Firearms handling refresher Part I: Handguns

Since 10-06-06

By Massad Ayoob

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob031207.html

One of our readers e-mailed John Silveira to tell him that taking a handgun afield after a long layoff had resulted in some scary moments. While gun handling is not a perishable skill, it is certainly a corrosion-prone one.

The skills don’t really die, but they sure can get rusty fast. The reader suggested that Backwoods Home’s firearms editor write a sort of handling refresher on firearms. John liked the idea, Dave Duffy concurred, and so did the gun editor.

That’s all it takes, folks; Backwoods Home is your magazine, and the staff takes your suggestions seriously. Since the reader’s problems were with handguns, we’ll start there with this installment.

In Part II, we’ll follow with shotgun handling tips, and in Part III, we’ll cover protocols for handling rifles.

Next time, in Part II, we’ll look at handling tips for shotguns.

Read more columns by Massad Ayoob on the anthology CD
Ayoob on Firearms, Issues 31 - 69