O.T. Stupid mistake...

[mikld]

Have you ever made a mistake that immediately turned your stomach and made you think "Oh s@$! What did I do? I had one today.

I have a Puma .44 Magnum that I've been reloading for. I have some Ranchdog 265 gr. Flatnose gas check bullets I loaded over a light load of Bluedot. The bullets are .432" and I needed to see if they would feed properly (I run them .432" because the Puma has an oversize groove dia.) So, I loaded up 3 and cycled them OK. Then I loaded up 10 just to see if they would function with a full magazine. Cycled 4 and then one went off. I had my right hand on the buttstock, my left hand cycling the lever, with the gun tilted to the right so the ejected rounds would land on the bench. I believe my hand was away from the trigger, but there is a dent in the primer of the one that went off. I wish I could say something else except It was my fault. I screwed up.

I saw the hole in the shed wall, 1/2 plywood. Went outside and saw the exit hole in the shed and entrance hole in the aluminum siding of the house and my heart sunk. I then went inside and saw the entrance hole in the bdrm closet, the exit hole in the closet door, saw the hole in the bathroom door that was standing open (found the gas check on the floor below hole in door), through another wall, through a wooden plack (1/2" pine) and into a wall where it hit a stud. I couldn't find an exit from that wall and even searched the outside of the house to make sure there was no exit.

No one was home except me, and I hope I would have thought more If my wife had been home but realistically, I prolly wouldn't have. I have been shooting and reloading for maybe 30 years, off and on, and this is the first major accident (maybe not the right word). I have always followed safety rules when handling guns (and rarely if ever load a gun inside) but it only takes once. Thank God I was alone!

When my wife got home I confessed. She cried and that made me feel worse. She wasn't worried about the damage to the house, just the thought of a .44 slug whizzing through the house upset/scares her.

FWIW, it was MY screw up. MY unthinking moment. I was the one that caused the rifle to go off and again I thank God I was alone. I just hope I don't forget this...

You may now begin the beating (even though I'm beating myself up pretty good) and the names appropriate (dumb *** is a good start).

[Otto]

Stupid, stupid, stupid, but way to man up. I hope I have learned from your mistake. Moving on...

[TMair]

One day my mother, father, younger brother and I where at home, mom, dad, and I were in the living room, we herd a gun shot, went into my parents bedroom only to find my little brother standing there hold a 22 rifle, and a hole in the mirror on the dresser, that darn 22 had a bad sear, he had been acting like he was shooting the dolls and thing that where on shelves, when he pointed it at the mirror it went off, he had no idea it was loaded, I know he should have checked first, anyway the mirror is still on the dresser, with the hole in it.
One time at my home, I picked up the pellet gun to put it back into the gun rack, one of my sons had gotten it out, but first I pointed it at a white rock in the back yard and proceeded to shoot out the tempered doubble pain glass from the patio door as a reminder I remember how much those darn things cost to replace
I guess we have all done stupid things, but yes it does make you paus, and think...what if...?
Terry

[Jeff H]

No doubt now you will be absolutely fanatical about what the muzzle covers, whether the chamber is empty (it is NEVER empty!), where your fingers are,.....

I KNOW.

Don't ever let anyone give you any guff about your fanaticism and accept no less from those around you, period. The best you can hope for is that they never have to understand and appreciate why.

[J Miller]

Ouch!!

Thank God nobody was hurt. Lesson learned, now fix all the walls and make some dedicated dummy rounds.

Joe

[JReed]

Oh man that could have gone so wrong. Chalk it up to lesson learned. That is the reason I make dummy rounds when I am working with a new bullet just the bullet and the case.

[Pitchy]

I think about something like that every time i lever the shells out of a lever gun, one reason i kinda like the safety on the new Marlins and others.
Hope that doesn`t start a argument.
Accidents happen no matter how careful we are that`s why they call them accidents so don`t beat yourself up to bad, thank God no one was hurt .

[FWiedner]

Have you ever made a mistake that immediately turned your stomach and made you think "Oh s@$! What did I do? I had one today...

I have been shooting and reloading for maybe 30 years, off and on, and this is the first major accident (maybe not the right word)...

FWIW, it was MY screw up. MY unthinking moment. I was the one that caused the rifle to go off and again I thank God I was alone. I just hope I don't forget this...

Certainly an eye-opener and a shore-nuff learning experience. Thank the Lord no one was injured.

