Wear them glasses!!

jpsshack · June 12, 2011, 02:28 PM

Had a "why should I always wear shooting glasses?" wake up call yesterday when I caught a metal sliver in the forehead while shooting strong .45 loads.
Definitely would have damaged my eye. Don't take the chance–always wear 'em.

Dannyl · June 15, 2011, 12:18 AM

Hi,
you say the sliver hit you on the forehead, so I take it that you were not wearing a cap.

a peaked (baseball) cap that is worn so that the top of your shooting glasses is covered is just as important; an ejected case (from your gun or from another shooter) that happens to land inside your glasses can hurt your eye, and could possibly cause you to point your firearm in an usafe direction...

You gues what I'm pointing at. (BTW, this is taken from the "opening session" of a course with John Farnam, and I have personally seen this happen a few years ago.

Brgds,

Danny

AAP · June 15, 2011, 12:28 PM

The glasses part seems like a no-brainer, but the hat part I had to learn the hard way. Got a nice little burn that really surprised me when I got hit in the temple by an ejected .45 casing. The burn wasn't bad, but the surprise was unnerving.

BarryLee · June 15, 2011, 01:10 PM

One thing those of you who do not wear prescription glasses should consider is getting your eyes examined. I once worked as a Safety Manager and we would always have people who did not wear glasses find out they needed them during the exam and fitting. Even if you let vanity get the best of you and only wear them for shooting it might be enough to tighten up those groups.

Hammerhead · June 16, 2011, 12:34 AM

Quote:

a peaked (baseball) cap that is worn so that the top of your shooting glasses is covered is just as important; an ejected case (from your gun or from another shooter) that happens to land inside your glasses can hurt your eye...

That happened to me. Shooting a light 10mm practice load, I kind of saw it coming at my right eye at the last second and managed to close my eye in time. I felt it hit my eye lid so I turned quickly to the left to clear it, but it lodged between the frame of my glasses and my skin just to the right of my eye. I got a pretty good second degree burn.
Titegroup in 10mm makes for some really hot brass.

Ozzieman · June 23, 2011, 07:33 PM

Took an AR15 charging handle to the face from a gun that blew up (I was not shooting and it was not mine) broke my nose and my glasses.
Always wondered what the outcome would have been if I hadn’t been wearing glasses.
Then again I wish I could shoot without glasses.
I can hold great groups without glasses,,,,, out to about 3 feet.

Chris_B · June 23, 2011, 08:38 PM

Instead of the peaked cap I have wrap around safety glasses that hug my face very well at the brow and all around the eyes. But I have also taken hot ejected brass to the forehead that left a perfect, singed "O" for a few days, so maybe the hat is just as well

**JohnKSa** · June 23, 2011, 09:16 PM

My shooting glasses stopped a .45ACP empty once. The case mouth cut a crescent shaped gouge out of the polycarbonate directly in front of my right eye.

MEATSAW · June 24, 2011, 02:32 AM

I also wear mine during cleaning and disassembly after the shooting is over. This is something that probably most people do not do. After the recoil spring and plug gouged a hole right between my eyes (still learning the 1911) it became clear that its better safe than sorry. Once I started I also began to realize that the shooting glasses also were protecting my eyes from gun cleaning oils and solvents.

June 12, 2011, 02:28 PM	#1
jpsshack Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2008 Location: Northern New England Posts: 169	Wear them glasses!! Had a "why should I always wear shooting glasses?" wake up call yesterday when I caught a metal sliver in the forehead while shooting strong .45 loads. Definitely would have damaged my eye. Don't take the chance–always wear 'em.

June 15, 2011, 12:18 AM	#2
Dannyl Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Cape Town - South Africa Posts: 627	And don't forget that peaked cap Hi, you say the sliver hit you on the forehead, so I take it that you were not wearing a cap. a peaked (baseball) cap that is worn so that the top of your shooting glasses is covered is just as important; an ejected case (from your gun or from another shooter) that happens to land inside your glasses can hurt your eye, and could possibly cause you to point your firearm in an usafe direction... You gues what I'm pointing at. (BTW, this is taken from the "opening session" of a course with John Farnam, and I have personally seen this happen a few years ago. Brgds, Danny

June 15, 2011, 01:10 PM	#4
BarryLee Senior Member Join Date: July 29, 2010 Location: The ATL (OTP) Posts: 3,946	One thing those of you who do not wear prescription glasses should consider is getting your eyes examined. I once worked as a Safety Manager and we would always have people who did not wear glasses find out they needed them during the exam and fitting. Even if you let vanity get the best of you and only wear them for shooting it might be enough to tighten up those groups. __________________ A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

June 23, 2011, 09:16 PM	#8
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,994	My shooting glasses stopped a .45ACP empty once. The case mouth cut a crescent shaped gouge out of the polycarbonate directly in front of my right eye. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

June 24, 2011, 02:32 AM	#9
MEATSAW Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2009 Location: Burnet, TX Posts: 727	I also wear mine during cleaning and disassembly after the shooting is over. This is something that probably most people do not do. After the recoil spring and plug gouged a hole right between my eyes (still learning the 1911) it became clear that its better safe than sorry. Once I started I also began to realize that the shooting glasses also were protecting my eyes from gun cleaning oils and solvents. __________________ Veteran OEF (2002) and OIF1 (2003) - US Army Member of the Burnet Gun Fighters, Inc. and of course the NRA Oregon State University alum -- Go Beavs!

June 15, 2011, 12:28 PM	#3
AAP Junior Member Join Date: April 13, 2011 Location: Marietta, GA USA Posts: 6	The glasses part seems like a no-brainer, but the hat part I had to learn the hard way. Got a nice little burn that really surprised me when I got hit in the temple by an ejected .45 casing. The burn wasn't bad, but the surprise was unnerving.

June 23, 2011, 07:33 PM	#6
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	Took an AR15 charging handle to the face from a gun that blew up (I was not shooting and it was not mine) broke my nose and my glasses. Always wondered what the outcome would have been if I hadn’t been wearing glasses. Then again I wish I could shoot without glasses. I can hold great groups without glasses,,,,, out to about 3 feet.

June 23, 2011, 08:38 PM	#7
Chris_B Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2007 Posts: 3,101	Instead of the peaked cap I have wrap around safety glasses that hug my face very well at the brow and all around the eyes. But I have also taken hot ejected brass to the forehead that left a perfect, singed "O" for a few days, so maybe the hat is just as well