Do you make dangerous mistakes when shooting or handling you pistols?

[rpenmanparker]

Am I the only one who knows the rules, tries really hard to follow them, and still occasionally scares the wee wee out of myself doing something really dangerous?

Yesterday I was shooting the Browning 1911-22 at the range when an ejected casing flew back and went down the back of my shirt. Ouch! Before thinking I threw my free hand back to open the tail of the shirt to let the hot brass out. Trouble is I didn’t put the gun down but started swinging it in the air as I tried to get rid of the burning casing. Fortunately no discharge, but wow, it could have been ugly as I had my finger inside the trigger guard the whole time.

I am upset and ashamed at the risk I imposed on myself and others, but what is there to do when a reflex takes over like that. No mattter how hard I try to do the right thing when dealing with my guns, I catch myself every now and then screwing up.

What about it? Am I alone?

 

[edwardware]

Everyone has to climb the learning curve for themselves; whether it's being bellowed at by a Marine RSO, or realizing you just violated rules 2 and 3 at your local range, everyone learns.

I've been shooting since 18, and have had two NDs. Both were very surprising to me, but without any damage because The Rules overlap. I've learned from both.

 

[John G C 1]

I suspect many people occasionally make errors but the overlapping rules edwardware mentions really do help. Stay focused and practice.

Be prepared for a few of the people who supposedly have never made a mistake in their lives to pile on you about this.

 

[<*(((><]

Yes, the “rules overlap” is very crucial when we fail to do one the other averts disaster. I had a ND when I was much younger, it was a new pistol to me and I had dropped the mag as I shot to empty or so I thought and thought I had ran the slide to check for empty but obviously didnt and put a surprise round into the ground about 10 feet away and away from others that were with me.

My failure was that I failed to clear the chamber, but my rule of not pointing the muzzle at anything I don’t wish to destroy saved me from a potential bad situation.

I was mad at myself, but thankful how the rules of gun handling do overlap.

Thanks for sharing and it can happen to anyone when at a moment in time there is a casualness and lack of respect for what ones holding.

 

[entropy]

Since I am used to having had brass and links from MG's rain down on me while firing, that wouldn't bother me at all. My friends and I try to bounce .22 brass off each other while shooting.
As for the question, yes, we all have had an embarrassing incident or two; I've had my share. Following the Four Rules has kept them to merely embarrassment.

 

[FL-NC]

Sometimes I don't hit exactly where I want to, I consider that a safety hazard. Also, I climb tree stands with my rifle slung because I don't see a safety issue with it - in the military, we sometimes had 3 people on the same ladder in the dark all carrying 2-3 loaded firearms, or going down a fast rope the same way. If someone would like to explain how me going up a tree stand alone with a loaded rifle is a safety concern, I'm all ears. In addition to the basic rules, I look at shooting and other firearm sports like skydiving or riding a motorcycle- stay within your own limits or "comfort zone" and slow down if you need to.

 

[entropy]

f someone would like to explain how me going up a tree stand alone with a loaded rifle is a safety concern, I'm all ears.

For those of us who have done such things, in my case Australian rappelling from a perfectly good Huey, it does seem silly to unload the rifle and haul it up into the stand with a rope. But every year someone who hasn't done such things either shoots themselves going up, or falls on their rifle.

slow down if you need to.

There's only two ways I know of to slow down skydiving - pulling that cord, and the other one is a very sudden stop....

 

[kozak6]

Once, I accidentally loaded a single 9mm round in a 7.62x25 magazine. The boxes of 7.62x25 and 9mm were right next to each other on the tailgate. That's a mistake I will never make again.

It will chamber and fire. Once.

My subconscious caught it and I luckily unloaded the magazine before I ruined a pistol.

 

[Rudolph31]

In my experience new shooters are diligent about safety until something unexpected happens, then, watch out. This could be anything from a jammed pistol to the unexpected triumph of smashing a Station 8 Skeet target. With experience Safety becomes second nature, but new guys have to think about it and any distraction makes it go away. For that reason they need close monitoring until you’ve seen their reactions after a few distracting events.

 

[straightshooterjake]

I am an RSO, and I have a number of thoughts on this issue. I may write more when I have more time, but for now I will offer one thought about the OP's specific situation. Clothing which minimizes the risk from spent brass is a necessary part of range safety gear. I have seen a number of range safety violations, and one negligent discharge, caused by hot brass.

You cannot eliminate the risk of hot brass getting caught in clothing, but sensible clothing reduces the risk a lot. Open collar shirts are a bad idea. If you are bringing people to the range, you need to discuss appropriate attire with them. You may be bringing guests who don't generally follow your wardrobe advice, but in this case, they need to take some advice if they want to shoot.

I also strongly recommend shoes which fully cover the feet. I once saw a piece of ejected brass get caught in a sandal strap. That person was seriously unhappy. Baseball caps are also recommended, though not required. The brim will occasionally keep brass out of your face.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Also, I climb tree stands with my rifle slung because I don't see a safety issue with it

I do this as well, and see no problem with it at all.

 

[FL-NC]

I do this as well, and see no problem with it at all.

