Read the Manual

by
posted on February 1, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
20122193324-readmanual_m.jpg

I know that it is considered unmanly, but we are all going to have to accept the necessity for reading the little book that comes with our new firearms. Modern automatic pistols are examples of advanced design and engineering, but they are also different from the handguns of years ago. I can clearly remember a time when all readily available pistols had single-action triggers and manual safeties, high on the left side of the frame. The operating procedure was pretty much the same for the all. But then the GIs started coming back with souvenir P38s and PPKs in their dufflebags and everything began to change. For the first time, we had semi-auto pistols with both DA and SA triggers in the same gun. It was all in the name of progress, but it could be confusing.

Worse yet, some makers felt the need to work a decocker into the safety system of their DA/SA pistols.With some the safety turnedup, whileother models needed it toturned down. For a long time, SIG Sauer made every single pistol of any size, shape or caliber with the same kind of logical, easily learned system—DA/SA, decocker, no safety. Then, starting in the early ‘80s, we saw a flood of new guns pouring into the country from Europe, Brazil and China. These guns worked on many different systems. The GLOCK came out around '85 and nothing has been the same since. The GLOCK started with an ultra-simple Safe Action and never changed. Others were quick to imitate, but never quite equaled that successful Austrian import. We presently have makers with thick catalogs that show a myriad of pistols with radically different operating systems.

I recently had an embarrassing experience with a pistol that I couldn't make fire. It took a long time for me to figure out that I didn't understand how it worked, because I did not read the manual. I therefore advise all readers to stop before they shoot and read the danged manual.

Latest

Colt-Burgess Rifle
Colt-Burgess Rifle

I Have This Old Gun: Colt-Burgess Rifle

There was a time when firearm manufacturers were primarily known for producing only one specific type of gun. In fact, their fame, reputations and, often, their fortunes hinged upon it.

2026 NRA Youth Education Summit Applications Open

Applications are now open for the 2026 NRA Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.), an all-expenses-paid, six-day leadership and scholarship program for rising high school juniors and seniors.

The Rifleman Report: The Misrepresented Armed Citizen

Despite what mainstream news outlets would have us believe, most armed citizens are thoughtful, deliberate, responsible Americans whose foremost concerns are the well-being of themselves and their families.

First Breach Ammunition Factory Tour

An ambitious and technically savvy startup embarks on the goal to bring match-grade cartridges to the market at an enviable price—all made in America.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 27, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

The Development of MIM Cartridge Cases

We recently caught up with Concurrent Technologies to learn more about its latest advancements in metal injection molding (MIM) as it pertains to cartridge case manufacturing.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.