FR Gun Club-Firearm Safety and Operations Primer-always good to review!

[Manly Warrior]

Wednesday Edition

By Manly Warrior; NRA certified Rifle and Pistol Instructor, MO CCW Instructor, Avid NRA HP Competitor, Army Combat Infantryman and Engineer officer (retired).

While many of us use firearms frequently and have learned (sometimes the hard way) to deliberately review our weapons safety/handling procedures each and every time we handle firearms, many firearms owners and particularly handgun owners, do not live so close to their weapons.

In this article, I will attempt to review the basic rules of firearms safety, using the NRA rules as a basis as well as reviewing the basic steps in gun handling. For this exercise, assume handguns, both revolver and pistol are the object of the discussion. While many of the procedures are similar to those for long guns, no attempt is made to address them.

Also, while some revolvers and pistols have proprietary and unique characteristics along with unique operating procedures, this article makes no attempt to cover all handguns; rather the focus is on generic double action revolvers and SA, SA/DA and DAO/safe-action pistols, in other words, practical combat handguns commonly found in the hands of every Americans..

Please insure you refer to the owner’s manual for your specific firearm for any unique requirements!

NRA Rules of Gun Safety.

(bulleted comments added by the author for clarification & extension)

1. Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.

-Always control the muzzle of your firearm, ALWAYS!

2. Treat All Firearms as if they were loaded.

-Always assume every firearm you see/handle or are aware of, is LOADED, ALWAYS!

-Perform a safety check on all firearms handed to you or that you pick up; regardless of whether or not you just saw another person do the same!

-If you are not familiar with a specific firearms’ operation, do not attempt to clear it, ask the other person to show you how, then do it yourself under observation, carefully paying attention to observing and physically checking to insure no ammunition is in the action or chamber

3. Keep you finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

-Modern Firearms will NOT “go off” by themselves; they require human actuation or at least mishandling, ALWAYS!

-When drawing, ALWAYS place your trigger finger alongside the frame of the firearm and only place it inside the trigger guard when presenting at a target you intend to shoot, not before, ALWAYS!

Basic Firearms Handling and Marksmanship

Clearing/Unloading and Loading and applying Immediate Action (IA) in case of a stoppage.

Pistols.

-Clearing/unloading:

Point pistol in a safe direction and keep it that way.

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

Step One-attempt to place firearm on safe if so equipped.

Step Two-remove magazine by depressing the magazine release.

Step Three-move slide backwards to open the mechanism, depress (or lift) the slide lock mechanism to lock the slide open.

Step Four- Observe the chamber as you retract the slide rearward to see if a round is extracted/ejected from the pistol.

Step Five- Look carefully into the chamber/breech area of the pistol to check to see if a round of ammunition is in the chamber/breech area, (DO NOT ASSUME THERE IS NOT) During limited visibility, examine the chamber/breech with a flashlight or insert your little finger into the mechanism and feel to insure there is not a round of ammunition present anywhere in the mechanism.

Step Six-Retract the slide slightly to disengage the slide lock and manually allow the slide to return to its closed position.

-Loading:

Point pistol in a safe direction and keep it that way

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

Step One-attempt to place firearm on safe if so equipped.

Step Two- Retract and lock back the slide by drawing the slide rearwards with your support hand while depressing (of lifting) the slide lock.

Step Three-Insert a loaded magazine with your support hand, guiding the magazine into the well with your support hand index finger; firmly seat the magazine by slapping or pressing upwards on the bottom of the magazine with the heel of your support hand.

Step Four depress the slide lock with your firing hand thumb or trigger finger (left-handed firers) or tug rearwards on the rear of the slide to release the slide lock and let the slide shut under its own spring power-do not “ride” the slide forward; doing so may induce a stoppage by not fully allowing the first round of ammunition to be properly stripped from the magazine and chambered.

-Performing Immediate Action:

Point pistol in a safe direction and keep it that way

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

(In a combat situation you will always want to seek cover (something that will stop bullets) while fighting, and especially when you have a stoppage)

Step One-Slap upward on the bottom of the magazine with the heel of your support hand to insure it is fully seated in the well and locked into the pistol.

Step Two-Grasp the serrated portion of the slide with your support hand (reach over the top of the slide) so the thumb/heel is on the inside (closest to your chest, thumb pointed at your body) and your fingers are facing outwards and down, firmly grasping the slide.

Step Three-Pull firmly and fully rearwards with your support hand, while observing for any jammed cartridges in the breech area; release your support hand and allow the slide to close under its own spring power.

Step Four-reacquire your target and fire.

This is also called “TAP, RACK, BANG”

Keep your pistol fairly high and your head erect so you can see your surroundings while you execute this task without losing complete situational awareness and tactical control.

If this does not work; you must do “Remedial Action” to get back into the fight.

