I get a stark reminder to treat every gun as loaded

[OilyPablo]

I'm surprised you didn't see the spent casing when you were cleaning the gun.

Thanks for the wake up post. Seriously - the four rules do work.

 

[scaatylobo]

Guess I missed something.

That gun looks like it has an EXPENDED .22 rimfire round.

So while not properly unloaded,it is not "loaded" either.

 

[OilyPablo]

That gun looks like it has an EXPENDED .22 rimfire round.

OP did mention it, actually.

 

[DeadMoneyDrew]

Yeah, it was an expended shell, and I didn't clean the gun after my previous outing. But I swear to all high heaven that I checked and rechecked and rererererechecked the cylinder before putting the gun away. Guess not.

 

[j1]

Remember they do not put erasers on firearms.

 

[smalls]

I just leave all mine loaded, so there's no question when I pick one up, it either goes into a holster, or needs to be cleared.

But I only own 2 pistols, and their main role is carry/ HD.

 

[JTHunter]

Drew - it's good you found that round BUT, unless it was a mis-fire, there is a pit mark on that rim indicating it has been fired.
Was it an un-fired round or not?

 

[DeadMoneyDrew]

it had been fired. I was expecting the cylinder to be completely empty.

 

[clutch]

I bought a Colt/Umarex 1911-22 recently. It is good for the first 10 rounds but the last couple can be iffy.

Finding a round or rounds in the mag after slide lock has had me getting back into the habit of checking clear. Good running guns have allowed me to get sloppy.

It seems that the older one gets, the more stark reminders one encounters in daily life.

Clutch

 

[THe Dove]

I got old by sticking my little finger in every, and I do mean every, reciever following a visual check.

AMEN!

Thank You Blindhari......

The Dove

 

[Ignition Override]

DeadMoneyDrew:
Readers are to assume that nobody else uses, or has access to that gun?

 

[DeadMoneyDrew]

Correct. Only I have the key to the case. And I keep both the case and the key stashed away.

 

[USAF_Vet]

Remember they do not put erasers on firearms.

I'm sure someone will rush out and make a pic rail adapter so an eraser can be mounted to the front of an AR now.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

My rule 1. Treat all firearms with the respect due a lethal weapon, especially the unloaded ones.

 

[twofifty]

the mind & training go 'pfffft'

Thanks for posting Drew.

The circumstances in which this happened were a clear break in your usual shooting routine...you were rushing so as not to be bullied by range staff.

In my personal experience, breaches of normally well-adhered to firearms safe rules are most likely to happen when there is a change in routine or a distraction of some sort. This is when our mind and training go 'pfffft' and lo and behold someone gets swept, or a firearm is brought home with a live round in the chamber.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Thanks for your honesty and reminder. What I also like about the four rules, is they have some level of redundancy built into them so that if you violate only one of the four, you are still ok. I know, we should never violate any of them.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Most people who have been around guns for any length of time have been surprised like this. That's OK, because the surprises are harmless if your habits are good.

 

[bigfatdave]

A lot of good comments on the subject of "gun handling deserves 100% attention",

ANY administrative gun handling should be done without distraction or multitasking whenever possible. If you can't devote full attention, perhaps the boomstick should go back on the table until you CAN (or back in the holster)

It takes perhpas 5 seconds to clear most guns, clear the time.

 

[Bovice]

I once just barely stopped someone from "clearing" an open-bolt MAC-10. In a room full of people.

I concede the usefulness of the various "rules" of handling firearms. My Dad only taught me two as a child:

1) don't point a gun at something you don't intend to shoot
2) always treat a gun like it is loaded

I have half a dozen guns within a few steps of where I'm sitting. One, I know is ready to fire. Most of the others, I can't remember. It doesn't matter whether they're loaded or not; I treat them like they are, and I don't point them at things I don't want to put holes in...

I guess Dad's rules were more an "awareness" thing than a detailed checklist.

I don't follow. It's open bolt, to clear it you remove the magazine. Am I missing something? It fires from an open bolt, so there's nothing in the chamber.

 

[captmoto]

In the small group (family) I hunted with, we did a quick look into open chambers whenever we got into vehicles to head out, move between hunting spots or head in at the end of the day. It seems a little paranoid but it was peace of mind.