Dog ate my manual first night i had my very first firearm, i got on youtube an found everything i ever needed to know, I haven't watched cable television in 3 years, i couldnt believe what i had been missing out on, and still learning everyday, thank you guys,,
When I got my first AR for my 18th birthday before shooting; I spent a hour or two reading and re-reading the manual. Helped me to take apart the AR so I could lube it before my first time shooting. No longer need the manual to take it apart but it really helped.
Man I have to say, having the ability to find detailed how to's on certain guns has really been a huge help to me. As a matter of fact, when I was building the lower and upper for my AR, I used your vids and was able to get my rifle assembled quickly and painlessly. You guys are doing awesome work, and as someone who moved from a place where firearms were taboo to a place where they're not, finding easy to digest knowledge by people who have been in the industry for years is an awesome resource. So thanks.
My favorite is my unit armorer forgetting to reinstall the buffer and spring and getting the bolt stuck in the buttstock and subsequently having to remove the whole buttstock to get it unstuck. Or the always favorite of loading the M16 mag backwards. The idiot of the day goes to the person trying to qualify with the ACOG condom still on the optic.
lol stuck so bad that hitting the muzzle sharply on the tip wasn't enough to reset the bolt to the closed position yes I was guilty of doing this once when I was up for 3 days XD
My dad had to take our Ruger MkII to a gunsmith for reassembly. Good to see others had problems too lol. A friend of mines first gun was a Sig P250 and she didn't know how to release the slide after it was pulled back with an empty mag in it lol. Just had to use the slide release.
I would love to RTFM when it comes to guns but I've never gotten a manual worth a damn with any gun I have ever purchased. The interwebs and youtube are your friends
+Rubicon1776 Yeah, they are mostly full of things to make the lawyers happy like don't shoot your friend, or your neighbors dog, yet there isn't much else.
i had a contractor that was painting my parent's house bring me his ruger single action 41 magnum that had been disassembled for TEN YEARS because he couldn't get it back together (he had seem me shooting and cleaning guns before). he had wanted to clean it and unscrewed the grip from the frame without taking the tension off the mainspring first and it shoved the hammer strut up into the trigger group. also he had reversed the cylinder disassembly button, rendering it inoperable. i was able to restore it to working condition in 45 min (with the help of the exploded parts view i found online) and even got to shoot it as a reward :)
Thank god for UA-cam strip videos. My girlfriends dad passed away and left her an older Winchester model 94 and apparently he didn't believe in cleaning. I had never taken apart a lever gun, all I have is a Marlin .444 which since i've kept it clean after light use i've never had to strip it. UA-cam tutorial helped tremendously. Also I plan on getting one of those M39's, your video is what sold me on it. I've been talking to a buddy about buying his Schmidt Rubin so I can have a nice accurate milsurp rifle but he want's too much and I think the M39 fits the bill.
+robert lemere I've got an old M94 Pre-64 myself. I love breaking it down ... getting that trigger and hammer assembly back in can be a bear, but it's really worthwhile to get that nice gleam I know nothing but the brass going through the action will see. Keeps 'er running smooth! UA-cam was my salvation on this as well. Had the rifle nearly 20 years before I broke it all the way down the first time. Ended up just soaking everything in solvent a couple of hours before taking a soft-bristled toothbrush to it all. Won't ever complain about the results, though.
The fun part is learning about everything like reading and reserching watching you tube or talking with people all things makes me happier learning. I think the modest person knows more than they are telling others and a know it all person is bluffing to feel better about not knowing anything. Thanks another heads up learn more video ...
Chad mentioned the schematic. Some of the older schematics may not be very clear. The drawing may look like just a round pin but the actual part has a milled surface here, an indention here, a hole there, and other anomalies. It can have you scratching your head.
I was at the range one day and the guy next to me (who was obviously new) was wondering why his new AR 15 was not feeding. I asked to look at it and when I took the magazine out it had turned out he loaded his ammo vertically with the projectiles pushing down against the follower. He had only used revolvers before.
Thanks to all the good folks who take time to make disassembly and reassembly videos and post them on You Tube! Your work is appreciated! I have used them quite a few times. Thank you Eric and Chad and all the fellas for your efforts here!
Some guns it is a necessity. Others you need to watch videos in addition. My P365 seemed to be lacking in the manual but finally found a video that really helped.
I'm so glad you guys's been recommended to me by youtube, Honestly haven't learned so much about guns from anyone else other than you all! Thank you so much!
You guys should do a video of your craziest gun shop stories, I loved hearing all the different kitchen table gun smithing and other wacky stories like the guy with the follower hahahaha!!!
Great video guys. UA-cam is a great resource to me as a gun owner. I bought a used 94 Winchester a few years ago and a YT video was a great help in disassembling and reassembling the rifle.
Loved seeing the ruger pistol break down. Most folks I encounter think the gun is difficult to clean. The manual indicates it is easy, if instructions are followed, and claims that it is a simple process once understood. I have found this to be the case and own several copies of the gun. The key is to realize that it is necessary to pull the trigger when re-assembling the pistol, especially at the point the jack-knife is being folded back into place. Ruger did us a disservice on the newer mark III's by adding the magazine disconnect, you have to have a mag in the gun, to do the field strip/reassembly. I've replaced all my magazine disconnects with the TK upgrade and magazines stay safely off my cleaning bench.
Great video the 22 ruger actually brought back a great memory of me and my dad we couldn't get that dam thing to work I actually found it in my grandmothers house and my grandfather actually left it that way so I couldn't fire it at the time I was like 10 years old and he had passed away and me and my dad couldn't get it to chamber a round we actually ended up getting it after like a hour and it was good to go but thinks for that memory guys
I have a mini-story that was actually my own complete ignorance. It was the first time I held a Garand, and I inspected the thing as we gun people do, trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I look at the follower, and decide that maybe I should press down on it to check how tight the movement was. Thank JMB that the guy over the counter piped up and said "Don't do that! That's really not smart" and proceeded to explain the Garands operation to me Saved me a thumb, that guy. I owe him a beer or six EDIT: a word
Bought a Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve in 90%+ for $199 because it was recoiling too harshly and got traded in. Previous owner had the friction ring installed incorrectly. Two minutes later I have a fantastic trap gun and saved about $600
I liked this video. looking forward to some more gunsmithing videos. I am studying gunsmithing at SDI and your videos have helped so much by providing a good visual aid to learning what I have read in the text. So thank you so much for that.
