The Rohrbaugh Forum
Miscellaneous => The Water Cooler -- General Discussions => Topic started by: Michigunner on November 06, 2005, 10:54:47 AM
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Have any of you ever made a gun mistake?
I've wanted to tell this story, but only to the good friends on this kind message board.
A long, long time ago, I had a brand new Colt Government Model .45 Auto, as pretty as could be, shiny with wood grips.
It had never been fired that night when I went to the indoor pistol range.
I stepped to the firing line as proud as could be. Every person was watching the debut of a brand new member.
I took careful aim and slowly squeezed the trigger.
The bullet blew out the large floodlamp sitting on the floor illuminating the target.
The dominant person rushed forward and announced they would be installing a cow bell, so they would always know my whereabouts.
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:D I know about what you felt like.... :-[
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True confessions? Most embarassing moments? OK.
Once upon a time long ago and far away as a callow youth trying to impress my uncles, I stepped up to the firing line to demonstrate my marksmanship with a revolver chambered for .32 S&W Long. The only problem was that I had carelessly loaded it with .32 Long Colts. The results were "interesting." The uncles were impressed alright . . . but not in the way I had hoped.
It took me a couple of years to regain any degree of credibility in their eyes.
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As long as it's show and tell time I blew the grip off of a
Browning High Power because I used some hot reloads
on a CCW qualification shoot. The instructor was quite
upset and thought I should be embarassed but I wasn't;
just a little shaken up. After he calmed down I asked him
if I could finish the course with a Gold Cup and factory
ammo I had in my trunk. Reluctantly, and fortunately for
me he agreed to my request.
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I have a few minor embarrassing moments while handling or shooting guns that I can share. Nothing really bad, but still embarrassing. About 20 years ago while I was looking at a Berretta Tomcat I had an embarrassing moment. I had asked the young lady working behind the gun counter at a local Swallens Department Store to look at a Berretta Tomcat pistol. She was quite attractive and I wanted to impress her with my gun expertise. She handed me the gun which had a bright red plastic piece in the chamber to show it was not loaded. When I had the gun I pushed the lever on the left side above the trigger. The tip up barrel flew open flinging the red plastic piece across the counter and under the display case behind the counter. Needless to say the sales lady gave me a very disgusted look as she had to crawl on the floor to retrieve the piece from under the case. I sheepishly said thank you and “slunk” away. :o :-[
Ed
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Edman,
Count your blessings if that is your worst gun incident.
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Speaking of embarassing moments and Berettas . . . many years ago -- and between marriages -- I was at the range with a young lady (whose name I no longer recall). I used the occasion to test a new Beretta Model-950B Jetfire .25ACP which I had purchased (also for reasons I no longer recall). I do recall, however, feeling smug from seeing the bullet hit center mass of the target on the first shot. And then I also recall the unexpected sensation of having the hot brass casing, having been thrown up from the tip-up barrel, fall down the front of my shirt which (for reasons I no longer recall) I had left conspiculously unbuttoned.
(I do recall that it is difficult to keep your dignity and impress a lady with a hot brass casing bouncing around inside the front of your shirt.) :o
More than that, I do not recall.
8)
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Tracker & Richard,
Yes I am fortunate that after about 40 years of handling guns that I have not had any bad or dangerous incidents. I can partially attribute this to a more serious, potentially tragic, incident that happened to my father. I was about 10 years old and my family lived in a housing project (the Charles Projects) on the east side of Detroit. My father who was a gun lover was practicing his quick draw with his loaded S&W 4” barreled .357 magnum. I was standing off to the side of the mirror that my father was in front of. Suddenly there was a tremendously load BOOM! A hole appeared in the wall next to the mirror throwing bits of plaster on me. I was only about 3 feet away from were the bullet hit and I just about wet my pants. I’m glad my father was using .38spl 158gr RNJ ammo and that the Housing project walls are made so well. The bullet ended up in the closet behind the mirror. He was very fortunate that the bullet did not go through the wall into the unit next door and kill someone. After this Bad gun mistake my father got very serious about gun safety, and he started teaching me gun safety. If he ever saw me do someting unsafe with a gun (which wasn't too often) he would correct me. Sometimes with a good smack (that was before 241-KIDS).
They say you learn best under stress. I think that’s true. I learned and have always followed some very good lessons I learned by that incident 47 years ago.
1) Never handle a firearm while drunk. My father (god rest his soul) was an alcoholic.
2) Never point a gun at anything that you don’t want to be shot (or as they say now destroy).
3) When dry fire practicing always check the chamber just before you pull the trigger.
4) When drawing a weapon always keep your trigger finger straight and away from the trigger until you are on target.
5) Always stay BEHIND anyone firing a gun.
Most importantly I learned to respect all types of firearms, even BB and pellet guns.
Ed
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Ed:
God bless your father -- and my uncles . . . and Amen!
