Of Shotguns, Band-Aids, and Other Really Useful Tidbits.

[sm]

I got a buddy whom found a LNIB 20 ga. 1100 for his daughter. Daughter shot a variety of the rental guns at the range and this is perfect fit for her.

Well that and dad's real expensive O/U in 28 ga...but daddy threatened to just sell her out right and save all those college tuition fees and wedding monies coming up in a few years. This 1100 is gonna be dropped under a tree by a fat guy in red suit next month.

Her Daddy, my buddy is a spoiled brat born into money. He learned on O/U and SxS and was even fitted in one them thar fancy shooting parlors across the pond. Yeah...one of them. He admits this and is really a nice guy, even tho' he won't let me have a corp credit card or adopt me.

So real early this morning I get a phone call:
-How do you get blood out of carpet?
-Where can I get a new magazine plug for that new shotgun?
-Does blood rust metal?
-What are YOU doing later?
etc.


This is gonna be good , I feel it coming on, I bet I knew what he did before he even tells me. The coffee is ready, I gotta sit down... I said:

"You cut yourself on the left inside of the receiver didn't you? Sliced that right index finger really good and deep huh? "
How'd you know?
[ I ignore question -sip coffee]
What happened to the magazine plug that came with the gun?"
When I launched it across the room the puppy got it...by the time I found him and the plug...
"I will see you later, I have a plug, put down the gun, lock the gun room "

There is "garand thumb", recoil spring plugs on 1911s set land distance records, a scope improperly mounted gets one inducted into the half moon over the eye club- for life.

Shotgunners are not lower class persons. We have our unique set of "important stuff too"...but we feel left out don't we?

So for the benefit of all lets share some Tips, experiences, warnings to others. Don't have to be a newbie to share or learn.

Me...I gotta find my stuff that cleans carpet and a mag plug

 

[Okiecruffler]

A few years ago I managed to actually shut a good portion of thumb meat between the barrel and reciever of my favorite 311. Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't get the thing open and I was the only one at the range. Luckily after about 30 minutes of praying, crying, and cursing (none of which seemed to do much good) another shooter showed up and was nice enough to help get the nasty thing open. Still got a scar from that one. Lesson learned, now I always make sure I know where all my body parts are before closing up a firearm.

 

[foghornl]

OK, OK....my "stoooopid shotgun story"...

I was a Wise N. Hiemer teen-age punky boy, using "Pops" (grandfather's) old Savage/Stevens Mdl 94B 16Ga single-shot. I had seen a guy that carried a spare shell in his "front-end" hand, and he could pop open his single-shot, toss in a new shell, be closed & ready to fire really fast.

Sooooo, I shot, opened gun, tossed off-hand thumb into chamber (shell hit the ground) and I tried to slam shut the barrel by swinging up front of gun...

OWW! ! ! Quit it

 

[sm]

Ouch!
Ok- about body parts...Okie , fog,and I have "shown our scars"...anyone got less meat...how about from a lever? <raises hand>

I pinched myself but good on a 10 ga once...thumb shoulda been somewhere alongside [as warned] intead of allowing my web to get 'under' the lever.

We havin fun yet?
We turned away any folks from " The Way of the Shotgun"-yet?

[Dave's gonna get me for this- just wait]

 

[Dave McCracken]

Unlike Garands, GMs, a Ruger Super Blackhawk, and possibly other weapons, shotguns have made me bleed little.

There is a silvered old scar on the first knuckle of my trigger finger that is shotgun related. As a lad, I learned the hard way to make sure the squirrel is dead before picking it up. Those front teeth are sharp as chisels....

 

[Dave McCracken]

Unlike Garands, GMs, a Ruger Super Blackhawk, and other weapons, shotguns have made me bleed little.

There is a silvered old scar on the first knuckle of my trigger finger that is shotgun related. As a lad, I learned the hard way to make sure the squirrel is dead before picking it up. Those front teeth are sharp as chisels....

 

[sm]

Dave wins the 'squirreliest' scar...oops

Where I was trying to go with this thread and didn't do a good job of... was...
The left inside of a 1100 reciever is SHARP !
There is a metal cap inside most mag tubes, regardless point away from face when removing cap , keep control of cap so retainer caps, plugs and spring don't fly out. Metal is sharp and will bite, so learn the nuances of gun and keep body parts in check.

Another...Screw in choke tubes. Go slow, don't cross-thread, lube, and you don't need them vise-grip tight. Some are more sharp than others on the end you insert first.

Brass punches are good but a wooden dowel or pc of Derlin shaped as need , are great for punching the TG . Don't scratch.