Was in a pawn shop a couple weeks ago. One of the workers was trying to disassemble a Jimenez .22 for a customer. Large pliers and a pocket knife were applied and the striker flew halfway across the store and the slide was locked up. Good thing they're cheap!
With each gun I had i read the manual or looked up operation of it, and then field striped and check. Only then i dry fired and operated it, and after i was sure i got the trigger, grip, sight, operation and such of the gun down I would take to range and load with live ammo. Because i wanted to do thing right the first time and make sure I don't cause a problem for myself or others.
How could people not know this stuff? I look all this stuff up before I even buy the gun. Eric is right. There's no reason not to know with the internet now.
getting my very first firearm a ruger 10/22 rifle i took it apart and one of the pins from the trigger fell out and then couple more pieces fell out and i was rather annoyed because i didnt know how to put it back together i felt like bringing it to a shop to fix the issue i caused but instead i looked up youtube guides on putting the trigger group back together and that really helped me put the trigger back together and shoot my new gun
When I was working with a Class 3 dealer we would sell H&K 3 shot trigger groups for MP5s. We would tell them that if they wanted it cleaned that they could bring it in for $25 and we would do it but when they brought it back in a plastic zip lock bag we would charge them $200 to put it back together. Never had any one bring one if for the $25 cleaning but we had lots of takers for the $200 cleaning/assembly job which many times turned into even more when we had to order missing springs and pins.
I've got an old Western Auto Revelation 100 that had a bad extractor ... didn't have a manual, but tracked down the parts schematic of the Mossberg 321 (comparable gun) to find the parts and how it all went together. Got me the extractor, but was afraid to work on the bolt. Took the bolt and new parts into a good gun smith in town and the gunsmith politely told me how to do what I needed to do (required a Dremel tool, a steel punch and a mallet) and sent me home to do my work myself. If I could afford to do it, I'd walk in right now and volunteer to be that man's apprentice and get into the business myself. BTW, the ol' Revelation shoots (and extracts!) perfectly today.
Thanks for mentioning the Walther PPQ, I have one and didn't know it came with two springs. fortunately I haven't used it suppressed yet and end up with damaged parts.
The first thing I did years ago when I bought a new gun, was strip it apart and put it back together. I haven't taken the CETME 308 apart yet. Cleaned and oiled it, but haven't fired it until I get a manual for it and strip it down and put it back together.
I was working as an armorer at a gun store, and a lady brought in her Kimber Solo to get a case unstuck from the chamber, she had loaded the magazine backwards, with the primers facing forward, after jamming the pistol when she racked the slide, instead of seeing the issue, she tried racking the slide several more times, and basically hammered the 9mm case backwards into the chamber.
Great video. When I bought my Glock 27 I was messing with the disassembly/ reassembly and slid the slide up over the rear rails, thankfully I was still in the gun store. When I bought my 23 I was comparing it to my 27 and accidentally reassembled it without the recoil spring.
Brownells is fantastic with their no questions asked return policy. Mistakes happen and with gun parts it happens a lot. I was building my first AR from scratch and I hadn't seated the barrel wrench properly in the barrel nut and actually broke the barrel nut. I think the nut and handguard were like $300 (carbon fiber). Brownells exchanged it. No questions asked and I got everything put together without a problem.
I take it a step beyond read the manual! I always watch videos on disassembly before I even by the gun, after I buy it, and while I'm taking it apart! I still make mistakes but thankfully nothing that wasn't easily fixed.
Awsome video. Agree, Read The Manual. If not available look online or elsewhere. Have had to do this for a couple firearms to learn how to take apart and clean
Re the Berreta, my uncle had one with a tip up barrel like that, he only had one arm. For someone handicapped or a stroke victim that has lost the use of one hand, they are invaluable.
Awesome video. One more point on reading the manual for new shooters or shooters with "limited" knowledge, like have only ever shot 9mm autos and gets something else, is ammo selection. This week I opened a co-workers .38spl snub nose revolver and found 5 rounds of .38 super auto +p. Read up on what ammo is safe to shoot and all its different terminologies, like 9mm, 9x19, 9mm nato....
I have the Ruger 22/45 MK III and I have had no problems disassembling and reassembling the gun after watching Ruger's video !! However, I did modify the gun and removed the magazine safety, Now the gun is even easier to deal with !!
I had a ball watching Chad putting the Ruger back together, a Mk III 22/45 is worst with having to use an empty mag during some steps. I think I watched an reassembly UA-cam video 5 or 6 times in a roll before I got it together again.
who needs a manual when we can just follow along with your videos. Hell thats how I learned everything I know about my Mosins. None came with a manual.
LOL, when I was a teenager I got my first Mossberg 500 when I took it out I dropped it in the sand. When I got home I took it apart to clean it, I even took apart the trigger assembly, OPPS I spent days trying to get it back together. I finally took it to a shop, the guy laughed, took it in back and brought out a clean and functioning unit in only a few minutes :)
Lol it's a Mossberg 500 i would just shake out the sand it's not going to hurt it but yeah my first gun i took apart to the extreme and had a hard time putting it back together we have all been there good story
When I got my mauser, I took the bolt apart with the safety off, and I've put the bolt together wrong, because I didn't take the time to absorb the instructions, and when I first got my Zastava M57, I put the little thing that holds on the slide release back on backwards, then all I had to do was flip it backwards.
The first time I took apart my 10/22 to clean it, when I pulled the trigger assembly out and the hammer flew forward and springs and pins just launched across my bathroom sink. Luckily I found a good youtube video showing how it all goes back together!