Remedial Action:

Point pistol in a safe direction and keep it that way

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

(In a combat situation you will always want to seek cover (something that will stop bullets) while fighting, and especially when you have a stoppage)

Step One-remove magazine by depressing the magazine release and deliberately ripping the magazine from the pistol.

Step Two-Observe the chamber/breech of the pistol and briskly move slide backwards and forwards several times in rapid succession to insure any malfunctioning rounds or expended cartridge cases are extracted/ejected from the pistol.

Step Three – Secure a fresh magazine and insert it into the magazine well as in loading, however, the slide will be forward, so insure you seat and lock the new magazine into the pistol

Step Four- Grasp the slide and actuate it briskly to the rear, letting it close under its own spring power, reacquire your target and continue to defend yourself.

Revolvers:

-Clearing/unloading:

Point revolver in a safe direction and keep it that way

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

Step One-depress the cylinder lock with your firing hand thumb and open the cylinder by grasping the cylinder with your support hand from underneath, the tips of your finger pushing the cylinder towards the left, while your support hand thumb controls the cylinder from the left side.

Step Two-release the revolver from your firing hand and turn the revolver muzzle-up with your support hand.

Step Three-using the knife-edge of your firing hand, strike the ejector rod firmly and full to eject fired cartridge cases or loaded rounds from the chambers.

Step Four-Look carefully into the chamber/breech area of the revolver to check to see if a round of ammunition is in the chamber/breech area, (DO NOT ASSUME THERE IS NOT) During limited visibility, either examine the chamber/breech with a flashlight or insert your little finger into the mechanism and feel tht there is not a round of ammunition present anywhere in the mechanism.

-Loading:

Point the revolver in a safe direction and keep it that way

Keep your finger off the trigger (out of the trigger guard) at all times.

The Following Steps MUST be executed in sequence!!!

Step One-clear your revolver as described above.

Step Two- invert the revolver so that the muzzle is pointed at the ground, gravity helps load a revolver.

Step Three-Secure a loaded speed loader by grasping the release knob between your firing hands ring and index fingers and thumb. (If using loose rounds, insert each round into the chambers of the cylinder one at a time, then continue to step six).

Step Four Insert the bullet tips of a loaded speed loader into the magazine with your support hand and twist the release knob to allow the cartridges to drop into the chambers.

Step Five- let go of the speed loader (do not try to pull it away from the cylinder-allow gravity to let if fall to the ground) and close the cylinder with your support hand as you grasp the grip frame with your firing hand.

Step Six-re-grasp the revolver with your support hand and prepare to fire.

-Performing Immediate Action:

If your revolver fails to fire and you are not out of ammunition, then you may have a disabled revolver. Attempt to clear the revolver and reload; usually if your revolver is disabled, you will not be able to clear and or reload without assistance of a tool (dejammer) and more time than you probably have…. Many Revolver shooters carry a back-up gun (BUG) just in case-this is sometimes called a “NY reload”

(In a combat situation you will always want to seek cover (something that will stop bullets) while fighting, and especially when you have a stoppage)

Remember, muzzle awareness and practicing the requisite steps for your particular handgun is paramount in being safe. We owe it to ourselves as well as the general public to be the epitome of safety and professionalism. The “antis” are always lurking, waiting for a gun owner to make a mistake and beat the drum of gun control. Don’t let it be you!

God Bless and MOLON LABE!

[B4Ranch]

I was talking with a neighbor after supper and he said the easiest way he knows is to dump your magazine before the last shot and slap in a fresh mag. You may waste a round or two that way but it sounds good to me.

He’s tried other methods and wasn’t able to get the slide back far enough to reload a round. He’s changed magazines, then held onto the slide with his free hand and was able slide it back. He didn’t like that method because he felt it was too dangerous.

[Gilbo_3]

dump your magazine before the last shot and slap in a fresh mag.

If its got a slide lock, why waste the rounds and possibly cause a feed failure from a weakly inserted mag ?

OTOH, if not a locking slide, and IF its a 'must do one handed', rake the rear sight on a belt or pocket ??? as safely pointed as possible of course

If a bg is comin anyways, Id rather risk shooting myself than lettin him do it fer free...

my .02

[absolootezer0]

tats why a lot of guns have the serrations on the front end of the slide. hold it by the front site, your thumb should be in place to flip up the slide lock when the slide is fully retracted.
make sure tho, that your hand never covers the muzzle.

[Dead Corpse]

I was assuming this was a "reload" drill. IE; you've emptied the first mag and are changing to the next one. Most semi's will lock the slide back after the last round.

Otherwise, yeah, yer' kinda screwed without both mitts to get on it.

I can think of one way by bracing the grip between your knees, but I wasnt to try it on my Witness before I espouse it's efficacy. My 10mm has a 22# Wolff spring in it. If it works on that, it'll work on almost anything.

[kAcknor]

Thank you Shooter. The Jeff Cooper Rules are those I learned with. They are the rules my kids learned and they are those that my grandkids can rattle off at will by the age of 8 (If not, they don't shoot!).

