Gun cleaning accident

[HankB]

Shot "while cleaning a gun" is often a coverup for suicide/murder, or an even worse case of negligence inviting prosecution. I am automatically suspicious of any such report.

+1.

I've thought about this quite a bit over the years, and I just don't see how anyone could "accidentally" shoot themselves or another while "cleaning" a gun. Carelessness, idiotic drunken horseplay, and just plain ignorance can, and certainly have, resulted in tragedy.

But cleaning a gun?

Uh-uh.

 

[geekWithA.45]

At best, it's "shot during pre cleaning administrative handling while failing to observe two or more safety rules".

 

[Andras]

I have to pull the trigger on my Taurus 24/7 Pro to take the slide off. I can't imagine not clearing it properly first.

 

[Sistema1927]

Add the Kahr pistols to the list of those requiring a trigger pull to disassemble.

"Shot while cleaning" is either:

1) Screwing around/lack of care/negligence, or
2) Homicide, or
3) Suicide.

 

[confed sailor]

btw, for all you glock bashers (although imho i do agree that a pistol that reqs trigger pull to take down gives me the willies), the Mosin Nagant is another gun that requires the trigger to be pulled to disassemble.

the bolt release for MN 91/30 is the trigger, however you dont pull the trigger untill the bolt is open and pulled all the way back.
A chambered round could not be fired as the cocking knob is locked by the bolt body, and the firing pin is about 4inches from the primer retracted inside the bolt face.

thats a big difference from the Glock and Sigmas, no offence.

 

[progunner1957]

As the now-famous DEA agent said, "Now, I'm the only one in this room professional enough to carry a 40 caliber Glock."

Followed by BOOM!

Followed by, "D'OOOOW!"

 

[Nathaniel Firethorn]

Taking down Glocks

Some extra safety wrinkles:

I stick a finger in the chamber as well as visually inspecting it.

Also, before squeezing the trigger, I point it downward at a 6x6 beam that's attached to the cellar floor. If I splinter that, I won't really mind, and it would reduce the chance of ricochet over just pointing it at the concrete.

- NF

 

[dfaugh]

Not (quite) so fast

Until recently I would've agreed than it SHOULD be impossible to have an "accident" while cleaning a firearm. BUT...

A month or so ago I went to the range and used my Marlin Model 60 (tube-fed, semi-auto, .22). I generally load/shoot 10 rounds at a time. Don't count shots, as bolt locks back when empty. I finished my last set of 10, and placed the gun in the case.

When I got home I started cleaning the gun. I can't tell you the exact sequence, but it was something like this: Run a patch or 2 w/ Hoppes down the barrel, then dry patch then light oil. Release bolt. Clean bolt and bolt face(requires opening an closing bolt). Remove, wipe down, lubricate and replace magazine tube. Lubricate, lightly, the action, including pulling the trigger AT LEAST ONCE, to allow trigger to move so I can put a drop of oil in there.

In short I worked the action at least 3 times, and dry fired it twice, somewhere along the way. And when I was all done, I opened the action once again, and heard a sickening noise as a LIVE round fell onto the floor at my feet. I have NO idea where that was "hiding" inside the gun (suspect the magazine tube, somehow), and I'm STILL trying to figure it out.

Now, the one thing I did, as always, was keep the muzzle pointed away from anyone (Actually I was alone. But, of the the 4 rules, this should be the most important, because if all else fails, at least it minimizes the consequences). So, had the gun discharged, I probably might've shot my laptop, as the gun pointed in that general direction.

It may sound stupid, but this was very scary for me, as I'm downright PARANOID about safe handling of firearms.I've beaten the 4 rules into my kids heads for years, and I'm proud of how careful and responsible they are. And, obviously, the guy in this case didn't do that.

 

[larry_minn]

Yrs ago a retired Officer was talking to me and a (situation) came up where a gent died while (cleaning his guns) The Retired Officer told me it took them 10 minutes to find his gun cleaning gear. BUT THEY FOUND IT (and set it out)
The gent was well thought of and they didn't want his family to go thru the whole (he committed suicide why didn't I see it comming/I should have done something/maybe its my fault/etc/etc/etc) thing. Said it was not uncommon.