Reading the manual is part of the new gun experience!!! It's my favorite part!!! Seriously, sometimes I got bored, I just go online and download like a dozen of manuals and read it... So I'm familiar with many guns on paper now.. Lol
It took me like 30 minutes to put the barrel on a Mossberg 500.... Didn't read the manual... I got it new in the box so the receiver and barrel were seperate
I can't tell you how many times I have had to help a buddy with his shiny new auto shotgun. The biggest thing missed is the load choke. You put it facing one way for light loads and the other way for heavy loads.
Best Gripe Yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Outstanding information and mindset. This was timely, as I made my buddy watch it and took time to help him learn FROM the manual the complete operation of his new Kimber .45. This a wonderful video, hammering in the message that the manual is 'the word of the gun god, his bible and the ONLY way to know a firearm right from the get go. Especially the cleaning procedure, the safe handling technique, and the care of that expensive investment. Would like to see a general video on proper cleaning of guns (pistol, revolver, and long guns) with tips and tricks, and don't-do's shown, using general techniques, and the use of the manual in the process.
When I was about 13 I bought an M1 garand. I took it apart and cleaned it. About my 3rd time taking it apart I got some part turned around so the bolt would not completely lock to the rear. Took me forever to finally figure out what I was doing wrong.
That was 10 years ago im 23 now. For the condition and the time that was fair. It was also a little back woods gun shop in southern ohio where im from.
most every gun I've ever bought were used pawn shop finds and didn't come with manuals, but most were fairly easy to figure out how they operate, disassembly and reassembly usually meant finding a good youtube video though
lol have a ruger mk3 and put mag in backwards before by mistake when i was field striping it 1st time..... talking about a nightmare, had order one them tools to fix it. got it fix, but damn i hate that safety disconnect for the mag
I bought a keltec sub-2000 and I read the manual, however I somehow missed the little blurb in the corner saying not to pull the trigger with the bolt removed. This is because with the hammer in the forward position it is impossible to re-insert the bolt. So I had to buy a wooden Dowell to reset the damn hammer.
I'll echo the sentiment that even if one has a manual nowdays(that's why you guys are here for) with youtube and internet in general it is "easier" to watch than to read. Even a reader old school like me can't deny that. Heck even manufacturers post their own vids. The times they are changing
ive been that guy. had a 1911 that refused to go back togetger right. ended up with bad hammer follow, and would end up going full auto sometimes. had to send it to the manufacturer.
I am watching Gun Gripes from #1, and now is on #115. I seldom leave any comments, but this one I think I need to share my fun experience. I bought my 1st pistol in my life, Beretta 92 FS. I patiently read through the manual as the gun engraving "Read the Manual before Use", and noticed it misses something. It doesn't indicate where the "Locking System" is. If you have the manual, turn to page 40 and 43, and you will know what I am talking about. I directly called Beretta US. The service man couldn't answer, and transferd me to Canadian service hotline. Then I phoned Canadian, it was off work. Then I went to the dealer to ask where the "Locking System" is. An old man, looked like Barry but no beard read and analyzed the manual, and pointed it out for me. I can pretty much say this blatanly and arrogantly: Besides me, no body ever reads the manual, even the writer him/herself.
+jvirgreen well for 25 tacos a day you can adopt one..you will recieve a picture and a letter from a manuel then the manuel will be yours as soon you meet your annual quota 😏
spent about 5 years at a gun store and out of all my experience. the number one thing was lack of maintenance of firearms. generally and AR, 10/22 or similar rifle. man my rifle won't shoot or eject or miss fire. upon looking at it, it looks like it had a dirt and oil bath. then it's for sure once you clear the chamber. idk how many rifles I took to the back and cleaned and oiled and test fired and they work wonderful.
best one ever tho. guy brings 10\22 in that looks like it has never been cleaned. guy says it doesn't work. ask well have you cleaned, ya I cleaned it my dad is a gun smith he cleaned it. after a good cleaning worked like a champ
I dont if its just me, but I research the hell out of any firearms Im interested for months prior to even thinking about purchasing. Plus I read the manual upon purchase.
My friend bought a CZ 75 SP01 and he polished and filed down end of the slide stop pin so he could push it out of the gun like a 1911. Well he went way too much (like he shouldn't have done it at all) and made it so his slide stop would walk out of the gun when he was shooting it/not lock back on the last round. In the manual it says to use your magazine base plate to push the slide stop pin out of the gun, as in it is supposed to be difficult to take out. So he ended up having to buy a new slide stop which was $40...which he shouldn't have had to spend.
My favorite is when I get brought the bag-o-gun, someone completely taking something apart and cannot get it back together, and their manual clearly says only a gunsmith should take it down past a certain point.
It's shoot now read the manual later with most gun buyers. I am guilty of this. In defense of us who do this, if you do buy a decent gun, it's gonna be a while before you need the manual. Take a Russian AK or a Ruger 10/22, etc. You are going to be shooting a long time before you need a manual. I own a bunch of guns I will never need a manual for. Now, do I need to educate myself? Yes! That's why I am taking the SDI Gunsmithing course :) but most can self educate on simple gun repairs and maintenance.
Great video guys- I would suggest investing in a large assortment of snap caps that you can keep on hand in your videos. It would give alot of viewers a better understanding as to the cycling actions and extraction process of many of these firearms. Keep up the good work gents.
I had a legitimate, it wasn't my fault issue with a Glock that wasn't covered by anything in the manual. It was the first handgun I purchased after turning 21. I wasn't a new person to guns in any way, but I was not a Glock aficionado in any way, shape, or form. I talked with some friends and a state trooper friend of mine and after doing some of my own research settled on the Glock 21SF. After getting it home, I breezed through the manual quickly as I had already seen many videos on UA-cam, and field stripped it to become familiar with how to clean it and to clean the factory oils off before re-lubing it. After getting it back together I loaded a mag with some snap caps so that I could dry fire it and become familiar with the feel of the trigger. I had planned to rack the slide after each snap cap was struck until the mag was empty and then repeat the process over again. After firing the first snap cap if you will, I went to rack the slide but to my surprise the slide wouldn't budge. I pulled the trigger again but it was obvious that it had fired the first time I pulled the trigger. I must have tried for 30 minutes to try to get the slide to function but it was to no avail. I called my friend and he said to take it to the local range as they were a Glock armorer. I told them what I had done and they took the gun into the back room. After hearing a few choice words followed by several loud thumps, the owner emerged with it in his hand with the slide retracted to the rear. He told me that the snap caps I had were somehow so far out of spec, and yet at the same time were capable of being fed into the chamber, that it locked that gun up completely once they were in the chamber. He pointed to some on a rack and told me that those would work fine. He also offered me a discount on shooting at the range for a day since he thought I had somehow FUBAR'd the thing on the first day of owning it, but instead it turned out not to be my fault. He also commended me on not trying to force it and instead bringing it to them to look at. Just goes to show that sometimes it's not in the manual, but a little intelligence in my case went a long way to not permanently damage the gun.
hey I have a 1946 Luger that I'm not that familiar with as it's a family heirloom from my grand father. I haven't even taken it to the range and I'd like to see some videos on stuff like cleaning, field stripping, and disassembly. just whatever you have to offer on the gun. safety first.
