Mistakes made, lessons learned

[Gottahaveone]

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

Don't you feel much better about using the thumb and index finger of the weak hand to pinch the hammer from the sides to lower it? Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber with just a thumb seems somewhat risky. Maybe I'm just uncoordinated

 

[22-rimfire]

I always check a gun to see if it is loaded first when handling it. It I am uncomfortable with the gun as far as checking, then I don't handle it.

For example, I'm not a 1911 person, and I'm uncomfortable with the cocked and locked and so forth.

 

[psyprofessor]

Here's what I do to prevent ND...

1. Unload the magazine.
2. Rack the gun and visually check the chamber.
3. I do an additional racking of the chamber...just to double check. If I missed a bullet in step #2, it would be ejected by step#3.

 

[rondog]

Don't you feel much better about using the thumb and index finger of the weak hand to pinch the hammer from the sides to lower it? Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber with just a thumb seems somewhat risky.

That's the ONLY way I'll do it with any of my 1911's. It's far too awkward to even consider doing it one-handed, and I feel very safe doing it two-handed. I clamp that hammer in a death grip with three fingers.

Was at a party once, and a friend shot another friend in the shin with his .25 auto. Same story, he went to hand the gun to somebody, so he racked the slide to eject the round, THEN dropped the mag and pulled the trigger. BANG, down goes Mike!

I worked with a guy once that went deer hunting with his muzzle-loading rifle, and put the loaded rifle in the gun rack in the back window of his pickup. Hammer down on the percussion cap, muzzle right behind his head. Bouncing down a dirt road and yep, it went off. Blew a big hole through the side of the cab, filled the cab with smoke, and nearly deafened him!

 

[rondog]

When I took my CCW class, the instructor was VERY anal about safety. He made sure that whenever each of us handled a weapon, that we cleared it ourselves, then showed it to TWO other people so they could visually verify that it was empty, and he by-God wanted to HEAR them say it was so. And he stood by ready to kick ass if we didn't follow it to the letter.

 

[ColinthePilot]

Mine are stored with empty mags, just to save space in their individual cases. most new pistols come with 2 mags, but only enough space in the case for one, and one in the gun. The one next to my bed is loaded +1 with a spare mag. Whenever I pick up a gun, I open the action, look into the mag/ mag well to ensure its empty, and if showing it to someone, hand it to them open. I then expect them to check the chamber first, then they can look at the rest of the gun. even with the action open, booger hooks stay clear of the bang switch.

 

[CK]

1. release the magazine

2. check chamber and make sure it is clear

3. check magazine well( the hollow grip which is the place where magazine is suppose to be in) and make sure it is clear, empty and you can see down to the end.

 

[Torchman]

With a Semi Auto...always use the "Push- Pull" method. Slide locked to the rear...PUSH the weapon out. Check the barrel for brass. PULL the weapon in...see the ground thru the mag well. This is done TWICE. THEN..and ONLY THEN...may you deem the weapon cleared. Just my training....

 

[Sackett]

Thanks for sharing the OP. It's openness like this that helps us all learn. Because of THR and other reading I've done, my procedure is:

1) Drop Magazine
2) Lock slide back
3) Visually inspect, then Probe chamber with weak-hand's pinky finger
4) Sight down the Mag-well from the top, then Probe the bottom with weak-hand pinky finger

The idea of checking it by touch is that you can do it anytime, day or night, automatically. Not to mention it's a nice redundancy to build in.

BTW- I did a similar thing while clearing my OWN gun several months ago. I was taking it out of the safe and unloading it for transport to the range. I started to lock the slide back before dropping the mag (DOH!), but missed the slide lock detent (I'm a lefty and sometimes it's hard to actuate with the side of an index finger). As soon as the slide went back forward the hairs on my neck stood up. Won't be doing that again. Thankfully I was following every one of the 4 rules because I'm a safety super-freak, but it was an eye-opener.

S.

 

[Halo]

Look for daylight

I always drop the magazine and place it on a table away from the pistol, then lock the slide back. I then always repeat to myself "look for daylight", so with a bright lamp or something I verify I can see light coming through the chamber and the magazine well. Then I feel the chamber with my pinky to make sure it's truly empty. Only then do I consider it unloaded.

 

[chute2thrill]

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

I believe this is the standard of exchanging a firearm... Hunters safety teaches this when you are 12...

 

[rainbowbob]

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...

If I fire something not knowing the condition - it is 100% my fault. At least.

 

[bdickens]

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.

Only a butterbar....

 

[Gottahaveone]

I watched a Second LT in Baghdad put three rounds into the clearing barrel with his M-9.

Only a butterbar....

