by itself" and mow down a classroom of children. It's just a hunk of metal and plastic--oops, polymer :) It's the user who decides when to pull the trigger.
 
Points files come in handy.

Red Locktight on your grip bushings? Use a soldering iron to heat them up, and an easy out to get them out if youve already FUBARed them to the point the screwdriver isnt working :)cuss: Para). Someone here or 1911forum posted that one a while back, so I cant take credit, but it works!!!

I always had a hard time getting the sear pin back in one of my 1911s, a nail with the sharp edges buffed off works wonders.

Mechanix Gloves are great to shoot in. YMMV.

Tackle boxes are great for organizing spare parts and springs.
 
Brass rod stock from the HW store makes great punches. Cut them off in short sections as needed.

Use moly grease on hard sliding contact steel-to-steel surfaces. It'll take as much as 2lbs off a trigger pull when used on a sear.

White lithium grease is a great aluminum-to-steel lube that stays put.

Spend less time cleaning--the first 15-30 minutes takes off 90% or more of the crud.

Shoot big guns--small guns tend to wear out faster and usually aren't as much fun to shoot.

Spend more money on ammo than on guns. (i.e. Shoot a lot. A few thousand rounds downrange will help your shooting more than any gun you can buy.) Buy ammo in bulk any time you find a good deal on good ammo.

Buy good tools and cleaning equipment. They save time and can prevent damage to your gun.

Wear nytrile gloves when cleaning guns.

Never believe anything you hear at a gun show or in a gun shop.

Own at least one high quality airgun and set up a range in your house, back yard or garage. Shoot it a LOT.

Be careful--one small mistake can take the fun out of shooting for a long time.

Always wear eye protection when shooting AND when cleaning. Blind people typically don't shoot very well.

When you see someone shooting very well at the range, watch them and ask questions.

When you get a chance to watch a gunsmith at work do it. Ask questions if they'll tolerate it.

Read the manual for a new gun at least twice all the way through before you touch the gun.
 
Pack a water bottle with you. Keep handiwipes in your range bag to wipe your hands off with after shooting, keeps your face and steering wheel clean. Wear a cap with a "bill" to prevent brass forehead. Keep a pen and paper in your range bag to write down the name and # of "he can fix that." That's all for now, I'm tired.;)
 
Soft sided gun cases or the foam out of a hard sided case will keep you from needing to pack a rest to the range as well.
 
Compete. Highpower, IPDA, Cowboy Action, whatever, but compete.

The last place guy still finished ahead of everyone who did not compete that day.

Cardboard boxes make good transportable targets - collapse them for travel, box and stack them at the range, staple targets on them and you are good to go.

Cheap handgun target - white paper, black spray paint, coffee or soup can, magic marker and a straight edge. Put can on paper, paint around, giving you a white bullseye on black back ground, making it easy to spot your shot holes.

For a scoped version of the target, use the marker and the straight edge to draw vertical and horizontal lines to overlay your cross-hairs on when you shoot.

Variation on the above - use a small box instead of the can, and line the box on the paper with the corners of the box vertical/horizontal so when you paint, you end up with a diamond shape - great for cross-hairs.
 
Don't stick a fork in a toaster......oh wait wrong forum......
If you can't shoot the huge,tactical,uber-ninja,mega caliber,titainium,plasma,space pistol better than your old revolver......SHOOT THE REVOLVER.....
Opinions are like????????,everyone's got one......somethings you need to figure out for yourself......(example:I'd love a 1911....but I can't shoot one for crap..learned this AFTER spending money on a Colt Commander)
lastly......shoot your CCW...alot...your life may depend on it.:cool:
 
Buy a .22lr conversion unit for your carry sidearm. It is definitely a valuable tool for learning.

Buy a dedicated, quality .22lr pistol for casual shooting (any trigger time is a good thing), introducing new shooters to the sport, and training on sight picture/alignment.

You cannot have too many magazines for your pistols. If you carry it for defense, you should have at least six magazines to go with it. Buy the best magazines, not the cheapest.

Do not keep switching brands/weights on your practice ammo. Find one that shoots to POA and stick with it. Different makes will shoot differently, as will different weights from the same maker, and that can throw off your confidence as you will not see just how good a shooter you are. It might not be the cheapest ammo, but if it's reliable and accurate out of your particular weapon, stick with it.