A lot of the guns I've purchased were on consignment- and didn't include a manual. It would be wonderful if gun manufacturers made all their manuals easily accessible as a PDF on their websites! That said, my local gun shop has been incredible in showing me how to take down and clean every gun I've purchased- even when the manual was not included.
+Drew R Most of them do. Or, if they don't, they are usually more than willing to send you a copy. Obviously, it's in their best interest to make sure that you know how to use the gun properly, so you don't injure yourself by being an idiot (and file a ridiculous lawsuit against them :P )
The worst one of these for me was I handed my all matching 1934 Mauser to a guy at a gun show (I thought he would know how it worked) he immediately tried to work the bolt. It got stopped on the follower (like its supposed to) So he decided it was a great idea to ram it home harder and harder because it was "stiff" nearly snapping the follower off.
In IT, this is sometimes called an RTFM error, similar to a PEBKAC error. Since users will see the summary of the ticket, you can't really say "idiot user."
I never read manuals because I don't own any, lol. But I do always research a gun thoroughly before I take it apart. I've actually done a few videos on a couple firearms I own on simple disassembly.
I've been thinking of a video idea for you, something that even I still scratch my head at. And that should be biting and building "kit" guns and everything that entails, and legalities. such as ak kits, flats, non flats, mp5/ump kits etc. Stuff like that. things to look for, kits looking like it is missing a half, demilled stuff and what not.
What about when the manual is wrong? The owner manual for my Mark II Ruger had the assembly section completely wrong. It said to point the barrel down when you needed to point it up to install the stop.
i bought an escort mpa and because ì already have a standard escort i didn't bother with the manual. assembling out of the box was easy enough as the mechanisms are more or less identical however it was only after I'd driven 50 odd miles to complain that it was only a 2rd magazine and i wanted the 7 rd mag that i found out that all the higher capacity magazines have a standard plastic limiter rod fitted that the nice man in the gun shop kindly showed me...doh.
For what it's worth, I've had a trip or two to the range and it wasn't in the manual. The first time, it took the gunsmith a while to figure it out and other times, I had to go to UA-cam.
before I buy a gun I usaly spend three months just drooling over posts and videos about. by the time I take it out of the box I know the thing like the back of my hand. Still wise to read the manuel. bought a gun on whim at a show and I needed the manuel for that one.
Every gun that I have bought has had a manual that wouldn't help a whole lot if you fully disassembled it. I don't have a problem because I can figure it out pretty intuitively, as I am mechanically inclined. Most manuals help you strip the gun into its major parts (slide, frame, barrel, recoil guide rod for most modern handguns) but don't even mention breaking it down any further, except for the occasional manual that simply says that further disassembly should be done by a professional. I've never seen a manual that would help an inexperienced user reassemble their trigger mechanism, aside from the exploded-view diagram that is at the back of a lot of manuals.
had a woman bring a 22 /410 combo into the shop one day . she fired one 22 rd and flipped the lever for 410 shot one then couldnt get it to fire another 22 . she didnt flip the lever back.
had someone tell a manger their kimber pro carry 2 blew up and wanted their money back, while they were giving the customer back I inspected the gun looking for blown out barrel and or broken parts, all he parts were neatly put in xip lock bags as they handed them the cash I told them I put it back together, it "blew up" all over his table when he went to clean it.
The first time I bought a 1911. I had to go to read the manual to take the gun apart. Based on the fact prior to owning that weapon I had only shot polymer handguns.
Dog ate my manual first night i had my very first firearm, i got on youtube an found everything i ever needed to know, I haven't watched cable television in 3 years, i couldnt believe what i had been missing out on, and still learning everyday, thank you guys,,
When I got my first AR for my 18th birthday before shooting; I spent a hour or two reading and re-reading the manual. Helped me to take apart the AR so I could lube it before my first time shooting. No longer need the manual to take it apart but it really helped.
Man I have to say, having the ability to find detailed how to's on certain guns has really been a huge help to me. As a matter of fact, when I was building the lower and upper for my AR, I used your vids and was able to get my rifle assembled quickly and painlessly. You guys are doing awesome work, and as someone who moved from a place where firearms were taboo to a place where they're not, finding easy to digest knowledge by people who have been in the industry for years is an awesome resource. So thanks.
My favorite is my unit armorer forgetting to reinstall the buffer and spring and getting the bolt stuck in the buttstock and subsequently having to remove the whole buttstock to get it unstuck. Or the always favorite of loading the M16 mag backwards. The idiot of the day goes to the person trying to qualify with the ACOG condom still on the optic.
lol stuck so bad that hitting the muzzle sharply on the tip wasn't enough to reset the bolt to the closed position yes I was guilty of doing this once when I was up for 3 days XD
+robzombie1845 you at least had a legitimate excuse haha
My dad had to take our Ruger MkII to a gunsmith for reassembly. Good to see others had problems too lol. A friend of mines first gun was a Sig P250 and she didn't know how to release the slide after it was pulled back with an empty mag in it lol. Just had to use the slide release.
