[BryanP]

So I'm cleaning up after a trip to the range. I'm watching an episode of "You're Under Arrest" on my computer and cleaning my SIG P220. As I'm finishing up my wife walks in to the room and starts chatting with me. I put the slide back on, push it all the way back so that it locks, hit the slide release and the entire slide sails gracefully across my desk, landing with a *thump*. :uhoh:

It works much better when you remember to rotate the takedown lever back in place. Where's the "embarrassed sigh" smiley? :rolleyes:

So anyway, how many of you have done something similar?

[grimlock]

I had a somewhat similar experience the first time I broke down an 870. Popped out the mag spring cover and POW two feet of spring hits the wall at the other side of the room.

[Zundfolge]

First time I cleaned my Makarov I had a little RemOil on my hands while trying to put the slide back on ... it slipped and flew across the room and smacked the wall (putting a dent in the plaster).

Wife wasn't amused. :uhoh:

[sm]

I twice took out the flourencent light in my gun room with the recoil plug from my 1911 - both times the dog decided to "paw" the gun just at that exact moment. He always helped.
[what, you folks don't have dogs trained to do gun stuff like cleaning, reloading and the like? :) ]

Not my fault the wifey put the new guest towels in MY gun room [ hey I have some towels for the gun room..."Honey!!!! do you know where put those NEW guest towels???...the dog just gives me that 'your in trouble now look' and grins at me"] Hey they were upside down...when hung up you can't see the marks a mag spring, bolt, trigger group from a dirty SX1 leaves...honest.

Fact: the smallest and lightest gun part will always go to the bottom of a full trash can, the most furthest most difficult to reach corner in a gun room.

Not a good idea to use Hoppe's No. 9 to remove whatever it was on the kitchen counter, the venthood and top of washing machine , leave to walk dog and return to find wifey home and 3 co-workers there to visit. Well only 2 complained real bad, wifey just accepted me as is, one co-worker was married and a shooter...the other two were wimps. :)

[natedog]

Well, I suppose if you ever ran out of ammo in a gun fight you could drop the mag, rotate the take down lever, and press the slide release as a last ditch effort :) .

[Standing Wolf]

You're not a High Standard owner until you've lost at least one slide release lever spring. Smart High Standard owners order a bunch at a time, along with trigger bar springs, from the good folks at Wolff.

[Lennyjoe]

I did it out in the field with my Winchester 12 ga semi shotgun.

It was cycling slow when we were out dove hunting so I went back to the truck to break it down and clean it up right quick. Always have my range bag with cleaning gear.

So as I unscrew the barrel and the cylinder end the gas block springs out and launches about 20 feet in the air. Finally comes to rest in my buddies truck bed with a big thump.

Quite embarrasing.

All went well though. Got her back together and proceeded to limit out on doves.

[possenti]

:D ROFL!

[White Horseradish]

Hmmm. Lesssee. I haven't been around firearms for very long, but I think two incidents tie for the silliest. One would be when I was explaining to my wife the operation of the break action shotgun and popped myself square in the forehead with the ejecting shell. Very expert-like.

The other would be me misjudging the length of a cleaning rod, length of a Mosin 91/30 barrel and wedging the rod handle in the receiver. Once again, much laughs for the missus watching me dance around trying to pull out the dang thing... "Honey, what's the matter?" "My rod was too short and now it's stuck...":rolleyes:

As far as small springs and such, I have been taking apart various mechanisms since I can rememeber and have learned that lesson well. I didn't lose anyting taking apart my SKS for the first time, and I understand the small piston can be a problem.

[chetth]

The other would be me misjudging the length of a cleaning rod, length of a Mosin 91/30 barrel and wedging the rod handle in the receiver. Once again, much laughs for the missus watching me dance around trying to pull out the dang thing... "Honey, what's the matter?" "My rod was too short and now it's stuck..."

My son did that with his .22 by forgetting to put all the segments in the segmented cleaning rod. Unfortunately, he did it with the bronze brush and it was not coming back out. I had to push a piece of brass tubing down the barrel from the muzzle to 'trap' the bronze bristles and all was well.

[DRZinn]

Saw it happen - swear it wasn't me....


The recoil spring from a Ma Deuce...... Lucky for him he was wearing a flak jacket at the time.

[sm]

Well, I suppose if you ever ran out of ammo in a gun fight you could drop the mag, rotate the take down lever, and press the slide release as a last ditch effortnatedog-
This will come in handy the next Semi Vs. Revolver thread...

"Hitting the thumblatch and releasing the cylinder...won't help...doesn't go anywhere...cylinder just hangs there..." :D

[Feanaro]

Twice while I was cleaning my father's P32(He buys the ammo when I shoot, I clean.) the spring has been sent soaring. Once into my head, another time under a table. It took various hours to find it.

SKS thumb, spring in the face and so on.

Dropped the trigger pack from my CETME a few times, pulled the stock off with too much force.

[sfhogman]

Beretta 96. Zooooooooooooooooooom!

