Of all the boneheaded things I've done...

[armedandsafe]

Was playing with an old 03-A3 once. The rounds weren't feeding right and the silly thing also was hanging up when the bolt was open. Right hand was working to get the bolt to move forward. Left hand was poking at the feeding round to get it angled into the chamber. (You are getting ahead of me here. ) Yup...bolt broke over the obstruction, left finger entered chamber and bolt (almost) closed. I was about 15 and Dad (the Quaker) was looking over my shoulder, so I couldn't even say anything.

Pops

 

[mustanger98]

Stuff like that's the first thing my Daddy told me- keep your fingers out from in front of the bolt (semiauto in this case)- when I was five years old. It must have stuck 'cause I've never had anything like that happen to me. And then when I take my Garand to the range, everybody wants to pick it up and mash down on the follower... yeah... I'm like "that's a real good way to get Garand thumb".

I don't know how boneheaded it is or anything, but I'll tell ya'll something about range safety, and this happened with me and some guys shooting a cast lead match last August. The range safety rules say do not go downrange while the line is hot, and the range safety officer or match director will tell you when it's hot or cold. My local club has had trouble with idiots running out there while the line's hot. Now that's pretty boneheaded. Well, the older gentleman who was match director that day said "I'm gonna walk down this line and personally see that all rifles are clear, then I'm gonna call the line cold", and he did. Thing is, after the first relay and him inspecting and calling "cold range", I headed on out to score the target- having had both hips replaced and being artheritic, I walk slower so I headed on out hoping nobody'd have to wait on me. Well, when I got about 50yds out (halfway on the 100yd range) I heard the match director repeat "the range is cold" followed by another guy hollering "I hope so, with that man halfway down the range". I turned around and I told them that "I understood the range WAS cold" and nobody said another word about it. Thankfully, the rest of the match went uneventfully in terms of un-safety. The point of what I'm saying is that even though the line is cold, everybody has to communicate and know what each other is doing because the safety rules are essentially how we watch each other's back as well as our own. If they'd have forgotten the line was cold and decided to fire a few more rounds right then for whatever reason- and more rounds fired was decided on a couple of times that day- I'd have been out there taking unintended incoming fire from heavy buffalo rifles. Be sure to communicate with the others on the line any time you share a range with others and things will go much smoother and safer for everybody.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Heck I've never done anything stupid and painful with a gun. Well... except for the time I nearly shot myself in the right foot while closing a Thompson-Center Contender whose trigger I had set too light. I missed by well over a sixteenth of an inch.

 

[slopemeno]

Yeah, those base pads arent there for show...

 

[Declaration Day]

I bought a Walther G22 a couple of years ago. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a .22 cal bullpup style carbine. The action can be changed from right-hand to left hand.

I am left handed, and the gun was in right hand config when I bought it. I didn't think it was absolutely necessary to change it over. Afterall, my other guns are all right handed.

I took that first shot and the charging handle smacked me in the face. It hurt like hell, but did not leave much of a mark.

 

[Ryder]

That doesn't look half bad compared to some of the blood blisters I have received from slapping mags into a 1911. Hurts good don't it.

Ever stub your thumb on a slide mounted safety? Only thing I can relate that to was that one time I got hit on the end of my finger by a car's running fan blade. Stopped it dead in it's tracks :banghead: High thumbs indeed

 

[Bridger]

When I was younger I went shooting a few times with my friend and his dad who was a hunter. I remember being handed the scoped Marlin 336, and most of my firearm experience involved video games and movies. I know. Anyway, know how the PSG-1 seems like the coolest gun ever to video gamers? And how the Druganov has that rubber eye cup thingy? Well I didn't see one of those on the Marlin, but figured no problem and just stuck my eye right up to the rim. Hell of a time finding a sight picture too! Why is it all black and moving all the time eh? Found it, and shot, and saw stars. Thankfully only a minor cut and major aches, I learned my lesson!

Then of course was the fact that my friend's dad never even thought about ear protection...

No M1 thumb here, just a few close calls while explaining to people to keep their thumbs clear

When I took my K-31 out for the first time, my hand slipped or something while operating the bolt and one of the corners on the bolt put a gash on my hand. Sopped up the blood with my t-shirt and finished shooting.

When I got my Russian Capture Mauser, which has no front sight hood, I put the bayonet from my VZ-24 on it. Then had a hard time getting it off, wrapped my hand around the thing for a better grip, and pulled the web of my hand right over the VERY SHARP front sight post:

That was a day after, it was very bloody!

