Springfield 'manuals' vs. the "Armory" publication print quality ?

[last2brake]

I've bought a Hellcat and a Saint from Springfield recently. I'm happy with both of them.

I was turned off by the lack of a manual when I bought the Hellcat. It is online. They were very helpful when I asked for a hardcopy printed from a copy machine.

Same thing when I bought the AR. Very nice guy quickly sent me a hardcopy.

But the parts diagrams are pretty useless and some of the text is missing. But I get it. Or I thought I did.

But today I got "The Armory Life" magazine in the mail. The print quality is GREAT. Everything the owners manuals SHOULD be.

I was pissed.

WHY can they splurge on a magazine that I did NOT spend hundreds of dollars on, but skimp on the manuals I actually need ?

I can read the manuals for my Glocks, and I can actually use them.

It's not a good look for Springfield. It's kinda BS

I'll be checking the manuals for the next guns I buy. I wonder if I'll ever even get to notice what's in the Springfield box, since I'll probably be looking at other firearms first.

I hope someone at Springfield reads this.

Rant over

 

[ddeuce22]

No one from Springfield is going to read this, and frankly no one cares. While you drive home a hilarious point about them spending money on a print magazine but not bothering to leave a paper manual, it's every manufactuer at this point. Sig does it too along with many others, and they all will follow suit. One less item to manage, one more cost to remove. Save it in a PDF on your phone or computer like any normal person does these days.

If you need a hard copy that bad, just print it out. Your gripe is outdated, out of touch, and quite frankly you sound ridiculous being THIS upset over it. By all means go buy from another manufacturer and then post on their forum when they give you a QR code to scan for your User Manual.

 

[last2brake]

No one from Springfield is going to read this, and frankly no one cares. While you drive home a hilarious point about them spending money on a print magazine but not bothering to leave a paper manual, it's every manufactuer at this point. Sig does it too along with many others, and they all will follow suit. One less item to manage, one more cost to remove. Save it in a PDF on your phone or computer like any normal person does these days.

If you need a hard copy that bad, just print it out. Your gripe is outdated, out of touch, and quite frankly you sound ridiculous being THIS upset over it. By all means go buy from another manufactuer and then post on their forum when they give you a QR code to scan for your User Manual.

Good to know.

I'd saved it on the computer AND BOTH my phones.

I WAS trying to use it from my phone yesterday. Holding a rifle, reading the text on my phone, while panning from one part of the image to the other was WHAT I WAS DOING.

Holding the firing pin while trying to twist the "keeper" ? (I admit I didn't try to go to the exploded parts diagram and zooming in on the parts list to see what it's called) is what MOTIVATED this rant.
I did EVERYTHING you've said would work, And since it didn't work, I guess we're both out of touch.

Maybe it's my fault for wearing glasses. I worked for Hewlett-Packard for twenty years. I am definitely not technology-adverse.

Like you allege, all manufacturers are doing this cost-cutting nod to technology. Like I said in the OP-I GET that part...

But if ALL manufacturers are supposedly doing it, why is the included manuals for my Glocks actually usable when I had to get pissed off when trying to use Springfield's ?

But your point is well taken. It's all my fault. But only when I buy a Springfield. I don't have that problem with my Glocks.

Maybe it's because I tried to buy American. I WANT to buy American.

Have you bought a Glock lately ?

But, yeah, your point is taken. I wish it worked.

 

[ddeuce22]

I don't buy Glocks. For so many reasons. They cost cut enough, i'm sure they will follow suit soon enough if they haven't already.

 

[last2brake]

What I was trying to use from the hardcopy Springfield sent me: Can you even read the Figure numbers, let alone tell where the parts separate. ?

Included part diagrams from the cheap little $300 novelty gun from North American Arms, along with the part diagram from Mossberg. The hardcopies both came after I bought the Hellcat and before i bought the shotgun
:

My phone still has the oil from the AR on the screen from trying to manipulate the phone, paper diagram, the rifle, while trying to hold the firing pin. And the tool that I had to use from the gun's oil.

Sorry. Minor rant. Thank you for your time. Printing these pictures after getting the guns out of the safe and taking the pictures took less time than putting the firing pin back into the AR. It'll be faster now that I have a picture in my mind. I certainly couldn't use what I got from Springfield.

It may seem like a minor thing to you, but I was actually trying to do it instead of just reading a rant on the forum

 

[Belt Fed]

Manuals? We don't need no stinking manuals. ok that diaghram is crappy but can take one apart blindfolded so i don't need one. yes i understand there are ones that never took one apart. i do hate it when the company don't include a manual but several have gone to that. and Glock needs new boxes. not a one size fits all. but glock innovation is kinda slow. lol

 

[Annihilator]

I don't buy Glocks. For so many reasons. They cost cut enough, i'm sure they will follow suit soon enough if they haven't already.