I would love to RTFM when it comes to guns but I've never gotten a manual worth a damn with any gun I have ever purchased. The interwebs and youtube are your friends
+Rubicon1776 Yeah, they are mostly full of things to make the lawyers happy like don't shoot your friend, or your neighbors dog, yet there isn't much else.
i had a contractor that was painting my parent's house bring me his ruger single action 41 magnum that had been disassembled for TEN YEARS because he couldn't get it back together (he had seem me shooting and cleaning guns before). he had wanted to clean it and unscrewed the grip from the frame without taking the tension off the mainspring first and it shoved the hammer strut up into the trigger group. also he had reversed the cylinder disassembly button, rendering it inoperable. i was able to restore it to working condition in 45 min (with the help of the exploded parts view i found online) and even got to shoot it as a reward :)
a friend of mine bought a mosin nagant (not the scoped version) and spent an hour hammering the bolt to bend down like the scoped ones
I'm Asian and i can confirm that Chopsticks will unstuck most things... the fact that his chopsticks failed him... is concerning...
Thank god for UA-cam strip videos. My girlfriends dad passed away and left her an older Winchester model 94 and apparently he didn't believe in cleaning. I had never taken apart a lever gun, all I have is a Marlin .444 which since i've kept it clean after light use i've never had to strip it. UA-cam tutorial helped tremendously. Also I plan on getting one of those M39's, your video is what sold me on it. I've been talking to a buddy about buying his Schmidt Rubin so I can have a nice accurate milsurp rifle but he want's too much and I think the M39 fits the bill.
+robert lemere I've got an old M94 Pre-64 myself. I love breaking it down ... getting that trigger and hammer assembly back in can be a bear, but it's really worthwhile to get that nice gleam I know nothing but the brass going through the action will see. Keeps 'er running smooth!
UA-cam was my salvation on this as well. Had the rifle nearly 20 years before I broke it all the way down the first time. Ended up just soaking everything in solvent a couple of hours before taking a soft-bristled toothbrush to it all. Won't ever complain about the results, though.
The fun part is learning about everything like reading and reserching watching you tube or talking with people all things makes me happier learning. I think the modest person knows more than they are telling others and a know it all person is bluffing to feel better about not knowing anything. Thanks another heads up learn more video ...
Chad mentioned the schematic. Some of the older schematics may not be very clear. The drawing may look like just a round pin but the actual part has a milled surface here, an indention here, a hole there, and other anomalies. It can have you scratching your head.
I was at the range one day and the guy next to me (who was obviously new) was wondering why his new AR 15 was not feeding. I asked to look at it and when I took the magazine out it had turned out he loaded his ammo vertically with the projectiles pushing down against the follower. He had only used revolvers before.
Thanks to all the good folks who take time to make disassembly and reassembly videos and post them on You Tube! Your work is appreciated! I have used them quite a few times. Thank you Eric and Chad and all the fellas for your efforts here!
a lot of my guns dont have manuals because they were bought used or r hand me downs. so i resort to youtube whenever i have an issue.
I love reading the manual when I buy a gun, it's part of the thrill when opening my new box when I get home.
Some guns it is a necessity. Others you need to watch videos in addition. My P365 seemed to be lacking in the manual but finally found a video that really helped.
i went to school with someone who thought glocks were the coolest thing because they had two triggers....
I'm so glad you guys's been recommended to me by youtube, Honestly haven't learned so much about guns from anyone else other than you all! Thank you so much!
These guys are great. I also enjoy Gunblue490 and Warrior Poet.
You guys should do a video of your craziest gun shop stories, I loved hearing all the different kitchen table gun smithing and other wacky stories like the guy with the follower hahahaha!!!
Great video guys. UA-cam is a great resource to me as a gun owner. I bought a used 94 Winchester a few years ago and a YT video was a great help in disassembling and reassembling the rifle.
Loved seeing the ruger pistol break down. Most folks I encounter think the gun is difficult to clean. The manual indicates it is easy, if instructions are followed, and claims that it is a simple process once understood. I have found this to be the case and own several copies of the gun. The key is to realize that it is necessary to pull the trigger when re-assembling the pistol, especially at the point the jack-knife is being folded back into place. Ruger did us a disservice on the newer mark III's by adding the magazine disconnect, you have to have a mag in the gun, to do the field strip/reassembly. I've replaced all my magazine disconnects with the TK upgrade and magazines stay safely off my cleaning bench.
Great video the 22 ruger actually brought back a great memory of me and my dad we couldn't get that dam thing to work I actually found it in my grandmothers house and my grandfather actually left it that way so I couldn't fire it at the time I was like 10 years old and he had passed away and me and my dad couldn't get it to chamber a round we actually ended up getting it after like a hour and it was good to go but thinks for that memory guys
i never read the manual. i like to learn on the fly. i have messed some stuff up but for the most part i do pretty well.
You must have a really mechanical mind. My Brother was that way. He could take something apart and had a picture in his mind how put it back together.
I have a mini-story that was actually my own complete ignorance. It was the first time I held a Garand, and I inspected the thing as we gun people do, trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I look at the follower, and decide that maybe I should press down on it to check how tight the movement was. Thank JMB that the guy over the counter piped up and said "Don't do that! That's really not smart" and proceeded to explain the Garands operation to me
Saved me a thumb, that guy. I owe him a beer or six
EDIT: a word
LOL "trying to look like I know what I'm doing" yeah. I've been bit by a Garand but my gloves saved me.
Reb Houston I've come close, but haven't been bit yet.
Now I just jinxed myself......
Hell. I was always was taught to read instructions and it was best info i ever got. I use You tube to fix all things. Been Mechanic for 30 years.
Bought a Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve in 90%+ for $199 because it was recoiling too harshly and got traded in. Previous owner had the friction ring installed incorrectly. Two minutes later I have a fantastic trap gun and saved about $600
I liked this video. looking forward to some more gunsmithing videos. I am studying gunsmithing at SDI and your videos have helped so much by providing a good visual aid to learning what I have read in the text. So thank you so much for that.
great video and a very cool guest, id love to see more gripes with him
Was in a pawn shop a couple weeks ago. One of the workers was trying to disassemble a Jimenez .22 for a customer. Large pliers and a pocket knife were applied and the striker flew halfway across the store and the slide was locked up. Good thing they're cheap!