 

[Dr.Rob]

1. Snapped the hammer down while cleaning a brand new Colt 1851 Singature Series Navy .36--left a double cut and me over mom's kitchen sink howling with said firearm frame attached to thumb... solution? Cock it back open and pour gallon of blood into sink. Reach for gun oil to get blood off case coloring, splatter blood all over kitchen counter. Use entire roll of paper towels staunching bloodflow. To hell with stiches I don't want blood pitting.

2. High thumb hold on Colt Magnum Carry (thumb against cly. release) touch off 125 gr Remington hollowpoint. Result is a split thumbnail and a bloddy mess of a thumbtip, and a another liberal cleaning of blood off a new to me firearm.

3. Blood blisters (on the reloading hand), tire tracks (on the web of the right hand) are common. What isn't is finishing an IDPA stage and realizing that the web of my thumb is caught between the hammer and frame. MMM I'll unload and show clear just as soon as I can figure out what the heck I just did.

These things happen. Bumper pads are only really necessary when your 1911 has a lanyard loop (ouch).

 

[middy]

If that's the most boneheaded thing you've ever done... you are a friggin genius.

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Seen on a Sandhurst Report:

"I would hesitate to breed from this officer"

Duncan!

 

[OBXMIKE]

How about those old Daisy lever BB guns....anybody ever get the bright idea to see if it would fire with the lever in the open position???? It was Christmas day, 8 yrs old with my first BB gun. Decided to see what would happen if I left the lever down and pulled the trigger......
Would rather have shot my eye out....

 

[Fly320s]

Thefumegator,

Welcome to the club.

 

[Calumus]

The most bone headed gun incident I've seen didn't happen TO me; but was rather caused by me. I was at an outdoor range in Pa about a year ago shooting
my 1911 when a couple came up to the line next to me. It was fairly obvious that it was her 1st time shooting as her boyfriend spent a fairly decent amount of time going over the funtions of the gun, proper safety etc.. he was actually doing a pretty good job until it was time for her to fire her 1st shot. He had her standing at the line and was standing right behind her speaking into her ear with what I suppose were some last minute words of encouragement. Well I fired a shot and my nice hot brass made a perfect arc into and down the back of her hooded sweatshirt. She did what anyone would instinctively do when they feel something excruciatingly hot drop down their back, she threw her chest forward, and her head back making a VERY solid connection with her boyfriend's face. A loud crunch was followed by a string of explitives and a good sized fountain of blood. They ended up packing up their stuff and leaving. I felt kind of bad, and never got a chance to apologise. So if you're on this board, Sorry I ruined your day, but thanks for the great story to tell over pints later on that night Cheers,
Shawn

 

[Waitone]

I've used the heel of my hand--well, actually the slug of meat below my thumb. Guess what. It hurt badly. The mother of all blood blisters. Now days I think shooting gloves are just plain smart.

 

[p35]

OBXMIKE:

BTDT- I'd forgotten it until you brought it up. For those who were smarter as kids than we were, the lever flies up HARD when you fire the BB gun, whacking the fingers of your trigger hand quite sharply.

 

[bg]

Loaded up the truck with some sidearms, a LOT of sidearm
ammo, targets, the rifle cases, a lot of ammo for the mini's,
got out to the range which was about 15 miles out, got all
setup to shoot, opened the rifle cases and found out I had
brought out both shotguns..while two mini's where sleeping
very comfortably back in the safe at home. Oh and never
thought to bring any 12 gauge stuff. :banghead:

 

[WarMachine]

Wow, I have never had my palm pinched while reloading my 1911 (I try to do reload drills a couple of times a week); but now because of this thread it will be in the back of my mind.

But I am not seeing how the flesh of your hands are being pinched? You guys need to toughen up those baby soft, warm dough hands, and then the skin won't "ooze" up into any crevices

 

[smokemaker]

I had a .25 auto baby brownig knock off (Heanel Schul...German made) when I was younger. Every third or fouth shot the safety notch in the slide would grab the web of your hand, and more than once I danced around triyng to get this thing off my hand howling obscenities.

I wrapped my right thumb tightly around the grip of my Interarms Mk X .458WM when it had the factory stock. 1 round of 500 grain Federal factory stuff and I had the most painful, heavily bleeding nosebleed in my life. When I bought a replacement stock for it I had the length of pull streched out to 14 1/2" and a pachmyre decelerator installed.

 

[Brian Williams]

I was holding the barrel of my Ruger 10/22 and it slipped, the gold bead front sight ripped a nice v shaped cut in my forefinger. It was about 3/8" on each side of the cut.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Please, share your own "boneheaded" moments.

