Shot myself with a .45 caliber last night.

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@.38 special - My friend, let us not consider what was said. Let us consider what was shown.


That's a pretty nasty hole there... Through the heart? Dead as hell. Through the head? Dead as hell. Lungs? Prolly gunna die buddy. COM shots would most certainly devastate the target.

Would you agree, OP? Is the 230gr FMJ round in the caliber of .45ACP a potent little bugger or what?
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I dunno, mate. Looks like a pretty neat little hole to me. Just like the hole left by 9mm FMJ or .38 Special 158 RNL, but maybe a tenth of an inch larger. Whoop-de-doo.

JHP wouldn't have left a neat little hole, in any of the above calibers. The OP is lucky, IMO, that he is/was a believer in FMJ. Had he not been, he would likely not be posting, and maybe not breathing.

So in addition to the take-away about not pointing loaded guns at yourself and pulling the trigger, I suppose we can take away the idea that if you do pointed a loaded gun at yourself and pull the trigger, you should be sure to use hardball. :p
 
The OP is lucky, IMO, that he is/was a believer in FMJ. Had he not been, he would likely not be posting, and maybe not breathing.
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The wound in question is what is very close to being a flesh wound although he did damage to his muscle too. The same bullet path with anything other than FMJ would probably have left more tearing but I doubt that it would have been life threatening, just more painful and more tissue damage.
Personally, I have no problem with FMJ except with calibers less than 9mm as my POA is the thorax.
 
Consider yourself lucky that it was a .45 ACP FMJ and not a 5.56 projectile in the thigh (although both may result in death). See link below for a fellow shot with the latter:

VIEWER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED
http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=31666
VIEWER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED


I'm glad it wasn't more serious. Jesus was watching over you.
 
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This point has been debated endlessly, but I contend that at the point you have checked, double checked, and triple checked - you may safely point the firearm in directions you would not otherwise (e.g., visually inspecting the bore).
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Agreed, so long as once the firearm leaves your hands, you check it again when it enters your hands.

It cannot be something like, "I checked it, put it down for five minutes and it never left my sight, and I picked it up again without checking it."

That relies on your memory and as a fellow THR member found out a week ago when he shot his AK through his neighbors' apartment wall, memory is weak.


I personally am a fan of the chamber safety flags:
image

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That totally sucks. I hope make a full and speedy recovery. Those open chamber safety flags look cool, but then I can't run my cable lock through the receiver.
 
I personally am a fan of the chamber safety flags:
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Yes, but you can't take down a Glock with one of these in place.

Don't get me wrong, I like them as well, but they have their limitations.
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Not sure you can take down any firearm with them in place. And as the OP proved, you can't really take down a Glock with a round in place either...

But as indicated by the quote in my post, the safety flags are for when you've cleared the firearm already and want to help ensure you know it is cleared. i.e., not relying on memory to keep you safe.

So yes, they are limited to letting people know a cleared firearm does not have a round chambered (could still be rounds in the mag) and anyone who picks up the firearm can immediately know this.
 
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PPBD piss poor by design
any weapon system that you need to pull the trigger to break down is an accident waiting to happen
I own a G32 in .357 sig and I take it outside to clean every time, also clean where no ammo is in the room/area!
 
That's What You Get....

For playing around with those damned Glocks! I bet that's gonna leave a mark! My advice, thank that guardian angel who was sitting on your shoulder, and don't beat yourself up too much, anyone who says they NEVER screwed up with a firearm in any way is likely lying to you anyway.

But just to rub salt in the wound, I bet you'll clear that the next time won't you?
Thank God that was the extent of your screw-up, and I hope you feel better soon.
 
ive shot myself, broke the femur not fun. but now i have a cool IM Nail and a story :p
it was a 9mm WWB hollow point
gunshot.jpg
 
I respect your humbleness for posting this thread. We all make mistakes and a gun is not always loaded physically so logically accidental/negligent discharges will always be bound to happen. This thread serves as another reality check as to the consequences of not checking that damn chamber every time.

I own a Taurus PT99 and will admit that I once mistakenly attempted to take the slide down with a chambered round in it. I was extremely disappointed in myself, and vow to let it never happen again. If I had owned a Glock or similar gun that required a trigger pull to take it down that day, I would of most certainly of shot myself. Regardless, no excuses:eek:


And P.S. rmodel65 that picture looks like a crackless ass with one leg. lmao
 
Wow glad you are ok.

Cant say I have ever been shot and I would like to keep it that way.
 