With each gun I had i read the manual or looked up operation of it, and then field striped and check. Only then i dry fired and operated it, and after i was sure i got the trigger, grip, sight, operation and such of the gun down I would take to range and load with live ammo. Because i wanted to do thing right the first time and make sure I don't cause a problem for myself or others.
How could people not know this stuff? I look all this stuff up before I even buy the gun. Eric is right. There's no reason not to know with the internet now.
getting my very first firearm a ruger 10/22 rifle i took it apart and one of the pins from the trigger fell out and then couple more pieces fell out and i was rather annoyed because i didnt know how to put it back together i felt like bringing it to a shop to fix the issue i caused but instead i looked up youtube guides on putting the trigger group back together and that really helped me put the trigger back together and shoot my new gun
When I was working with a Class 3 dealer we would sell H&K 3 shot trigger groups for MP5s. We would tell them that if they wanted it cleaned that they could bring it in for $25 and we would do it but when they brought it back in a plastic zip lock bag we would charge them $200 to put it back together. Never had any one bring one if for the $25 cleaning but we had lots of takers for the $200 cleaning/assembly job which many times turned into even more when we had to order missing springs and pins.
I've got an old Western Auto Revelation 100 that had a bad extractor ... didn't have a manual, but tracked down the parts schematic of the Mossberg 321 (comparable gun) to find the parts and how it all went together. Got me the extractor, but was afraid to work on the bolt. Took the bolt and new parts into a good gun smith in town and the gunsmith politely told me how to do what I needed to do (required a Dremel tool, a steel punch and a mallet) and sent me home to do my work myself.
If I could afford to do it, I'd walk in right now and volunteer to be that man's apprentice and get into the business myself.
BTW, the ol' Revelation shoots (and extracts!) perfectly today.
Thanks for mentioning the Walther PPQ, I have one and didn't know it came with two springs. fortunately I haven't used it suppressed yet and end up with damaged parts.
The first thing I did years ago when I bought a new gun, was strip it apart and put it back together. I haven't taken the CETME 308 apart yet. Cleaned and oiled it, but haven't fired it until I get a manual for it and strip it down and put it back together.
I saw a guy try to release a military 1911 mag by pulling on the lanyard loop like a heel release
I was working as an armorer at a gun store, and a lady brought in her Kimber Solo to get a case unstuck from the chamber, she had loaded the magazine backwards, with the primers facing forward, after jamming the pistol when she racked the slide, instead of seeing the issue, she tried racking the slide several more times, and basically hammered the 9mm case backwards into the chamber.
Great video. When I bought my Glock 27 I was messing with the disassembly/ reassembly and slid the slide up over the rear rails, thankfully I was still in the gun store. When I bought my 23 I was comparing it to my 27 and accidentally reassembled it without the recoil spring.
Brownells is fantastic with their no questions asked return policy. Mistakes happen and with gun parts it happens a lot. I was building my first AR from scratch and I hadn't seated the barrel wrench properly in the barrel nut and actually broke the barrel nut. I think the nut and handguard were like $300 (carbon fiber). Brownells exchanged it. No questions asked and I got everything put together without a problem.
I remember this being a side topic on the head space gun gripe
I take it a step beyond read the manual! I always watch videos on disassembly before I even by the gun, after I buy it, and while I'm taking it apart! I still make mistakes but thankfully nothing that wasn't easily fixed.
Awsome video. Agree, Read The Manual. If not available look online or elsewhere. Have had to do this for a couple firearms to learn how to take apart and clean
Re the Berreta, my uncle had one with a tip up barrel like that, he only had one arm. For someone handicapped or a stroke victim that has lost the use of one hand, they are invaluable.
Awesome video. One more point on reading the manual for new shooters or shooters with "limited" knowledge, like have only ever shot 9mm autos and gets something else, is ammo selection. This week I opened a co-workers .38spl snub nose revolver and found 5 rounds of .38 super auto +p. Read up on what ammo is safe to shoot and all its different terminologies, like 9mm, 9x19, 9mm nato....
I have the Ruger 22/45 MK III and I have had no problems disassembling and reassembling the gun after watching Ruger's video !! However, I did modify the gun and removed the magazine safety, Now the gun is even easier to deal with !!
I had a ball watching Chad putting the Ruger back together, a Mk III 22/45 is worst with having to use an empty mag during some steps. I think I watched an reassembly UA-cam video 5 or 6 times in a roll before I got it together again.
who needs a manual when we can just follow along with your videos. Hell thats how I learned everything I know about my Mosins. None came with a manual.
+bradbo3 why would a mosin need a manual lol?
LOL, when I was a teenager I got my first Mossberg 500 when I took it out I dropped it in the sand. When I got home I took it apart to clean it, I even took apart the trigger assembly, OPPS I spent days trying to get it back together. I finally took it to a shop, the guy laughed, took it in back and brought out a clean and functioning unit in only a few minutes :)
Lol it's a Mossberg 500 i would just shake out the sand it's not going to hurt it but yeah my first gun i took apart to the extreme and had a hard time putting it back together we have all been there good story
Yep would have been fine, wish I had known that then, but it sure gave him a laugh with me bringing in all the bits and springs in a shoe box
I read the manual on everything i buy. lol comes from the days being 20 miles from the nearest auto parts store.(pre cell phone and web days)
When I got my mauser, I took the bolt apart with the safety off, and I've put the bolt together wrong, because I didn't take the time to absorb the instructions, and when I first got my Zastava M57, I put the little thing that holds on the slide release back on backwards, then all I had to do was flip it backwards.
The first time I took apart my 10/22 to clean it, when I pulled the trigger assembly out and the hammer flew forward and springs and pins just launched across my bathroom sink. Luckily I found a good youtube video showing how it all goes back together!
+Kyle Clark Hm, I think I had a pen do that to me once. It sucks!
Reading the manual is part of the new gun experience!!! It's my favorite part!!! Seriously, sometimes I got bored, I just go online and download like a dozen of manuals and read it... So I'm familiar with many guns on paper now.. Lol
It took me like 30 minutes to put the barrel on a Mossberg 500.... Didn't read the manual... I got it new in the box so the receiver and barrel were seperate
This sort of reminds me taking a Browning HP-DA apart for the first time. Even with the manual it took me hours to put it back together...