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By the way I started training my son and daughter in safe gun handling from the time they where about 5 years old. They never had a Bad Gun Incident, and hopefully my daughter never will. My son is no longer with us. He went to the big gun store in the sky after a motor cycle accident. He loved firearms as much as I do. I gave him a Glock 23 for his 21st birthday. :'(
Ed
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Hi Richard,
Funny story. I guess the hot shell casing down the front of your shirt is better than have it go down the front of the young ladies blouse. I needed some humor after typing my last post. Thanks for sharing ;D
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I have always tried to maintain absolute gun safety - more and more so if anything in later years.
Two episodes which should not have happened (I'll ignore a discharge into ground while at low ready in a compo - that was of course premature finger on trigger but - zero danger there - just egg on face.).
Back in army cadet days late teens - had a range .22 rifle to be cleaned.... old ''Morris tube'' conversion deal. Decided to load a round and close bolt on it, with trigger released!! - with gun pointing up. Round discharged - passing thru ceiling and making somewhere (never found it) a hole in roof <cough>! Stupid thing to do, of course!
Second was four years ago - put two 20G shells in Mossy 500C to go deal with a snake. Outed said snake with one shot. carried shottie back into house and down basement stairs - racked it and released trigger - oops - boom! Lack of visual confirmation of empty chamber had allowed forgotten other round in mag to be chambered. Shot sprayed the stairs and floor.
Both incidents however - tho in a sense inexcusable were rendered other than dangerous because of what I regard as the ultimate saviour of safety rules - ''do NOT point a firearm at anything you do not wish to destroy''. Anytime even that I use a decocker I ''expect'' a bang and make dead sure any discharge could only make a safe hole.
That rule #2 is I think the one that could always save lives - sure I regard any and every gun as loaded regardless - and finger off trigger until ready to shoot - also important but - if a gun does discharge and is pointed safe then no harm no foul - at least no injuries or lives lost. It is the major ''catch-all'' IMO.
Rule #4 tho is good to almost include with rule #2 - because to know what is beyond - even a ''target'' we regard as safe - which may be a part of a floor - we need to know what is beyond if that floor is above people etc.
I have decided that it is worth having a ''safe corner'' in any gun room - comprising a small pile of sandbags - into which one points a gun when releasing trigger - in case! This can be used for dry fire drills too.
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Thanks for sharing Chris. You're right. One of the most important rules is to never point the gun at any thing you don't want destroyed. I have I stack of phone books against a concrete wall I point at when working with a weapon, like chambering rounds, dry firing, etc.
Ed
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I did a N.D. inside my car! Wanted to unload my gun & I was in a hurry. (Mistake 1) Racked the slide of my Glock 22, ejected a round, dropped the mag, and pulled the trigger. (Mistake 2! Should have dropped the mag then racked the slide - like I've done 10,000 times without incident.)
Two interesting things resulted.
1.The bullet, a Black Talon, shattered the radio. It kept on playing, like the car in that Stephen King movie, "Christine".
2. To this day, I don't remember hearing the report. But I'm sure it was loud. ???
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R9SCarry:
That sandbag idea is a good one. At the suggestion of another forum, I dumped 50 lbs. of sand ($1.49 @ Home Depot) into one of those 5 gallon plastic pails. ($3.00 @ Home Depot or 50 cents at the restaurant - and you get to smell pickles for the next two years.)
The pail sits near my workbench. I go down there every time I want to clear a weapon.
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Re. rule no. 3 when I was 12 yrs. old and growing up in
rural east Texas: I had a single shot 410 that I shot on
a daily basis. My grandmother had a new '49 Pontiac and
was going to pick up my uncle at work [ a roughneck wholater became a cardiologist ]. I was in the back seat waiting for her when I decided to check the trigger pull. The result
was disastrous: all the windows were rolled up and the head
liner was destroyed with a small hole through the metal
showing daylight; My grandmother was far more interested in
her new car than she was my safety; I lost the use of the
.410 for awhile; The insurance man said he had never seen
anything like it.
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One more: I was 5 years old with a BB gun in Gainesville
Tx. and my mother was reading a newspaper. I asked her
if I could shoot the paper. She said "unn-huh" so I pulled the
trigger, shooting not only the newspaper but also her
abdomen--end of BB gun. Fortunately, I have become more
acutely aware of the aforementioned gun handling rules.
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[size=13] you get to smell pickles for the next two years[/size]
Steve - ROFLMAO ;D ;D
I am glad (in a sense) that we are all able to admit fallibility - they do say the guy who claims to have never had an ND - is actually a prime candidate!
I think we all need one safe one to reinforce the safety rules we know but - need to better employ.
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In my late teens I many times went into the woods with a 22 pistol or rifle. Pulling my 22 ruger out of my army surplus shoulder holster the holster top secure strap got caught on the trigger and fired the gun - why and how the safety wasn't on I don't know. The bullet hit my large western style metal belt buckel and deflected into the ground. Besides having the air knocked out of me I learned a big lesson.
Several years ago my younger brother, a handgun competion expert, pulled his carry glock out of his belt holster and, how we have no idea, it fired. He thought the shot missed him and was looking around the garage for a impact point. Then he noticed a spot of blood on his shirt front. The 9mm JHP hit his metal cross pen in his shirt pocket causing the bullet to delflect enough to miss his heart. It went through his chest and out the back leaving a quarter size exit hole. He didn't know all the details yet. Walked into the house and told his son to call 911 that he thinks he may have shot himself. It wasn't until he was on life flight to the hospital that he started to feel the pain.