[White Horseradish]

My son did that with his .22 by forgetting to put all the segments in the segmented cleaning rod. Unfortunately, he did it with the bronze brush and it was not coming back out. I had to push a piece of brass tubing down the barrel from the muzzle to 'trap' the bronze bristles and all was well.

That's what I had on there, too. I went out and bought an extra rod section the next day. :D

[Kevlarman]

I'm watching an episode of "You're Under Arrest"

The anime or live action version?

[LiquidTension]

I had the slide from a S&W 41 fly off and land on the floor once during reassembly. Thankfully it didn't do any damage, because it wasn't my gun :uhoh:

[Black Majik]

I've shot the spring and plug of my Kimber across the room taking out an empty coke can that was sitting on my TV.

If only my aim while shooting was that good. :o

[Treylis]

The recoil spring from a Ma Deuce...... Lucky for him he was wearing a flak jacket at the time.

How heavy are those?

[BryanP]

I'm watching an episode of "You're Under Arrest"

The anime or live action version?

Digisubs of the 2nd season of the anime. I've got the R1 DVD's of the first season, movie, and specials. I'm hoping someone picks up the 2nd season and the live-action version for R1 DVD release in the US. I have digisubs of the live-action series as well, but haven't watched them yet. I take great pleasure in tossing old fansub tapes and new digisub CD's in the trash when I replace them with proper DVD's.

I find it amusing that anime cops in Japan (in this series at least) don't get guns, but one of the characters (Miyuki) is a paintball fanatic. In the movie they use her paintball guns to good effect in an emergency.

Bryan (who wants to be Nakajima Ken, but wouldn't sneeze at the chance to be Officer Toukairin :) )

[The_Antibubba]

...is the firing pin from a Mosin/Nagant as you attempt to put the bolt back together for the first time---


ZIIIIINNNNG!!!! "Oh, darn, the other clockwise!"

:o

[Coronach]

I've seen a couple of 4506 guide rods go flying during the reassembly phase. It seems to be contagious. One takes to flight, then two others join it.

Mike

[JohnBT]

1911 plug, overhead 4-foot bulbs, yep, been there.

"Careful boy, it'll put yer eye out."

JT

[roo_ster]

Treylis wrote:
The recoil spring from a Ma Deuce...... Lucky for him he was wearing a flak jacket at the time.

How heavy are those?



VERY. Without the flack jacket you're talkin' serious injury or death.

[spacemanspiff]

okay, so i was having a really good day shooting, and decided i'd clean the kimber before going home.
i launched the plunger downrange, never to be found again.

on the plus side, the next day i met wildalaska, who fortunately didnt make fun of me to my face for being such a doofus.

[mack69]

First time stripping and cleaning my new DW PMA-S 1911....Figuring I got it down cause I've stripped many other autos no problem....heheheheee....
All is going well until I have to use the flimsy plastic barrel bushing wrench to turn the barrel bushing in order to release the recoil spring. Wrench slipped and the recoil spring plug imbeds itself in my dining room ceiling just missing the chandelier. Had similar issues replacing it too as I had gun oil on my fingers. heheheheee.....mack: what: :eek:

[StopTheGrays]

I had the firing pin of my M48 go across the room on me...once.

I was at a range once with a bunch of WI State Trooper-part of my 8 week internship with them- watching them qualify and later clean their weapons. At the time they all carried Ruger P-85 9mms. One of the older troopers was putting the slide back on and let go to soon. Five pairs of eyes watched the slide as it launched itself off the gun and made a slow arc out and over the edge of the table to land on the gravel covered ground. I LMAO at that, lucky for me they started to laugh before I did.

[OF]

My greatest moment in gun cleaning happened when I realized that I did not have to clean the damn things every time I went to the range :D

It was akin to when I realized that just because the phone is ringing, doesn't mean I have to get it.

- Gabe

[dleong]

Digisubs of the 2nd season of the anime. I've got the R1 DVD's of the first season, movie, and specials. I'm hoping someone picks up the 2nd season and the live-action version for R1 DVD release in the US. I have digisubs of the live-action series as well, but haven't watched them yet. I take great pleasure in tossing old fansub tapes and new digisub CD's in the trash when I replace them with proper DVD's.

I find it amusing that anime cops in Japan (in this series at least) don't get guns, but one of the characters (Miyuki) is a paintball fanatic. In the movie they use her paintball guns to good effect in an emergency.
I have the R2 DVD of the movie. Paintball guns were used in the Bokuto Precinct Police HQ shootout, but in the river chase segment, Miyuki used a scoped Remington 700-type bolt action rifle to take out the bad guy. It was not a paintball gun, as they have a close-up of her feeding a couple of live cartridges into the magazine.

I believe that was the very first time she was shown using live ammo in any of the YUA incarnations (i.e., anime, manga, live-action).
Bryan (who wants to be Nakajima Ken, but wouldn't sneeze at the chance to be Officer Toukairin)
Wouldn't you rather be Aoi Futaba? That way, you'd have access to the female locker room... :D


My great moment in gun cleaning: removing the rear receiver of a newly-acquired SKS rifle--with the bolt locked back. No prizes for guessing what happened next.