There are no alternative rule sets (NRA's current watered down version included) that cover the issue as well. By putting the issue of loading second or ever third(!) the urgency of the issue is removed and the fact that a firearm is ready to fire becomes secondary to the place the bullet will go.

Wrong.

The first rule learned and most often repeated is the rule that becomes forever associated in the child's (or anyones) mind with touching a gun. "Can I see that?" "All guns are always loaded!" "Want to take a look?" "All guns are always loaded!" picking one up from the cabinet: "All guns are always loaded!". The rest of the rules then follow naturally, normally, and automatically because you just don't point a loaded gun at anyone, you don't finger a loaded trigger and you are always aware of a loaded guns direction.

YMMV, and this is my opinion, but it's the way it has and will be will be taught in my home or under my influence.

P.S. No quibble with the Eddie Eagle set. The grandkids have to repeat them (with help of course) as soon as they can mouth the words before they can enter the 'room' with PahPaw, or get to touch any of the interesting things found there... ;)

[B4Ranch]

>Most semi’s will lock the slide back after the last round. <

I wasn’t aware of that feature. Somewhere I have a .22 High Standard H-D Military Model. I don’t recall it doing that. I’ll have to dig it out and see whether it does or not.

[Dead Corpse]

Put an empty mag in it and rack the slide back. It should catch on the follower.

AR's do this as well. I think even an M1 will do this after it ejects the en bloc clip.

[B4Ranch]

Here I was smiling, thinking I had a ‘reason’ to give to the Mrs about why I had to go out to the range this morning and you just wiped it out.

[Uri’el-2012]

Shooter 2.5

Thank you Shooter. The Jeff Cooper Rules are those I learned with. They are the rules my kids learned and they are those that my grandkids can rattle off at will by the age of 8 (If not, they don't shoot!).

There are no alternative rule sets (NRA's current watered down version included) that cover the issue as well. By putting the issue of loading second or ever third(!) the urgency of the issue is removed and the fact that a firearm is ready to fire becomes secondary to the place the bullet will go.

Wrong.

The first rule learned and most often repeated is the rule that becomes forever associated in the child's (or anyones) mind with touching a gun. "Can I see that?" "All guns are always loaded!" "Want to take a look?" "All guns are always loaded!" picking one up from the cabinet: "All guns are always loaded!". The rest of the rules then follow naturally, normally, and automatically because you just don't point a loaded gun at anyone, you don't finger a loaded trigger and you are always aware of a loaded guns direction.

YMMV, and this is my opinion, but it's the way it has and will be will be taught in my home or under my influence.

P.S. No quibble with the Eddie Eagle set. The grandkids have to repeat them (with help of course) as soon as they can mouth the words before they can enter the 'room' with PahPaw, or get to touch any of the interesting things found there... ;)

45 posted on August 7, 2008 7:57:44 AM MDT by kAcknor

Jeff Cooper rules were the best we had when they were first developed.

They were developed for dogfaces and grunts.

They worked well enough.

The NRA adopted and the Training Department taught the Cooper Rules.

Over time the Cooper Rules were shown to be ineffective as "ADs" did not decline.

The NRA Training Department researched a better way to teach gun safety.

The result of this extensive study over a number of years led the NRA Training
Department to reject the Cooper Rules that they had embraced.
This despite Jeff Cooper being on the NRA Executive Committee.

One can only imagine the the arguments over many years
until everyone on the executive committee were convinced
that the new NRA Safety Rules were superior to the
current Cooper Rules.

Anyone who knew Col. Cooper's massive Ego and Pride,
knows how heated these arguments were.

The result was that the NRA adopted the
recommendation of the NRA Training Department.

and issued the following NRA Safety Rules.

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction

Always keep your finger of the trigger until ready to shoot

Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

When you plan to shoot there are more rules to follow.

OBTW; I learned the Cooper Rules fifty-nine years ago
as a boy with my first BB gun.

I knew the rules and violated them.

I'm sure you did too.

My Daisy Red Ryder was always loaded.

[Rick.Donaldson]

How do you pull the slide back to lock it with just one hand?

Depending on the weapon, strong hands and a hell of a lot of practice. I can't do it MOST of the time on my weapon of choice either :( and I've got a STRONG grip and good sized hands. But, like I said... "perfect practice makes perfect" hehe. I think he was talking in the middle of a combat situation with majorly induced stresses. Most people probably won't be able to do it THEN, thus practicing before hand makes it come as second nature.

[B4Ranch]

>Most people probably won’t be able to do it<

That’s kind of what I was beginning to think. I train (dry fire) to use my off hand about once a week. I’m pretty decent now compared to a few years ago.

[Shooter 2.5]

You’re welcome.

I may enjoy the benefits of being an NRA member but Cooper’s rules work best for me. Let me try to explain that a little better. I don’t know what rules are best after all of the arguments and discussions. Cooper’s rules work in my situation and during my experiences.