In case you don't know they don't sew you up. The wound is packed and slowly heals. He still carrys daily and shoots all the time. He like my R9.
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sslater,
I know what you mean about the pickle bucket smell. When my daughter was working at a Subway as a "Sandwich Artist" she brought a green 5 gallon bucket home. I put some ice & snow melt crystals in it. Two years later I was spreading the ice melt and it still smelled like dill pickles.
Good idea about the sand in the bucket though. I may try it.
Ed
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That's a fine idea about a pail full of sand.
Of course, I can imagine my wife's response to: "Oh, that's just in case the gun goes off".
There would be fur flying all over the place.
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I am happy to say nothing too serious yet, but I am a bit paranoid about safety.
Closest thing to an incident was when I was 16. I used my Dad's Dan Wesson Pistol Pack in .357 Mag for shooting with my Police Explorer Pistol Team. At practice one day, we were shooting plate racks against others on the team for fun.
This DW had a habit (because of the barrel that could be unscrewed) of binding up at times when the barrel would back out and scrape on the cylinder face if I wasn't meticulous about checking the gap. In the midst of clearing the rack, the gun stopped. I pulled it down quickly, to open the cylinder and give it a half a round rotation and put it back in service (which usually worked). As I brought the gun down and reached for the cylinder latch with my weak hand, the gun fired into the ground a halfway between me and the rack, and the blast from the barrel cylinder gap burned my hand a bit. Apparently I was still maintaining pressure on the trigger and it overcome the force binding it up. Rookie mistake -- should have taken my finger off the trigger before bringing the gun down. The good news is -- I was still pointed in a safe direction.
All in all, I was not hurt -- but it scared the hell out of me. My coach about had a heart attack. I lost the plate competition...
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About ten years ago, new to handguns I thought I could put the hammer down on a 1911 with a loaded chamber like you do with a revolver. Result was the gun went off and I ruined a nice coffee table book. I had that adrenaline sinking feeling and my heart was beating so loud I bet it could have been heard from the other side of the house. I quickly unloaded and locked away said 1911. Luckily I made sure that the gun was pointed in a safe direction, unlucky for the book. Bullet went in about 1/2" before turning and creating a furrow through the cover and pages and finally coming to rest in my wall. After locking up the gun I made sure it hadn't penetrated the wall. Even if it had gone all the way through the wall I was living on a farm at the time with about 70 acres behind me and nothing but trees and fields for miles in that direction. Still the "what ifs" plague me to this day.
A scary and formidable reinforcement that guns are not toys and should be treated with the utmost respect. That incident goes through my mind everytime I rack a slide to load the chamber, pull the trigger on my glock to break it down, dry fire, etc.
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My buddy wanted to try the trigger pull on my 340 PD, which I was carrying at the time, so I unloaded it, put in snap caps, handed it to him and he squeezed the trigger a few times. When he was done, he handed it back to me, and I took out the snap caps and reloaded it with my carry ammo. He watched me do it.
Then my wife called me, so I set the .357 on my work bench and went to talk to her. A few seconds later, there was a loud "bang" from the garage, and I ran in to find my buddy white as a sheet, staring at a little hole in my wall. He kept apologizing and saying it was his fault, but I take full responsibility... absolutely STUPID to leave a loaded gun on a bench and walk away. But we certainly both learned a lesson from it, and both he and I have been fanatical about safety since then.
In a perfect world, mistakes wouldn't happen, but it obviously isn't perfect. The next best thing is for us to learn from our mistakes and, better still, learn from others' mistakes. This thread is hopefully going to accomplish something positive in that regard.
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I was out on a police dept., demo with H&K MP5's and H&K MP5SD's. After all the officers shot up all the ammo and they did some enteries and etc., we packed up the guns and went back to the PD to fill out an order.
When I got back home later, I was unpacking the sub machineguns and putting them in the safe, I opened each gun to check them when one of the H&K MP5SD, suppressed guns went off.
I had the gun pointed towards an outside wall by the upright piano. Kathleen and her daughter both yelled out are you OK?
Two good things happened, I had the gun pointed in a safe direction and the gun was supressed.
We looked for years trying to find the bullet hole in the wall. The wall was covered with fabric. One day Kathleen was cleaning and dusting the piano when she found the bullet hole just under the top cover in the upright area of the piano. The bullet just slipped under the top and splashed on the sound board.
The piano still has a nice and full sound.
I hope never again.
Tom
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General rule: They are all loaded.
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My - what an honest bunch we are!! I guess in part that is the result of maturity and ability to ''own up'' :)
Dave - that case with your younger brother. I am struggling to see how his discharge got anywhere near his chest!!! It would have meant he was totally forgetting rule #2 and - why that direction anyways?
Glad I am tho he survived!
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Dave I'm glad your brother survived the incident.
Chris good question about shooting ones self in the chest when drawing from a belt holster. Could the FMJ round have ricocheted off the concrete or a piece of metal??