Unintentional Discharge - How did it happen?

[Bartholomew Roberts]

This is a quick poll to see what conditions best lend themselves to an unintentional discharge of a firearm. Perhaps if we identify certain behaviors with unintentional discharge we can work on reducing that behavior.

Please select the one that you think best represents your most recent (if you have had more than one) unintentional discharge of a firearm.

[J. Parker]

Well, an AD is something alot of enthusiests won't readily admit too.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

J. Parker: That is why I thought a poll might be helpful. You can share the knowledge without having to share the embarrassment.

I can understand those who might be reluctant to discuss the "Other" category and if I could have confidently forseen every potential AD/ND category I would not have included it.

To Whom It May Concern: Please understand though, that if you made an error, there is a good chance that somebody else might make the same mistake and by having the courage to share that incident you might well prevent somebody else from making a more serious mistake.

[Mr. James]

I agree. I've detailed my lone ND here at TFL - it remains a source of shame to me, and no, I don't laugh about it ever. I damaged a wall. I could have gut-shot myself, killed my wife, or maimed my son.

To paraphrase the Million Mummies, "if it saves just one ND, it's worth it..."

Safe shootin', all.

[adept]

it happened at the range, i was preparing to take a shot, was taking up some of the slack in the trigger of this pistol <very nasty little piece of work> and sneezed...well needless to say, i was aimed down range, hit my second target which was 4ft to the right of the first one...which i was not aiming at.

2 thoughts ran through my mind at that time:
1. thankfully i'm at the range aimed in the proper direction.
2. take allergy meds before going to the range.


adept

[ralphtt]

Mine also happened at the range some years ago. Had my old blanket covering the concrete bench to protect my latest "toy" which was a *&* Model 625. Was working with some new full-moon clips and a couple of them had rough spots that made it difficult to rotate the cylinder.

To make a long story short, I pulled the trigger all the way with the revolver pointed downrange, but, at an angle at the top of the concrete bench. Luckily, I was alone that day and had no witnesses! The bench was ok but my blanket still has a couple holes that remind me of the event every time I see them. Now use the blanket in the back seat of the 4WD to protect a couple varmint rifles in transit and to remind me to BE CAREFUL.

I now discard any half or full-moon clips with rough spots.

[Redlg155]

My one AD happend while repairing a .22 cal striker fired pistol for a buddy. I believe it was a Davis.

He complained of difficult extraction and problems getting the primers to ignite. I examined the pistol and didn't find anything wrong upon my initial inspection and pulled the slide back to chamber a round. When the slide slammed forward the pistol fired, surprising the heck out of me. What I missed in my initial inspection was a small burr of metal on the edge of the chamber. When I let the slide go forward, the breechface slammed against that burr much like a firing pin and the weapon fired.

I'm just glad that I was at the range and didn't try it at home first.

Good Shooting
RED

[s gorilla45]

I was shooting a friends bench rest rifle @ the range. The trigger was somewhere around 1 to 2 oz. and a strong gust of wind must have been enough to set it off. I had just closed the bolt and was setting my hand into the thumbhole grip when it fired. Still hit the target @ 100 yds. but really blew my 10 rnd group. I'm really not comfortable with that light of a tirgger anymore.

[Ben Shepherd]

I WAS THE VICTIM HERE............
My brother-in-law and I were at a IDPA shoot, he was standing next to me loading a clip. He dropped one bullet, it lit right on the primer, went off & I took a brass fragment in the leg. Felt REALLY GOOD!!!!

[Zundfolge]

I wonder what percentage of the shooting population have never had an AD.

I never have, but I have only been shooting regularly for a short time (used to shoot a lot as a kid, then had a dry spell...about 10 years...and now shoot again).

[JasonReed]

I've had two, one real bad and one notso.

Bad - Came out of the bathroom, hands still wet. Went to load my "&" Model 36 to go out for the night. Closed the cylinder, cocked the hammer to index, then went to lower the hammer. Wet thumb, slip, BANG into the floor. VERY VERY SCARY. Never made that mistake again.

Notso Bad - We were testing out a woods walk for a black powder shoot. It was late November in Massachusetts and FRIGGIN COLD! I got the job of dry running the targets. After my third shot my hands were so cold I literally couldn't feel my fingers. Loaded up the fourth round, set the trigger as I raised the rifle, and went to put my finger on the hair trigger as usual. Sights were still way over the target. Ka-Boom...so numb I honestly never felt my finger hit the trigger. Probably missed by three feet at fifty yards. Nuff of that, I quit and went to the clubhouse to warm up.

