Mistakes made, lessons learned

[Deleted member 66305]

About two months ago, I was at a friend's house, and he showed me his gun collection. Mostly a couple nice, antique revolvers, a few modern revolvers and a souple semiautomatics.

He handed me his Glock 19, and I racked the slide to check for a chambered round.

He suddenly looked nervous, and said, "Uh, you just chambered a round..."

Sure enough, the magazine was still in it. I popped the magazine, and ejected the round, and handed it back to him.

Nothing bad happened, but I find myself replaying that in my mind over and over. There could have been a very bad outcome.

We both did a very negligent thing:

He handed me the weapon without first ejecting the mag and checking for a chambered round, and I first checked for a chambered round (thus chambering one) without first checking for a mag.

On the other hand, both of us kept the muzzle in the direction the least damage would occur, and kept our fingers out of the trigger guard.

As a result of this incident, not only do eject the magazine and check for a round before handing a firearm over to somebody to look at, I also first lock the slide open, or leave the cylinder open, so it is very, very clearly unloaded when it exchanges hands.

I've also reminded more than one friend to mind where they sweep the muzzle, even though they "know" it's unloaded. I don't make a huge deal of it. I just say "muzzle sweep", and they look a little sheepish. Fortunately, I've not had to remind any one friend more than once.

Post your own mistakes, and what you learned, how you changed your actions/routines, to avoid future mishaps.

 

[csmkersh]

Yes, you blundered big time. Racking the slide without looking inside at the same time is a bad practice. Racking the slide to clear the weapon with a mag in place is also a bad practice. The fact that the slide went forward should have been a major hint there were rounds in the mag and the gun was now hot. Now if you'd pulled the trigger as is normal when clearing a piece, things would have gotten very noisy with the resulting ND.

I clear every firearm I'm handed even if the person that just handed me the piece had just cleared it.


​

 

[TX1911fan]

That is why I never pull the trigger when checking the chamber. I see no need to do so. I have seen many people who do it so routinely that it is almost automatic. That is where problems will happen. I would prefer to leave it cocked. Is there a problem with that?

 

[Mainsail]

Wait, how does racking the slide check for a chambered round? I know it's supposed to eject a round in the chamber, but that's not a sure thing. I take it you never looked inside when the slide was back.

 

[highorder]

I always drop the mag first from any weapon I'm handed.

I hope everyone does.

 

[Drgong]

yep, it 2nd nature to me to drop the mag. even if someone just did it right in front of me...

 

[Deleted member 66305]

Wait, how does racking the slide check for a chambered round? I know it's supposed to eject a round in the chamber, but that's not a sure thing. I take it you never looked inside when the slide was back.

Yes, an additional negligent mistake on my part. And I did notice that the slide went back forward as csmkersh mentioned -- I realised about the same time as my friend did that i chambered a round.

But I was focusing on the first major blunder I shoudl have avoided. I should have FIRST checked for a magazine before I did anything else.

I'm sure other people have educational stories of a blunder they learned from -- come on, people, let the rest of us learn from your mistakes.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

yep, it 2nd nature to me to drop the mag. even if someone just did it right in front of me...

It is now for me, too.

 

[El Tejon]

1. Mag out.
2. Check chamber.

Most NDs happen in the admin handling of weapons. Glad you learned the proper order without blood or property damage.

 

[FourNineFoxtrot]

Why rack the slide when you can just do a press check? Although dropping the mag and locking the slide when showing (or receiving) a gun is best.

My friends and I are pretty good about safety. We always hand each other guns empty, usually slide back or cylinder open. We keep each other in the practice of being safe, which helps a lot. Although none of us have been handling handguns long enough to be complacent, so as time goes on that's something we'll need to watch for.

 

[shooting4life]

I store all of my guns without a magazine in it except the one in the night stand. I find it is a lot easier to clear the gun this way, especially if showing them to someone new to guns. The gun in the night stand does not come out unless I am taking it to the range and I will make sure to remove the mag and clear the pistol before transport; I make sure to do this when no one else is around. It is so easy to make a mistake.

 

[scrat]

Same here all guns have no magazines. All revolvers have cylinders empty.

 

[Intune]

Wait, how does racking the slide check for a chambered round? I know it's supposed to eject a round in the chamber, but that's not a sure thing. I take it you never looked inside when the slide was back.

Works for rifles too! Anyone ever heard a .243 go off in a 10x12 room? I have. BIL just got in from deer hunting, dropped the mag, jacked the bolt, pointed at the ceiling and then in a "on second thought" moment, pointed at the window & pulled the trigger.

Surprised, astonished, freaked or flabbergasted doesn't begin to describe it. Neither does LOUD!

DON'T TRUST EXTRACTORS! CHECK THE CHAMBER!

Dad just said, "haven't I always told you about unloading before coming in the house? Window's gonna be cheaper for ya than the roof.

 

[VegasOPM]

I always exchange weapons with the slide locked back or the action open.

 

[guntotinguy]

I always exchange weapons with the slide locked back or the action open.

A very smart practice to get into!I always do the same...safety first!

 

[RPCVYemen]

I always exchange weapons with the slide locked back or the action open.

That's what I was taught as a youngster, and it stuck with me.

Mike

 

[tpaw]

The fact that the slide went forward should have been a major hint there were rounds in the mag and the gun was now hot.

On a Glock the slide will also go forward without the mag in it.

 

[Stradawhovious]

You learned a good lesson the easy way........ Thank God you didn't learn it the hard way!!