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?

 

[c_yeager]

"I was cleaning my gun and it went off" is pretty much the universal statement made by people who were irresponsibly goofing off and someone got hurt or killed. It is also a good excuse for murder, and often is published by the family of a person who commited suicide. I doubt that very many people get hurt while actually cleaning a firearm.

On the other hand, I almost lost an eye when I sent an extractor flying out of a buckmark with enough force to bounce off three walls of my living room as well as the ceiling, before coming to a rest right at my feet (that was a lucky day in a lot of ways).

 

[XDKingslayer]

"Shot self cleaning gun" is a cover up for suicide. There are MANY reasons for this including public opinion and INSURANCE premiums (accidental death pays, suicide does not).

Not necessarily. An acquaintance of mine put a nice hole in his hand, with no desire to kill himself, cleaning his pistol.

He pulled the slide back, emptied the chamber, closed the slide, and proceeded to disassemble the pistol not realizing his brainfart of not dropping the full magazine.

He also has a hole in his wall as a reminder.

 

[LSUfreak25]

Did you hear about the guy who was smoking POT through a shotgun and forgot to unload it? BAM there goes 70% of his head!!

 

[asiparks]

no, 'cos that was a scene out of, I think, "Narc"....

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

I don't know anything about Glocks, but my XD requires me to pull the trigger for dissassembly, but only AFTER I:

1) Lock back the slide.

2) Twist the release lever thingy to the upright position.

3) Bring the slide back forward.

I suppose it would be possible to chamber a round in the process, but you would have to really not be paying attention when you locked back the slide. That is, if you completely missed the first step, which is to MAKE SURE THE GUN IS UNLOADED.

 

[nipprdog]

I'm still waiting for some one to tell me how to take down a Glock for cleaning without violating the Four Rules.

 

[LoneCoon]

Yes, you do have to pull the trigger on a mosin nagant to clean it, but the bold i open when you do it. How could that possibly lead to a negilgant discharge?

 

[Teufelhunden]

Drop slide and point in a direction that if the bullet fairy reloaded the chamber in the time between dropping the slide and chamber closing, no one would get injured.

...and violating this is the major reason people get hurt by guns that require the trigger be pulled before the slide comes off the frame. Such an action is no worse than dry-firing, but people for some reason treat it differently.

Point the gun at something that you don't mind destroying every time you pull the trigger!

-Teuf

 

[Oleg Volk]

And this type of cover-ups is the main reason...

...why insurance companies are anti-gun. Every time they get stuck paying on life insurance of "gun cleaners" who really killed themselves, they get an incentive to avoid gun-owning clients. If suicides were listed honestly, they wouldn't have had to pay out.

 

[akodo]

Apparently some of you read the finger on trigger rule differently than I.

It does not say 'never touch or pull the trigger' because if it did, how could you ever targetshoot, or dryfire?

I read it as "Never touch the trigger until you are ready for the firearm to discharge" In most cases, target practice, this means with sights on target. In the case of both cleaning and dryfiring and new shooter familiarization, this means pointed in an absolutely safe direction. If you cannot point the firearm in an absolutely safe direction, you need to abort your plans for cleaning, dryfiring, or teaching.

 

[gezzer]

Again the four rules are not chiseled in stone.

Duh!

Use common sense, if you can not,STOP using firearms as you are an idiot with an accident waiting to happen. :banghead:

IN the case of the marlin 60, tube feeds are notorius for having a round stick in the feeding tube.

Cure paint the folower bright orannge, untill you see bright orange it is loaded. Then pull the feed tube and work the action 6 times. Then untill the bolt is removed consider the gun laoded.

And this type of cover-ups is the main reason...

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...why insurance companies are anti-gun. Every time they get stuck paying on life insurance of "gun cleaners" who really killed themselves, they get an incentive to avoid gun-owning clients. If suicides were listed honestly, they wouldn't have had to pay out.

Absoultly!!!!