Yes I have. It was, like yours, a learning experience. I was in my tree stand. Had my rifle ready to go. One in the chamber, the hammer pulled to full cock, hammer-block safety on. I lowered my rifle and sat it butt first on the stand beside me to get a drink. As I picked it back up the trigger snagged on something and the hammer fell with the muzzle aimed at and about 1 inch from my right temple. Talk about a sudden sinking feeling. In thanks, or as penance, I never remove or disable the safety on a lever gun, LOL.

I wouldn't classifiy your AD a "major accident". No one harmed, nor property destroyed, no civil authoritiy required. An incident to be sure, but no harm, no foul.

... And yes, it was your fault. With that established, use the experience, go forth, and sin no more...

[Blaine]

We all do dumb stuff....Lesson learned......move on (and thank God tonight)

[Ben_Rumson]

Well you dodged a MAJOR bullet there my friend!!!... So glad no one is hurt...Yep lesson learned & thanking lucky stars I’m sure... I give you the benefit of the doubt and figure you were being extra careful about staying away from the trigger given the situation and never touched that trigger...Before I pulled the gun apart for an inspection...I recon I’d find me some spent primers knock the dent out of them and use them to make up a full mags worth of said dummy rounds and see if you can repeat the failure...holding & cycling the gun in the same way... Wife gone of course!!

[Ysabel Kid]

Just glad you are okay and no one else was hurt. A solid lesson for everyone. Good point in just how much penetration is possible for the .44 Magnum. I've had two accidental discharges in my years. Both early on (over 20 years ago), but I remember both all too well. Both were my fault. Scary stuff.

[COSteve]

That is the reason I make dummy rounds when I am working with a new bullet just the bullet and the case.

+1

I never put a live round into the chamber unless I'm intent upon sending that bullet down range.












That said, all of us who carry condition 1, know that all it takes is one slight slip or a careless act and the weapon can discharge.



Once, back on convoy duty in '68 around Cu Chi, we were lining up in position on the road to start out. Bored, the TC in front of me decided to climb out to walk back and 'smoke and joke' with me. I watched him push up to climb out of the cupola but his hand slipped, and to catch himself, he ended up grabbing the TC override.

The turret swung around and the main gun fired a canister round into a field. After we realized that he hadn't hit anyone, all the other TCs were laughing so hard we didn't hear the CO running up screaming at him. Needless to say, every tank crew got yelled at and all of us TCs got yelled at again in private for laughing.

Back then, I was young, stupid, and thought it was funny. Now I'm 40+ years older and a lifetime wiser and I realize that things are much more dangerous and life is much too fragile to allow yourself or anyone else the slack to do something stupid like that, let alone laugh about it.

[adirondakjack]

I put a round from a Marlin through the door of my shop last November. Same scenario, function checking with a new bullet..... Scares heck outta ya.

[Kansas Ed]

It has never happened to me...but I know that eventually my day will come. Those of us who work with firearms on a regular basis play the game of odds...no matter how careful we are there will eventually be the day that something grabs us by the #** and shakes us to our very foundations. I can only hope that my continual diligence with muzzle safety will lessen the impact.

My brother once asked me on a feral hog hunt. I agreed and we set the date. Then at the last minute he invited his quail hunting partner along. I expressed concern, as I didn't know the gent, nor did I know his gun habits...and to my reasoning...I trust my brother implicitly in a tight spot with a hog charge...I didn't know the other mans instincts. But my brother insisted that "Skeet" was totally trustworthy. He went to great lengths to convince me of that. He then asked if "Skeet" could borrow a high powered rifle...as he didn't have one available at the time. I loaned him Audrey's 375BB and factory loads. The morning of the hunt came, and we got to the spot. Skeet eased out of the truck, shucked about 6 rounds in the mag, and chambered the first. When he went to lower the hammer his thumb slipped and he promptly shot a large hole in the dirt directly in front of his feet. We all stood there for a minute...him feeling stupid, and us staring at him. He carried the empty shell in the chamber the rest of the day. I told him on the way home that from now on I would call him Barney (Fife)...cause if we ever went out together again I would only give him one shell and make him carry it in his pocket. The name (unfortunately for him) stuck. And many know him now as Barney.

As a sort of pointed joke, later that year I found a tin sign of Barney Fife...revolver in hand...loading the single bullet. I bought it...took it out and shot one large hole in it. Wrapped it up and gave it to the man for Christmas. He keeps it in his living room today...more as a reminder that no matter how safe you try to be, things happen and always know your muzzle direction.

Ed

[Tycer]

Four rules.