I can't tell you how many times I have had to help a buddy with his shiny new auto shotgun. The biggest thing missed is the load choke. You put it facing one way for light loads and the other way for heavy loads.
Best Gripe Yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Outstanding information and mindset. This was timely, as I made my buddy watch it and took time to help him learn FROM the manual the complete operation of his new Kimber .45. This a wonderful video, hammering in the message that the manual is 'the word of the gun god, his bible and the ONLY way to know a firearm right from the get go. Especially the cleaning procedure, the safe handling technique, and the care of that expensive investment. Would like to see a general video on proper cleaning of guns (pistol, revolver, and long guns) with tips and tricks, and don't-do's shown, using general techniques, and the use of the manual in the process.
When I was about 13 I bought an M1 garand. I took it apart and cleaned it. About my 3rd time taking it apart I got some part turned around so the bolt would not completely lock to the rear. Took me forever to finally figure out what I was doing wrong.
+BKDocHoliday How did u buy one at 13 years old?
Gave $620 to my father
BKDocHoliday WOW, that was a fair but of money back then (even today)
That was 10 years ago im 23 now. For the condition and the time that was fair. It was also a little back woods gun shop in southern ohio where im from.
most every gun I've ever bought were used pawn shop finds and didn't come with manuals, but most were fairly easy to figure out how they operate, disassembly and reassembly usually meant finding a good youtube video though
Got one back together one rime snd was proud of myself for a year.
lol have a ruger mk3 and put mag in backwards before by mistake when i was field striping it 1st time..... talking about a nightmare, had order one them tools to fix it. got it fix, but damn i hate that safety disconnect for the mag
I bought a keltec sub-2000 and I read the manual, however I somehow missed the little blurb in the corner saying not to pull the trigger with the bolt removed. This is because with the hammer in the forward position it is impossible to re-insert the bolt. So I had to buy a wooden Dowell to reset the damn hammer.
I'll echo the sentiment that even if one has a manual nowdays(that's why you guys are here for) with youtube and internet in general it is "easier" to watch than to read. Even a reader old school like me can't deny that. Heck even manufacturers post their own vids. The times they are changing
ive been that guy.
had a 1911 that refused to go back togetger right. ended up with bad hammer follow, and would end up going full auto sometimes.
had to send it to the manufacturer.
I am watching Gun Gripes from #1, and now is on #115. I seldom leave any comments, but this one I think I need to share my fun experience. I bought my 1st pistol in my life, Beretta 92 FS. I patiently read through the manual as the gun engraving "Read the Manual before Use", and noticed it misses something. It doesn't indicate where the "Locking System" is. If you have the manual, turn to page 40 and 43, and you will know what I am talking about. I directly called Beretta US. The service man couldn't answer, and transferd me to Canadian service hotline. Then I phoned Canadian, it was off work. Then I went to the dealer to ask where the "Locking System" is. An old man, looked like Barry but no beard read and analyzed the manual, and pointed it out for me. I can pretty much say this blatanly and arrogantly: Besides me, no body ever reads the manual, even the writer him/herself.
I do hvac troubleshooting over the phone with contractors(i use that term loosely) you are preaching to the choir with this one lol.
being mexican i have a an uncle named manuel does that count? 😂😂😂
Yes
+Chalino Sanchez Yep!
+Chalino Sanchez Gee, I wish I had an uncle named Manuel :(
+Douglas Boehme well kinda he has a tramp stamp that says "EVERY GUN LAW IS AN INFRINGEMENT " so i guess so
+jvirgreen well for 25 tacos a day you can adopt one..you will recieve a picture and a letter from a manuel then the manuel will be yours as soon you meet your annual quota 😏
spent about 5 years at a gun store and out of all my experience. the number one thing was lack of maintenance of firearms. generally and AR, 10/22 or similar rifle. man my rifle won't shoot or eject or miss fire. upon looking at it, it looks like it had a dirt and oil bath. then it's for sure once you clear the chamber. idk how many rifles I took to the back and cleaned and oiled and test fired and they work wonderful.
best one ever tho. guy brings 10\22 in that looks like it has never been cleaned. guy says it doesn't work. ask well have you cleaned, ya I cleaned it my dad is a gun smith he cleaned it. after a good cleaning worked like a champ
I dont if its just me, but I research the hell out of any firearms Im interested for months prior to even thinking about purchasing. Plus I read the manual upon purchase.
Am I the only one that can't take my eyes off of the 5.56 roller lock over Chad's head? I want to see that bad boy in a range video. It is gorgeous.
The HK93?
hope you mean the rifle ....
My friend bought a CZ 75 SP01 and he polished and filed down end of the slide stop pin so he could push it out of the gun like a 1911. Well he went way too much (like he shouldn't have done it at all) and made it so his slide stop would walk out of the gun when he was shooting it/not lock back on the last round. In the manual it says to use your magazine base plate to push the slide stop pin out of the gun, as in it is supposed to be difficult to take out. So he ended up having to buy a new slide stop which was $40...which he shouldn't have had to spend.
My favorite is when I get brought the bag-o-gun, someone completely taking something apart and cannot get it back together, and their manual clearly says only a gunsmith should take it down past a certain point.
UA-cam tutorials have saved my butt many of times!!
Love this channel, always brings a smile
Great and entertaining video. Thanks too for keeping me occupied for 35 minutes....I enjoyed 'the visit'.
It's shoot now read the manual later with most gun buyers. I am guilty of this. In defense of us who do this, if you do buy a decent gun, it's gonna be a while before you need the manual. Take a Russian AK or a Ruger 10/22, etc. You are going to be shooting a long time before you need a manual. I own a bunch of guns I will never need a manual for. Now, do I need to educate myself? Yes! That's why I am taking the SDI Gunsmithing course :) but most can self educate on simple gun repairs and maintenance.
just reminded how much I love both my Ruger .22's haha. haven't been to the range in a while
+Anthony's Marine and Malawi I love that rifle :)
Great video guys- I would suggest investing in a large assortment of snap caps that you can keep on hand in your videos. It would give alot of viewers a better understanding as to the cycling actions and extraction process of many of these firearms. Keep up the good work gents.