DL

[BeLikeTrey]

Had some friends of mine buy the 9mm version. Showed the how to take it apart with the greatest of ease. Getting it back together took and hour. Let me say the two women were less than impressed but quite gracious about the whole thing. Finally realized that I'd have to keep the barrel from moving back with the slide to get the slide all the way back to get the pin back in. Almost as much of a pain as taking apart a Ruger

[sm]

My greatest moment in gun cleaning happened when I realized that I did not have to clean the damn things every time I went to the range

It was akin to when I realized that just because the phone is ringing, doesn't mean I have to get it.
-GRD
:D Yep!

Rain, mud , snow...yeah you have to though. Since I don't have enough sense to come in out of the weather...guess I will have to clean from time to time.:p

I did notice when I used canned air to blow nelphs out of my CCW ...aim away from your ice tea...:)

Neatest things them little cans of air when time to inspect the CCW, drop mag, clear chamber, make safe, use canned air, drops of lube if need, insert mag, rack slide, top off mag, safe on.

I gotta find a easier way. :D

[BryanP]

Miyuki used a scoped Remington 700-type bolt action rifle to take out the bad guy. It was not a paintball gun, as they have a close-up of her feeding a couple of live cartridges into the magazine.

You know what this means? It means I have to rewatch that movie just to confirm this. Darn. ;) What to watch tonight - a couple more episodes of YUA season 2, the movie, or another disk of Sakura Wars TV. Decisions, decisions.

Wouldn't you rather be Aoi Futaba? That way, you'd have access to the female locker room...

Yeah, but Aoi is quite thoroughly gay. Otherwise they wouldn't allow him in there. He's a fun character and all but no thanks all the same. I'm more the bumbling foot-in-mouth Nakajima type anyway.

[Bart Noir]

One of our members watched some tough-guy types rent a SIG at a range and then play with the levers. First shot, slide comes back, that's good. Slide goes forward, that's good. Slide keeps going out onto the range, and people on all sides are still shooting. That's not good and the range master had to get involved to bring all the pieces of the gun range's SIG back together.

Bart Noir

[Moparmike]

Figuring out how to get the top cover of my WASR-10 to actually snap down. Everytime I reassemble it, it takes 10min to get it to snap back down. Simple Peasant's rifle my :cuss: .

[standingbear]

pushing in a gas piston on a fal,I guessed it locked it there somehow..shot outta there like a dart,right into the tv screen and cracked the glass...so much for watching the fal video on gunsmithing.lucky for me,it was a freebie a friend had given me cause the volume kept going up and down and a thunk on the side was the only way to get it to work.I dont know why but I just sat there and watched it fly.

all garand shooters know what m1 thumb is..I have no idea why I did this other than curiousity as to how the ejecting mechanism works..pull the bolt back till it locked and hold a minimag lite in my teeth and stick in my index finger and press down on that lever inside there.:what: :eek:

[jefnvk]

Taking the reciever cover off an SKS at the range... With the bolt still pulled back and locked into the open position. Nearly caught a gu in the leg with that one, and there is a small chunk of wall missing :rolleyes:

[Dionysusigma]

The second time (and last) I disassembled my Winchester 1911SL, the recoil spring exploded out of the stock, knocked my glasses off :what: , and severely damaged a lamp across the room. Getting the thing back in there took no less than struggling for 10 minutes, giving up for a week, and spending another 45 minutes straight until it finally did what it was supposed to do.

I swear, 12ga autoloader recoil springs ought to be treated with as much care as C4 or nuclear weapons. :uhoh:

[Thrash1982]

Two things come to mind. The first is launching the recoil spring guide rod from my Beretta 96 accross the room. and the second is trying to put the gas plug back into my FAL and having my fingers slip off and the gas piston launching the plug a few feet away. Haven't had the 1911 plug experience yet but hopefully sometime this year I'll be the owner of one.

[45R]

I watched a guy at the range with a 1911. During a firing session he took down his 1911 and wasn't paying attention. As he moved the barrel bushing the plunger cap thing a ma jig (recoil spring plug?)and recoil spring shot out of his gun. :o It took him about 20 mintues to sort through piles of brass to find the plug. The whole time the ROs at the range were shaking their heads. :D

[JohnBT]

An embarrassing moment in gun cleaning...

Once upon a time my Ruger Police Service-Six was getting a little gunked up and sluggish and I mentioned it to my dad in passing. Not having a lot of free time that week, I nearly drowned the gun in BreakFree to let it soak for a day or two prior to disassembly and cleaning.

Meanwhile, my dad, being retired and having some free time and being helpful and all, picked up the gun in its' case and took it to town to have it professionally cleaned by the local shop owner. Well, the owner took one look at the oil running(not dripping) out of the gun and had a few choice words to say about me while he cleaned it up.