You broke two.

Glad it turned out good.

[Beaker]

When I was 18 and just graduated from High School, I had been out shooting my BB gun, A Crossman 760, pump up gun. I came into the house and was at the kitchen table and was oiling the gun with my Mom also setting at the kitchen table. I had put a few drops of oil on the pump felt and a couple down the barrell after I had cleared the action then I was giving it 1 or 2 pumps to cycle the pump and then pulling the trigger to release the pressure. I did this routine several times in a row while talking to my Mother. Then my mother, annoyed with me for making a little racket with the gun while she was talking, told me to stop shooting the gun in the house. I told my Mom, "its ok, it is unloaded its just compressed air is all I am shooting, here let me show You." I proceeded to pump up the gun giving it three pump strokes then pointed the muzzle at here toes. Did I mention that she was barefoot? I pulled the trigger and immeadiately she jumped up grabbed her foot and started jumping up and down on her other foot while screaming in pain and tearing in her eyes. I said, "Oh Mom really, its just air." Then she moved her hands thats when I saw the blood on her feet. I looked around under the table and sure enough, there was a bloody BB on the carpet under the table. Needless to say, I felt really stupid then.

[Richard]

Whoa, as we read here and already knew, we've all make mistakes. From your experience we are all wiser and should take safety a little more seriously. Glad you and your family are safe. Blessings . . . .

Jeremiah 29 v11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

[shooter]

I have never had an experience like that......yet.....knock on wood. My best friend, however, violated a cardinal rule of gun safety and shot a hole, or 7, in my apartment before we moved to our house. He didn't check a .357 revolver to make sure it was empty, and I had missed one when ejecting. I guess it's partly my fault, but if both of us had done our due diligence, the incident wouldn't have happened. Thank God no one was hurt in my case or yours. Learn from it and move on. It's all we can do. Yes, you'll be beating yourself up for a while, and be extra careful from now on, but that's a good thing.

[Malamute]

Unless you're left handed, I could see something bad about to happen when you said "right hand on the stock, left hand working the lever..."


I tend to point them upwards when cycling in the house. A hole in the roof is less likely to be a problem than a shot going thru a wall. So far haven't had an ND with a lever gun. With Winchesters, it's easy to pick the rounds out when you raise the lifter, before chambering the round, so it never gets chambered. Had a couple "dry firing unloaded, reload, do something else, pick up gun and 'dry' fire again,.." hasn't happened in a very long time tho. Hopefully learned something.

[Lefty Dude]

I was going to remove that silly safety on my new model Rossi 92/44. I have had it four Years now and it is still on the top of the receiver. It gets the most use when I unload a full magazine.

Sorry for your pain.

You broke two of the most important rules of Gun Safety.

Always keep the Firearm pointed in a safe direction.
Treat every Firearm as if it is loaded.

[claybob86]

Thanks for posting this, mikld! Good to hear real life experiences like this to sharpen our awareness of what can happen. Glad no one got hurt!

[smokenrust]

When I read the first few words of mikld's post, I started to cringe at what I knew he wa going to say...Then it turned to Omygosh!, then after reading nobody home, I started to laugh at, "whats the wife going to say and how am I going to explain this accident". Then if I was him, I would have gotten out the tools and did house repairs before wife got home...even if he had to call her to go make a detour so it would take her another couple hours to get home.
Well it does make a man more careful... a few will never learn.
Went hunting with a bunch one time... once was enough. Shot at anything that moved and didn't care who was where.
Glad everything turned out ok... even if you did have a few things to take care of.

[C. Cash]

We all do dumb stuff....Lesson learned......move on (and thank God tonight)

+1

Yep....when I was 12 I picked up a 22 semi-auto a buddy had left over my house after hunting. Believing him to be safety concious I bypassed checking the chamber and pointed it at the ceiling and pulled the trigger. Nice hole in the roof and a mother charging in the room who thought I had killed myself. I've had a Winchester half cock safety fail on me a couple of years ago. Luckily I had it pointed in the right direction at the time and failed to detonate the round, but just barely. Those things stick in our minds, as they should.

[.45colt]

We are all Human,all of us can make a mistake. just look back and Thank the Lord that no one was home and the bullet didn't exit the house. As Pitchy said I too actually LIKE the little crossbolt saftey on my Marlins. Marlin didn't mess with the trigger.
When the wife and I took the CCW class last week the Police Officers spent about a half hour on accidental discharges,running different accidental discharges that they had been involved with.house to house or apartment to apartment. It really opened My eyes.