I had a legitimate, it wasn't my fault issue with a Glock that wasn't covered by anything in the manual. It was the first handgun I purchased after turning 21. I wasn't a new person to guns in any way, but I was not a Glock aficionado in any way, shape, or form. I talked with some friends and a state trooper friend of mine and after doing some of my own research settled on the Glock 21SF. After getting it home, I breezed through the manual quickly as I had already seen many videos on UA-cam, and field stripped it to become familiar with how to clean it and to clean the factory oils off before re-lubing it. After getting it back together I loaded a mag with some snap caps so that I could dry fire it and become familiar with the feel of the trigger. I had planned to rack the slide after each snap cap was struck until the mag was empty and then repeat the process over again. After firing the first snap cap if you will, I went to rack the slide but to my surprise the slide wouldn't budge. I pulled the trigger again but it was obvious that it had fired the first time I pulled the trigger. I must have tried for 30 minutes to try to get the slide to function but it was to no avail. I called my friend and he said to take it to the local range as they were a Glock armorer. I told them what I had done and they took the gun into the back room. After hearing a few choice words followed by several loud thumps, the owner emerged with it in his hand with the slide retracted to the rear. He told me that the snap caps I had were somehow so far out of spec, and yet at the same time were capable of being fed into the chamber, that it locked that gun up completely once they were in the chamber. He pointed to some on a rack and told me that those would work fine. He also offered me a discount on shooting at the range for a day since he thought I had somehow FUBAR'd the thing on the first day of owning it, but instead it turned out not to be my fault. He also commended me on not trying to force it and instead bringing it to them to look at. Just goes to show that sometimes it's not in the manual, but a little intelligence in my case went a long way to not permanently damage the gun.
These types of videos are so great!
I had to show an RSO how to use my Benelli M3 when I brought some friends shooting for the first time and he was giving them the run down.
hey I have a 1946 Luger that I'm not that familiar with as it's a family heirloom from my grand father. I haven't even taken it to the range and I'd like to see some videos on stuff like cleaning, field stripping, and disassembly. just whatever you have to offer on the gun. safety first.
A lot of the guns I've purchased were on consignment- and didn't include a manual. It would be wonderful if gun manufacturers made all their manuals easily accessible as a PDF on their websites! That said, my local gun shop has been incredible in showing me how to take down and clean every gun I've purchased- even when the manual was not included.
+Drew R Most of them do. Or, if they don't, they are usually more than willing to send you a copy. Obviously, it's in their best interest to make sure that you know how to use the gun properly, so you don't injure yourself by being an idiot (and file a ridiculous lawsuit against them :P )
I once put my Glock back together without the guide rod spring assembly and it was a slight pain!
The worst one of these for me was I handed my all matching 1934 Mauser to a guy at a gun show (I thought he would know how it worked) he immediately tried to work the bolt. It got stopped on the follower (like its supposed to) So he decided it was a great idea to ram it home harder and harder because it was "stiff" nearly snapping the follower off.
In IT, this is sometimes called an RTFM error, similar to a PEBKAC error. Since users will see the summary of the ticket, you can't really say "idiot user."
I never read manuals because I don't own any, lol. But I do always research a gun thoroughly before I take it apart. I've actually done a few videos on a couple firearms I own on simple disassembly.
woot, love gun gripes Eric please do more
I've been thinking of a video idea for you, something that even I still scratch my head at. And that should be biting and building "kit" guns and everything that entails, and legalities. such as ak kits, flats, non flats, mp5/ump kits etc. Stuff like that. things to look for, kits looking like it is missing a half, demilled stuff and what not.
What about when the manual is wrong? The owner manual for my Mark II Ruger had the assembly section completely wrong. It said to point the barrel down when you needed to point it up to install the stop.
my uncle grinded the magazine disconnector dimple off a bersa cause he said it made it smother to load. :)
i bought an escort mpa and because ì already have a standard escort i didn't bother with the manual. assembling out of the box was easy enough as the mechanisms are more or less identical however it was only after I'd driven 50 odd miles to complain that it was only a 2rd magazine and i wanted the 7 rd mag that i found out that all the higher capacity magazines have a standard plastic limiter rod fitted that the nice man in the gun shop kindly showed me...doh.
For what it's worth, I've had a trip or two to the range and it wasn't in the manual. The first time, it took the gunsmith a while to figure it out and other times, I had to go to UA-cam.
before I buy a gun I usaly spend three months just drooling over posts and videos about. by the time I take it out of the box I know the thing like the back of my hand. Still wise to read the manuel. bought a gun on whim at a show and I needed the manuel for that one.
Every gun that I have bought has had a manual that wouldn't help a whole lot if you fully disassembled it. I don't have a problem because I can figure it out pretty intuitively, as I am mechanically inclined.
Most manuals help you strip the gun into its major parts (slide, frame, barrel, recoil guide rod for most modern handguns) but don't even mention breaking it down any further, except for the occasional manual that simply says that further disassembly should be done by a professional.
I've never seen a manual that would help an inexperienced user reassemble their trigger mechanism, aside from the exploded-view diagram that is at the back of a lot of manuals.
When all else fails follow the directions. PDF files for manuals are available on the web.
Ive seen alot of people shoot through a mag in an AR, load a new one, and try to pull the charging handle while the bolt is back.
had a woman bring a 22 /410 combo into the shop one day . she fired one 22 rd and flipped the lever for 410 shot one then couldnt get it to fire another 22 . she didnt flip the lever back.
had someone tell a manger their kimber pro carry 2 blew up and wanted their money back, while they were giving the customer back I inspected the gun looking for blown out barrel and or broken parts, all he parts were neatly put in xip lock bags as they handed them the cash I told them I put it back together, it "blew up" all over his table when he went to clean it.
My Ruger P-97's manual had a misprint. I ended up having to call the company to figure out how to get it back together.
The first time I bought a 1911. I had to go to read the manual to take the gun apart.
Based on the fact prior to owning that weapon I had only shot polymer handguns.