To this day I don't think the guy trusts me around his guns.

John

[ctdonath]

Not exactly cleaning, but on a related note...

Took the barrel out of a G26 for transport (airline checked-in luggage; if stolen, thief would not have usable G26).

Some time later, stuck it in holster, went to gun show and presented it at door for proof of unloading, done by running a plastic tie wrap thru the barrel. ...um, no barrel. Oops.

[Ian]

While trying to diagnose a problem with a Mauser once at the range, I managed to launch a handful or bolt components downrange.

Asking for a cease-fire to collect parts of your gun is embarrasing... :o

[firearms_instructor]

I had my HK91 on lawaway for months, making payments on it. The gunshop guys were very indulgent about letting me fondle it during my monthly payment visitations, and I decided to try field stripping the bolt... (what the he** was I thinking?!) it came apart just fine, getting it back together was quite the challenge... especially while trying to be cool, pretending nothing was amiss...

And of course dozens of variations of "find the spring that went ZING!" that goes with being a firearms enthusiast...

On a similar note, many, many years ago a former girlfriend and I were hunkered down in our apartment during a hurricane. I had a bottle of Asti Spumante, and was sitting on the floor decorking it because we were too economically challenged to afford furniture. Across the room there was a recessed lamp in the ceiling, and the bottle between my legs was pointed in that general direction. Girlfriend said, "The cork is pointing right at the lamp, you might hit it", I said, "Baby, there's no way, that's a one in a million shot, I couldn't make that if I tried!", and then we both watched in stunned fascination as the cork flew in slow motion straight up into the recessed ceiling lamp, and the glass came tinkling down.

[ducktapehero]

I have a little Beretta 418 in 25acp. It has always been ultra reliable for me. After I shoot it I always clean it. Then one time at the range it just would feed worth a crap. Disgusted I went home and took it apart to figure out what I had broke. I couldn't find anything so I decided that maybe a good cleaning will help. As I got my cleaning stuff out I saw a little spring in there. I then found where the spring went. In the Beretta!!! I put it back together WITH the spring and it's back to 100%.

[Tharg]

Heh - got a .380 acp interarms that i bought for the gf ages ago - its (don't you hate it when you know the word and can't think of it?) ... at any rate its got an external extractor (THERE is the word) that has some kind of pressure via a funky spring.... ever since the 1st time that puppy came out it never goes back right... (doesn't seem to) but it was fun watching it fly and trying to find it several times....

Then there is the one like beliketrey said above... gf bought a Taurus PT40 - and the 1st time i stripped it, it was no big deal.... cleaned it up etc etc... went to put it together and for the life of me there is just no way to NOT look like an idiot if you don't do the barrel slide JUST right putting it back together <Grin>

1st time i stripped a 1911 - was a friend who thinks i'm the bee's knee's when it comes to guns - he looked at me odd when i almost nailed him w/ that spring in there....

Thankfully my HK has always been good to me - and the wheel gun doesn't need a lot of dissasembly <eg>

J/Tharg!

[JoeRapture]

Cleaning my AR-15 lower with carb cleaner. Spray it in there, up it shoots into my eye. I drop the lower onto the concrete patio and run into the house screaming like a little girl.

[Red_SC]

Joe, I dun that too, with a Rossi. Scared my brand new wife to death.:what:

[Heraclitus]

NORAD keeps track of space debris in orbit around the Earth: some 10,000 pieces of junk at last count. A good number of these are my 1911 recoil spring plugs gone ballistic after I carelessly rotated the bushing.

[Black Snowman]

Since my friend isn't here to relate the story 1st hand:

He had just bought his first auto-loader, a Beretta 96F and was breaking it down for the 1st time. Another friend was reading him the instructions.
Press and hold take-down button and rotate take-down lever.
OK.
Remove slide by pulling forward off the frame.
OK.
Remove recoil spring guide and spring.
*SPROING! Bang, thud." :cuss:
Warning: Recoil spring is under tension and not captive. Remove carefully as the spring can launch the spring guide and cause injury or damage.
Really? Wow you don't say.

:D

[Correia]

I've launched a few springs, cut my fingers a few time, and sprayed myself in the eyes with carb cleaner.

My personal best however involved an 870. I had the barrel off, and was trying to diagnose some mechanical problems. I thought that maybe the firing pin was broken. So I put the bolt into position, and then put my thumb against the bolt face, I figured I would be able to feel the firing pin when it fired. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Keep in mind that the firing pin dents a metal primer.

You know those little tools that they stick you with for blood tests? Multiply that by about a thousand times. THWACK! AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

[Pebcac]

1911, but NO! not the recoil spring plug. I haven't done that yet (but I will :D ).

Detail stripping the slide, trying very carefully to not release the firing pin, but not carefully enough. ZIP! Whish! right past the ear. Ping!

Luckily, the spring stayed put somehow, and my wife saw where the pin landed through the tears streaming down her face from laughing at me.