The wound in question is what is very close to being a flesh wound although he did damage to his muscle too. The same bullet path with anything other than FMJ would probably have left more tearing but I doubt that it would have been life threatening, just more painful and more tissue damage.
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JHP typically leaves a permanent wound channel about twice as large as FMJ. This could easily have damaged an artery that was left intact by the FMJ. At the least, the OP would not have had a brief trip to the ER and the next day wake up "feeling fine" if he had loaded with JHP, I suspect.

Personally, I have no problem with FMJ except with calibers less than 9mm as my POA is the thorax.
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As I always say on the "caliber war" threads, ask a hunter what happens when you shoot an animal through the lungs with a solid. The answer is "not much". Pinhole entry and exit wounds (just like the OP's) and minimal bleeding (also just like the OP).

At any rate, it doesn't bother me if a fellow wants to use JHP to defend himself. I just wonder why people would intentionally choose the least effective of the available options.
 
Out of curiosity of research being the fact that I shoot a 45, can you tell me how big the entrace/exit holes were? I am sure the hospital told you something.
Glad to know you didn't hit the artery in your leg and bled out. Remember that Darwin is always watching with an award to all gun owners.
Ok enough teasing, glad you are ok, glad you are responsible enough to post your mistakes and own them.

I still don't get how hard it is to rack a slide every time you pick up a gun. It should be like watching out for your zipper after you go to the bathroom.
 
If I had owned a Glock or similar gun that required a trigger pull to take it down that day, I would of most certainly of shot myself.
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Only if for some unfathomable reason you were pointing the muzzle at some part of yourself.

Pointed in a safe direction - even that kind of failure need not result in anything more serious than a loud noise.
 
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PPBD piss poor by design
any weapon system that you need to pull the trigger to break down is an accident waiting to happen
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Not the fault of the design. Anyone who pulls the trigger without expecting and intending to fire the gun...without first clearing the gun...is a a tragedy waiting for an opportunity. This, no matter if it's a Glock or a double-action revolver.

Don't blame the machine for the human's error. The gun did what it was designed to do.
 
I never knew you had to pull the trigger to break down a double action revolver. Not trying to be a smart ass but the Glock design does not lend itself to allow a user to get away with any mistakes period. And if I had one I would hope to learn that quickly or suffer the consequences.
 
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The OP is obviously lying, since no one ever survives being shot by a .45! Must of been a .40 or a 9mm. :D

Glad you're ok though.
 
Thanks for posting and giving us a real life reminder. That takes guts. Glad your okay!! Josh
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This thread should serve as a good reminder to follow the four firearm safety rules! Thanks for being humble enough to admit your mistake to everyone else...
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so long as once the firearm leaves your hands, you check it again when it enters your hands. It cannot be something like, "I checked it, put it down for five minutes and it never left my sight, and I picked it up again without checking it.
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The above sums up my thoughts quite well. Thanks for your post OP.

I am notorious amongst my friends for being that guy who checks, rechecks and checks again my guns, even when I just checked them 2 minutes ago.

I own a Glock (14+ years) and have no plans on selling it. It is no more or less dangerous than any other pistol IMO.
 
Out of curiosity of research being the fact that I shoot a 45, can you tell me how big the entrace/exit holes were? I am sure the hospital told you something.
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The size of the entrance wound is not significant and cannot be used to determine the calibre of the projectile in most instances. Whether it is a JHP or FMJ, the entrance wound will look unremarkable (unless the projectile arrived deformed or tumbling, or if it was a contact wound).
There was one wound that looked unusual: an NGA Sentry round hit a guy in the thigh and punched a very clean hole in the skin. But that projectile has a fall-away plastic cap and has no round ogive, it is a sharp rim with a recessed wadcutter and post. Unfortunately I never saw the wound, ony the X-ray. One of the trauma surgeons described it to me in detail on the phone but I couldn't attend to get photographs at that time.

JHP typically leaves a permanent wound channel about twice as large as FMJ. This could easily have damaged an artery that was left intact by the FMJ. At the least, the OP would not have had a brief trip to the ER and the next day wake up "feeling fine" if he had loaded with JHP, I suspect.
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Not necessarily. A trajectory that misses vitals is a miss nonetheless. Even an FMJ can tumble and fragment. If I saw the wound and heard about the general condition of the original poster as described, I would not be able to tell you whether that was from a JHP or FMJ. That wound looks like any one of the thousands I have seen.

Where you start getting into differences of a forensic nature is when you get entrance wound only and can recognise the projectile type on X-ray or upon recovery in theatre, or when the projectile is recovered in the clothing or brought to the hospital with the patient, or even brought in afterwards as a matter of interest.
 
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