Guns are one of those tools that seem ready-made from the get-go.
We have all seen military, action, spy, or thriller movies, where one of the protagonists or maybe a background character is dismantling and cleaning a gun, before reassembling it.
Most of us casually accepted that this was something that has to happen – which, in all fairness, it does.
However, if you have to dismantle a gun to clean it, surely you would have had to know how to put it together in the first place, right?
And if you had to put it together, does that mean it came disassembled? This is the question on a lot of first time gun buyers’ lips.
It may seem like an odd question, but if in your entire life the only experience you had with guns was firing one, then it is pertinent.
Whether or not a gun can be shot right out of the box is also the reason for today’s article and a question we hope to answer.
Do Guns Come Assembled?
Any gun that comes from the manufacturer is normally completely disassembled, packed and shipped to consumers.
The consumer would put together the parts according to the instructions that are included with the gun. The only missing part would be the ammunition.
Many people may be confused by this, but it is a legal requirement under federal law, and it is just common sense.
Even if nothing happens to the bullets in transit, if someone were to steal the package then they would not only have a firearm that is legally in your name, but ammunition to potentially do nefarious things with.
This is the same reason that any package containing a firearm will never say that that package contains a firearm. It’s just common sense.
Once assembled, it would be ready to shoot. This is the case with most firearms bought from a manufacturer.
If you are buying from a store or from another person, the case may be different. The person or store may have assembled the gun for you with the exception of attachments, which would be included in the box, and the magazine.
The magazine is unloaded for two reasons. The first to prove there is no ammunition included in the box, and the second is in case there is any ammunition in the magazine.
It may seem odd, but if there was one bullet in the magazine that someone had missed, it could go off at any time until someone removed it.
Having a firearm go off randomly could only hurt or damage anything or anyone around it, but maybe even kill someone, so it makes sense.
Can You Shoot A Gun Right Out Of the Box?
Yes and No. While the components are all there, the gun is probably not assembled, and so you may need to put it together first. However, there are a lot of components that are a bit finicky, and it can take some time to put together.
Assuming that your gun is assembled, either as it came or because you put it together, then it is most safe to shoot once you have taken it out of the box.
However, as a point of safety and good sense, it is important that you inspect your gun first. From top to bottom.
Guns are not just hobbyist’s tools. They are weapons. Weapons that if improperly assembled or missing pieces can kill. Imagine, if you find your gun missing the safety to stop it firing.
You would be walking around with a weapon that can kill easily and at any moment could fire just strapped to your hip. If it does fire, the luckiest outcome is that you all get scared.
But it is much more likely that you will spend the rest of your days with less than 10 toes.
In this inspection, you may find that the manufacturer packed your gun with heavy grease on it or completely dry, like the driest it could be.
This is to prevent and protect the gun from any problems while shipping. Neither is ideal for firing a gun.
If you find your gun in this condition when you get it, you need to disassemble the gun if it is preassembled, inspect it, wipe away the heavy grease if it is there, and apply a light grease to the necessary parts, to keep it functioning perfectly.
Once you have concluded your inspection and are comfortable that it is working perfectly, then you can fire your gun.
Is It Difficult To Clean A Gun?
No, it is not difficult at all. In fact, it is very easy. All you have to do is take the gun apart and clean it. If you are unsure how to take the gun apart, there are instructions included when you buy the gun.
If it is a second hand gun from a licensed seller, then it is best to get the information from them, from a real gun store, or from the internet.
We will break this down into five parts: barrel, recoil spring, trigger, action, and frame. Each gun has a barrel, recoil spring, trigger, action, and frame.
Each part will be the same, or very similar. When you are taking apart a gun, make sure there are set areas for each piece.
While a lot of the pieces will be easy to identify, there are some smaller pieces which can get lost in the shuffle if you take your eye off them.
It would be best if you buy a gun cleaning kit, but if you can’t find one, then the general components of a cleaning kit are: cleaning solvent, lubricant, a bore brush, cleaning rod, a nylon cleaning brush, a flashlight, cotton swabs, patches, and a microfiber cloth.
With this kit and the manufacturer’s instructions on how to clean your gun, then it should be pretty simple to actually get to cleaning. Just remember to follow them to the letter.
Conclusion
So, the answer to can you shoot a gun straight out of the box is a yes and no, depending on how it was sent to you, and it is a yes if it was preassembled, but you shouldn’t until you’ve inspected it.
Manufacturers want to make it easy for you to use your gun, but they also have to follow federal laws and general common sense, before they can send you a gun.
