Question about PROVEing a rifle

MarcusB146

MarcusB146

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Is there ever a case that you should not look down the bore, effectively pointing the gun at yourself, to visually inspect it?

I figure the answer is that you must always look down the bore but I just wanted some clarification.

I watched a few videos of people with ruger 10/22's proving that his gun was safe (before they ultimately do something more interesting with the gun).

They removed the mag, cycled the action and viewed the chamber/feeding path but never looked down the muzzle end of the bore to check for obstructions with a light or something else.

That's how it is said to be done in the Ruger 10/22 manual as well.

During my CFC/CRFC, we always looked down the muzzle end, except for the break action shottys.

So... I should always look down the muzzle end off the bore right?
 
ARE YOU f**kING MENTAL?!

Jesus... you can "examine the bore" without pointing the gun at your own face! Who the hell taught you that? Is that what passes for 'responsible firearms handling' nowadays?

I can think of VERY few cases where I'd want to look from the muzzle end of a firearm... mainly if cleaning out debris after, say, slipping and falling into mud/snow/dirt and having the muzzle make contact with the foreign material. Other than that, you can usually inspect the bore from the breech end. I hope that's not what the instructors are teaching nowadays... "here, once your safety checks are ALMOST complete, point the gun at your head and stick your eye riiiiiiight up to the bore..."

-M
 
Doc M said:
ARE YOU f**kING MENTAL?!
Click to expand...

Chill.

Newbie question, posted in the Newbie FAQ. The whole reason I'm asking this here was not to get completely flamed and get a constructive answer.

In my cfc/crfc course we used a light stick/led flashlight to put light into the action and made sure the light was there via the muzzle end of the bore.

It seems a pretty weird to me too but that's why I'm the noob and asking the question here.
 
I hated that in the course. Seems like a bad way to prepetuate bad habits. A safe muzzle direction, as last I checked your face is not on the list of things you should be pointing a gun at. I did bring this up not in class but to a RSO who is a instructor of the firearms course, he said that you do so it as your last step of your ACTS and PROVEs. Thus you know there is no chance of the gun being loaded. I have done a course with him and made a point of feild stripping my pistol and examining the bore. That is about as far as I will go.
Saftey first
K
 
I have a small mirror that I can tilt to see down the barrel either from the muzzle or the chamber (with a light at the other end if need be). I find that best satisfies the requirement of PROVE without pointing a firearm at yourself. But its a commonly taught principle that if you do ACTS and PROV it is considered acceptable to do. Ultimately it comes down to what you feel comfortable doing.
 
I did this one time, and that was on my course, and ONLY because they told me I had to in order to pass the course. I can promise you that it will NEVER happed again. If I want to inspect the inside of my barrel I will disassemble the firearm and check it from the non-business end!
 
MarcusB146 said:
Chill.

Newbie question, posted in the Newbie FAQ. The whole reason I'm asking this here was not to get completely flamed and get a constructive answer.

In my cfc/crfc course we used a light stick/led flashlight to put light into the action and made sure the light was there via the muzzle end of the bore.

It seems a pretty weird to me too but that's why I'm the noob and asking the question here.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that wasn't directed at YOU per se... it was more a rhetorical "has the whole world gone insane" sort of thing.

If you've got something like a bore light stuck in the chamber, that's different - but for my money, I don't like sticking my nose to the muzzle unless I'm doing a nuts-n-bolts inspection.

I applaud your desire to seek out other opinions on the matter - and if your instructor says it's a "must do" to pass, then I suppose you have to do it. But I certainly don't look from the muzzle end on any kind of routine basis. I pull my bolts and look from the chamber, sure - and even on my semi's I can usually move my head around and catch the light.

My genuine apologies if you thought I was coming down on you personally - I really did mean it as an expression of exasperation at the practice being promoted on a routine basis. If there's no other option, sure - but for my money I prefer to avoid being on the 'business end' of my own weapons. :)

Cheers, and good luck.
-M
 
Doc M said:
Sorry, that wasn't directed at YOU per se... it was more a rhetorical "has the whole world gone insane" sort of thing.

If you've got something like a bore light stuck in the chamber, that's different - but for my money, I don't like sticking my nose to the muzzle unless I'm doing a nuts-n-bolts inspection.

I applaud your desire to seek out other opinions on the matter - and if your instructor says it's a "must do" to pass, then I suppose you have to do it. But I certainly don't look from the muzzle end on any kind of routine basis. I pull my bolts and look from the chamber, sure - and even on my semi's I can usually move my head around and catch the light.

My genuine apologies if you thought I was coming down on you personally - I really did mean it as an expression of exasperation at the practice being promoted on a routine basis. If there's no other option, sure - but for my money I prefer to avoid being on the 'business end' of my own weapons. :)

Cheers, and good luck.
-M
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No worries man. Maybe i took it too personal :p

It just seemed so weird that we'd be taught that in class and then not use it in the field. Just needed some clarification.

Thanks for your input!
 
E= EXAMINE THE BORE.

This is the last thing done when PROVEing a firearm safe.

Prior to this, "Remove the Amunition" "Observing the Chamber" and " Verifing the feed path"

So yes, you can look down the barrel, or use a cleaning rod!
 
Doc M said:
ARE YOU f**kING MENTAL?!

Jesus... you can "examine the bore" without pointing the gun at your own face! Who the hell taught you that? Is that what passes for 'responsible firearms handling' nowadays? -M
Click to expand...

It's the way it is taught and has been taught for many years, why is that such a problem for you Doc M? There is NO safety concern as it's the last step of the ACTS and PROVE. It's the easiest way to check for obstructions. If you want to pass the course, do it. If you don't want to blow your face off when hunting in the bush, do it, if you want to listen to "other people", well , that's your choice, your life.
 
They didn't teach the FAC course that way, 20 years ago. I upgraded recently and was *shocked* that they taught it, But seeing as its the last letter in ACTS PROVE, it makes sense. I don;t make it a practice to drop muzzle down, but catch some mud or snow and its a serious hazard. To the OP, this is a valid question, don't be afraid to ask it.
 
I thought the instructor was crazy when he told me to do that and I told him so. He laughed and said that almost everyone says the same thing. He showed me that what he recommends doing is holding the gun with the trigger pointing up, or, scope-side down. This way you can always see the trigger. When you look down the barrel, you'll have to tilt the gun to one side or the other so that light can get into the chamber and then you can see it down the barrel.
This is how I do a barrel inspection. It's awkward, but for me, it's safer.
Cheers!
Paul
 
Doc M said:
ARE YOU f**kING MENTAL?!
Click to expand...

When i took the course they actually told us to look down the bore to.

I'd do what they tell you on the test.

but after you have the license, I wouldn't look down the bore.

just cycling the action a few times, checking the mag and looking at the chamber thru the open action is enough.

but remember when your dealing with guns, perfect is good enough. no mistakes can afford be made.

I usually, after the gun is cleared, point it in a safe direction and pull the trigger. both to depress the firing pin and to make sure its unloaded
 
That's how I learned in our CFSC course I took in the fall, and also in my club level safety course I had in January.

The guy that tought the club course said not looking is far worse. E is the last step, you already made sure that the gun is not loaded. But not checking and having that off chance that something is obstructing the barrel is more dangerous than looking down the barrel of a gun that has never left your hands which you just made sure is not loaded.
 
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