Muramatsu - The Gun Digest Book of Tactical Weapons Assembly/Disassembly

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This book is the final volume in the Assembly/Disassembly series of manuals from Gun Digest. It is final only in that it was the last of the originals to be published, and is coincidentally the last of the originals to be revised. This first revision adds to the initial batch, both in the number of firearms and in the inclusion of an index.

The word tactical is one of those things that can have multiple, subjective meanings. In regard to this tome it refers to firearms which might be used in law enforcement or by non-police for personal defense. As such it contains rifles, shotguns, pistols (including some concealable models), and even a few C&R machineguns. Those who wish access to such takedowns with more modern machineguns are, well, pretty much out of luck. Fortunately a number of the inclusions here are identical to their fully automatic counterparts, with the exception of the absence of the happy switch.

An interesting development has been the advent of bullpup rifles. While not a new concept, more and more rifles are being manufactured here or imported that sport the bullpup style of design. That is, to say, (for a lack of an easier description) a long gun that places the chamber behind the trigger. The benefit of this arrangement is a rifle that is much shorter overall than a standard rifle but retains the same length of barrel, allowing similar or better ballistics than the standard rifle designs, and much better carrying balance and handling. This is not without drawbacks. The bullpup design usually has a horrible trigger pull and it places the chamber right beneath the shooter cheek, which causes some consternation among many. For this and other reasons, not the least of which is that these guns really do look kind of funny, the bullpup has really not gained a great following with the gun-owning American public. Following this rather mini-trend, several of the new inclusions in this revision are of the bullpup pattern.

Although it may be noted in the individual texts, there are some firearms, notably the AR-15 and 1911, that have been copied so much its impossible to list all their manufacturers or incarnations in which they have appeared. It can be taken for granted that if it looks convincingly like one of those guns, it probably is (or 90% is) that gun, and the take down steps will mostly apply.

To some degree a magazine is a magazine is a magazine. The vast majority of magazines are constructed in the very same fashion and so there are only a few magazines specifically addressed with their parent firearms.

Pay attention to the Tools section found a few pages in. It cannot be overstressed that the appropriate tools be used, not just any old thing lying around. I highly advise using a digital camera to take photos (or multiple photos) of each step of your disassembly. It is very difficult for an author to take as many photos as he would like of each of these steps. There simply isnt enough space in the allotted pages to fit that many pictures. So it is recommended that when the reader of this manual goes about the process of disassembling one of the guns in this book, that he or she take multiple pictures at each step along the way. There is no downside to this and there could be a very tangible upside.

Before you start playing around the guts of a gun, ensure that the thing is completely unloaded. This obligatory warning has been omitted from each entry to avoid having to write it out forty times. Triple check the gun, especially the chamber, and that the magazine is not present in the gun and is itself empty of cartridges.

At the time of this writing, there is a full court press on politically to restrict gun ownership rights in the USA. A timely confluence of events (from their perspective) has convinced the power grabbers that this is a good time to go for broke. So far, they have met with some success. Most of the illogic and intolerant vitriol is directed at the types of firearms included in this disassembly manual, and at those who own them. It is imperative that anyone who reads or uses this manual understand that, when it relates to gun control, a gun is every gun. An AR is the same as a Citori, is the same as a Winchester 94, is the same as a S&W Model 60, is the same as a 1911, is the same as a Glock, is the same as a Mauser, is the same as great-great granddaddys black powder rifle. There are those want them all, and the gun owners of this country had better unify and steadfastly and completely resist further useless gun laws or there will be nothing left when they eventually come for the single shot .22s; and if you think the state is pushing their way into your life now, just wait until then, when there is no final means of resistance remaining.

Okay, enough preaching. Use this manual to good effect. I certainly enjoy taking things apart and fiddling with them enough to keep doing these manuals. Dont lose any springs and dont point the gun at your own head.

Kevin Muramatsu,

In the garage shop (lacking caffeine)

WBT, MN

Countless firearms, old and new, bear the marks, burrs and gouges that are the result of using the wrong tools for taking them apart. In the interest of preventing this sort of thing, I am including here a group of tools that are the best types for the disassembly of shotguns. Except for the few shop-made tools for special purposes, all of those shown here are available from one of these sources.

Brownells Inc.
Route 2, Box 1,
200 S. Front St.
Montezuma, Iowa 50171

B-Square Company
P.O. Box 11281
Fort Worth, Texas 761092

Screwdrivers: Always be sure the blade of the screwdriver exactly fits the slot in the screw head, both in thickness and in width. If you dont have one that fits, grind or file the tip until it does. You may ruin a few screwdrivers, but better them than the screws on a fine shotgun.

Slave pins: There are several references in this book to slave pins, and some non-gunsmith readers may not be familiar with the term. A slave pin is simply a short length of rod stock (in some cases, a section of a nail will do) which is used to keep two parts, or a part and a spring, together during reassembly. The slave pin must be slightly smaller in diameter than the hole in the part, so it will push out easily as the original pin is driven in to retain the part. When making a slave pin, its length should be slightly less than the width of the part in which it is being used, and the ends of the pin should be rounded or beveled.

Sights: Nearly all dovetail-mounted sights are drifted out toward the right, using a nylon, aluminum, or brass drift punch.