[mouthpiece]

"I was going to remove that silly safety on my new model Rossi 92/44. I have had it four Years now and it is still on the top of the receiver. It gets the most use when I unload a full magazine."

Recently sent mine for Steve's tune up, etc. & made a point of telling him I wanted to keep that "ugly" safety.
__________
Fellow LEO cleaning his pistol watching TV. Mayor appears on screen. You guessed it -- shot at the TV & demolished a $750 set purchased one week earlier.

[antilley]

I was going to remove that silly safety on my new model Rossi 92/44. I have had it four Years now and it is still on the top of the receiver. It gets the most use when I unload a full magazine.

Sorry for your pain.

You broke two of the most important rules of Gun Safety.

Always keep the Firearm pointed in a safe direction.
Treat every Firearm as if it is loaded.

+1 safety is going to stay on the Puma

[DennisB]

"FWIW, it was MY screw up. MY unthinking moment. I was the one that caused the rifle to go off and again I thank God I was alone. I just hope I don't forget this..." Mikld.


Don’t worry about forgetting this incident, you won’t. My careless moment was over 35 years ago, I still recall it clearly every time I handle a gun indoors.

If there's a plus side to this it's that you are VERY unlikely to repeat this mistake. Tuff but effective reinforcement.

Dennis.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Thanks for sharing, we can learn from our mistakes as well as that of others.

I had a friend who was trying to teach her young grandson gun safety and assumed her husband's Marlin 39 rifle which she got from the closet was unloaded. Not only was it NOT unloaded, it had a round in the chamber! She shot a hole in the floor so fortunately at least the muzzle was pointed in right direction. ALWAYS make sure your gun is unloaded when you first pick it up my dad always told me. She chewed out her husband but they were both responsible for that incident IMHO especially with a young grandson living in their home.

When I was a 16 I used to hunt with my 10/22 and one day after finishing up a hunt I pointed my muzzle in the air and removed the magazine then cycled the bolt to remove the chambered round. With muzzle still pointing up and angled towards the ocean I pulled the trigger and a round went off (landing a mile away in the Pacific) scaring the stuff out of me. Seems the extractor somehow missed the rim thus leaving it behind in the chamber. Having the muzzle pointed in safe direction was second nature even at this age thanks to dad's drilling it into me but I was not paying attention to make sure round was extracted. Lesson learned and never repeated in 36 years.

[Nath]

You did good fessing up friend.

I felt sick the time I drove for miles with a vanguard in 243 chambered and the safty off!

Then the was the time I poked an airgun pellet through the bed room window!

Thanks for the heads up.

Nath.

[Beaker]

I have never forgotten my mistake either and over 30 years later, My Mom doesnt let me forget it either.

[El Chivo]

I bet that was awfully loud when you weren't expecting it.

I also make up dummy rounds to check feed. They are also handy for adjusting the seating die in the reloading press to make sure it will seat to that same OAL.

[Griff]

Glad to hear no one was injured... minimal property damage.

My only close call came after my qualifying... using my Combat Commander... when the Sheriff showed up and asked if he'd heard right... and did I think I could pass the qual course (60 rnd PPC) with my SAA. We shot 6rnd maggs with the autos so the range master could run revolvers in the same relay. NBD, just push one round out per mag, right?

Anyway, I shoot my last string with the .45, but the slide didn't lock back, again, no big deal, I flip up tthe slide safety, drop the empty mag put the gun inside the rug and zip it up. Take that rig ogg and strap on my cowboy rig. It holds 50 rounds, so as I loaded the belt I only pushed the loaded rounds so the nose was in the loop and would be quick and easy to grab on the reload strings. Anyway, finished, and passed, jaw-jacked with the guys, then met a Constable friend for coffee. I was wearing coat n' tie and my S&W, even tho' dirty from shooting. Got home about 3-4 hours after shooting; all the while congratulating myself on what a fine pistoleer I was.

Carried the SAA & CC inside and cleaned my S&W and SAA, put them away in the safe. (not in rugs, and wanted them outta the leather. Unzipped the rug, reached in and grabbed it by the grip and released the thumb safeety... stretched out my arm to drop the hammer and my wife walked into the livingroon. Although pointing doward at the floor, the muzzle was in her direction... mentally went oh-oh and turned the gun on its side and 90º to my left, grabbed the slide over the top with my left hand and pushed it to the rear. Since my left hand fingers were over the port, the Winchester Black Talon™ simply rolled out into my hand.

