My First Accidental Discharge, I am Freaked Out.. Learning Lesson... Need Advice

[ol' scratch]

I was sitting here thinking that this has never happened to me when I realized it had. I was twelve and hunting with a single shot .410. It was 15 degrees below zero. The gun froze up and I went to chamber another round---BANG. I had just turned to the side of the trail to load the shotgun when it happened. Scared my father too. A family friend had just been standing in front of me. Fortunately, I turned to my right and closed the action.

I am VERY careful concerning muzzle direction. As far as your AR, drop all mags before you pull the charging handle back to check to see if they are loaded. I also don't dry fire unless I am practicing and I KNOW no mag is in the mag well and chamber is empty. I think one of the problems is that a lot of people dry fire their firearms. It was something my father always taught me NEVER to do. I remember showing him my 1911 and telling him not to ride the trigger, verify the gun was empty and pulling the trigger. He said he didn't feel comfortable doing that because dryfirering is careless. A different mindset and generation, but not all bad. I still dryfire when I practice, but make sure I have no mag in the firearm. I don't even use snap caps. You will not hurt the gun dry firering without a snap cap.

 

[Rico567]

There has been a lot of advice in this thread, so much that I'm not prepared to sort out what I believe is valid (the bulk of it) from what is questionable, so I'll restrict my comments.

I had my own ND sometime in the sixties. I was shooting my brother's Colt Trooper Mk. 1, and was pulling the hammer back to fire single-action. The hammer slipped out from under my thumb. I must have had my finger on the trigger, because the gun fired, and a bullet was launched at some upward angle into the wilds of Owen Co., IN. This incident remained (and remains) strong in my memory, and has not been repeated.

The only advice I am prepared to give is twofold:

First, if you follow Col. Cooper's four rules, you won't have another ND.

Second, simplify.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

He said he didn't feel comfortable doing that because dryfirering is careless. A different mindset and generation, but not all bad.

... I still feel nervous dry firing in-doors. On the first shot I open up the door and shoot out over the ocean just to be on the safe side.

 

[DenaliPark]

He said he didn't feel comfortable doing that because dryfirering is careless. A different mindset and generation, but not all bad.

... I still feel nervous dry firing in-doors. On the first shot I open up the door and shoot out over the ocean just to be on the safe side.

Uhh, excuse me, you open up the door and shoot out over the ocean? I've been handling firearms for over 37 years, I'm old school, I don't subscribe to the philosophy that sooner or later you'll have an accident, negligent or otherwise. Thats because I don't point a firearm at anything and pull the trigger without having absolutely verified whats not, or is in, it's chamber!

 

[Grey Morel]

Don't feel too bad...

But your gun wasn't unloaded: It had a loaded magazine in it, one which you KNEW was loaded.

Your story illustrates exactly why you don't do these types of things all the time - it makes you complacent. It gets you into a rut.

If your going to have a bedside gun, then leave it loaded 100% of the time. Put in on the nightstand at night and put it in the safe in the AM. Its always loaded and ready to shoot, so you never need to screw with it.

 

[Pistola]

I had a similar one about 30 years ago, none since.

(an UNloaded ruger mark I, as I recall)

 

[skwab]

Evergreen- one of the best things you could have done was post this -sure you got flamed pretty good but you got a ton of great advice too, which from your subsequent posts you've been heeding the message.

IMO, the biggest thing to take away is never ever ever use the act of pulling the trigger as a method of double checking that the gun is not loaded. Dry firing is fine - everyone does it, but that's different from double checking to see that your gun is unloaded.

But you'll be fine - no one was hurt, you learned some great lessons that you;ll carry with you from here on out - stay safe.

 

[Fastcast]

I guess some folks never heard the saying "some things are better left unsaid"..... The internet is a strange phenomenon in regards to people spilling their guts......Just look at Facebook. lol

 

[skwab]

While I agree with you fastcast, in this case I think it was a very wise thing for the OP to tell what happened. There is a lot of experience on a board like this, better to accept the lashings along with the advice and insure that it never happens again, then to assume things and risk a recurrence.

 

[Ben86]

I guess some folks never heard the saying "some things are better left unsaid"..... The internet is a strange phenomenon in regards to people spilling their guts......Just look at Facebook. lol

If by posting about this mishap the OP, and maybe others, learned something valuable that will help them stay safe for years to come, then it was a good idea.

Facebook is second only to twitter in absolute irrelevance and absurdity. Sometimes I see it as a growing trend to replace face to face socialization with "E-Socialization." Kind of sad really.