Well, all Glocks use/ have the same owners manual, so they did it right

 

[Annihilator]

Manuals? We don't need no stinking manuals. ok that diaghram is crappy but can take one apart blindfolded so i don't need one. yes i understand there are ones that never took one apart. i do hate it when the company don't include a manual but several have gone to that. and Glock needs new boxes. not a one size fits all. but glock innovation is kinda slow. lol

 

[ddeuce22]

Manuals? We don't need no stinking manuals. ok that diaghram is crappy but can take one apart blindfolded so i don't need one. yes i understand there are ones that never took one apart. i do hate it when the company don't include a manual but several have gone to that. and Glock needs new boxes. not a one size fits all. but glock innovation is kinda slow. lol

Glock and innovation in the same sentence in the last three decades is absolutely hilarious.

 

[Annihilator]

Glock and innovation in the same sentence in the last three decades is absolutely hilarious.

Why improve on perfection!!!!

 

[last2brake]

Manuals? We don't need no stinking manuals. ok that diaghram is crappy but can take one apart blindfolded so i don't need one. yes i understand there are ones that never took one apart. i do hate it when the company don't include a manual but several have gone to that. and Glock needs new boxes. not a one size fits all. but glock innovation is kinda slow. lol

I agree with everything you said. The reason I was taking it apart is so I CAN do it (without pictures) when I'm out shooting. I probably shouldn't have done it after riding an hour or so to sit in an Infusion Clinic for hours (and this round even made me nauseous), so I'll admit I was cranky. I guess I still am.

I was actually OK with the cheap paper prints until I actually tried to use them. I'd rather get oil all over cheap paper than a phone screen and a computer mouse.

I spent alot of time whining about how cheap the documentation looked. I guess I still am. I just hate to settle for mediocrity when I would have happily paid an extra dollar or so for higher quality.

 

[KillerFord1977]

Well, all Glocks use/ have the same owners manual, so they did it right

Yeah, the musket from 1864 with a glock logo.
Both are equally complex and of equal quality

 

[KillerFord1977]

I've bought a Hellcat and a Saint from Springfield recently. I'm happy with both of them.

I was turned off by the lack of a manual when I bought the Hellcat. It is online. They were very helpful when I asked for a hardcopy printed from a copy machine.

Same thing when I bought the AR. Very nice guy quickly sent me a hardcopy.

But the parts diagrams are pretty useless and some of the text is missing. But I get it. Or I thought I did.

But today I got "The Armory Life" magazine in the mail. The print quality is GREAT. Everything the owners manuals SHOULD be.

I was pissed.

WHY can they splurge on a magazine that I did NOT spend hundreds of dollars on, but skimp on the manuals I actually need ?

I can read the manuals for my Glocks, and I can actually use them.

It's not a good look for Springfield. It's kinda BS

I'll be checking the manuals for the next guns I buy. I wonder if I'll ever even get to notice what's in the Springfield box, since I'll probably be looking at other firearms first.

I hope someone at Springfield reads this.

Rant over

You can find 26 youtube videos on ANY GUN online and manuals of quality.
Simple as that

 

[shanneba]

This may be helpful for your Saint-

How To Disassemble and Clean Your SAINT AR-15 - The Armory Life

Your SAINT should offer you years of faithful service if you follow this detailed guide on proper maintenance and care.

www.thearmorylife.com

Other options from the link above-

• How To Disassemble and Clean Your Hellcat
• How To Disassemble and Clean Your 1911
• How To Disassemble and Clean Your M1A
• How To Disassemble and Clean Your XD-M

 

[xdman]

The reason that they are now online, and other companies are also going online only, is because things get updated from time to time as new versions are included. Plus online the pictures are bigger AND the biggest bonus is that they can include multimedia like the Springfield Armory Workbench video that teaches you how to do exactly what you were looking for, you should really watch the videos that are in the online manual for the SAINT, Steve Horseman will teach you better than you could learn from reading paper on your own. The online goes above and beyond give it a shot. They even include the schematics that you can right click and open in a new page to zoom in.

 

[Mr.W.]

No one from Springfield is going to read this, and frankly no one cares

Something else no one cares for? Your condescension. . .

 

[bc22wm]

I'm with last2brake on this. Then I don't have a phone, tablet or laptop stuck up my backside 24/7. Actually, I don't have a cell phone, The Mrs. carries one and more often than not that's one too many. One has to be careful of what you do online, or you will end up with a Fingerhut, Mason shoe, LL bean, (thank God Amazon don't do catalogs Imagin how often you would get one of those damn things) catalog in your mailbox every other day. Not only is it more thing to throw away, that you didn't want or ask for, but they send it to you for NOTHING. Yet, I spend several hundred dollars on a gun, and they can't put in a decent manual? COWPIES! Yet another example of firearms corporations being run by golf playing businessmen and not gun cranks.

 

[Jfal]

Count me in last2brake's camp. Greased up my iPhone pretty good trying to assemble a pellet smoker from my phone during initial assembly last year. Keep in mind the CONSTANT zoom-in/zoom-out on your screen with greased-up fingers.

 

[belladonna]

I’m all for saving a few bucks but nothing really takes the place of a hard copy manual that you can put your own greasy paw prints and notes on. JMHO

 

[NMEDGE]

I also would like a manual with a new firearm. But lets face it the younger generation doesn't read from print anymore, it's all on a phone. If i want one that bad I would just print it out.