It matters not how safe we think we are, it's only thru our actions that we are.

[adirondakjack]

Oh, FWIW, even when I had my dumb (stuff) moment and punched a hole in the shop door, I had still observed the primary rule, which is to say, I was pointing the gun in a "safe" direction, not gonna hit anything important if it did go off. The hole is low and angling down, and although it is possible somebody coulda been standing outside it, the location makes that very unlikely. The bullet lodged in the dirt right outside the door.
In the post-event ruminations, I thought of all my stuff in the shop, the cabinet of powder, the machinery, computer, guns, etc, and as tightly packed with stuff as the shop is, the only thing any worse for wear is a plywood door.

[Sixgun]

Relax. Fear, joy, and guilt are man's biggest motivators. "Guilt" has worked into you and will be a lesson learned.

I can easily recount a half dozen instances like yours that has happened to me or buddies. My buddy has a huge hole in his basement wall from a 50-70 Sharps (blackpowder )and I have a hole in my left forearm from a shot load from a .38. Then there's the hole in the living room ceiling from a Python, the hole in the roof in my old '79 Bronco from a 59 'Smith, a few holes in the sky at cowboy shoots, the monsterous hole in the ground in front of my fathers feet that he let go back in the sixties, about a half dozen or more holes in my gunroom from various mishaps and others that I have to think about.

You see, I have always believed "guilt" is a manmade emotion, so I never lost sleep over these things and most likely, will continue. Sure is a good way to keep people away from you. ------------Sixgun

[gundownunder]

I'm glad it all came out safe for you, and have no problem understanding why you got spooked and your missus cried.
35 years ago I had a 12G shotgun go off in my bedroom and blow a hell of a hole in a concrete wall, which thankfully contained the damage to inside the bedroom. I've never loaded a gun in the house since, and if we had realistic gun laws in Oz I would load my revolver outside and keep it with an empty chamber under the hammer.

[Old Ironsights]

At least your hand wasn't over the muzzle...

[rogn]

I managed a similar fubar last year while checking the feeding of a new load, luckily my range is the south pasture. I had then rifle pointed at the ground a few feet behind the bench and no harm was done except to my nerves and my sons nerves. I cant tell you how I did it but the trigger had to be involved, and the " loose nut" had to be there also. Since then if Im unloading the magazine I use the "silly" bolt safety. Its too easy to focus on the ejected rounds and not the more important things. I dont know about the rest of you, but I feel more and more like an old car; Ive got to keep putting my mind back in gear. Truly glad no one was injured in either case.

[Booger Bill]

Years ago I was a guard for a very large company. The relieveing guard would get our revolver. There was about 8 guards in a small room/guard house all mingleing together at shift change. I went to take my gun out of my holster and for some un reason I COCKED the revolver in the holster and immediately reconised I did. I made my way outside through the throng of guards to go outside and spit out my copenhagen and quietly take care of the matter unknown to my fellow officers.
The thing is I am more of a handgun man then a rifleman. I wore handguns on the job for over 35 years. I owned handguns long before the job, was and am a collector of handguns forever. I was actively shooting both double action and single action revolvers and qualifying with them ever so many months. I have been around about 4 or 6 accidental discharges or mistakes by other people through the years, but this was my first and hopefully last one. Only I knew it happened.
I think at the time I was working a unbeliveable amount of overtime, probley 70 hours a week, and going through a very bad divorice and my brain wasnt functioning!
Another one: I and my best friend, who also was a guard with me, but also a gun nut and ex-cop, we were off work and went to a gunshop near his house. I bought a set of grips for a snub nose s&w. We went to his house and I switched grips in front of him sitting across the table from me. He picked up my revolver to also try the feel of the grips and dry fired at a blanket with a picture of a moose on it that decorated a wall.
While looking him right in the eye after that I reloaded the gun as we talked. I left the gun sit on the table between us as we talked a few minuets more. All the sudden he picked up the gun again and again shot at the moose just as I hollered HEY!
Bill called me a rotten so and so, and accused me of somehow deliberatly setting him up and pulling a trick on him! It never registered on him as I reloaded the gun! We must have been in a serious BSing session! We checked the moose a direct hit and wall behind it. I think the bullet hit a stud as it didnt go through the outside wall. Bills wife wasnt home. He fluffed up and pinched the blanket together or whatever where the hole wasnt noticeable. Dont know if she ever found it or not!

[piller]

Nobody hurt, learning experience, and you owned up to it. Nothing left to say.