How many times have you dropped a firearm?

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Trey Veston

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Was doing some drop tests on a Glock with an aftermarket trigger system installed to see if it was drop safe (it wasn't) and it got me to thinking about how many times I had actually dropped a firearm in my 40+ years of hunting, target shooting, competing with, and carrying weapons in both a military and civilian capacity.

Twice. And both in the last two years. Once was when I was changing targets at the cabin range and had a Taurus G2c in a Carhart jacket pocket that tumbled out and onto the gravel. It was not loaded or had a round in the chamber.

The second time was a couple of week ago when my Ruger Predator rifle was on my shooting bench and tipped over and fell on the ground. It was also unloaded.

So, I have never dropped a loaded weapon.

Curious as to how often such an incident happens to other folks.
 
Back in my salad days - green and mixed up - I had a thing for "Mexican carry" in the waistband.
A .38 Colt slithering down my pants leg at the grocery store cured me of that.

A gun rack at the trap range toppled over and dropped my shotgun in the dirt, although I was not even close to it. Everybody was very helpful getting the dirt out of the barrel, but I was so rattled that I bombed the next round, third round of a handicap shootoff after a 99 in the event and dropped three targets to settle for second place.
 
Twice, both super stupid moves early in my gun ownership days. First, I had my carry gun in a pocket holster in my back pocket, baggy cargo shorts. I was running around in the field next to the house with the dog, after we get back in the house I have a panic attack as my gun and holster are no longer in my back pocket. Found it in the field, but felt like a complete idiot. Got rid of those shorts immediately.
Second, I had brought several guns out to the range, I had a 1911 in a tanker style holster, and a Security Six, which I had not yet bought a holster for. The 1911 was on the shooting bench and I was out in the shooting bay with the Security Six. I shoved the revolver in the tanker holster and then bent down to pick something up off the ground, and that 357 slipped right out and landed butt first pointed right at me. Ordered a proper holster that evening.
 
once a browning a bolt in 280 fell out tripod when getting out. I could hear it hit the ladder on the way down and landing on the scope. Only damage was a small scuff mark on the synthetic stock. I thought I had an ugly 8 inch v shape scratch but turns out it was paint transfer from the stand, some very fine steel wool and oil and it came off. I could not believe the scope made it with no scratches and still worked.
 
Standing at a parts counter. Summer, loose waisted shorts. When I leaned forward to sign a repair statement a Millinnum Pro 45 tucked in waistband at small of back slid down and clattered on the floor. A salesman walking by looked at me and smirked.
 
In over 50 years I have dropped a firearm exactly one time. That was a Benelli M1 Super 90 which fell in the closet while I was getting something else out of the closet. Stock ended up cracked and Thank God the firearm did not discharge or I would not be writing this.
 
Rifle sling broke on my M-16 when I was climbing onto a Deuce and a half. It fell about four feet onto dirt fortunately. It was loaded with a round chambered. No damage but i was worried about it until I shot it again. I dropped a loaded CZ 75b when I got stung by a yellow jacket over my right eye. I put my boot out to break the fall of the gun. No damage. A dumb thing to do, but Man it's a CZ!
 
I must be a klutz because I have probably dropped a gun twenty or more times. It goes with the territory when you still hunt without a sling. Climbing over logs and squeezing through thick growth with everything grabbing at you.

I have dropped my J frame taking out of my pocket a few times. It is in a holster and as I take it out to place it somewhere in the house I sometimes fumble it.

I dropped my 1894SS when my hunting partner snapped a tree branch back in my face (accidentally). I dropped the gun to protect my teeth.
 
I’ve had an instance where a leaning gun slid and fell over during the years and one totally out of the blue flop. A rogue gust of wind lifted the lid of an open hard case off the picnic table, sending my unloaded Henry .22’s into the gravel.

I haven’t dropped one from my hands on to the ground.... knock on wood. :)

Stay safe.
 
We had a Ranger in our office who Mexican carried his 1911. In the head he always balanced it on the back of the thing (propriety demands the euphemism) behind the pipe. It never fell that I know or heard of, but I bet the State would have made him pay for the broke porcelain. lol Me? No, I've never dropped a gun.
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Only had one fall out of a safe, it was a AR and landed on the scope and the end of the barrel, luckily it was in a gun sock so no damage and it was unloaded. I am pretty careful with my firearms, I don't like nicks or scratches so I tend to baby them.
 
Once. When I was a kid, my Ithaca Model 37 tipped over and landed on something and dented the ventilated rib. I used that gun for years with a "U" in the rib until one day I said, screw it, and stuck a screw driver under the dent and bent it back out.
 
Only once I remember, years ago. Sling came loose on my slug-barreled Mossberg 500 while I was climbing into a tree stand. Bounced off a tree branch and went barrel first into snow and mud. Hunt was over until I was able to check for damage, thoroughly clean the barrel, and verify my zero. Nothing broken and many rounds through it since then.
 
Ive honestly fallen on more guns than ive dropped.
I have the same scope on two guns that fell. One I got tangled in the bipod after putting it in the rifle rack on my workbench he yanked it free only to fumble it and send it tumbling onto the scope.
The second one I was taking out of the safe and caught the muzzle on the way out yanking it out of my hand and dropping it square under the scope again.... After that particular one I sent the scope back to see if it was damaged since it took a 12 lb gun square on the elevation turret and objective bell.....

I've had the upper part of the sling snap a couple of times now and send the muzzle of a gun directly into the ground or in my ridgeline's case the last time we're out and hit a rock.
 
Too many times. Several have been good examples that made me get better gear. One point sling let go and I am tripping over the gun, for example.

I am pretty sure my M&P and Kahr are both drop safe as I have dropped both of them inside the concrete-all-around gun room while taking the gun on or off. Just once each, but I sure did cringe and wait for loud noises between no longer touching it, and the clatter to the floor.

Also once was weighing a carbine when the hook in the ceiling let go. Right on the muzzle, onto concrete. Gun works fine, all accessories (light, laser, rds...) work fine, didn't even loose zero. That was one of those I would not do on purpose but (like the time I unplanned immersed the gun to crawl out of somewhere) now I did it, I sure do like how it helped prove my setup is solid.


Other things are NOT as happy being dropped. Case fell out of the trunk of a car in a hotel parking lot on a trip, more slid and slumped than crashing fell and... my DSLR shutter poof, died. Expensive repair. Seen some really bad computer falls as well, destroyed several phones myself from one drip, etc. Glad all my guns are more reliable than that.
 
I’ve had an instance where a leaning gun slid and fell over during the years and one totally out of the blue flop. A rogue gust of wind lifted the lid of an open hard case off the picnic table, sending my unloaded Henry .22’s into the gravel.

I haven’t dropped one from my hands on to the ground.... knock on wood. :)

Stay safe.
Same here. I've had them slide off a tree etc.
I've fallen while carrying them. But I've never let one fall from my hands.
Unless you count a Daisy red rider. I got a spanking to help me remember not to drop guns.
 
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