I don't know....I watched our clearing barrel NCO drop two rounds into one one morning. We had just come off our third mid (USAF LE works 3 swings, 3 mids, and 3 off. At least we did back in the day) and after the NCO had cleared all of us, he had our flight LT clear him. I guess you do something enough times, you get into a routine. He stuck the muzzle in, racked it, and pulled the trigger. Racked it again and pulled the trigger again. Just like he should have done if the mag wasn't still in it. He was a tech sgt pre-bang and a buck sgt post bang. They gave them back after about 6 weeks tho.....

 

[230RN]

Don't you feel much better about using the thumb and index finger of the weak hand to pinch the hammer from the sides to lower it? Lowering the hammer on a loaded chamber with just a thumb seems somewhat risky. Maybe I'm just uncoordinated.

I should have been more clear about that. I use the thumbroll technique after clearing the weapon. I almost never have a round in the chamber anyhow.

My personal opinion is that thumbrolling it down on a 1911 after clearing so it glides into the safety notch with the thumb roll is safer, since there's no chance of slipping with the pinch method.

As far as carrying, I never carry with one in the chamber unless I am afield and there are plenty of safe directions to clear the weapon if I have to. (Usually, I can find enough cowpies to shoot at to empty the gun that way.) The more you manipulate them loaded, the more chance there is for an ND. I jack the mag, stick pinky in the chamber and look at it, peer down the mag well, let the slide go into battery slowly, and then use the thumb roll in a safe direction to get to the so-called safety notch. That's the way they're put to bed.

Incidentally, I got an expired vest and hung it on the wall to have this "safe direction" in my urban apartment setting.

A hole in a tent is one thing. A hole in my apartment owner's wall or ceiling is another.

 

[Avenger]

When I pass a pistol to a friend at the range, I drop the magazine first, put it on the table, then clear any chambered round. With the slide locked back, the pistol goes to the table, bench, cooler top with the muzzle down-range....NOT into the other shooters hands. After I step back, then they can take control of the pistol by picking it up and inserting the mag. Revolvers are the same way, cylinder out and chambers empty, then to the table. Rifles, mag out and bolt back, then to the table or rest. Same thing with shotties, but with the action broken for SxS or O/U.

 

[neviander]

What's a clearing barrel?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

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

Lol, you'd think he'd figure it out after maybe TWO of those....

 

[Gottahaveone]

What's a clearing barrel?

A red painted 55gal drum that is filled with sand (my assumption) and has about a 12" diameter hole about 12" deep in the lid. It's mounted on it's side on a stand so that when you are clearing a weapon on the flight line or any other exposed area, you have a safe place to insert the muzzle of the weapon in case of an
unintended discharge.

 

[Savior 6]

If handing a firearm to someone else, I lock the chamber to the rear and then verbally state to that person the the status of the weapon. I.E.: "Clear."

 

[WNC Seabee]

Mostly related to this thread...for us younger shooters, it's always okay to remind the more seasoned shooters of safety violations when you see them.

At the public range a few weeks ago, 3 of us downrange changing targets, and a 65ish guy has his rifle mounted to his shoulder sighting downrange.

When I got back to the firing line I calmly (really, calmly) told him to please not handle his rifle while people were downrange.

Got MY a** chewed...."I've been shooting since before you were born!", "You need to learn some respect son", etc., etc. Guy packs up and takes off in a huff.

(If he hadn't left, I would of...)

About 30 minutes later, he comes back and politely apologizes, explains his outburst as being embarrassed about doing something stupid.

 

[SoCalShooter]

check recheck and check again if there is any doubt check it again never assume always check.

 

[brolin_1911a1]

About ten years ago, I noticed a new gunshop in a nearby town so I stopped in to see what he had. The proprietor and I got to talking about various youth rifles and he had one model he especially liked as a truck/camp rifle. He went in back and brought it out, handed it to me, and said, "here, try the trigger on this." I pointed it at the brick wall near the ceiling and a little voice said, "He handed that to you with the action closed and you didn't open it; you know better than that. Sarge Slocum (the guy who taught me when I was eleven) would be ashamed of you." So I paused, brought the rifle down from my shoulder and opened the bolt. Sure enough, out popped a live round. The dealer's face turned a bright red with embarrassment and the realization that there had almost been an ND.

 

[Zach S]

I drop the mag and rack the slide before I hand it to someone, although I do it action closed.

From my time behind the counter, I found that handing over a closed pistol keeps the slide-slammers and hollywood flippers at bay. Experianced shooters call me on it while re-checking the pistol, and then agree with me after I explain.

 

[big_bang]

My friend's dad, who had been an NRA instructor for many years, killed his nephew's 4-wheeler a couple years ago.

He had inserted a loaded magazine into a pistol (don't recall the model) and hit the slide release. The pistol slam-fired and put a round through the aluminum crankcase on the ATV. It really mortified him for a long time to have made a muzzle-control mistake like that.