[standingbear]

Cleaning my AR-15 lower with carb cleaner. Spray it in there, up it shoots into my eye. I drop the lower onto the concrete patio and run into the house screaming like a little girl ouch..I unwittingly sprayed that stuff on a g3 copy once.GOT IT nice and clean.. after I thought I was finished,picked it up and wiped it down......along with the cheap paint they coated it with.In the end,nasty headache,black covered hands that stung for almost an hour and a 75 dollar bill to have it refinished the right way.that stuff eats everything.plastic,finishes and skin.

[mack69]

Well I did it really good this time....Cleaning my DW PMA-S in the garage at my workbench and ever so carefully (as usual) unlocking the barrel bushing. The flimsy plastic bushing wrench slips and...... You guessed it....the spring plug launches itself straight up blasts the overhead flourecent light which in turn showers me and everything else with glass leaving me in total darkness. Wish I woulda had my digi cam handy cause everything, my tool box, my range bag, pistol bag etc..was full of pieces of glass from the 2 flourecent bulbs above. Thank the good Lord I always wear my safety glasses...While cleaning up all that glass with the shop vac I thought I felt a bug crawling down my arm...nope....not a bug....but free flowing blood from a half inch piece of glass that imbedded itself in my upper forearm. I removed it and it only bled more...at that time mrsmack pulls up from work...comes into the garage and sees the blood flowing down my arm and yells wth happened?? I tell her I shot myself..she looks at the bench sees the guns and freaks....(this all happens in seconds) I saw no not like that!!! and proceed to explain to her what happened. I was laughing...however she was not amused....:cuss: Probably coulda used a couple stiches in the arm but...... Are all the bushing wrenches made of flimsy plastic??? mack

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

First time on the range with my first firearm, a G19. Due to being incarcerated* in PRNJ. it has taken me literally months to get the thing.

Took it down to the cellar to clean it afterward. Clear it, aim at a large wooden post, pull the trigger. Click, but no bang. So far, so good. Pull down the slide release with the gun tipped slightly forward...

...and watch the slide sail down to impact the dirty concrete floor behind my workbench. :what: :cuss:

Fortunately, nothing was broken. (Hey, it's a Glock, after all :D )

- pdmoderator

* By that, I mean having a residence there. Real jailbirds would have the connections they'd have needed to get the G19 within a day or two, from either a lawless felon or a former aide to Jim McGreasy. But I repeat myself.

[mfree]

Walther P22.... immediately after launching the magazine safety spring across the room onto multicolored shag carpet, and cursing myself for every minute of the half hour it took to find it....

..... *zing!* Off goes the safety pin block spring! Darned little parts...

No "forceful" ejections of necessary parts... yet. :) I've got a CZ52, so I'm sure I'll slip and let the barrel go flying chamber-first some day.

[joegerardi]

Mine was with my son's new p01...

He's 15 and lives in NY. I got him this (he picked it out) for when he comes down to vacation with me. I was cleaning all the oil off it from the factory, and giving it the once over, as I wasn't going to shoot it: it was his pistol, and he gets to put the first round down the pipe...

All cleaned up, working the trigger in it to ease it up some for him, and I realize I haven't done the firing pin test. Now, I don't use a pencil, I use a BIC pen. I point it across the room, and just as I'm squeezing the trigger, the phone rings. I live alone, and seldom get calls, so I jump a little and squeeze the trigger off, answer the phone, finish the conversation, and start looking for the pen. I can't find the damned thing. 10 minutes looking, and then out of the corner of my eye I see it...

Stuck in the ceiling...

..Joe

[Jayman]

Heh, everyone on the planet who has even a passing relationship with a 1911 seems to have jettisoned the recoil spring and plug. I'm no exception. I owned a Kimber for like 2-3 months, and during that time I must've put like three marks on my dang ceiling. I eventually sold the thing...

The only real issue I've had was with a Glock. Them dern spring cups are small and they LOVE to go zinging across the room. Good luck finding them, I spent like 30 minutes to find one, one time.

I haven't had as much problem with rifles or shotguns.

Saiga 12 magazines now... the springs in those things are as long as my leg. I nicely captured the end of it in my hand as I was easing the baseplate off, and then about another three feet of spring came busting out from the mag body. I managed to hang onto it, but it was pretty funny. My friend watching me in action laughed his @$$ off.

[Tom Servo]

Once while demonstrating reassembly on a Sig 228 to my boss. I had the gun canted to the side and was saying, "so you lock the slide like this, rotate the lever back up, then just drop the slide and...HOLY &%($ing *%&*!!!"

I wasn't paying attention, and my pinky was in the breech when the slide went down. There was a great deal of bleeding and cursing.

Despite the pain, I was able to laugh about it, and my boss learned a valuable lesson that day!

[joegerardi]

I just have to keep this thread alive with what happend tonight...

2 posts up I wrote of what happend with my son's P01. Tonight, I was cleaning the last of the pistols we took to the range, my Springfield Loaded Operator. I remove the FLGR, and start to remove the plug. Now, the end of it is sharp, so I usually press down on it with the floorplate of a mag, rotate the bushing, slowly let up on the mag, pinching the plug with my thumb and index finger...