Most painful one was a knee jerk reaction to stop my G-3 from falling over off it's rest by grabbing the barrel-immediately following the rapid unloading of two 30-round mags. There was a significant amount of skin stuck to the very hot barrel.

My sister once (and only once) grabbed my .50 AE Desert Eagle over the top with the slide locked back. Just as she got a firm grasp, she must have pushed on the slide release. Had a ~1" long pinch-cut across the palm of her hand from the massive slide slamming home.

Amazing how many "small" injuries a firearms can cause that have absolutely nothing to do with them being fired (although I have seen some pretty half-moon cuts above eyes):banghead: .

Another dumb-a$$ move was putting my off-hand elbow into stomach and wrapping my hand around the reciever. This is fine with a bolt. lever or pump, but a really bad idea with an auto.

 

[HSMITH]

I had a somewhat similar mishap, in the middle of an IPSC stage. I got my new super D duper race gun, first big magwell I have ever had. Magazines have big aluminum extended basepads on them. Midway through the stage I hit the reload at warp 9, after all that is the point of the great big magwell, doing so I pinched the everlovingbeejeebers out of my ring finger fingernail between the basepad and the magwell. Thank the LORD it didn't seat all the way. I yiped, and reseated the mag, shot the rest of the stage. When I was all done and holstered up the range officer asked me what happened, I looked at the fingernail and it was already turning blue and swelling just 20 seconds after it happened. Smashed it hard enough that I had to drill a hole in the nail that night and relieve the pressure, it was throbbing something fierce!! It has happened once since though not as bad.

The single worst gun injury for me though was with my 1100, there is an edge inside the reciever of EVERY 1100 with any mileage on it that is absolutely RAZOR SHARP!!! I laid my index finger tip open to THE BONE once cleaning it. Blood everywhere and a steady stream, grab a rag that happened to have brake cleaner on it and put pressure on the cut and nearly piddle myself when the brake cleaner hits the open cut. New swearwords never heard by mankind ring out along with every single swearword I know in english and spanish. I didn't get stitched but probably should have. Since then the only thing the inside of that gun has seen is a toothbrush and brake cleaner, then a little oil. Beware of the 1100!!!!!

 

[Waitone]

The 870 has the same razor in the action. I did the same thing less the brake cleaner. Fortunately I held my water. Still smarted grandly.

 

[BHPshooter]

Use the heel of your hand...not the palm, and you won't do that again.

I guess that's why it's so boneheaded; I usually do it the correct way.

If that's the most boneheaded thing you've ever done... you are a friggin genius.

Not the most boneheaded thing I've done, but amongst them.

Wes

 

[cracked butt]

Never hurt myself, but I had a scary near miss once. Was taking apart the slide on my 1911 for the first time by following directions on the internet. The instructions said to wear eye protection, but I figured I'd wing it. Taking the firing pin stop out, I pointed the slide away from me, seeing that it was now pointed at my monitor, I turned it around when all of the sudden thhhhhhhhip the firing pin grazed my forehead at about mach 4.

 

[jtward01]

We were shooting bowling pins one night and my time was running around three seconds to clear five pins using a Ruger Mark II .22 semi-auto pistol. I figured I could cut my time some if I could eliminate what little muzzle jump there was, so I braced my right thumb against the back of the receiver figuring that pushing forward with the thumb would help hold the muzzle down. Big mistake. Almost dislocated the thumb when that bolt came back when the first round fired.

Had a reload I was given jam a S&W Model 19 when the nose of the bullet extended past the front of the cylinder and caught on the edge of the forcing cone. I couldn't rotate the cylinder backward, or open it. I had to twist the cylinder by hand until the edge of the forcing cone shaved off just enough lead to let the bullet pass and line up with the barrel. For some reason I thought the trigger had to be held back for the cylinder to turn. I forgot, however, that as the cylinder was turning the hammer was also moving backward. Of course, as soon as the cylinder turned into alignment with the barrel the hammer dropped and the gun discharged. I was holding the gun in my lap at the time, fortunately with the muzzle pointed down. The slug hit the ground next to my left foot.

I used to load some .38 spl. +p cases to .357 pressures for some police officer friends who were allowed to carry .357 revolvers, but only .38spl. ammo. A guy I knew grabbed a handful of these hot loads off my bench one day without telling me and tried shooting them in his RG .38. He wasn't hitting anything so I asked to try his gun, not knowing he had my hot loads in it. About the fourth or fifth round the gun let go, blowing the top half of the cylinder right through the corrugated tin roof over the shooting line. I was lucky and not injured. He later tried to get me to pay for his gun since it was my ammo that he stole that blew up his gun.