Caught myself doing something unsafe again.

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GambJoe

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I decided to check the tightness of the grip screw on my revolver. It felt a little high the last time I used it. I was all ready to tighten it and thought that this wasn't something I should be doing with a loaded gun. Even then it took awhile to convince myself to unload it. My thought process was: it's got a 12 pound spring in it can't go of accidently and I'm not about to pull the trigger on a loaded gun, after all I'm doing is tightening a screw.

I decided to unload it and checked it's condition several times to be sure. I also left the empty cylinder swung open before I tightened the screw. Point- chances are that it wouldn't have never gone off but I reduced those chances to zero by unloading it before attempting a minor repair.

Anyone else cut or think of cutting corners with safety?
 
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Considering that it takes less than 1 minute to unload a gun, and less than 1 minute to reload it...I don't see any reason not to when the gun comes out of the holster for something other than self defense.
 
SAFETY RULE #5 - never put a tool to a loaded gun! Slip of grip or tool could go bang.
 
I'm with you guys. Unload it and you can take your time and relax.....hopefully not buggering the screws (or someone's head)!
 
Glad to hear you guys go by the rules but the point of safety discussions is to make people think safety. You might not touch a firearm with a tool without unloading it, someone like me has to think about it and others would go ahead and break the rule if they know it's a rule or not.

Maybe no one here drinks and messes with guns or plays pranks on friends when they're down range but I bet some did. I'm not trying preach to the choir but I'm trying to get people to discuss safety. And think safety.
 
Glad to hear you guys go by the rules but the point of safety discussions is to make people think safety. You might not touch a firearm with a tool without unloading it, someone like me has to think about it and others would go ahead and break the rule if they know it's a rule or not.

Maybe no one here drinks and messes with guns or plays pranks on friends when they're down range but I bet some did. I'm not trying preach to the choir but I'm trying to get people to discuss safety. And think safety.
 
I'll admit it

Guns are dangerous, and people are stupid...

Im not as cautious as I should be... I dry fire in my home alot, I generally don't safety check as I leave only a certain few of my guns loaded (for HD) I would know to unload those... The likelyhood of my forgetting a bullet in a gun is nill, because I clean them right after I use them, and like I said, only certain (three specific) guns stay loaded.

But you neveeerrr know.... I really should do more safety checking, I like to dry fire at poeple on my 65 inch TV for practice sake. Theres nothing behind that tv but brick so im sure my 9mm wouldnt penetrate.... but i sure as hell wouldnt want to poke a hole in the TV :)
 
It is NOT stupid to check if a gun is unloaded EVER. Even when there is not ammunition for it for miles or any number of other reasons.

It keeps you from being complacent. That is when people get hurt.

Being comfortable or complacent with anything is a bad thing. I know more than a few fellows with one arm, one leg or minus a digit or two that KNEW what they were doing. Not from gun accidents but everyday things some become comfortable with.
 
The important things was that you "only thought about doing something stupid". The fact that your Guardian Angel whispered in your ear and the fact that YOU LISTENED is what's really important.

We're all human and we all can fall prey to "short-cutting" from time to time ... it's the wise man ... the SAFE GUN OWNER ... who stops ... backs up ... and does it the RIGHT WAY ... the SAFE WAY!
 
Some things are good to do just out of habit. Like checking a gun when you first grab it. Sure, you just saw the guy who handed it to you clear it, and you could see that it was clear, but you should do it, just to stay in the habit. You pick up a gun, you clear the gun.
 
When I work on any of my guns, the last thing I do before putting them away is dry fire to make sure that nothing I have done has compromised the main function of the weapon. Knowing that I am going to do that, I always unload first before doing anything else. Even something as simple as just checking a grip screw will inevitably lead to me doing something else and eventually pulling the trigger.

I had an ND over 30 years ago because I failed to unload before tightening a screw on a loaded gun. I haven't had another since. I ALWAYS check clear when I pick up any gun, and I find myself constantly checking the chambers while I am working on one.
 
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Yea man thats a pretty big problem you need to deal with. I could not imagine working on a loaded gun. It wouldn't even cross my mind. I would not normally preach to you but, since you asked, you probably need to take a hard look at all of your gun practices. If you are willing to work on a loaded gun who knows what else you do. Please understand that I say that out of concern, not ridicule. Trust me I learned some hard lessons. It should not have been a question.
 
