Clear your weapon and stay focussed

Pahoo · March 22, 2019, 11:05 AM

This thread is Safety related and to some degree, training. there have been times when we all make mistakes and for me, one of these times is when I change my routine or get distracted. ……

Case in point;
I have a shotgun that serves home defense and slug gun during the Deer season. I kept it loaded and in my safe with the slug barrel mounted. My oldest Grandson borrows the barrel for his Deer season. This last season, I surprised him by just giving it him, to keep. Last week I bought a short home defense barrel to reinstall on the receiver. The barrel fit just fine and when I cycled the action a loaded shot-shell was chambered and ejected. What a surprised when I ejected three more shells. The shotgun had not been cleared when I removed the slug barrel, months ago. …….

1) I had the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, but I world have had to replace a window.
2) I kept my finger off the trigger.
3) My morning prayers must have been working.
4) My mind was not !!!

Clear your weapons, stay focused and;
Be Safe !!!

reteach · March 22, 2019, 11:35 AM

I'm fortunate that I have three good friends, each one an intelligent, competent, reliable person that I would trust in any circumstance, and each one of whom has shot his own furniture when handling a gun they were certain was unloaded. It's fortunate for me because every time I go to pick up a gun I think about those three friends. Their lapses stand out in my mind and I use them as an object lesson to prevent a lapse of my own. So far it has worked.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Pahoo. There can never be too many reminders about gun safety. Glad your window is intact.

Rachen · March 22, 2019, 04:12 PM

Thanks for the post Pahoo and I am glad that nothing serious happened.

These are essential lessons that MUST be drilled, all the time, into anybody handling firearms. Whenever I am teaching new shooters for their first time or going on an outing with buddies who are just as seasoned with guns as I am, I always make it a case to OBSERVE safe gun-handling at ALL TIMES. In the latter case, we all tend to reinforce these essential points with each other so it is good to go and nobody ends up doing something that is not supposed to happen.

It doesn't matter if you yourself had inspected the weapon and made sure it was clear. Treat EVERY gun as if it is loaded. No exceptions. Because in real life, somebody who gets hit by a gunshot does not "respawn". Serious, permanent injuries, loss of life and property damage have resulted due to even a split second of carelessness or distracted attention. DO NOT let that happen to you or anybody else.

Enjoy, and have SAFE fun shooting, folks.

tlm225 · March 22, 2019, 10:10 PM

My learning moment took place 45 years ago when I was 17. A friend had a new shotgun I was checking out. We had been hunting and following the training from my dad I emptied the gun before dry firing it. Except there was a live round in the chamber. I blew a big hole in his bathroom door. Loudest sound I've heard in my life. I KNEW I had counted three rounds ejected. Counted them, yep, three rounds. I had been duck hunting, my shotgun was plugged, his wasn't. I assumed.

That has haunted me to this day. I triple check chambers and magazines every-damn-time.

M88 · March 22, 2019, 10:47 PM

I'm sure everybody who has been handling guns for many years has a story or close call, even if there was no AD, just "discovering" your gun was loaded when you were SURE it wasn't is enough the scare the crap out of you.

I remember pheasant hunting as a teenager, and we were all in a line walking through the field to flush out a ringneck. All of a sudden BANG... one of the kids in the line didn't have his safety on... he tripped and as he caught himself from falling forward he accidently pulled the trigger.
1) safety should have been on
2) finger should not have been on the trigger till he was ready to shoot
Fortunately nobody was in the line of fire, but he got a good talking to from his Dad in front of us all. Not only did he learn a lesson the hard way but that was over 50 years ago and to this day everytime I'm in a group like that I think of that AD that day. Some things just stick with you.

reynolds357 · March 23, 2019, 01:33 PM

I have not had an A.D. since I quit drinking 20 years ago.

Pahoo · March 23, 2019, 01:47 PM

Quote:

I have not had an A.D. since I quit drinking 20 years ago.

I have never had one either but have come close. I have however taken shots that I wish I could take back. ….

A friend of mine who is a dedicated experienced and well to do shooter, shot a hole in his carpeting with a 30-06 round. He also shot a hole in the hood of his truck while prairie-dog hunting. It can and does happen to the best of us. …

Be Safe !!!

armoredman · March 24, 2019, 04:12 AM

30+ years ago, brother and I at parents house 4th of July, parents out of town until the next day. Brother decides to unload his .357 mag Cougar, (Ruger with Colt barrel), and dry fire at the bad guys on the TV screen. Yes, he and I were technically adults, and he was older than me. After the show ended, he turned towards me as I was eating a sandwich at the kitchen counter. He aimed at my head, and when I said something he twitched the revolver to point just past me out the window. Somehow...he had forgotten that he had reloaded. The 357 125gr JHP zipped approximately 1 inch off my left ear as it went out the window and buried itself in the cactus right outside. This was the closest I have ever come to filling my shorts, but I didn't even choke on my sandwich.
Parents came home the next day. Do you know how expensive and difficult it is to find a glass guy on the 4th of July? It can be done.

Pahoo · March 24, 2019, 10:43 AM

Quote:

The 357 125gr JHP zipped approximately 1 inch off my left ear as it went out the window and buried itself in the cactus right outside.

That is an incredible story and God was certainly looking out for all the family. Sadly, stories like ours provide talking points for the gun-grabbers. …

Since I graduated from high school, I have learned more about American history and the early Frontiersmen than ever. One story that comes to mind is about and family traveling west and when they got to their homestead, they started to unload their covered wagon. The father on the ground, asked his wife, to hand down their DB shotgun. while handing it down, it went off and killed the father. Sadly they did not get a pass like some of us have. ….

