Abstract: A surgical instrument for clamping, shearing, cutting or a variety of other tasks where the instrument is comprised of an elongated tube having a moveable jaw and a fixed jaw at a distal end and a pair of opposed, cooperating actuating handles at a proximal end for operating the moveable jaw by way of a pull and push rod. The moveable jaw is normally in the open position. Because at least one of the actuating handles is resiliently flexible and the actuating handles are normally bowed outward, squeezing them together produces relative proximal displacement of the pull and push rod. This proximal movement of the rod causes the moveable jaw to move proximally and to pivot about its connection to the fixed jaw resulting in the closure of the two jaws together Preferably, the surgical instrument has a removable end piece fitted in the proximal end of the elongated tube.