Negligent discharge into the berm - lessons learned - Page 2

pax · November 8, 2015, 03:33 PM

Quote:

If you are around guns long enough, and are xxx a human being who is not perfect xxx you will have a UD

FTFY.

Negligence and recklessness are beyond the pale. Building poor habits (such as the habit of saying to oneself, "Well, it's not loaded, so I can ___") leads directly to negligent and sometimes to reckless behavior.

But even with that in mind:

Nobody is immune to the occasional brain fade.

pax

Road_Clam · November 8, 2015, 05:30 PM

I too have experienced a "unintentional discharge". One range trip I forgot my AR-15 mags. Rather than drive 45 min back home I decided to single load rounds into the chamber. This is a bit tricky on an AR with no mags in place. I fired several shots and then in one instance while I was thumbing the bolt release it induced what I think was a slam fire. My finger was not on the trigger and I also know the safety was not on. I didn't think this occurrence was possible with the AR by design but it did happen. The fired round went into the dirt about 100 ft in front of the line. That was my wake up call. I now have a hard wired motor skill for safety on / safety off after each shot (or shot bursts). It's just not worth the risk from being safety switch lazy. And if you have an AR, don't single load rounds into the chamber and let the bolt slam against the round...

Sevens · November 8, 2015, 06:09 PM

Quote:

I didn't think this occurrence was possible with the AR by design but it did happen.

I have not ever personally handled & identified a firearm design that is more likely to slamfire than the traditional Stoner-designed AR.

What happened to you is not only possible, it's maybe the "best" way to attempt to induce a slamfire.

And the next time you are at the range, stop in the middle of a magazine and eject the loaded round and inspect that round and you will most likely see evidence that the firing pin has already touched the primer.

It is designed to do so. And the rounds being dragged from the magazine is also part of the "design", or at least... we have come to "accept" it. Myself, I have NEVER been in favor of this nutbar arrangement, but I will admit right now that I have just one EBR and not only is it enough for my lifetime, it comes close to being MORE than enough. (i.e., I am not a fan, generally speaking)

dakota.potts · November 9, 2015, 05:57 PM

John Williamson,
I don't know 100% that the bullet hit the berm. However, the berm is *very* generous (at least 15 feet tall and surrounds everything within a 180 degree angle). I had rotated my wrist to turn the gun 90 degrees (think gangster style, but with both hands) and might have had the muzzle aimed slightly left. It may have hit left of target, but I'm pretty confident that it did indeed hit the berm. I would had to have had it pointed far upwards to escape it. Obviously I was focused on the gun when it went off.

MrBorland · November 10, 2015, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakota.potts

In the middle of one magazine, I hit a point where it felt like the trigger should be breaking and it wasn't despite putting more pressure on the trigger. I broke my firing stance slightly and turned the gun sideways to look at the ejection port and see if the previous round had jammed or if the gun had not returned fully to battery. I'd turned the gun fully to the side and looked at it for only about a second when it fired.

I had an <insert favorite here> discharge exactly like that. In my case, I admit it was "negligent" because I still had my finger on the trigger when the gun fired. It was dumb, and though I'm a safety nut, I flaked out for a just a nanosecond and the result was an ND. As others mentioned, the 4 rules are intentionally redundant, and as I was still pointing to the berm, no harm was done (I did immediately put the gun down, cleared my head and processed what just happened before continuing).

My point is, whether someone's never had an "X" discharge themselves is immaterial - even good & experienced shooters are susceptible, whether by their own negligence or not. I know a nationally ranked shooter who got DQ'd at a national championship for an ND. As Pax offered, no one is immune from brain fade.

November 8, 2015, 05:30 PM	#27
Road_Clam Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2013 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 1,695	I too have experienced a "unintentional discharge". One range trip I forgot my AR-15 mags. Rather than drive 45 min back home I decided to single load rounds into the chamber. This is a bit tricky on an AR with no mags in place. I fired several shots and then in one instance while I was thumbing the bolt release it induced what I think was a slam fire. My finger was not on the trigger and I also know the safety was not on. I didn't think this occurrence was possible with the AR by design but it did happen. The fired round went into the dirt about 100 ft in front of the line. That was my wake up call. I now have a hard wired motor skill for safety on / safety off after each shot (or shot bursts). It's just not worth the risk from being safety switch lazy. And if you have an AR, don't single load rounds into the chamber and let the bolt slam against the round... __________________ "To be old an wise you must have been young and stupid"

November 9, 2015, 05:57 PM	#29
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	John Williamson, I don't know 100% that the bullet hit the berm. However, the berm is very generous (at least 15 feet tall and surrounds everything within a 180 degree angle). I had rotated my wrist to turn the gun 90 degrees (think gangster style, but with both hands) and might have had the muzzle aimed slightly left. It may have hit left of target, but I'm pretty confident that it did indeed hit the berm. I would had to have had it pointed far upwards to escape it. Obviously I was focused on the gun when it went off. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.