I confess = I did "it".

[Sommerled]

Brain farts happen. I remember being shot at, 41 years ago, by my uncle, an orthopedic surgeon. I was right where he told me to be on the other side of small ravine. He was looking right at me but only saw the covey of quail. I hit the ground as his gun swung my direction and the shot went right where my head was.

 

[Valkman]

Well young man

Sorry, but rc is older.

I'm going to the range tomorrow and have all my mags loaded - .45 only. The only other caliber I usually shoot is .44 Mag and I don't think that would fit.

 

[xxjumbojimboxx]

Only one handgun caliber in my stock... problem is nonexistant for me

 

[TRX]

Thanks for sharing, scaatylobo.

It takes a big man to own up to his mistakes, and an even bigger one to hold them up as an example to others. I'm sure there are many reading this thread who are quietly saying to themselves, "I'm never going to let that happen to me!"

 

[Lex Luthier]

Always and never are peculiar words. You will might/ probably do that again, and you will just remember to more careful next time.

 

[Walkalong]

Well darn!!

I guess I'll just keep on keeping the .380's & 9mm's, and 40's and .45's for different range days!!

It's bad enough having to sort out the brass when I get home.

That's probably why I have never done it.

I generally pick what calibers to shoot with this in mind as well. .38 S&W for instance, it blends right in with .40 and is a pain to pick out, same for .38 Spl and .32-20, and for those who still have superior vision, well, just wait.

 

[Al Thompson]

Never once in 50+ years, is all I can say!!

I have an additional 20 years to go before I can say that. Nothing like running .41 Magnum cartridges through a .45 Colt and wondering why the group is horrible.

 

[km101]

I rarely take more than two calibers (handgun or rifle) to the range at one time. And never if I am shooting with others! As stated above, it's too easy to make a mistake when distracted. The range, with so many other people around, is NOT the place to be distracted! I keep the guns and ammo separate and only bring the ammo for that gun to the bench.

Yeah, it's a long walk back to the truck to change guns/ammo, but I have never had an
Oops! like some have mentioned.

Safety First!

 

[Godsgunman]

Never had that happen yet. I'm pretty meticulous when loading my guns. Also I've consolidated all handguns to .357/.38 spl so that keeps it simple. I guess I could possibly screw up and try putting a .357 in a .38 only revolver but I doubt I'd be able to close the cylinder.

 

[Ky Larry]

Shot a .243 in a .308 rifle. No harm except to my ego.

 

[palmrose2]

Young. Hungry. Late deer season. Pocket full of tags. Borrowed 8mm Mauser and rounds. Running deer herd @ 10yds. Dropped two and on the second stroke of the bolt the gun jammed hard almost chambering a round. Returned gun to my uncle in jammed condition. A day later he tells me that he pulled a .308 round out of it.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Huh.

I'll keep that in mind for future reference. Currently I don't have a handgun selection with calibers that I can potentially mix up. I have a .22 WMR, .45 acp, and 9mm.

However, I'll be buying a Walther PPK/S sometime in the near future and that starts increasing the odds of a mix-up.

Likely, this gun will end up being my wife's (very likely...in fact, it'll likely be bought as HER gun in the first place), so it won't be routinely going to the range with me unless my wife is also with me.

 

[gbran]

Was out bird hunting once and found that a new roll of Wintergreen Lifesavers would load and chamber in a 12ga pump. When I swung on a bird, I learned the candy would only produce a click.

 

[41 Rem Mag]

Sad to say but I have to join the club, was shooting 3 or 4 handguns in different calibers and slid a 41 mag in my 44 mag 629. I stopped after one shot and have kept the far apart since.

 

[Teachu2]

I have a pair of G23s, and a 9mm conversion barrel, and a .357Sig barrel. MANY ways to goof up here ....

 

[BP Hunter]

I've made that mistake once but never fired the gun. I accidentally placed a .380 round in my 9mm carry magazine.

 

[PJSprog]

I can say that I've never had that happen to me, either. Of course, I don't have anything that is remotely similar in size other than .38/.357, which is a non-issue.

Ummm...check that. Now that I think of it, my 7x57 '95 Mauser and .30-'06 '03 Springfield are not too drastically different. However, I've never shot those two rifles on the same day. With all these stories, perhaps I never should.

 

[Bwana John]

My buddy put a .223 thru a 7.62x39 AK and the stupid thing fired it then jammed... and I thought AKs were supposed to be reliable?

 

[Lantern]

I'm glad you're ok. I'd really give the gun and barrel the hairy eyeball to be sure there wasn't any hard to see damage.


I can see how this can happen. If I take guns with several different calibers to the range I prefer to go by myself(not alone at the range but I am a party of one). Reason being is that I do a lot of mental and physical checks while shooting and have always caught myself well before anything like this happened. HOWEVER.....on a trip with a couple guys and a few gals I got distracted and caught the mistake JUST as I was about to slam a mag home that was handed to me by one of the group. That was it for me! Two guns max, one rimfire and one centerfire, with a group on the range from then on.

In no way am I saying that this is the only way to do things.....just sharing what I've done over the years after some experiences. Thanks for sharing your ordeal. Only good can come from reminding others how quickly one can make an error.

 

[beatledog7]

I have not done it, but I know anyone could have such a brain cramp, so I'm diligent.

Right now there's an unfired G33 on my bench. Next to it is a G27 barrel, and also on the bench are loaded mags, some with .40 S&W and some with 357 Sig, all clearly marked. When they go into the range bag they'll be segregated, and just one chambering will come out at a time. I'll check which barrel is in the pistol and which rounds are in the magazine again before I insert one.

Diligence, my friends. He who thinks it can't happen to him is probably next.

 

[r1derbike]

Well. I did shoot an "empty" gun downrange once. Pull checked, didn't see a round, and pointed downrange expecting the usual click, but got much more. My wife told me she saw a round in the chamber. Was distracted, but that is no excuse.

What could have happened haunts me still.

Will never make that mistake again.

Started racking the slide several times to be sure there is not one in the chamber AFTER removing the spent magazine. Had removed the magazine already when I had my ND. No mag disconnect safety on the XD-S.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Whoops. One reason I don't own a .40 is the cases hide inside .45 cases. Too easy to get them mixed up.

 

[dwstone1227]

Me and Mary (post #13) have something in common. We both know a 380 will shot in in a 9 mm. It will not cycle and it will not shot as accurate, but it will shot. Actually this is good to know.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I make it a rule to not bring more than 3 calibers to the range due to sorting the brass. I also try to keep them different, so like yesterday, 357 Maximum, 45 colt and 22LR. I have found pieces of brass like you describe, but fortunately have not done it myself (yet).

 

[floorit76]

I didn't fire it, but check out these two "identical" 223's.....



Back story..... http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=665865