Always check the chamber… thankfully not an ND story

[wiski]

A long time ago, I made the habit of personally checking the chamber (and cylinder) of any firearm I handled. I do this even when the person that just checked to see if the gun is unloaded and handed it directly to me is within arms reach and I just watched them do the procedure. Most times I can see what they see, and pretty much know that it is unloaded… I check again anyway.

I always do this… until last week. I was traveling, and stopped into a small gun shop to nose around. The nice old gentleman that ran the place asked what I was looking for, and I told him “used S&W revolvers”. He pulled out a very nice 686 (from under the counter, not in a display case. Later said that it was one of his shop guns) and proceeded to unload it on the top of the counter in front of me. I saw him eject the rounds into his hand, close the cylinder and safely hand it to me.

The handgun was tastefully factory engraved, which I guess distracted me for not more than 20sec as I turned the gun over in my hands to check out the artwork. I then opened the cylinder and discovered a cartridge was left in the cylinder. The shop owner was right in front of me, and needless to say, we were both very surprised. All the other safe gun handling rules were followed (muzzle direction, finger off the trigger, etc) so there was no real danger to either of us, but the shop could have gotten a ventilation hole, and our hearing would have take another blow. Next steps for me in evaluating the condition of a revolver would be to check for “tightness”, end-shake, cylinder/barrel gap, etc. All or most require me to pull the hammer back and squeeze the trigger while easing the hammer back down. If I am serious about the gun, I will also ask to dry fire in both SA and DA. That is the scarry part.

Who is to blame? ME!

I have learned a lesson that will stick with me for a very long time, or possibly forever, and have gotten off rather cheaply compared to some of the stories I have read on this forum and others… negligently shooting refrigerators, cars, etc. I will be "double" checking guns for a long time I suspect.

Be safe.

 

[dev_null]

Good reminder, thanks.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Nope, no problem!

Wiski--

All the other safe gun handling rules were followed (muzzle direction, finger off the trigger, etc)

And then you opened the cylinder again, triple-checking. That's when you found the un-observed round. I'd say you done good.

Safe gun handling requires constant vigilance, but also redundant safety procedures. So if there is a mistake on one count, as here, one of the other procedures will cover for you. As here.

God tapped you on the shoulder with a reminder--"Hey! Be more careful!" but you were already being careful enough to prevent anything other than ringing ears and embarrassment.

You took the reminder to heart, and plan to upgrade your vigilance in the future.

Wisdom gained and no harm done.

 

[wiski]

Thanks Smokey Joe.

I got off REAL easy on this reminder, and do think that it very well was the "tap on the shoulder" like you mentioned... mysterious ways indeed.

Have a good one.

 

[Chipperman]

"Who is to blame? ME!"

Actually, no. The shop owner is to blame. He did not verify that the gun was actually clear before handing it to you. He dumped the rounds and closed the cylinder, ASSUMING that all of the rounds were in his hand.

You did not check the gun when it was first handed to you, but DID check it before pulling the trigger. You did fine. Would checking it sooner have been better? .. Ok sure. But the important thing is you obeyed all of the other rules, so nothing bad happened.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

That's a good reason to hand someone a firearm with the action open.

When handing a gun to someone, remove the magazine if it has one, open the cylinder or lock open the action and look in the gun including the chamber to make sure it is not loaded. Then, with the cylinder or action still locked open, hand the unloaded gun to the person with the muzzle pointing away from them. That person will then take possession of the gun and also check it for ammunition out of respect for the gun and the person who just handed it to them. The recipient is then clear to close the cylinder or action and inspect the gun. When the gun is handed back or to the next person, the same process is followed each and every time.

http://www.gunsafetynow.com/gun_etiquette.php