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Yeah, it's scary. I had a similar thing happen in about 1994. Cop friend of mine hands me a Glock 21 and says "Look - new gun". I take it and point it (we were up on a high floor in a commercial building), look through the sights, and contemplate "dry-firing" it (since obviously, no one would be dumb enough to hand over a loaded weapon, right? Especially not a cop). But I thought that not dry-firing was the better part of safety, and so didn't and handed it back and said "Nice". Then he proceeds to show me how it functions - seems there was a round in the chamber, a full mag, and he knew this. I've played that over and over in my mind how I *almost* caused a major scene of embarassment to myself. No one would have gotten hurt - just the building's interior wall - but it would have been a rude awakening. And truth told, it would have been a lot *more* my fault than his - about 90% / 10% if I fire something not knowing the condition, which makes it all the more irritating to me that I actually nearly pulled the trigger intentionally, since I wouldn't have been able to blame it on him. Of course, I never told him that I almost fired it - all was well that ended well at the time.

DON'T TRUST EXTRACTORS! CHECK THE CHAMBER!

Yep. Now I always stick my pinky finger inside the chamber before dry-firing.

 

[Scattergun Bob]

csmkersh

I am confused, why would you pull the trigger on a striker fired weapon? I understand on the firing line with a 1911 that this is part of the drill, but most self loaders today are either striker fired or have decockers, I see no need to drop the hammer by depressing the trigger. OP stated it was a Glock, unless I miss read the post.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Always drop mag, set it aside, THEN do your chamber check. I've heard about more than a few NDs that start out with an empty gun that become loaded by checking the chamber.

Why rack the slide when you can just do a press check?

Extractor may not have grabbed it so the gun may appear empty. Happened to me once. Fortunately I decided to open it up all the way and check again before "dry firing".

 

[230RN]

Use the thumb-roll to slooowly drop an exposed-hammer firearm.

 

[WinchesterAA]

don't be afraid of the functions of your firearms.. The way it works is - trigger is pulled, hammer drops, bullet is fired, all of this, of course, after one puts a round in the chamber. So, naturally, you don't pull the trigger before you mean to, and some people do this by keeping their fingers clear of the trigger guard until ready to fire (which involves observation of your surroundings, acquired target, and your loaded weapon of course.)

All firearms are always loaded, so make it a habit to A.) make sure there's a magazine in it, B.) check to verify that it is loaded, and C.) storing the firearm on your person, or at the ready, or otherwise directly linking yourself and the firearm physically. (for clarification - Checking that it is loaded is indeed proper. If it's loaded, that's good. If it's unloaded, that should be very apparent. If there are other people in proximity to the pistol, adjust accordingly, or simply explain to them an easy safety instruction that's said bluntly, with no extra put in. Impossible not to understand.


the rest is pretty obvious..


So, in that situation, instead of being surprised by what happened, get more familiar with your firearm, other firearms, and as many platforms as you want.. (I recommend all of them.)

Firearms are an interesting hobby, lifestyle, or very handy tool, but should always be treated with a bit of personal professionalism. The results of rookie mistakes are a lot more severe than dropping a box at work, breaking the computer, or falling through someone's attic.

Train yourself with it so you know you're capable of handling the firearm in any condition safely, and having a default habit of engaging the safety at every opportunity. There are a few good reasons for this along the lines of walking through the woods and tripping, the potential bonus gained from someone in possession of your firearm not knowing how to use it, and for aesthetics.. safety on is a standard sight.. When it's on safety, it looks normal. When it's off safety there's always something that draws your attention to that fact, but that still doesn't surprise you because you're not pointing it at anyone, and your finger is off of the trigger.

"A loaded gun that I want to look at.. I should unload it first so I can function test it, which, itself, calls for a chamber/magazine check in it's procedure for operation."

not "a loaded gun.. oh crap..", "I should know the answer to this but have lazily put firearms aside in favor of something a little newer and more accessible like watching TV, looking up gun stuff on the internet, and other personal issues."




AS a personal note, I will add... The same basic formula can be applied to driving as well.

You know.. Pay attention, be prepared to react, and don't do it drunk... Also.. be nice when you drive. We all sympathize with you because we're all in the same situation. We get it, but deal with it internally. If you want to change it, vote for a new congressman or whatever political route you want to take with it.. I don't have time for that, honestly, but in the meantime I'd like to stay alive and out of jail.

 

[Good Shot Group]

I watched a Second LT in Baghdad put three rounds into the clearing barrel with his M-9. He pulled the slide back without dropping the magazine then pointed the weapon into the clearing barrel and fired one round. He got a little jumpy after that, racked the slide again without dropping the magazine, fired another round, racked the slide again, fired another round. Finallly one of my fellow NCOs put his hand on top of the weapon and told the LT to please stop firing into the clearing barrel. Lots of paperwork. This LT's mistake really taught me the importance of proper weapon handling and weapon clearing. I made sure I didn't go out with that LT into the city if I could help it.

 

[iiibdsiil]

Jesus, you got one helluva lashing on this one, like no one has ever made any mistakes.

I did the rack the slide, drop the mag, pull the trigger on the floor board of my car. Round popped out, I knew I was fine. Ha!

And before anyone says anything. I MADE A MISTAKE. I SEE THAT. Thank you for your concern.

Now I either double check every time I unload, or I make sure I can see the ground through the mag well, and that there is clearly no round in the chamber.