I shot my leg

keep it

Assuming it didn't go off by itself (yet to see a gun do that) you definitely know that your pistol works as it was designed to. This incident (as others have mentioned) could have been much worse. The pistol didn't do anything wrong is where I am going with this, and you now have a special connection with it imo. You will likely have a scar and a story to go with this incident in the future. Don't you want to keep the pistol that can tie the scar and the story together? I would.

Axel,

Sorry you had this accident....at least it could have been much worse. As to what you do in regard to future carry, that is your decision.

Not to highjack your thread, but another aspect of this has me curious. I assume your accidental discharge was inside your home. One thing I am curious about is if you suffered any hearing damage from the report of the gun in an enclosed area. I know with the leg wound that ringing ears are on the back burner. In a home defense situation firearm discharge preserving your hearing is probably low on the totem pole when your life is at stake. You've experienced a discharge in a room....just curious if you notice any difference in your hearing.

Humans are not perfect and accidents happen. I'm glad it was a minor injury and I sincerely hope you can move past this. Unfortunately you will never know exactly what you did wrong and thankfully no one else was affected.

Humor line deleted, probably too soon for that but dang it was tempting! Maybe in a few days.

So, looks like you got "MP; foot, calf or thigh" as it applies. Many's the well trained fella who's let his concentration lapse in handling a 1911 based pistol.

I see great positive energy in your not immediately jumping to it being the gun's fault. Accepting some degree of accountability/responsibility in this is the very first and most important step in getting past it.

I've personally known two individuals who have put holes in themselves with 1911s, one charging it in competition and the other de-cocking it. Neither was ever able to definitively say EXACTLY what confluence of events led up to it. Each had multiple witnesses actually watching them at the time and still only supposition. These events among others are why I always carry a 1911 with an empty chamber. I'll risk the seconds. But, this isn't about me.

A certain need is for the firearm to be thoroughly inspected before disassembly or cleaning then detail stripped if necessary.

I'd hang onto it, master it and be the example. Good luck.

Now, as far as my own NDs - I've never given up on the firearm, noted what the mistake was (mine were all personal negligence) and kept them firmly planted as negative examples.

Oh, and thanks for sharing and opening the conversation.

Axel, I'm glad that you will be OK, gunshots can be very Traumatic emotionally and physically. Now is not the time to make any long lasting decisions.

The 1911 and its' clones are some of the finest combat handguns ever produced, I equate them to driving a Ferrari, you better know what you are doing cause they are just waiting to hurt you if you even get remotely careless for one second.

If you look through the self inflicted wound and other negligent discharge thread you'll find that some are so traumatized that they can't take away any lesson other than get rid of all their guns.

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Not always a bad idea.

Sorry to hear it, glad you are ok, so go back to firing the gun as soon as possible. It will probably be a little easier the quicker you do. Glad you are ok.

Axel,

Your post made my blood run cold. Scary. Glad you're OK. I recently transitioned to a Beretta Px4 Storm (F) to help reduce the likelihood of ND/AD.

If you don't mind saying, what is your recollection of the bigger picture prior to the incident? Was there any alcohol use? Prescription meds? Drugs of any kind? Any concurrent illness or injury? Were you distracted (watching TV, listening to talk radio, deep in thought, having a conversation, feeding the dog etc.)? In short, was anything out of the ordinary?

Multi-tasking can put a cognitive strain on us. I'm just looking at some angles so perhaps we all can benefit from a teachable moment...

Mr. Doughnut

It sounds to me like you may be more of a novice than an experienced gun owner.
So my suggestion would be for you to take a safety course along with having someone help you to get intimately familiar with all your firearms.
I've owned guns for 30+ years and have never had an accidental discharge. Then again I learned to safely handle every gun I've owned before a bullet ever went into the chamber or mag.

i have been pretty lucky. the worst i have had happen is when i took the gun out of the holster at night, the safety had somehow gotten flipped to fire. it did not, but it sure woke me up to how these things can happen. i do not remember doing anything abnormal that day that i could blame it on either. so far, it has been the only time. the only n.d. i have had was with a revolver when i was 19. that, was a sobering experience that i still hope i never repeat.

p.s. glad you were not seriously hurt!

Cold? Any cold medicines taken recently?

I'm not asking you to tell us, but rather just brining it up for your consideration. Some things these days are best left off the internet should they come back to bite you in the.... oops, don't want another inappropriate language point.

Good to hear you came out okay. I work in EMS, and have for over 20 years. I worked a few years in law enforcement before that, and volunteered with a local fire department even before that. In those 30-odd years in emergency response, I don't think it ever occurred to me that someone injured by a tool (or "toy") should immediately get rid of all of them. Yes, there have been people who have wrecked their cars whom I believed shouldn't drive anymore, but it would have been out of line for me to tell them that. I would be curious if that female EMT you encountered makes a habit of it.

I appreciate that you've chosen to make it a teachable moment for the rest of us.

The EMT really ticks me off; pushing an agenda about ANYTHING with someone who's just had a gunshot wound is SO UNPROFESSIONAL.

Glad you're okay,
Serenity

Many years ago there was a fellow who flew and raced airplanes (P-51's I think). A crew member made some mistake that caused his plane to crash. He didn't fire that crew member and when asked why, he said the guy would never do it again.

I'm gonna guess you'll probably never shoot yourself again either.

Rail Driver said:

... it happens to everyone sooner or later.

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Why? Why must it happen to everyone sooner or later? Though I understand your empathy, if this were the case, I'd quit handling firearms immediately.

All it takes is to lose sight of what is going on at the moment. We should always focus on gun safety and never assume anything, I mean anything. As a retired army guy I of all people with more than 45 years of handling weapons had an ND a couple of years ago. Luckily no one got hurt, not even the mattress. It could have been worse since I did find a bullet hole on the ceiling. In a split second something possessed me to squeeze the trigger after dumping my magazine instead of clearing the chamber. Thank god for your courage in posting this thread and for your safety and health.

Takes some guts to post about your accident. Hopefully all will remember safety is priority #1.

I caused a vehicle accident years ago....16 years old and full of fire..only minor injurys....I'm still driving today. Nobody is perfect.

SleazyRider said:

Why? Why must it happen to everyone sooner or later? Though I understand your empathy, if this were the case, I'd quit handling firearms immediately.

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It doesn't HAVE to - the ideal is that it never happens. I dislike using absolutes, and should have said "it has the potential to happen to anyone". Noted, edited, and moved on

I'd saddle that colt right back up. It of course could have been grievously graver had you done just this or that. It was bad enough but hey, now you know just a bit better. Knock on wood again.