Do you try and catch a dropped gun?

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All of my guns are drop safe.. well all of the ones I actually shoot more than once a year. Not sure about my titan....

Let em drop. Thanks for the reminder guys.. need to drill that into the wifes head. I'm also taking a new shooter to the range this weekend.. need to drill that into his head as well.
 
I never seem to be able to resist the opportunity to break a toe by lessening the impact of items with my foot. Interestingly though, although it seems to be an automatic reflex action, I briskly sidestep dropped knives.
 
If it's a rifle and you're only reaching for the forearm, generally that's safe. But as a rule, let it drop. It's not worth the risk. Never try to catch a falling knife, gun, or power tool.
 
Whenever I drop anything, I usually try to break its fall with my foot, unless I know it's heavy, or sharp, or hot.
 
I thankfully haven't dropped a gun on anything but carpet.
This is tough, though. My job involves a lot of glass object and things we order for customers, so dropping it costs us time, money, and ticks people off. So I've developed lightning reflexes to snatch them out of the air.
First is to grab it, second is to stick my foot under it.
Therefore, I look like an idiot when I drop my reheated lasagna at lunch, and dropping a knife turns me into Michael J. Fox as I fight every instinct.
 
If ya don't want it to fall on the floor

Set it there!
That is a little sermon I give myself from time to time in the wood shop. Sometimes... in expediency we think " it'll be ok there for a moment" but then...oooops.....darn!
Now with guns...mmmmm ... Have yet to experience a mishap or a dropped piece. Oooops just remembered ...way...waaaaay back in Basic Training..as a young soldier, a playful bored solder, standing in ranks, at parade rest, on the company street waiting..forever.. for that bugle call at flag lowering I was letting loose of that great big wonderful M1 Garand and than catching it...AND fate made the call...I was waving my hand in desperation as MY rifle was headed to earth. Ever heard an M1 hit the dirt? Little smile now..not then! The platoon Sargent was issuing the rhetorical question, "WHO dropped his piece?" as he executing an about face BECAUSE who else but I had HIS piece laying there in the dirt off of the right foot! All of a sudden I owned every black mark on the barracks floor...humbly I scoured the floor that night....have not dropped one since..:)
 
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Let it drop, a few dings beats the heck out of a ND
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Agreed. I caught a falling 1911, and managed to hit the thumb safety, grip safety, and trigger in the process...

Ruined a perfectly good subwoofer and box. Still have them as a reminder.
 
I let 'em drop.

The gun I handle the most every day is my carry gun and I expect it to get some dings and scratches on it over time. I've had a few drops, mostly on carpet or linoleum. I had one on concrete many years ago but it was an all stainless gun and the resultant ding and scratches weren't that noticable.
 
In the spirit of piling on, let it drop. :( About 12 years back, an acquaintance of mine tried to catch a falling handgun and shot himself through the head. Very sad.
 
Had a good friend DIE because he went for a dropping gun - at least that is what the sheriff and coroner determined. He was shooting P dogs in CO on a ranch. Seems the gun started to slide off the hood of his truck, and as he went go grab the barrel with his face over the muzzle, it hit the ground and took the back half of his head off

Let it GO.............
 
Let it fall. Get a leg or a foot in the way on it's way to the ground, maybe.

Then live with the new character mark on a service weapon. No service weapon looks perfectly shiney and new after a few years of carry, anyway.

;)
 
basicblur said:
What's the old saying...
A falling knife has one handle.
A falling gun has a thousand triggers.

A couple of years ago, we had a reservist (don't remember the branch) that was on the firing range with a Beretta handgun.
The RO saw him drop it, and yelled NO at him as he tried to catch it.

The reservist is no longer with us - right through the chest.
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geez. thats horrible. thx for your replies everyone.
 
I think this one was a no brainer. Like knives torches and any other possibley dangerous tool.
 
Impureclient said:
Glad this post came up. I know from reading it in here several times to let it drop and try and soften the blow. I never thought to relay that info onto anybody I'm shooting with though, mainly my son.
Feel kind of crummy that I didn't think of schooling him sooner on what to do if the gun drops. I've never dropped a gun so I never thought to explain to others what to do if it did happen. That will be taken care of immediately.
Thanks Potatohead and THR.
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hey i done good!!! im glad cuz about all ive added or done since ive been here is get language warnings and such from moderators. yaaay! lol
 
Aged 1 said:
Set it there!
That is a little sermon I give myself from time to time in the wood shop. Sometimes... in expediency we think " it'll be ok there for a moment" but then...oooops.....darn!
Now with guns...mmmmm ... Have yet to experience a mishap or a dropped piece. Oooops just remembered ...way...waaaaay back in Basic Training..as a young soldier, a playful bored solder, standing in ranks, at parade rest, on the company street waiting..forever.. for that bugle call at flag lowering I was letting loose of that great big wonderful M1 Garand and than catching it...AND fate made the call...I was waving my hand in desperation as MY rifle was headed to earth. Ever heard an M1 hit the dirt? Little smile now..not then! The platoon Sargent was issuing the rhetorical question, "WHO dropped his piece?" as he executing an about face BECAUSE who else but I had HIS piece laying there in the dirt off of the right foot! All of a sudden I owned every black mark on the barracks floor...humbly I scoured the floor that night....have not dropped one since..:)
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funny
 
im not sure im to crazy about throwing my foot in there. seems to put u closer to the line of fire...?
 
Let it fall. Bad things happen with you don't catch it fully and if the barrel it hot, you may regret catching it (and may even drop it again)!

Years ago I tried to catch a dropped sword and had to explain to my wife what happened to the walls and ceiling when my hand decided that was a bad idea and pulled back a little too late.

Mike
 
m not sure im to crazy about throwing my foot in there. seems to put u closer to the line of fire...?
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Unless your fingers are on your feet and you can outrun a 1,200 fps bullet, the only issue with using your foot to break the fall of a gun is getting your foot off the ground to avoid broken bones. :eek:
 
I fall into the "foot reflex" category, but I've not dropped my guns to put it to the test.

Unfortunately I also fall into the "spiral fractured bones in the arches" category, so usually cushioning the fall has a "price", assuming I don't overdo the twitch reaction and kick the object through a window.

I'd REALLY hate to punt a gun with the top of my foot and a too-drastic reflex kick, but I don't know if I could consciously stop the instant reaction.
 
I can see a cocked pistol going off by a grab but a single action revolver with an empty chamber or DA revolver is going to be pretty safe. Many handguns are drop safe so aside from damage they likely won't go off in a short drop.
Many long guns are different and having one of them hit the deck could cause a discharge so I would have to consider the situation at hand if I saw say a Rem 700 sliding off a fender and the proximity of myself and others to the muzzle but it's probably more a question of deflect rather than catch in that case.
I guess to me it's not as cut and dried as some would have it.
 
I fall in the "save it with the foot" category,,
I will instinctively stick a foot out to try to cushion the fall

But after working in the HVAC business for a few decades, I have trained myself that if a sheetmetal fitting slips or falls,I will draw both hands back to my chest

Got enough scars to learned that the hard way...
 
I've never dropped a gun and I routinely try to slow falling objects with my foot if I do drop something because my hands are full. If going to a range, why are the guns loaded already if they are not a carry weapon? They should be transported unloaded for everyones safety. If it is a carry weapon then why isn't it properly holstered in the first place? Saving a trip is never a good excuse to bypass good gun safety.
 
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