Was it the Mossy auto that had a sharp shell carrier? Don't recall, but again smooth to avoid cuts. One of them had a really sharp one IIRC.

Other Tidbits?

 

[HSMITH]

I thought I was gonna lose the end of my index finger the first time I cleaned my 1100, that nasty pig sliced me open and open DEEP in a split second. The brake cleaner on my rag got in the cut before the blood got flowing good, dang near ripped the rest of my finger off when the brake cleaner started to burn and between the burning and the knowing I was cut good I could not get my fingers out of the ejection port fast enough. I guarantee the depths of hell are not any hotter than that brake cleaner feels a full quarter of an inch deep in the pad of your finger......

Anyway, as usual I concur 100% with '73.

One little tidbit: the shell lifter on a Browning Gold Hunter in 12 or 20ga is just about right to pinch your thumb and hold it very tightly as you try to pull it out after loading a shell if you get a little deep with your thumb going in. The harder you pull the harder it holds it and depending on your strength and reaction to the pinch it can get VERY painful. Make a note now or you WILL make a note later if you get my drift.

 

[BerettaNut92]

It took me a while to learn to load my Benelli right so I didn't have to leave a roll of medical tape on my Camelbak shoulder strap anymore

 

[Okiecruffler]

Hey, I thought I was the only one with squirrel scars. When I was 12 I climbed up a tree to get some baby squirrels out of a hole in a tree. Got the first two out and dropped them to my friend on the ground who caught them in his hat. But that third squirrel I grabbed turned out to be a bit bigger. I let momma go quick, but she grabbed my thumb quicker. Took me a good few minutes to shake her off. Hid my thumb from the folks for a few days because I was afraid I'd have to get rabies shots. Ended up with a humdinger of an infected thumb, but no rabies. Had that baby squirrel for 5 years. a lot of fun for me, but a constant torment to all the dogs, cats, and my little brother.

 

[sm]

Skunk: Is the shell lifter sharp or does it act like a Chinese finger puzzle?

HSMITH: Re: Browning Gold Forgot about that one. I don't have fat fingers, heard guy complain...just " had to see" for myself. I wonder if this the same as Skunk's tidbit.

Okie: ROFL, ok you and Dave shoot on a separate field...rest of guys will be over here. Nope never reached in for squirrels. I do dumb stuff like put foot on log and then see the rattlesnake. Didn't heed warning about a Bull once either. Tip: Open action, drop SG, beat feet, dive under fence.

Ok where is Correia, Al, Jagermeister, Jeff White, Denny...?

NO tips? No suggestions? Tidbits to be aware of ? Now I know Correia has a video coming our way [ hint] reminder [/hint]...I really hope Lawdog has some enlightenment ...

 

[Dave McCracken]

Bill Gillette, the traveling gunsmith, states that older 1100s are sharp as razors inside. He urges extreme caution when poking around inside.

Both golf tees and plastic chopsticks make good TG pin pushers.

John,you win. That's the best squirrel story ever.

73, learned as a tad that one looked at the log, stepped ON the log and looked over it for snakes. Saved myself a copperhead bite that way.

 

[Correia]

How on earth did I miss this thread?

I've been having some trouble with an 870. I posted here about it, I believe it may be related to the shell latches, but I'm not sure yet. Then Dave posted about one of his 870s having problems with not firing the live round in the chamber. I got to thinking about it and decided to poke around a little bit.

I removed the barrel and did some dry firing. As far as I could tell the firing pin was getting a good solid whack. I took the bolt out and felt around inside for the hammer. I put my thumb against the hammer and pulled the trigger to see how hard it fell. (I'm sure you can see where this is going).

The hammer fell, really hard. It crushed my thumb against he receiver. I screamed like a little girl. Of course now I've got my big old hand stuck in the reciever, with no way to reach inside to push the hammer down. My wife heard my yelp of pain and came running to see what the matter was. After a few minutes of unbelivable pain I was able to find something that fit past my hand ( a fork, hey it was the first long skinny thing I found) and pushed down the hammer.

It left a nice purple and black indentation that lasted a few days. Dang that was stupid.

Still haven't figured out the problem with the gun. It seems to malfunction just rarely enough that I can't pin the problem down. I'll get it, but it is frustrating.

 

[sm]

The hammer fell, really hard.

Hang on...I gotta wipe eyes,.. I'm laughing so hard my ribs hurt....oh my that ...that...is too funny.

CORREIA WINS BEST REPLY TO A THREAD !!