The problem I have with hoisting or lowering a rifle is the noise, bumping the scope into trees or bushes (possibly inviting an entanglement) and the fact that my rifle either starts or end upon the ground, which is not where it belongs. Not to mention, I once shot a nice buck when I was halfway down the tree.

 

[GEM]

About brass, when I shoot competitions I wear a cap that had a back flap that covers my neck (and also keeps the TX sun off it). I wear a shirt that doesn't easily allow entry in front. Long sleeves help (the Columbia, Underarmour hot weather types). At a recent match a young lady new shooter had her ball cap on backwards. I told her that it might be a good idea to turn it around. She asked why and I explained that it kept the casing from hitting you in the forehead and getting stuck in your glasses (depending on type). She thanked me for the advice.

As far as mental failures - not that I would do that eek but I've seen highly trained experts emit brain gaseous waste. Human error is an interesting field and can catch even experts. Right combination of factors and that's it.

 

[WestKentucky]

Nobody is perfect, we learn from our mistakes and move on. We teach those lessons to others when we can and try to be as close to perfect as possible, but we are still human and we still make mistakes. Just remember, the basic rules of gun safety came from somebody making a mistake.

 

[somethingbenign]

Was running drills with my first pistol and was trying to push my speed a bit. Shot the first mag dry, did a quick mag change, and instead of slingshoting the slide like I normally do I went for the slide release. That release is a stretch for my thumb and as I was twisting my grip to reach it my trigger finger slipped off the frame and onto the trigger put a nice dent in the concrete a few feet in front of me. Now I practice those types of actions dry an the rule about never pointing at anything you don't want to shoot is constantly in my head. Should I have known better? Definitely but I took it as a learning experience and now tell new shooters the story when they do a mag change by turning the gun to the side.

 

[Bartojc]

My daughter took a hot one down the front of her shirt a couple weeks ago. To my delight she handled it well and put the gun down first before grabbing the front of her shirt. Before we had left I suggested a different shirt and begrudgingly she complied. Even with the change of shirt she still took one down the front. I guess dad is not completely nuts It can happen.

Ball caps and appropriate shoes are always on when I go shooting, but it is part of my wardrobe anyhow so normal attire


-Jeff

 

[MrBorland]

I'll admit I've had a few NDs. I've also known a couple top tier competitive shooters who've had NDs (one of them at a national championship for which he was a contender for the title). In all cases, the remaining Rules of safety were followed, so the rounds hit the backstop. As others have repeatedly said, learn from the mistake, and re-commit to assiduously following the 4 Rules (if you have an ND, you've already broken at least one of them, so it's critical ALL the others are followed).

 

[doubleh]

I'm sure everyone of us have made some boo boos over the years. Te trick is to learn and not repeat them.

I had to grin when I read the OP about the hot case down the collar. Having made my living as a welder for around forty years I'm able to not get too excited about the temperature of a hot case. It's what you get used to I suppose. My wife sticks her hands in hot dishwater that I can't tolerate and calls me a wimp.

 

[John G C 1]

Quote: I also strongly recommend shoes which fully cover the feet.

Oh yeah. I saw a guy wearing sneakers walk over a patch of ice and fall down with a loaded pistol. No discharge, but....... Decent shoes, yes!!

 

[robhof]

Another plus for proper shoes, growing up in Florida and spending many yrs in tropical environments, I tended to live in sandals, till I caught a hot shell between my toes at the range. Now it's shoes for shooting, or boots with bloused pants, even in summer, prior to the incident, I had probably fired thousands of rounds wearing sandals with no problem, but it only takes one hot round to change a mind. I've had a few girl friends in the far past that learned the hard way to wear high neck shirts to shoot, this was back in the late 60's and with 22 semi's.

 

[ewlyon]

It's not just brass you have to watch out for. I was shooting with my dad a few years ago when I was still new to shooting and failed to notice the wasp nest hanging off the garage a few feet away. Seems like the blast hit the nest and ticked some of them off because halfway through a mag about 10 of them decided to sting my shaved head. Thankfully the four rules were followed, finger left the trigger guard, gun stayed pointed at target until I could hand it off to my dad.

 

[rpenmanparker]

I was wearing a tee shirt with fairly snug round neck, but that damned casing got down my back anyway. Go figure.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

If you reload, hoodies make for a wonderful brass catcher at an indoor range.

Early in my indoor range adventures I witnessed a father and son that had the exact scenario as the OP. Father wasn't as conscientious and went to reach with his gun hand. Luckily the range had very good RSOs.

I've had the hot brass down the clothes but it's never really bothered me, except the annoyance of something in my shirt.

Another reason I prefer outdoor shooting.

 

[huntsman]

The only way to eliminate flying hot brass is shoot a revolver

the safest range I know of is in my backyard. Rules of safe handling are universal but range rules? No thanks I prefer freedom.

 

[rpenmanparker]

The only way to eliminate flying hot brass is shoot a revolver

the safest range I know of is in my backyard. Rules of safe handling are universal but range rules? No thanks I prefer freedom.

The only way to eliminate flying hot brass is shoot a revolver

the safest range I know of is in my backyard. Rules of safe handling are universal but range rules? No thanks I prefer freedom.

I’ll accept a few rules to get the automatic target trollies, air conditioning, lack of sun and wind and so on.