Page 19 - FAT 105 4.17 MOODLE

How to Get the Most

From Your Lessons

The lessons you receive in the Sonoran Desert
Institute Firearms courses are designed to give
you the complete background information you
need to become a professional gunsmith. Here
are several things you can do to help you under-
stand and remember the lesson material.
GETTING PRACTICAL
EXPERIENCE

Reading the lessons alone will not make you
an expert gunsmith, just as dental books alone Figure 5: Disassembly steps of a 1911.
cannot make a student into a dentist. You need
practice in handling guns. You must also be-
come familiar with the various tools used in
gunsmithing. We will help you get this practice.
assembly and troubleshooting techniques to re-
Apply the knowledge you gain through study-
pair the firearm. Be sure you know where and
ing a lesson as quickly and as often as possible.
how to locate these publications.
Study and work with the tools and instruments
provided with the course. You may be able to KEEPING A NOTEBOOK
get practical experience by working part-time
in a local gunsmithing shop. If you are already Keeping a notebook will be of great value to
performing gun repairs, then this course will you. Get a loose-leaf notebook so you can insert
broaden your knowledge. It will prepare you or remove pages. Write down any interesting
for greater responsibilities, such as starting your procedures you run across in your shop work,
own gunsmithing business. or in reading the various shooting publica-
DISASSEMBLY tions. Monthly and quarterly periodicals such
INSTRUCTIONS as Gun Digest, American Rifleman, American
Gunsmith, Guns & Ammo, Rifle, Shooting Times,
Guns and others often have helpful gunsmith-
Gun manuals are of high importance to the
ing articles. Save these articles and place them
practicing gunsmith. These manuals usually
in your notebook. As you do this, you will find
have an exploded view of each currently man-
that your notebook will become an increasingly
ufactured firearm, a list of parts, disassembly
valuable source of information you can refer to.
instructions, special tools for each model, and
Some students keep a page for each model of
sometimes a troubleshooting chart. These pub-
gun that they service. They list the complaint,
lications are designed to help gunsmiths with
cause, and correction for each problem. Then
factory warranty jobs. Studying these publica-
they list the parts used to repair the gun. When
tions will be very helpful. Someday you might
the time comes to begin stocking fast-moving
get stuck while doing a job, and the service
parts, these pages tell you what parts you will
manuals will probably contain the information
need, and how often they will be needed.
you need to perform the proper disassembly/

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