Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn are two of the most knowledgeable “gun guys” out there. I’m proud to have known them both for decades and to call them friends. They have a great series on Wilson Combat’s YouTube channel titled, appropriately enough, “Gun Guys.”
I was especially pleased by this one. Their advice on avoiding abuse of semiautomatic pistols and double action revolvers is spot on. I’m more sympathetic with the “2,000 round challenge” than they, but by and large, their twenty minute talk is going to sound awfully familiar to anyone who has taken the safety lecture in one of my classes.
Validation is good. If you can, catch the whole series. These Gun Guys are a tremendous repository of knowledge.
or watch video here
A must see video for gun range knuckle-draggers and mouth-breathers.
Interesting. Many moons ago, I was looking for a high quality pellet rifle and encountered staff at the store that insisted on firing them without pellets in the chamber. They had no concept they we’re destroying the internals of the rifles. I was able to get one in a factory sealed box and still enjoy shooting it 30 years later. I pity the person who got the demonstrator.
It`s great to see my old Friends Ken and Bill Teaching The( why and how) to maintain your Handgun to the younger inexperience people that are taking up the sport. I think this video should be made mandatory before they walk out of the Gun shop. Thanks Ken and Bill
Retired now, but when I taught firearms at FLETC, we would never allow a student to “catch” a magazine in their hand and pocket same. All magazines whether empty, partial, or full went crashing to the concrete floor below. Glock, Sig, H&K, Berettas, all got the same treatment. No problems that I could detect.
WOW, as a member of the BOP, I’ve seen the damage to magazines just from ANNUAL firearms qualification.
You’re retired, stop drinking the Kool Aid.
**Well now, just to chime in here. As per the video, interestingly enough, I tell my novice and beginner students much of what is discussed. When training LEO or other high asset clients, the dynamics change.
For example, the casual sport shooter at the range, who is only PRACTICING accuracy and fundamental shooting, maybe speed drills for IDPA competitors and the such, it is highly advisable to NOT drop a partially or full magazine on the concrete floor or gravel on an outdoor range as you will eventually damage the magazine. The added grain weight of the cartridges will add inertia when gravity decides to suck it to the ground. Metal is metal and if not the first time, it will eventually be
damaged.
To Will, if your agency was funded to practice the way you say you did, more power to ya! There again, as per the video, both advised against using the slide stop/lock to send the slide forward when dry practicing due to the internal damages that may occur. I even caught Mr. Wilson in the video stating that it was a “slide release” in his descriptive of how people use it. It’s not a slide RELEASE!
In the several owners manuals I have read and possess, I only see the words, SLIDE STOP or slide LOCK, never slide RELEASE, mechanisms (Kimber, Ruger, CZ, and S&W).
All that being said, in the dire need of a machine that can save your life, do whatever it is to get the gun up and running. Use the slide STOP as a slide RELEASE, drop a malfunctioning magazine full or otherwise when in a “life and death” situation, but when you are practicing, respect the gun and it’s components.
My motto is this, if you neglect the gun, it may neglect you when you need it the most.
Stay safe.
@ Larry McClain – You are correct. There is no single way to work a gun and it may vary depending upon the model in question. The 1911 design seems to work with the slide stop being used as a slide release (on a loaded magazine only, please!) or by sling-shotting the slide. On other designs, the slide stop is rather small and it often works better to just do the sling-shot to load a new magazine.
However, on my Kahr CW-40, it will sometimes malfunction if you sling-shot it. The Kahr manual specifically says to load fresh magazines using the slide stop as a slide release. I have a mental note, in my mind, when shooting the Kahr to never sling-shot the slide. I always load fresh magazines with the SLIDE RELEASE.
So, when it comes to guns, one size does not fit all. One needs to be flexible and find out what works with the model in-hand.
We used to tell the troops, “ if you break it, the agency will issue you another”. So, I guess I have been spoiled over a 37 year career. Now that I’m retired, I do tend to baby my handguns more.
Yes, I’ve seen some of the mentioned issues myself. Once, One of my friends was showing me his new revolver and, in the process, he “flicked” the cylinder closed. I cringed when he did it. I then explained to him why it was a “Very Bad Idea” to flick a cylinder shut that way. I explained that it would eventually damage the cylinder lock-up. He was surprised. Having seen it done on TV, dozens of times, he thought it was not only perfectly safe but also a really “cool” way to handle a revolver. However, he respects my opinion about guns and gave up the practice after I clued him into how bad it was. We went to the range several times after that incident and I am glad to say that, afterwards, he always closed the cylinder normally. I have not seen him “flick” a cylinder shut since he learned it was a bad practice.
Basing your gun knowledge and gun handling upon what you see on TV is generally a bad idea. Most of those idiots in Hollywood don’t know the first thing about firearms. They confirm it every time one of them opens his or her mouth to rant about gun control! 🙂
Good stuff! I knew not to flick the revolver cylinder, but the info on the semi-auto slide was new to me.
Problem is, I’ve always thought of guns as being durable things that can take some abuse. I remember Jeff Cooper wrote that he was taught to work gun actions vigorously. I’m sure he was referring to bolt-action and lever-action rifles.
The good news is that I’ve always tried to treat all machines well, for two reasons. First, I want them to last. Second, when a machine breaks, I feel helpless because I can’t fix them. Ideally, I would always buy two copies of every gun that I like. Always want to have a back-up.
I know of at least one very accomplished shooter that, at least on his brand of polymer pistol, completely disagrees with NOT dropping the slide with the release. He says that’s what it’s made for. One expert says tick, one says tock. Who do you believe?
I was examining a 1911 pistol I was contemplating purchasing at a large chain sporting/hunting/fishing/outfitting store (oh hell, it was a Cabellas). One thing I hate about doing business in a gun shop where I’m not well known is how the employees treat you like you are a total nimrod. I was testing the trigger by blocking the hammer with my thumb as I pulled the trigger, and then recocking it by pressing it back with the thumb after each release. Everybody’s done that right? The kid behind the counter, the “expert,” told me, “I don’t mind if you just let the hammer drop.” I looked up at him and said, “Yeah, but I do.”
re: mechanics of returning the slide to battery after inserting magazine.
I is my understanding that pulling the slide to it’s rearmost position and releasing it, sends the slide and the next round into lock more uniformly with the subsequent “auto” feeds.
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