"Clearing" barrel

[Thunderchicken]

I was reading the “negligent discharge” thread and a few people mentioned “clearing barrels.” When I for some reason want to pull the trigger on a cleared weapon before putting it in the safe, I aim it at the bookshelf of old computer books standing next to it. It is in a basement and after passing through the books and the interior wall it would hit another bookcase and then a cement block wall and then dirt. So, pretty safe in the event of a booboo, but I have wondered what might be a more intentional setup.

One poster said he keeps a bucket of sand around for just such occasions. I’ve read that it can take an unreasonable depth of sand to stop a bullet. What would be a safe field expedient for containing an accidental discharge? The purpose-built ones you’d find at a range look pretty spendy... Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Odd Job]

Back in the days when radiography was being done on film, I had a stack of 100 fogged films clipped together at the top and suspended free, from a line.
That stack of films which was about an inch or two thick, stopped multiple handgun rounds and two shotgun slugs at close range before integrity was compromised.
If you can find a bunch of similar sheets clipped together at the top and suspended free, that would stop most projectiles. I recommend having a layer of carpet at the back of the stack.

 

[rb288]

"One poster said he keeps a bucket of sand around for just such occasions. I’ve read that it can take an unreasonable depth of sand to stop a bullet."

Sand is a great "stopper of bullets".
My backstop consists of 2 layers of sand bags in front of a wall of 4x4s. The sandbags are 3/4 filled, laid flat, and compressed with a 2x4, so they are about 20" long, 12" deep, and 3" to 4" thick.
In all my shooting, from 9mm pistols, to 308, 6.5 creedmoor, 8mm mauser, and 450 bushmaster, rifles, I have, yet, not had 1 round penetrate both layers of sandbags, with most stopping 6"to 8" into the first sandbag.
I had 1 308 go through the 1st sandbag, and get stopped 2" into the second. I suspect it may have hit a void, or loose spot, in the first sandbag.
Sand, when compressed, is a very good bullet stopper.

 

[Meeks36]

Oddly enough when I had a ND shoot through 2 layers of drywall, a dress, and a box. Stoped a 40 cal hollow point. Can't remember what I had loaded. But it didn't penetrate as much as I thought it would have.

 

[George P]

A large pickle barrel full of water can work as well; personally, I make sure my guns are unloaded well before they get ready to go into the safe. Every gun goes in a silicone sock as well.

 

[Aletheia]

I think the most "intentional set up" is the absolute certainty that the gun is empty before I pull the trigger. At that point, I'm willing to look directly down the barrel, so snapping the trigger is easy.

 

[GBExpat]

... One poster said he keeps a bucket of sand around for just such occasions. I’ve read that it can take an unreasonable depth of sand to stop a bullet. What would be a safe field expedient for containing an accidental discharge? ...

I am the "bucket of sand" poster.

Many years ago, I emptied the equivalent of a 50lb sack of dry sand into an empty drywall "mud" bucket and tested the setup with a number of different pistol calibers (.380, .9mm, .38, .357, .45acp, among others perhaps). The sand easily stopped them all.

After the very first one I realized that I should put the lid on the bloody bucket to keep the sand inside.

I only use one of the buckets when I have to load the chamber in one of my semi-auto carry pistols.

As I stated in that post, I keep one/ea lidded 5gal sand bucket in the garage and in my gun/reloading bench areas. Also, since such a bucket takes up little room, it would fit nicely in, say, a bedroom closet.

 

[doubleh]

I was going to post something pretty simple but believe this subject is better left alone. I will say I have been shooting for a long time, longer than many members here have been alive, and the only barrels I've ever had to clear by shooting was muzzle loaders.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

The 15 or so firearms I handle most frequently all have snap caps in them, I have snaps in every caliber from 22LR to 45-70. I store them with snap caps. For dry firing in semiautomatic pistols I try to use a magazine of a different color, a blued pistol gets a nickel or stainless magazine, a stainless pistol gets a blue magazine. For speed loader practice with a revolver I use blaze orange practice rounds.