[Mithirium]

AD's or ND's whatever you prefer are definitely no fun and no good!
If you obey the rule of Not allowing the muzzle to cover anything you aren't willing to destroy , it will probably just be scary and embarassing.
My AD happened at 15 with a Marlin 60 22LR. While walking out of the house with a gun that I knew was loaded i decided (without thinking) to casually pull the trigger to test if the safety was on. Need less to say it wasn't, I put a hole in the overhang of the house albeit a small one. I had another AD but it was mechanical failure of an older break-action shotgun. It had a jammed firing pin, I was also probably about 13 and it was a shock. Like welcome to shotgun sports! The first 12 gauge round I ever fired went about 5ft in front me. I guess I can blame dad for that one.

[Mithirium]

I decided to take this moment to say it is vitaly serious to :
Never put your finger on the trigger of a gun until it is safely pointed down range! (Most of now this but it needs repeating).
I worked in a indoor pistol range and personally witnessed a couple of AD's that would scare the Sh*t out of you. One an A class USPSA shooter re holstered his 1911 racegun with his finger on the trigger and discharged a 38Super round through his upper leg (he was OK after an ambulance ride, no bone or arteries were touched). I also witnessed and idividual shoot straight to his side (90 degrees) right into the divider between range stations. Somebody was on the other side and didn't appreciate it very much! Luckily the dividers are armored and can withstrand such things too.

[swifter...]

Trust me, gang. You stay involved with shooting, you WILL have that puppy go bang when you hadn't planned to.

I've had two in 50+ years, both lowering the hammer on a live round. Both times, the muzzle was pointed in a safe direction.

That's why we have safety rules, and practice them until they are ritualistic!

Tom

[Arub]

I have been an auto loader zealot for years, used to 4.5 to 5.5 lbs trigger pull. Bought a Smith model 60, very light trigger. First several trips to the range I fired it just by putting my finger on the trigger. Good thing I never do this until I'm ready to sight in with weapon pointed at target. The point is the revolver fired before I was ready for it to do so. I finally sent the model 60 back to Smith for some trigger work. Much better now, no ADs since they worked on it.

[Kingcreek]

2 ADs in almost 40 years- both "other" catagory.
1st was years ago while hunting ringnecks in freezing rain/sleet with an Ithica mod 37. Got a shot, dropped the bird, and pumped the empty out and a fresh one in and BANG with muzzle pointed up. Trigger had stuck back with frozen stuff and I had racked with enough zest to slam it off. no harm done.
2nd time was a couple years ago while sneaking out onto my front porch to administer appropriate punishment to a feral cat hunting around our bird feeder. While trying to quietly thumb back the hammer on a .410 single my thumb slipped, blew a hole in my porch decking. Had a matching piece of plank in the barn and got it in, tools put away and sawdust swept up just as wife came up the drive with 3 ladies from her garden club. Whew! Close one that time! retired the old .410
(at least I wasn't carrying a 'carcass felinus' across the front yard when the ladies arrived- I find it too easy to embarrass my wife)

[J.T.King]

It was a Ruger single-sx with 22mag in it... I told him it was not loaded and I was wrong! We ALWAYS check the chamber first before handing over our auto's to each other, but neither of us really owned revolvers and just completely blew it. Luckily he was pointing it out the window at a tre in his backyard. Made us both jump like you would not believe. We hastily put it away, taped up the neat little hole in the window, and didnt handle our guns the rest of the weekend!

:P

JT

[JohnKSa]

No ADs so far.

I dimpled a primer once when I lost control of a hammer while decocking a revolver. Like an idiot, I had my finger on the trigger so I defeated the transfer bar safety. Fortunately, I had let it down far enough that it didn't fire. I was at the range and had it pointed downrange at the time.

I was saved by a magazine safety once. Took an auto out of the safe at home and pulled the trigger without checking because I assumed it was unloaded. Nothing happened because there was no mag in the gun. I then checked the gun and felt very sick for a long time when a round popped out. My mother, father and wife were in the room at the time--what an audience that would have been! Fortunately, I had the gun pointed safely and would just have killed a bookcase and a few books--and my pride.

[lochaber]

Had one and seen one. Both cases gun was pointed downrange. Mine was with my Buckmark. I had a dud round so I fed it back into the chamber at a different angle and droped the slide. BOOM. It took me a few seconds to relize what happened because my finger was most defintely not on the trigger. I either had a slow burn or a funny case of slam fire. Also watched my budy try a rented Berreta 8045, load, rack and point downrange and low and then raise and fire. Trigger was way to light. BOOM, way before the gun was on target. I saw the sparks when it hit the floor and then the top of the backstop.

Frankly ND's are not so bad if you TRY to be safe. The cool thing is that the safety rules interlock such way that you have to break at least two before something really bad happens. Finger on the trigger but pointing downrange ... embarasing but no one gets hurt. Finger off the trigger gun pointed at someone, REALLY bad move and manners but chances are good that no one is hurt. And so on. This is not to say that you should break ANY of them.