Any gun I pick up is checked to be clear by me.
If I hand the cleared gun to somebody I insist they check it for themselves.
When it is handed back to me I check it over once again.
It only takes a few seconds each time.
Even though it has been checked to be clear it is still handled as if it were loaded.
Never pointing it at anything I wouldn't want destroyed etc.
When dry firing I point to a corner of my room where I know there is piece of 4" thick wood with a concrete foundation behind it.
 
I couldn't agree more on checking/clearing a weapon every time you touch it. After awhile, it does become habilt and I believe is one of the better ones to have. (Although certainly all of the safety rules need to be adhered to).

I'd like to add that If someone is showing you a firearm with an action you are not familiar with, ask them to show you how to check it before they hand it to you. I personally believe if you can't check the condition (loaded/unloaded), you shouldn't handle the weapon until more training has taken place.
 
I couldn't agree more on checking/clearing a weapon every time you touch it. After awhile, it does become habilt and I believe is one of the better ones to have. (Although certainly all of the safety rules need to be adhered to).

I'd like to add that If someone is showing you a firearm with an action you are not familiar with, ask them to show you how to check it before they hand it to you. I personally believe if you can't check the condition (loaded/unloaded), you shouldn't handle the weapon until more training has taken place.

EXACTLY! I was taught to always immediately check any firearm to make sure it is unloaded the second you pick it up. (unless actively hunting or shooting of course) I tought both my kids at a young age how to check any type of firearm - and that they always check any gun they touch. Never had a problem with them being "curious" either. And if they were - at least I knew they knew how to check and clear the gun. My son actually caught me in a "mess up" once - I had shot my AR and thought I had emptied it out. Left one in the chamber. But sure as I had tought him - he got the gun out for something, immediately pulled the bolt back to check it, and a live round flipped out on the floor. :eek: I was horrified that I had neglected to clear one of my "unloaded" guns - but happy and proud at the same time that my teachings had worked to perfection.
We are all human, we all make mistakes. So always make sure SAFETY FIRST when handling any gun!
 
Unless a gun is in a holster, in which case it never leaves the holster...clearing is always the first thing I do.

Otherwise, removing the mag and clearing the firearm, or popping out the cylinder on a revolver, is the first thing I do anytime I touch any firearm, period. It doesn't matter if it is mine, a friend's, or a gun at the store. It's pretty much second-nature.

Have you ever cleared a gun, even after someone else just did, and had them get upset at you for not trusting them? Or call you an idiot? No. But if you have a ND you can be sure you'll be calling yourself one for a looong time.
 
A stupid mistake only takes a second, yet the results of a gun shoot wound are life changing. Always check every weapon for live ammo before you handle it.
 
zzjumbojimboxx writes:

Idry fire in my home alot [sic], I generally don't safety check as I leave only a certain few of my guns loaded (for HD) I would know to unload those...

This is how I had the only unintended discharge I've ever had. Came from a gun I "knew" I never stored loaded. Technically, the firing chamber was empty, but the magazine was not. Racked it for a dry-fire and... well, it was pointed deliberately in a safe direction.
 
Glad to hear you guys go by the rules but the point of safety discussions is to make people think safety. You might not touch a firearm with a tool without unloading it, someone like me has to think about it and others would go ahead and break the rule if they know it's a rule or not.

Maybe no one here drinks and messes with guns or plays pranks on friends when they're down range but I bet some did. I'm not trying preach to the choir but I'm trying to get people to discuss safety. And think safety.
Ok, just so you know, I never touch a firearm after I have a drink. I don't play with guns on the range, and I damn sure don't fool with a gun that is loaded. All of my guns are loaded all the time, and I damn sure don't need to check them, until I don't want them to be loaded. The closest I have ever come to what you suggest is clearing a stoppage. I am a pr&$&k about gun safety because you only have to make one mistake.
 
My nephew made a comment one day while we were talking about gun safety.

Quote: "don't get so busy knowing what you do that you forget to do what you know"

I'm very close to my 63rd birthday. I've been hunting/shooting almost 50 yrs. I run that through my head every time I go hunting, start a reloading session, or just pick up a gun. I'm trying to keep safety on the front burner of my brain.

Mark
 
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