My first negligent discharge.

[VaughnT]

I took a buddy to the gun club today to sight-in his deer rifle. We took our service pistols and I brought my Ruger M77 .270 to play with and let him shoot.

Well, we were looking over his recent find, a Winchester 94 in .32 Win Spl., and finding that the scope was off by a hair. I pulled out my Ruger to see if the scope was still on.

My buddy was firing away, enjoying the new gun, when he asked me a question. I swear to god that I remember drawing my bolt back and taking the round out of the chamber. Guess I didn't, though, as we were halfway through our conversation when I touched the trigger and sent a round through the roof over the shooting bench. The range was hot so everyone had hearing protection on (there was only one other shooter).

I'm never going to live this down, but I'm glad that at least one of the safety rules wasn't violated and the weapon was pointed in a safe direction.

No matter how good you are with a gun, you might be the fastest shooter to ever come down the pike, you simply cannot take weapons safety for granted. Every single time you take the weapon off the target, you need to clear that chamber! Every time.

 

[Thumper]

You'll relive it about 50 gazillion times.

At least it was pointing in a safe direction. EVERY ND I've ever heard of by experienced shooters have that single thing in common.

It'll be a long time before you have another, I'll bet.

 

[mrtgbnkr]

Personally, I think that there are 4 rules because if you have a slip and screw one of them up, as long as the other three are being followed, odds are no one will get hurt...and I'm glad no one got hurt (except maybe your pride a little bit).

 

[Mark Tyson]

EVERY ND I've ever heard of by experienced shooters have that single thing in common.

Same here, thank goodness.

We took our service pistols

You a LEO?

 

[DMK]

You know, one of the common theme that all these ND threads have is distraction. "I was unloading my gun and then the phone rang", "I was shooting, then my friend called me", etc. Just something to think about.

I'm glad you and your buddie are OK VaughnT. Thank God for good 'ol rule #2.

 

[Guy L Johnson]

It Happens To Cops

Las Vegas Video from this year Cop was caught on tape

 

[Guy L Johnson]

Sorry But Video Didn't upload

I Tried to deleat my previous post but it failed as did editing it but it is allowing a second post

 

[Old Fuff]

Well the things you did right you did very right, and that's good.

No one is perfect ....

But next time leave the actions open on any gun(s) you aren't actually shooting.

 

[El Tejon]

Vaugh, glad to know everyone is O.K. Learn from it! The Four Rules are life!

The following is unsolicited advice, you are free to accept or reject it (as you probably should): I use Ruger M77s. When the weapon is admin unloaded, I remove the bolt from the weapon as well, placing it in my left pocket. YMMV.

 

[cool45auto]

You hate to read about ND's but at least nothing happened and this story will keep it everyone's mind.

 

[Dilettante]

I'm really glad that people post their ND stories here. It might make you feel silly but it helps the rest of us avoid them.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Guy L Johnson,

This one?

Las Vegas LEO ND

 

[Guy L Johnson]

That's It

should hve done the link instead of the file although it has let upload the files before Thank You

 

[VaughnT]

Mark, armored transport, not LEO. I tote money and don't have to hassle with drunks and malcontents.

Thanks for not beating me up about this, guys. I'm stressing enough worrying about that little baby or sweet old gramma that I killed with that errant round.

Funny thing is that the guy I was shooting with is really bad about pointing his pistol just any old where and I'm constantly spouting off about weapon safety and training.

Tejon.....is it just me, or is that M77 the finest rifle out there?

 

[4v50 Gary]

Thankfully it happened at the range, during a firing session where everyone was behind the firing line and had eyes & ear, and that you exercised Rule #1, muzzle control. It'll never happen again (the ND, that is).

 

[P95Carry]

Personally, I think that there are 4 rules because if you have a slip and screw one of them up, as long as the other three are being followed, odds are no one will get hurt...

I agree 100% ...... and IMO the greatest rule of all is where the damn gun is pointed.. If ALWAYS a safe direction then embarrassment is about all you will suffer ....... and lesson learned.

I have had 2 ........ one was standing in line doing a stage of a compo ...... Duh ... finger on trigger in ready position, before targets turned ... bit of pressure and ''Bang'' .... round into ground 6 feet ahead ............ no harm done except to my score!