 

[tark]

I’ve read that it can take an unreasonable depth of sand to stop a bullet.

Dry sand will stop a bullet quite easily and quickly, if it is confined in some sort of container, like a bucket. Or a sandbag. A five gallon bucket full of dry sand would probably stop almost any handgun bullet. Wet sand is another animal entirely. Bullets can and will penetrate quite a bit in wet sand.

I saw an Army publication fifty years ago when I was in, listing the penetration of a 7.62 ball round in various mediums. A mere 12" of dry sand stopped an M-80 bullet, but it took 40" of wet sand! Someone a lot smarter than myself will probably explain why this is so.

 

[Demi-human]

Water is a lubricant.

 

[Thunderchicken]

I was going to post something pretty simple but believe this subject is better left alone. I will say I have been shooting for a long time, longer than many members here have been alive, and the only barrels I've ever had to clear by shooting was muzzle loaders.

Just to clarify, I am not planning on firing a gun in the house. I am interested in containing an accidental round. I do have a DA/SA pistol with no decocker, and there is always the possibility of a slip loading it. Thanks for all the information—I had no idea dry and wet sand were so different. Also, the clarification about the lid on the bucket!

 

[redneck2]

Someone a lot smarter than myself will probably explain why this is so.

For the same reason you walk on dry sand and sink in quicksand

 

[sparkyv]

I frequently perform dry fire practice so I keep ammo away from the area, check for MT chamber multiple times, and point in a safe direction before doing so. Use your head, use your eyes, use good practices, it'll be just fine.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

At a nearby pawn shop, the owner had a 5 gallon bucket of sand in the gun room. If someone wanted to test fire a gun, the owner would scrounge for a cartridge and tell the shopper what to do. Handguns and rifles.

 

[reddog81]

The books or sand will work fine. Fill a coffee can full of sand and place it in-front of the first book and I’d bet you’d be fine for most rifle rounds not making it very far.

 

[jmorris]

I have wondered what might be a more intentional setup.

A clearing trap.


https://www.actiontarget.com/categories/clearing-traps-law-enforcement-military-range-products/

 

[General Geoff]

I use a 5 gal sand bucket myself, particularly when manually lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber to carry my CZ Shadow 2 in double action mode.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I was going to post something pretty simple but believe this subject is better left alone. I will say I have been shooting for a long time, longer than many members here have been alive, and the only barrels I've ever had to clear by shooting was muzzle loaders.

I think you're missing the point. If I'm storing a SFA gun or getting ready to disassemble a Glock I have to pull the trigger. A clearing barrel makes that safer

 

[doubleh]

You are free to think whatever you want but I assure you I did not miss the point..

 

[daniel craig]

Visually AND physically inspect for empty before doing any trigger pulling and you never have to worry about any of this. Make it a habit.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Visually AND physically inspect for empty before doing any trigger pulling and you never have to worry about any of this. Make it a habit.

Thinking "It will never happen to me" is the first step to it happening to you.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You are free to think whatever you want but I assure you I did not miss the point..

Maybe I misunderstood you. Perhaps you could elaborate?

 

[Old Dog]

Maybe I misunderstood you. Perhaps you could elaborate?

I don't think you misunderstood. He notes he's been shooting for longer than most member here have been alive and implies that he's never had, nor ever will have, a negligent discharge, hence has no need for a clearing barrel (trap) or area to point a weapon when clearing it ....

Hubris can sometimes be more dangerous than complacency.

I assure you, the rest of us get it.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I don't think you misunderstood. He notes he's been shooting for longer than most member here have been alive and implies that he's never had, nor ever will have, a negligent discharge, hence has no need for a clearing barrel (trap) or area to point a weapon when clearing it ....

Hubris can sometimes be more dangerous than complacency.

I assure you, the rest of us get it.

So again, saying "It will never happen to me" is the first step to having it happen to you.