Safe shooting.
Loch

[Kobra]

The only type of intentional discharge I have ever had is not taking my finger off of the trigger fast enough after firing and accidentally getting a "two for one". Obviously only with semi's and all rounds went down range...........

[Bear Flare]

These are in the "Other" category. I don't think this can really be classified as a ND because the "N" part happened when the rifle was empty during a function check. All the "D" 's were actually intentional to verify what I thought was happening.

Norinco .22 bolt-action rifle. The safety is really REALLY poorly designed. It's a pivot on the rear end of the bolt that engages a stud on the striker to keep it disengaged from the sear. The offset is like 1/16 inch, so when you snap it off, the striker falls that far before hitting the sear.

Well, about 90% of the time, it just bounces off the sear and fires. This was a real attention-getter the first time it happened. I was function-checking the rifle empty. Snip the safety off and CLICK! Hmm, that don't sound right. Lift bolt handle to cock, apply safety, remove safety and CLICK! Yowza!

Tried it while shooting one day. Chamber a round, point at target, engage safety, snip safety off and CLI-CRRAAACK!

My next ammateur gunsmithing project is to remove the safety and sand down the camming surface so it holds without lifting the striker so far out of sear engagement. Simple fix, a little cold blue and nobody accidentally gets a bullet in the can.

Never had a true Non-intentional Discharge because I function check safety devices before loading, always check to ensure the weapon is clear when I'm screwing around, don't engage in questionable practices like shooting CB caps IN MY HOUSE (JESSE H.), and have not yet had a weapon fail.

Had hangfires, misfires, deliberate operation of failed safety devices as above, but NEVER NEVER had a gun go off and take me completely by surprise.

That being said and fate properly tempted, I'll probably shoot my TV tonight...

Bear Flare.

[Long Path]

Hmmm... interesting.

This may be one of the more useful and enlightening polls we've had.

[Lonnie Jaycox]

My SKS doubled the other day and my friend thought (I do too) that my finger hit the trigger during recoil. I was still on target but did not intend to shoot twice that fast.

[nswgru1]

I have never personaly had a ND or AD but have seen in person the worst of the worst.

A guy I knew in high school had somehow gotten his hands on a AMC .380 the only reason that I remember was that it was a devilish little gun everything was stiff as hell and I remember thinking to myself I never want one of these. Anyway this guy hadn't been around guns very much and I was somewhat uneasy when he was showing me the gun. This happened inside. I look at the gun hand it back to him. (the magazine was out and there wasn't one in the chamber) I am standing in front of him and I must have looked away just long enough for him to put the mag back in because when I looked back he racked the slide raised the gun and pointed it just to the left of my head (this happened in slow motion it seemed) I was in the process of literaly hitting the deck when the girl I was dating at the time was exiting the bathroom down the hallway and he pulled the trigger. BOOOOOM about the time I was halfway down. When I hit the ground time started really flying because I looked back (I had heard the door opening) and saw this girl standing in the middle of the hallway with a very blank "what the hell did you do that for" kind of look on her face.

This was back when "Rag" sweaters were in style (for those not familiar it is a sweater that is woven with threads about 1/4" in diameter) I looked at her thinking she hadn't been hit but there was ONE thread broken on the front slightly above her left breast. I stood up and ran over to her and looked in the back and there in the back was ONE tread broken in the back. I knew at that instant that she had been hit and the bullet had traveled completely through. I started to run my hand up the back of her sweater to see exactly how bad the exit wound was but thought better of it. I imediatly picked her up and ran her to the car where we rushed to the emergency room.

The conclusion to the story was that the bullet had missed a main artery by about 1/4" and thankfully the bullet was a ball round so it hadn't expanded at all. She recovered after a few weeks and I have never spoken to the guy that shot her since.

[ckurts]

I was unloading a old 20 gauge Sears "Ted Williams" pump gun some years ago by racking the slide. It was one of those with the adjustable choke doodad. I don't remember why I placed my finger inside the trigger guard but I did, and Ka-boom, I touched off a load of #8 into the wall. Lucky for me this was an exterior facing plaster wall covered with wood panelling. The outside wall was concrete block and stucco. The choke was set on full and the discharge occurred about 2 feet from the wall; it left a very neat sixty-something caliber hole in the inside wall but nothing was visible on the outside wall.. I was pretty young then and it left a big impression on me about being careful with that trigger guard and finger business.

I witnessed a guy discharge a Ruger P85 in a very similar fashion, inside his house. He took the gun out of the case and racked the slide with his finger inside the trigger guard. The hollowpoint struck the floor in his kitchen and fragmented, one piece leaving a big skid mark and coming to a rest in a baseboard, and the other chunk ricocheted off and hit a kitchen cabinet about 6 feet off the floor. My wife "grounded" me from going into the guy's house without her any more after I told her about it.