...which were covered with CLP. So yeah, the plug launches itself at the ceiling. We've all done it, but this one was special. I no sooner look up to see where it's going, and it's coming back down, and lands on the table, standing straight up, and within 2 inches of the pistol, just about where I normally place it when I remove it *properly.*

I was laughing so hard I knocked the table, and it rolled off onto the floor. THEN I had to go look for it!

..Joe

[WhiteKnight]

I underestimated how tightly to hold the spring into the magazine tube on an 870 and sent it flying across the room. As dorky as I may look, I now use eye protection when disassembling any of my guns.

[Jayman]

Think about how dorky you'd look with only one eye. ;) (Although I guess with an eye patch you'd be "cool?")

[mrstang01]

I'll add to the 1911 tales, cleaning my 70 Series Combat Commander at my folks house before we headed out on the 12 hour drive home the next day. Launched the frelling recoil plug across the gravel alley that split their property into the field.

Several long distance phone calls and an hour one-way trip later, I had a replacement. I wasn't about to make that drive without my 1911 in one piece.

[sm]

Mark the calendar. Steve cleaned his P-11, even the bbl, which had not been cleaned since the fall of 2003. <gasp> :uhoh: :D

I babysat a house for a few days. Since this property has a shooting range out back, and I was trying to keep things "normal" - I shot "out back". Didn't want folks to think the owners were gone . :p

It rained, and it rained, and I recall the big boat with 2 of each critter came by twice and we waved.

Now I know about the firing pin and firing pin spring. I have witness marks on mine so I know where mine is set best. I have never "launched it" but I can tell it would give a 1911 guide plug a run for the money.

So...I get an idea to test. I get the slide cleaned up and the rest of the gun is ...err...soaking. I'm going to replace the FP and Spring anyway...I figure it is time, with this many years and however many rds I have through it...plus the 1200 rds in two days I just shot.

I find some old ink pen refills that fit the FP Spring. See I had on purpose launched it and it when from one end of the house to the other....big house and the dog helped me find it. [ Thank goodness for rock fireplaces].

With a factory FP spring and metal ball pen refill , standing on the back deck ...my best distance was 35 yds. :D
I used the range for reference...When dry I walked it off.

Hey these were no good ad pens and freebies. I betcha the owner is trying this for himself after I explained my "research", the dog was my witness and vouched for me.

So perhaps we need a Olympic event, winners from the Redneck Cup can represent the US.

Anti gunners don't have fun like this, must be boring to just deal with jars that won't open, or the stapler gets hung up. :p

Ka- Ching....

[Albatross]

I had just brought a brand new Kimber 1911 home from the gun store. I was 15 and super excited to learn all about it and I figured the best place to start would be to read the manual.

I carefully read every word and decided the thing to do first was field strip the pistol.

So, I re-read the section of the manual regarding basic take down and saw the words:

"Caution: Recoil spring and barrel brushing under pressure."

And I thought, "Hm, pressure. I'll be careful." but really having no idea exactly what was under pressure.

Needless to say, I turned the brushing and the plug flew out and hit me straight between my eyes. The plug hit me so hard I fell our of my chair screaming convinced for second I had somehow managed to shoot myself.

The plug slammed into my head, then bounced across 15-20 feet of living room and landed behind the fireplace on the wood stack (I spent approximately 2 hours searching for it).

/none of this stopped me from going out to shoot it later.
//glad to have learned I'm not the only one to make such a mistake.

[RX-178]

Impressive thread necromancy.

But in this case, I say that in a positive light!

I can't remember ALL the details, but I was taking apart a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum. At the time, I had started playing the guitar, and had deliberately grown my fingernails out long for that purpose, so I was having a h**l of a time depressing the springs to release the action from the receiver.

Well, a friend of mine was there, so he offered to help.

In our youthful brilliance, we decide he should hold the weapon by the stock, and push the springs in, while I grab onto the pump and pull it free.

He tells me that he's got the springs depressed, and I feel some parts catching, and other kind of resistance, so I work the pump a little, then give it a good yank when I feel the parts separating from each other. Still doesn't come free.

Well, after fiddling around a bit, I eventually gave it another good yank. As you may have predicted by now, both of us ended up on our asses, each with half of a Remington 870 in hand.

I have since cut my fingernails, and have considerably more practice in disassembling that weapon.

[tribbles]

Getting my finger caught by the SKS trap door in the buttstock while trying to remove that %()#% cleaning kit. Wife looking at me funny while I'm hopping around yelling choice words with a rifle hanging off my thumb.

[Bozo]

"Getting my finger caught by the SKS trap door in the buttstock "

Ok, now that one I have done to, that is the first and last time I took it out.