Be Safe !!!

tangolima · March 24, 2019, 11:11 AM

Doing silly things with guns? They don't have to come grab your guns. You lose the guns yourself, perhaps together with lives.

Some said AD can happen to the best of us. They clearly have made grave mistakes, so they cannot possibly be the best. Mind you in many professions, a single mistake will ban you for life.

-TL

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

March 22, 2019, 11:05 AM	#1
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Clear your weapon and stay focussed This thread is Safety related and to some degree, training. there have been times when we all make mistakes and for me, one of these times is when I change my routine or get distracted. …… Case in point; I have a shotgun that serves home defense and slug gun during the Deer season. I kept it loaded and in my safe with the slug barrel mounted. My oldest Grandson borrows the barrel for his Deer season. This last season, I surprised him by just giving it him, to keep. Last week I bought a short home defense barrel to reinstall on the receiver. The barrel fit just fine and when I cycled the action a loaded shot-shell was chambered and ejected. What a surprised when I ejected three more shells. The shotgun had not been cleared when I removed the slug barrel, months ago. ……. 1) I had the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, but I world have had to replace a window. 2) I kept my finger off the trigger. 3) My morning prayers must have been working. 4) My mind was not !!! Clear your weapons, stay focused and; Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

March 22, 2019, 10:10 PM	#4
tlm225 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 962	My learning moment took place 45 years ago when I was 17. A friend had a new shotgun I was checking out. We had been hunting and following the training from my dad I emptied the gun before dry firing it. Except there was a live round in the chamber. I blew a big hole in his bathroom door. Loudest sound I've heard in my life. I KNEW I had counted three rounds ejected. Counted them, yep, three rounds. I had been duck hunting, my shotgun was plugged, his wasn't. I assumed. That has haunted me to this day. I triple check chambers and magazines every-damn-time. __________________ All that is neccessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

March 22, 2019, 10:47 PM	#5
M88 Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2018 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 278	I'm sure everybody who has been handling guns for many years has a story or close call, even if there was no AD, just "discovering" your gun was loaded when you were SURE it wasn't is enough the scare the crap out of you. I remember pheasant hunting as a teenager, and we were all in a line walking through the field to flush out a ringneck. All of a sudden BANG... one of the kids in the line didn't have his safety on... he tripped and as he caught himself from falling forward he accidently pulled the trigger. 1) safety should have been on 2) finger should not have been on the trigger till he was ready to shoot Fortunately nobody was in the line of fire, but he got a good talking to from his Dad in front of us all. Not only did he learn a lesson the hard way but that was over 50 years ago and to this day everytime I'm in a group like that I think of that AD that day. Some things just stick with you. __________________ NRA life member. Making good people helpless doesn't make bad people harmless!

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March 22, 2019, 11:35 AM	#2
reteach Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 378	I'm fortunate that I have three good friends, each one an intelligent, competent, reliable person that I would trust in any circumstance, and each one of whom has shot his own furniture when handling a gun they were certain was unloaded. It's fortunate for me because every time I go to pick up a gun I think about those three friends. Their lapses stand out in my mind and I use them as an object lesson to prevent a lapse of my own. So far it has worked. Thanks for sharing that with us, Pahoo. There can never be too many reminders about gun safety. Glad your window is intact.

March 22, 2019, 04:12 PM	#3
Rachen Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2006 Location: Weekend cowboy Posts: 542	Thanks for the post Pahoo and I am glad that nothing serious happened. These are essential lessons that MUST be drilled, all the time, into anybody handling firearms. Whenever I am teaching new shooters for their first time or going on an outing with buddies who are just as seasoned with guns as I am, I always make it a case to OBSERVE safe gun-handling at ALL TIMES. In the latter case, we all tend to reinforce these essential points with each other so it is good to go and nobody ends up doing something that is not supposed to happen. It doesn't matter if you yourself had inspected the weapon and made sure it was clear. Treat EVERY gun as if it is loaded. No exceptions. Because in real life, somebody who gets hit by a gunshot does not "respawn". Serious, permanent injuries, loss of life and property damage have resulted due to even a split second of carelessness or distracted attention. DO NOT let that happen to you or anybody else. Enjoy, and have SAFE fun shooting, folks.

March 23, 2019, 01:33 PM	#6
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,164	I have not had an A.D. since I quit drinking 20 years ago.

March 24, 2019, 04:12 AM	#8
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,297	30+ years ago, brother and I at parents house 4th of July, parents out of town until the next day. Brother decides to unload his .357 mag Cougar, (Ruger with Colt barrel), and dry fire at the bad guys on the TV screen. Yes, he and I were technically adults, and he was older than me. After the show ended, he turned towards me as I was eating a sandwich at the kitchen counter. He aimed at my head, and when I said something he twitched the revolver to point just past me out the window. Somehow...he had forgotten that he had reloaded. The 357 125gr JHP zipped approximately 1 inch off my left ear as it went out the window and buried itself in the cactus right outside. This was the closest I have ever come to filling my shorts, but I didn't even choke on my sandwich. Parents came home the next day. Do you know how expensive and difficult it is to find a glass guy on the 4th of July? It can be done.

March 24, 2019, 11:11 AM	#10
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,809	Doing silly things with guns? They don't have to come grab your guns. You lose the guns yourself, perhaps together with lives. Some said AD can happen to the best of us. They clearly have made grave mistakes, so they cannot possibly be the best. Mind you in many professions, a single mistake will ban you for life. -TL Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk