Roadwild17
Member
Has anyone ever had an accidental discharge? With what gun and what were the circumstances?
Accidental discharge?
- Thread starter Roadwild17
- Start date
- Status
Hypnogator
Member
Only had one, a long time ago. Chambered a round in a Luger in my apartment, and it went off! 
Round entered the floor, where it did no damage. Finger was off the trigger. Turned out the pistol had a bad sear.
Round entered the floor, where it did no damage. Finger was off the trigger. Turned out the pistol had a bad sear.cslinger
Member
I have never had an accidental or negligent discharge in the home but I have been at the range where I squeezed the trigger expected the gun to be empty only to have it discharge. Scared the bejezzus out of me.
Gun was pointed down range and as far as anybody was concerened I was just shooting as normal.
The rules are there for a reason and by trying to follow them all even if you miss one another is there to back you up. Hence me having the gun pointed in a safe direction when pulling the trigger even if I thought it was unloaded.
Chris
Gun was pointed down range and as far as anybody was concerened I was just shooting as normal.
The rules are there for a reason and by trying to follow them all even if you miss one another is there to back you up. Hence me having the gun pointed in a safe direction when pulling the trigger even if I thought it was unloaded.
Chris
I've had one AD at the range. I chambered a round in a Makarov and then removed the magazine to top it off. I laid the pistol down with it pointed down range, and then had to do something else for a minute, I forget what. When I picked the pistol back up, I pointed it at the target without a magazine inserted, forgetting that the Makarov doesn't have a magazine safety. I pulled the trigger and then cussed for a full minute. Luckily I was observing the safety rules. At least I hit the carboard target holder. I'm glad I don't have any more interesting stories to tell in this case.
jmm
jmm
Zach S
Member
I pretty much dropped a pistol once, and like an idiot I caught it. BANG! Rockford Fosgate subwoofer and Q-logic box ruined.
Lennyjoe
Member
Yup. Lowering the hammer on my .357 revolver and didnt ride it down slow enough. Hit the primer with enough force to set it off. Had .38+P loaded in it at the time. Round went thru the wall and into the kitchen cabinet where it stopped. Bullet was a Remington Gold Saber that didnt expand. Filled with drywall. Scared the hell out of me and taught me a valuable lesson. One I'll never forget.
StrikeEagle
Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2004
- Messages
- 709
Thirty-some years ago, my wife was loading her Colt Huntsman. It was all she had and was her home defense piece. She loaded the magazine and chambered a round. Well, we had this ritual of pointing the gun downward in a certain spot that was an outside, brick wall. Well...
BANG!
Shocked her, shocked me. But since it was pointed at the 'safe spot' no damage beyond a tiny hole in the woodwork. I got the spent case and it had NO firing pin strike. At all. It's clear what happened, being a rimfire round... you all can imagine it too, I'm sure.
I've been extra EXTRA careful chambering rimfires ever since then.
StrikeEagle
BANG!
Shocked her, shocked me. But since it was pointed at the 'safe spot' no damage beyond a tiny hole in the woodwork. I got the spent case and it had NO firing pin strike. At all. It's clear what happened, being a rimfire round... you all can imagine it too, I'm sure.
I've been extra EXTRA careful chambering rimfires ever since then.
StrikeEagle
silverlance
Member
mine
when i was 18 i went with my uncle to an indoor firing range and shot his custom 1911 until about 3 in the morning. at about 2:55am I was holding the gun, kinda sleepy, not really totally focused, when i suddenly got REALLY sleepy and my gun hand drooped to the point where i damn near dropped the gun. being very sleepy i pulled my hand back up and my finger unconsiously got inside the guard, touched off the extremely light competition pull trigger, and send a .45 acp into the ceiling.
i will never shoot sleepy again.
when i was 18 i went with my uncle to an indoor firing range and shot his custom 1911 until about 3 in the morning. at about 2:55am I was holding the gun, kinda sleepy, not really totally focused, when i suddenly got REALLY sleepy and my gun hand drooped to the point where i damn near dropped the gun. being very sleepy i pulled my hand back up and my finger unconsiously got inside the guard, touched off the extremely light competition pull trigger, and send a .45 acp into the ceiling.
i will never shoot sleepy again.
CajunBass
Member
I had a "stupid" discharge once. I was in a local IPSC club years ago, and the "hot" thing to do was modify magazines to hold 8 rounds. (1911 Colt) I came home from the range, dropped the magazine, stripped off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. That's a full load. Pointed the gun at the bookcase and dropped the hammer. BOOM! Forgot the one up the pipe. No damage except to the bookcase, the tops of several books and the frame around the sliding glass door.
Funny thing was that no one else in the house heard the shot including my wife's uncle who was visiting at the time. he was in the next room through an open door, and he said he thought I had "popped" a primer reloading. My Mother in Law, nor my wife heard it.
Scared the living SNOT out me. I shook for an hour or more. I still check guns three or four times to make sure they're clear.
Funny thing was that no one else in the house heard the shot including my wife's uncle who was visiting at the time. he was in the next room through an open door, and he said he thought I had "popped" a primer reloading. My Mother in Law, nor my wife heard it.
Scared the living SNOT out me. I shook for an hour or more. I still check guns three or four times to make sure they're clear.
All-Around-Shooter
Member
Thumb slipped lowering the hammer on my superblackhawk.
Muzzle was pointed downrange at the time. No harm done. Just a wakeup call.
I have witnessed a few when I was an armorer in the Marine Corps.
Sometimes people who should know better do some crazy things...
Muzzle was pointed downrange at the time. No harm done. Just a wakeup call.
I have witnessed a few when I was an armorer in the Marine Corps.
Sometimes people who should know better do some crazy things...
Many years ago at the range I loaded a magazine into a Jennings 22 cal, retracted the slide and let it fly forward. The firing pin was jammed through the firing pin hole with some debries. The pistol went full auto and emptied the magazine.
stevelyn
Member
Two. Both with long guns.
First one occurred when I was 14 with a Win. M-94. I was deer hunting by myself and had climbed half way up a mountain and had stopped to rest. I placed the butt of the rifle on my thigh while holding it by the wrist of the stock. I had a round chambered and started playing with the hammer and trigger, cocking the hammer and then easing it down while looking around. At some point my thumb slipped off the hammer spur firing the rifle. Fortunately, the area I was in was remote enough that the bullet wasn't likely to hit anyone or anything on re-entry, but it still scared the bejeezus out of me. I wonder "what if" for quite a long time.
The second occured when I was about 21, with a Stevens 5100 SxS. Me and some buds were hunting jacks out in the desert and I had just shot one and was reloading. The gun then fired as I closed it. I found out later Stevens recalled the 5100 for firing when bumped or when closing the breech. Fortunately the barrels were pointed to the ground when it discharged.
First one occurred when I was 14 with a Win. M-94. I was deer hunting by myself and had climbed half way up a mountain and had stopped to rest. I placed the butt of the rifle on my thigh while holding it by the wrist of the stock. I had a round chambered and started playing with the hammer and trigger, cocking the hammer and then easing it down while looking around. At some point my thumb slipped off the hammer spur firing the rifle. Fortunately, the area I was in was remote enough that the bullet wasn't likely to hit anyone or anything on re-entry, but it still scared the bejeezus out of me. I wonder "what if" for quite a long time.
The second occured when I was about 21, with a Stevens 5100 SxS. Me and some buds were hunting jacks out in the desert and I had just shot one and was reloading. The gun then fired as I closed it. I found out later Stevens recalled the 5100 for firing when bumped or when closing the breech. Fortunately the barrels were pointed to the ground when it discharged.
wally
Member
I had one at the range many years ago when my Uzi model A was still pretty new. I was shooting some lead reloads using a "brass catcher" and had a stove pipe jam. As I removed the empty the bolt slipped stripping a round from the mag and firing same as the open bolt SMG was designed to do (hey, I thought the ATF required mods was supposed to prevent this!). Gun pointed safely down range at the time but it sure scared me and burned into my head to always remove the magazine as the first step of clearing any malfunction!
--wally.
--wally.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=114287&page=1&highlight=discharge
Note that over 70% of the unintentional discharges in the poll were the result of the person INTENTIONALLY putting his finger on the trigger.
Like I did in this thread...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=110919&highlight=discharge
Note that over 70% of the unintentional discharges in the poll were the result of the person INTENTIONALLY putting his finger on the trigger.
Like I did in this thread...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=110919&highlight=discharge
allmons
Member
Ad
I had a .22 rimfire semi-auto Iver Johnson pistol years ago that was built like a Walther. One night I loaded a magazine into the weapon, chambered a round and put the decock safety on. The hammer went down, as always, but this time there was a loud BANG. Fortunately I had the muzzle pointed at the floor and only injured some carpet. Finger was NOT on the trigger. Unloaded it, put it into the gun safe and never loaded it again.
I had a .22 rimfire semi-auto Iver Johnson pistol years ago that was built like a Walther. One night I loaded a magazine into the weapon, chambered a round and put the decock safety on. The hammer went down, as always, but this time there was a loud BANG. Fortunately I had the muzzle pointed at the floor and only injured some carpet. Finger was NOT on the trigger. Unloaded it, put it into the gun safe and never loaded it again.
Kamicosmos
Member
No such thing as an 'accidental discharge'.
They are negligent discharges. Even worn or broken parts in the gun are still the shooter's responsibility to know about.
4 rules always apply.
They are negligent discharges. Even worn or broken parts in the gun are still the shooter's responsibility to know about.
4 rules always apply.
I know black and white thinking is easy, but everyone can't control everything and can't know everything about everything or every part and piece on their gun. Nor can they detect small cracks in the metal with their Capt. Lamo decoder ring they found in the Crackerjack box nor does everyone detail strip their pistol every hour on the hour.
Perhaps you can tell when a sear is going to fail and when parts aren't lined up 101% for perfect function, but not everyone can do that you must realize.
In my case, I had been firing the Jennings for awhile without incident. After the incident, the rangemaster came over and he figured out what had happened. He said he had seen this happen before.
All it takes is a little speck of brass in the firing pin hole.
All it takes is a little speck of brass in the firing pin hole.
Peter M. Eick
Member
I had a chinese broomhandle mauser clone go full auto on me once. It litterally squirted 20 rounds downrange so quick it was just plain amazing. I did it twice just to see. I then tried it with only 5 rounds and it still did it. I finally took it back.
The gun had a 45 frame on a 9mm upper. The sear and release geometry was wrong. To bad though, the removeable magazine made it a fun gun to play with.
The gun had a 45 frame on a 9mm upper. The sear and release geometry was wrong. To bad though, the removeable magazine made it a fun gun to play with.
Harry Paget Flashman
Member
Was handling an unloaded Browning Hi-Power in 1974 while drunk when it fired, putting a hole through the ceiling of my friend's apartment. Fortunately he lived on the top floor. Fortunately, I no longer drink. Darwin was on vacation that day.
Tylden
Member
Although I have never had an accidental discharge and I am very safety aware, I am glad to see a thread like this. It serves as a reminder of what can happen if/when one becomes complacent with firearm safety or simply "forgets". I can be a little more understanding in the case of a true gun malfunction, but not for human error (which seems to be the overwhelming majority of accidental discharges). Afterall, it only takes one time to kill somebody.
- Status