[cassandrasdaddy]

wasn't me but a kid i know had a 22 fail to fire in an older gun and it wouldn't extract. he was about to use a cleaning rod from bore to bash it out with the bolt still in and closed he got a lil testy when i hollered at him i was afraid it would fire and send the rod through his hand

[Robbie]

Ahh the tales of **** flying when you take a gun apart for the first time. Probably the most important thing when cleaning a gun is safety glasses, without a doubt a guide rod spring could knock one out and leave you shooting funny forever. ive seen some crazy **** happen when taking a firearm apart but nothing beats the amount of people that have shot the slides across the room. its just down right funny. i almost did it with my kel-tec p11 but noticed the barrel wasnt fully forward because it wasn't locked in.

[The Lone Haranguer]

:uhoh:

http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/images/aria/ng/org/ng-nm-7445.org?aria/maxwidth_288

[f4t9r]

I have had the slide sail accross the room and a dent in the ceiling from a firing pin.

[Fat Boy]

I recently started to clean a newly acquired Browning Buckmark. As is my routine, I removed the grips, turned the gun over and parts starting falling...I found everything, (so I thought) and after cleaning the gun reassembled it. Problem was the trigger wouldn't engage after cycling the slide. I figured out, with the help of a fellow poster on this forum, that a small spring was missing. I searched the entire workbench and garage floor with no success. Finally gave up and went to Numrich's website and ordered the replacement. A couple hours later I picked up the cigar ashtray to empty it and got to wondering...sure enough, there was the errant spring in all the ashes and Rocky Patel butt's...so, cleaned it and reassembled one last time. Now to return that spring to Numrich...

[LGswift]

I was at the armouries for post exercise drills, cleaning weapons that were used (blanks) over the weekend. We turn all weapons into the lockup with the bolt carriers removed, and the 9mm hi power is stored without the barrel/chamber installed by placing the recoil spring and guide into the frame, inserting the takedown lever and then bringing the slide over the spring and locking it by applying the safety which locks the slide.

Long story short, my buddy cocks the hammer on his 9mm and I draw mine, bring it up and release the safety unknowingly sending the slide flying into the kevlar helmet clipped to his tac vest, needless to say, he said "You got me";)

[A.M. Baer]

Quite a while back, my first time taking apart a 1911 I had some trouble. It took me about 90 minutes to remove the slide, it finally came off when I realized that I had not removed the slide lock...

[John Wayne]

I had some cheap Beretta 92magazines, both 35 and 20 rounders. I decided to try putting the spring from the 35 rounder in the 20 rounder to see if it would work better...it did, but when I tried to remove the floorplate for cleaning it got stuck. After a minute of fiddling with it I finally got it to slide off...and whack me in the middle of the forehead.

[|0O0y]

Use the tool/jig for taking apart a bolt for an M1 carbine, EXPECIALLY when you put it back together. I lost a spring that became airborne.

[Deus Machina]

I still have to bang the muzzle of my Ruger Mk3 to get whatever part catches in there to uncatch, so I can disassemble and try putting it back together again, every time.

Nothing should be sensitive to what angle you reassemble it at.

Cleaning the gook out of my 20-year-old S&W 469's magazine, sent the spring and follow shooting across the room.

Same gun, guide rod. Really, that tiny notch you have to fit the guide rod's base onto is the only bad idea on the gun.

Converting my Saiga and trying to put the bolt catch spring back in--it's a tiny circular spring, and it looks onto the trigger rod on the far side, so I couldn't do that first. Spent 45 minutes trying to push it in far enough with a tool so I could hook the pin through, not counting the time that I sent it flying no less than half a dozen times. Three of those, my Matrix Sense (grown from working in a repair shop and around glass) kicked in and I grabbed it in midair. Spent the other three searching.

[30 cal slob]

does anyone else scream at their ruger mk II when trying to put it back together after cleaning?

my wife thinks that's kind of funny.

[zammyman]

Closing the action of my SKS on my finger... didn't feel too good, didn't seem to clean the gun, either

[woodybrighton]

Falkland islands 1992 finding an m2 .50 cal on an aa mount in the sentry postion:eek:
no paperwork for said weapon or record of its exsistance.
carried back to guard room by quite a few people.
I think it needs a clean says Lt.
back then they were not common issue and it wasn't a quick change barrel version.
que lots of little pieces on the floor and various soldiers sent to find a manual/somebody with a clue:o
being shown how said weapon goes back together by a Royal air force armourer maximum embarrassment :o
que next three months helpful air force types asking if we need a help with anything.
paperwork did turn up surplus us gun sold to argies captured and refurbished though no paperwork for the 3 extra 81mm mortars and no sign of the missing four ton truck

[Deer Hunter]

does anyone else scream at their ruger mk II when trying to put it back together after cleaning?

It took me so long to figure out how to put it back together correctly. I feel your pain.