Ok Larry I'm in trouble. Your a Moderator, I changed usernames -just because I figured YOU would be the one to get back at me for this ( and bugging you about some videos)...and knowing you probably don't attend the THR Staff meetings- I thought I might remain anonymous, but noooo, now...my ribs hurt, hope your happy. [jokes/kidding]

Steve
formerly re1973

Oleg...I might have to leave and start all over again...I'm pretty good with a shotgun ( at least I don't check firing pins like Larry) but...pretty good vs Larry being "gooder"...I'm in trouble.

Dave...Dave...you quit laughig yet...?

Hey Denny, Larry can do a demo for S.W.A.T , whaddya think?

 

[Dave McCracken]

(Vainly trying to suppress chortles)....

Next time, Corriea, call me first. You know how to reach me.

You're not the only one. Had a co worker slice himself nicely on the shell carrier of an un870. A few weeks later, he perforated a finger "Checking firing pin protrusion" Had to write a cover report on that one. Big challenge, not to use the terms "Flaming Idiot" and "Terminally Stupid" in it. Did slip in "Cretinous Conduct", none of my supervisors knew what it meant.

And let's leave the troubleshooting to pros when we've trouble shooting.

SM, watch out for Instant Karma....

 

[sm]

Dave, I was told by Rich, and some others my actions would result in "good" instant Karma about a year ago. My Karma has been going down the toliet since. I'm gonna try reverse psychology on Karma for abit, starting with Larry...hey it couldn't get worse.

I bought a brand new automatic center punch once. Took it to the office. Employee "just " had to open package, as I'm getting coffee I hear Ka-chunk, Ka-chunk, Ka-chunk---YEEOOWWW!! Punch is on the floor, bloody and words don't describe what a auto center punch will do to a thumbnail. NOT something I recommend folks.

 

[Kestrel]

I just got an older 1100. Where are the sharp areas in the receiver you guys are warning about? (Tryin' to avoid trouble...)

Thanks!

Steve

 

[bernie]

This is a great thread, because I always thought that I was probably the only person in the world hurt by a shotgun, and not because it was fired at me! I have fired all kinds of firearms, including lots of M1 rifles, but have never been hurt by anything other than a 12 gauge Winchester Model 140 shotgun.

I was about 16 when it happened. It was the only firearm I had and I was terribly proud of it. If wild game was in front of me and in range, it was bagged, I knew that shotgun! I never had it jam on me except one time.

I was easing down a logging road squirrel hunting when my shotgun jammed. I cleared the shell out of the receiver, but the bolt release would not seem to drop the bolt. I reached through the ejection port with my right thumb, and you guessed it, the bolt dropped onto my thumb with enough force to drive a toothpick through armor plate. I wedged the butt of the shotgun between my knees and pulled the bolt back with my left hand (my right hand was kind of busy). I got it out, no problem, and go back to hunting.

A few minutes later, I noticed that the front of my pants were soaked in blood. "That's odd," I thought, "I have not killed anything yet." So I start inspecting myself, and find that my right thumb is pumping blood. When I saw the injured thumb, that is of course, when I also felt the pain.

My wife says that there is no pain greater than childbirth, but I know better.

 

[sm]

Steve:
When you open the breech, the left side ( opposite of breech) is RAZOR sharp! IIRC this is where the intercepter latch is. DO not use fingers, Don't think a patch will protect either-it won't. This is why pipe-cleaners and long wooden Q-Tips were invented...contrary to popular beliefs...

hey, able to post, Correia didn't get rid of me I see

 

[Correia]

sm, I thought about it...

I've got to agree with Dave, I really need to leave the trouble shooting to the professionals.

Not shotgun related, but in the last few years I have managed to: Squirt myself in the eyes with brake cleaner while trying to clean a 1911 extractor channel. Catch my car on fire, inside my garage, while trying to change the water pump, and then I broke the door against the garage frame while pushing the on fire car outside. I caught my kitchen on fire while learning how to make batter dipped fried fish. I badly sliced my thumb open on the inside of an Imbel FAL receiver while learning how to build a FAL. All that and I manage to hit my head a lot.

 

[Bruce626]

Correia... I don't know you well enough to criticize, but jeeez have you ever considered switching to , oh I don't know, maybe writing music or sumthin? I mean not with a sharp pencil or anything!

 

[Dave McCracken]

Corriea, $%^&*( happens, and then keeps happening.

I'm not surprised you bump your head a lot. It's a world built by and for smaller folks.

Back when I instructed a lot, my range gear included not only a good F/A kit, but battle dressings and rubber tubing for a tourniquet.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I'm starting to wonder if any of us really need to be around things that go boom.