#2 was --- having despatched a snake with 20G Mossy ... was carrying it back into house and down into basement (finger off trigger .... muzzle safe direction) ...... as I went down steps, racked it to check it out but .. foolishly neglected to do this with full visual .. I ''assumed'' (huge mistake) .. that mag was empty.

NOPE .... it was NOT ...... pulled trigger to leave the thing ''relaxed'' and ''BOOM'' ....... #7 1/2 shot was sprayed at concrete floor ..... and one pellet managed to find the woodwork on my Muskettoon hanging on the wall ..... however, that could be made good.

I was a tad surprised (understatement is my forte!!) ....... but was glad that before pulling triigger to de-cock ... was pointing only safe ..... and that I reirerate is my own personal most major rule ... even more than the others.

 

[Zackmeister]

Wow, that video clip was wild. I bet the BG had to check his pants after that!

My pop had ND trying to lower a safety one handed. Scared the life out of us but at least it was pointed at the ground.

 

[rapaz]

I'm glad that no one was hurt (well, besides your pride).

Some years back I was coaching a first time shooter with an old winchester 30-30 (no safety). Me standing behind and to the left, no one else at the range.

We went through every step dry (no ammo) a few times--muzzle control, using the lever, aiming, etc. Then we added live ammunition, and when he chambered a round the first thing he did was yank the trigger. We both just about messed our pants. Luckily the rifle was pointed down-range; nothing hurt besides pride. He knew better, but just somehow didn't DO better.

 

[Dilettante]

How did that cop ND happen? It seemed like she had only just pointed it away from the guy and the gun went off.
Was there any explanation?

 

[AUTIGER04]

Makes you sort of nervous and tongue tied. Doesnt it? I shot a hole through my roof once.

 

[P95Carry]

How did that cop ND happen? It seemed like she had only just pointed it away from the guy and the gun went off.

Poor training perhaps and ........ CRASS IMCOMPETENCE ........

 

[Valkman]

Wow, that video clip was wild. I bet the BG had to check his pants after that!

So did her partner, who got hurt by that. I heard she was being sued, but don't know what happened to her. Hopefully she's not a cop anymore.

 

[AUTIGER04]

I have seen this clip before. Narrowly missing the suspects head by inches.

 

[BigG]

Anybody note she was pointing that thang at her pardner, also? Not somebody I'd want backing me up if I had a choice!

 

[geekWithA.45]

Stark Reminder

At the indoor range where I shoot, there's been precisely one known unintentional discharge, many years before I joined

It was done by a LEO who had turned sideways from the firing line while attempting to clear a malfunction in his glock. He had his finger in the trigger guard, and sent a round all the way down the line, from one end to the other.

Fortunately, he was the only person on the line that day. They tell me that in the video, (which has been preserved as an educational piece) he turned white as a ghost, unloaded and left without comment.

The round took out a sizeable chip from the concrete wall, which has been left as is through this day, so that the old hands can use it as an instructive device.

A few months back, a man was shooting with his young son, of about 10 years old. He encountered a jam, and I saw the same pattern shaping up, but on this day, the range was crowded.

I politely addressed him. "Sir? do you need a hand with that?" He smiled and waved me off, and turned the muzzle back down range. A few seconds later, he had again rotated 90 degrees, and was sweeping half the firing line.

I again politely addressed him. "Sir? Do you mind keeping that pointed downrange?" I could see in his face that he immediately realized his goofup, and he said, "yes, of course! I'm sorry, I realize that I should do that." To finalize the point, I showed him the big chip in the wall, and told him the story of how it got there. I got the widest eyed reaction I'd ever seen a real human make, as he realized the severity of violating rule 2.

When last seen, the man was explaining to his son that keeping the muzzle down range was very important, that he had been sloppy in obeying that rule, and that they must both remember to be aware of where the muzzle was pointing at all times, and that it was good to remind people of the safety rules when they see them broken.

I was speechless in the man's willingness to immediately own the fault and corrrect it.

Kudos to you, unknown sir, for doing the right thing, both for yourself, and your son.