If you can replace the grip panels on your weapon, do it. There are dozens of makers of 1911 grips out there and you will never know if a thinner or thicker grip is the thing that takes you to the next level if you don't give it a try. Yea, they can be expensive.....but it's a lot cheaper than surgery to fix what you couldn't stop the badguy from doing.

Invest in a timer if you want to know where you stand as a defensive shooter. You can't speed up if you don't know how slow you are.

Compete. IDPA and IPSC are not to be considered training for self defense, but they are good venues for learning about your weakpoints. You will also get a chance to see other gear and that can save you a ton of money.

Research the subject. There are books, magazines, videos and websites that are loaded with information from people that have gone before you. Not taking their thoughts and experiences into consideration before trying something for yourself is an exercise in silliness.

Go back to school. That's right, folks, get in some class time with a reputable individual/school and learn first-hand. There are times when you just cannot understand something unless you are shown it in real life.

That's all for now.
 
When you buy a new piece, regardless of how smart you are, or how much of a firearms "X-Pert" you are, you should RTFM, RTFM, and RTFM (read it 3x).

You're never as smart as you think you are; if you don't believe me, just ask your wife!
 
RE:

Never field strip your 1911 under flourecent lights.......

BoreSnake immediately after shooting while barrel is hot....

An air compressor is your friend.....soak your weapons parts with cleaner...spray dry parts....Lube the heck out of your weapons parts...spray oil into and out.

Forget the trigger mount laser sights

mack....
 
Never go into a gun shop or show before the bills are paid for the month (non-married individuals can disregard this tip) ;)
 
My advise is to cheat!

Trigger control is foremost. Sight picture / alignment is necessary. Practice, practice, practice! You've heard it all before.
My advise is to cheat.
Get a Crimson Trace lazer grip for your favorite weapon if they make one or check out something that they will fit. Then load up with snap caps and blaze away in the living room. Practice, practice, etc.
It helps with trigger control.
If the lazer wiggles, you are jerking the trigger.
It helps with point shooting.
Just point the gun and pull the lazer switch. With a little practice, you will be amazed at how close you can get without using the sights.
But it does take practice.
Batteries are a lot cheaper than bullets (but not nearly as much fun) plus you can "shoot" indoors, after dark, in the rain, while watching TV, whatever.
And if the SHTF there is that little red dot to assure that only the bad guys get hit.
At the range, I use the sights. At home, the red dot makes practice fun.
It's all good!
Helped me a lot.
Kim
 
I have accepted the fact that with today's ammo which is not corrosive, you don't have to clean as often as you think...at least is the case with 'plinking guns'. It is more of a pleasure to me to shoot and put the guns away in the range bag until next session rather than tearing them down and cleaning every single range trip.
Currently, my .22 Ruger pistol and Savage rifle have not been cleaned in several thousand rounds each.

Note-I do not embrace this notion with carry guns
 
Do they ever get bad reviews?

Rex .. subject to being corrected .. I had the feeling that a long glass tube makes a much larger target for an errant (escaping!) spring.
Click to expand...
Maybe it should say unprotected flourecent lights.
 
Yeah ..what they said!! And,

-Might as well buy it now, it probably ain't gonna get cheaper.
-The Rules never sleep.
-CLP.
 
Chopsticks.

I've used them for punching pins to remove trigger groups on shotguns, to drift the sights on a SIG, to takedown a &*(&ing Ruger Mark II for the first time, as a makeshift cleaning rod for pistols, and so on. I've always got a few in my cleaning kits and range bags.

Shoot a lot and practice with a plan. Sometimes you need to just go out and plink, but if you want to get really good, then pick something you want to work on and keep at it until you make progress.

Keep your work/reloading/cleaning area as clean as possible. When springs or stuff go flying (and they will), it's a lot easier to find them if the place isn't messed up to begin with. A related tip is to have some spares of critical items... Mr Murhy dictates that stuff will break or get lost when you most need them.

BTW, for keeping a reloading area tidy... you can use strapping tape as a lint-brush to pick up powder remnants, spilled shot, lead or brass shavings, etc.
 
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