28 Dec 00

This from an instructor who has been working with the new H&K "Red Lion" shotgun in an attempt to develop a lesson plan for teaching its use in a defensive scenario:

"Got word today from the local H&K guy. Contrary to what I previously thought, the Red Lion shotgun DOES has a manually activated, bolt hold-open device. It is engaged by depressing the elevator, which causes the button on the LEFT side of the receiver to protrude slightly. Then, the bolt is moved smartly to the rear and will hold open fully retracted until the button is pressed back in. This procedure will, of course, allow the chamber to be emptied (or ammo swapped) as is normal for a semi-auto shotgun.

Too bad the Operator's Manual, which comes with the gun and which is so chock full of warnings and excoriations about accidentally shooting oneself that there is precious little said about actually operating the gun, provides NO HINT of this critical operating procedure!"

Lesson: When writing gun operations manuals, lawyers need to let genuine gunmen actually take a peek now and then!

/John

28 Dec 00

Follow up from another instructor:

"If it's any consolation, the same nonsense is the case with power tools, hair dryers and almost anything else one purchases for actual use. I just received a Panasonic cordless drill. The instruction manual has PAGES of precisely written warnings and cautions.

The actual instructions for use are cursory, confusing, poorly translated, and incomplete.

I would think that in the case of a deadly weapon, at least, they would be more attentive.

Alas!"

/John