[ggarfield965]

Ok, this one was definitely not me. This goes back to the early-mid 30s perhaps, and comes from my father as it was told to him by his grandfather. It is the ultimate in stupid mistakes and gun cleaning. Apparently, one of my Dad's uncle's was cleaning a .22 after going rabbit hunting. He was about 10, and his younger 3 year old brother was on the kiddie potty in the same room on the other side. Well, my great uncle threw the slide on the gun, and must have pulled the trigger (yeah gun safety!). He thought it was unloaded, but it had one left in it, and the bullet whizzed past the back of the kiddie potty with the kid still sitting on it. The story goes that the kid did his duty right then and there. I have been told that my great uncle got a switching of epic proportions that day. Even more fun is that my dad actually has the rifle, a 1917 UMC/Remington pump repeater. Still shoots just fine, but the rifling is a little worn. My dad was shooting squirrels with it last year before he bought himself a .410.

[SsevenN]

I'll play.

First gun I ever bought/owned/shot/cleaned was my CIA Cetme Sporter.

Taking apart the bolt with no manual and no firearms experience turned out to be a terrible idea.

After some help from the guy I ran into (who didn't know anything about HK style rotating bolts either) I got it back together and he said to me...

"OK now never take that apart again."

At the time all I could do was laugh, as it was said in frustration rather than seriousness.


Fast forward 5 years.

A buddy picks up his first handgun, a Rugger p345.

Anyway he shows it to me, and it's filthy, the previous owner had never cleaned anything except the barrel.

Well I think I'm the king-**** of auto-loaders at the time, so I try to field strip the thing.

45 minutes later and no success, I promised the guy I would research the proper take down, but by the next time I'd see him, he'd figured it out.

....But now I give the previous owner a little more credit for not wanting to clean it. ;)

[zminer]

I had cleaned my Ruger 10/22 a few times using the basic instructions in the manual, and I thought I was getting pretty good at it. So, I got done cleaning it one time, looked over at the trigger assembly sitting on the newspaper I'd put down on the floor. I reach over, pick it up, and am looking at it trying to see how it works. I decide I want to see what the mechanism looks like when I pull the trigger.

So, it turns out that the trigger works through the use of a compressed spring! :rolleyes: So, yeah, that was the night I learned how to put the trigger back together. After I found the spring.

[Strings]

Odd... I've taken apart quite a few 1911s, and never sent a barrel plug flying. Huh...

DID have a problem with a friend's Series 70. There's and extra lil' piece in the sear area, that isn't present on my 1991. And I simply could NOT get it back together right. So I play with it a bit, put the silly thing together sans that part, and "test it": hammer drops properly, so I assume "needless part".

Next day, after taking it out to the range, he brings it back telling me to "fix whatever you screwed-up"...

Had another friend break the tip off the firing pin on his Beretta 96. I figure "no problem!".

Ever see the "hazmat box" in the movies? You know: airtight lexan box, with rubber gloves you use to handle whatever's inside? Yeah: you need one of those if you're going to detail strip a Beretta. We ended up replacing a few parts off that pistol...

[jordan1948]

Verry first shotgun ever, Remington 870 20GA, started taking the magazine spring retainer out, got it almost all the way and across my living room it went then I couldn't find it for a few hours. After that I removed the forend and couldn't get it back on for a few days, if you have the 870 20GA you know how hard it is to get that thing back on, but in the end it all went back together and I've had it apart so many times I can do it blind folded (not bragging just elaborating).

Other time I took apart my fathers Mossberg 835 and couldn't figure out how to put it back together so I ended up putting all the parts in a sack and riding my bike about 6-7 miles to an older friends who's a certified gunsmith, he couldn't get to it right then so I started home and about halfway he calls and says it's ready lol thankfully he offered to drive it to me since he knew how far away I was.

[esmith]

I have had a lot of stupid things happen while cleaning a SKS.

First, is the gas op-rod that pushes against the bolt carrier. When putting that back it I foolishy thought it was far enough in its chamber. Wrong. Upon letting go the thing shot across the room hitting the wall and creating an interesting sound.

Second, I have two sks, one yugo and the other chinese. Being curious as i am i wanted to see what parts would be interchangable. Well, the upper reciever cover isn't. It slides on fine, but won't come off. It was so stuck on there that i rammed the action back thinking it wouldn't move. It shot off and buried 1/5 of itself in the wall.

Third, was the buttstock cleaning kit thumb pinch. Yeah, that was fun.

[7.62X25mm]

Knock over a bottle of Hoppe's No. 9 on the rug. Then wrestle with the conflict: "Is that a 'good' smell or a 'bad' smell?"

[|0O0y]

does anyone else scream at their ruger mk II when trying to put it back together after cleaning?
It took me so long to figure out how to put it back together correctly. I feel your pain.Amen. That's why I traded it in for a S&W .22First gun I ever bought/owned/shot/cleaned was my CIA Cetme Sporter.

Taking apart the bolt with no manual and no firearms experience turned out to be a terrible idea.

After some help from the guy I ran into (who didn't know anything about HK style rotating bolts either) I got it back together and he said to me...

"OK now never take that apart again."

At the time all I could do was laugh, as it was said in frustration rather than seriousness.

The first time I saw this done after I bought my CETME years ago, I never tried, and traded the gun in for a FAL.